A Straight Road to Hell

At the age of eighty, Melissa Ann Parker was the oldest woman ever to be executed in the state of Texas. Her crime of passion-the murder of her only son, Kendall-was one that she refused to ever explain. She took the reasons for her actions with her into death. During her twenty-year tenure on Death Row, she meets reporter Charlie Dodson, who is sent to interview the oldest person awaiting execution in Texas. Charlie becomes enchanted with this strange, ethereal woman, continuing to visit her until her demise. After her death, he discovers that she has left her considerable estate to him. In order to put her memory to rest, he resolves to uncover the reason for her crime. His efforts lead him down a path of corruption so dark and evil, the worst criminal would have loathing for persons who could involve themselves in such a venture. Charlie's quest for understanding is rich in intrigue, deception, vice, and danger, but he can't step away until he knows why Melissa Ann chose to brutally murder her only son.