The writing is strong and the setting is great. I was drawn in from the first chapter. The tone and mood are conveyed very well. The only reason this book received four stars is because I found the motivation of several of the major players in the book to be not believable, or at least, questionable. I can't say which characters without giving away too much, but generally speaking, that was my main and only problem with the story. Otherwise, I think the author handles the racial tension of a small farming community pretty honestly and authentically, especially the way the certain people were quick to condemn and judge.