Let Me Die In His Footsteps

Let Me Die in His Footsteps is a novel about family secrets, and how often future generations are affected by them.

In 1952 Annie Halloran is celebrating her half birthday - a special tradition for girls between the ages of fifteen and sixteen.  On their half birthday they will look in a well and see their future.  Annie chooses the well at the Baines' home, and although she doesn't see the future she wants, she does discover a body lying by the well.

In 1936 Juna Crowley and her sister Sarah were also growing up in Kentucky. As Juna was coming of age, she encountered the Baines boys, especially Joseph Carl, who was taken with Juna's blond hair and coal black eyes.   When a murder takes place, it Joseph Carl who is accused of the crime.

After a hanging, Juna abruptly leaves town, allowing her sister, Sarah, to raise her daughter, Annie.

Now Annie believes her mother will be coming back and what really happened all those years ago will be revealed.

Roy does a wonderful job of creating the atmosphere of this book so that I felt as though I were a part of the small Kentucky community.  The constant shift in time periods was difficult for me as a reader and I didn't always feel connected with the characters.  However, Roy's ending is strong and as the story came together, I appreciated the way in which it unfolded.

Although Bent Road continues to be my favorite of Roy's books, Let Me Die In His Footsteps is suspenseful and full of twists and turns that will be enjoyed by many readers.