Cry Me A River

"Ernest Hill has always been a writer of great power and psychological depth, creating characters that resonate brilliantly beyond the boundaries of gender and race. Cry Me A River is a remarkable book. It runs deep and it runs fast." --Robert Olen Butler, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain

An absentee father from a "no good" family, Tyrone Stokes was imprisoned for shooting a man in a convenience store. His wife saw her chance to end their marriage and raise their son, Marcus, on her own. Now Tyrone has returned to Brownsville, Louisiana, to discover that his boy needs help--help that Tyrone is desperate to give, if he can only figure out how.

Marcus has been convicted of the rape and murder of a young white girl. An execution date is set, and it's rumored that the Governor will refuse clemency. Tyrone is convinced Marcus is innocent, despite a stack of evidence against him--but he is also wracked by knowledge of all the ways he has failed his son. Against all odds, Tyrone sets out to keep Marcus alive--and perhaps put his family back together again.

"Hill is a skilled storyteller." --New York Times Book Review

"I couldn't put it down. . .Would fit well on the shelf with the works of Richard Wright and Chester Himes." --Ernest J. Gaines, bestselling author of A Lesson Before Dying