Valley of Hope

About the Book

Boyd Houston joined the Confederate Army after selling his fishing boat and cottage on the coast of South Carolina. Within weeks, his detachment is ordered to march to a remote mountain town in Western Virginia to confront Union forces encamped there. Control of turnpikes, supply lines and the materials of war is at stake. His detachment is routed by an inferior force, and he is among those grievously wounded and left behind. Almost a hundred Confederate soldiers are captured, and scores lost their lives. He is taken prisoner and transferred to the home of a local townsman to recuperate. There, he meets Nellie, a beautiful slave woman, and Lexus, a local debutante. Boyd struggles with the constraints of his culture as he attempts to sort out his feelings for the two young women. An attempted slave escape complicates the decision he is forced to make. Meanwhile, he and his friend, Charlie, confront a ring of thieves and murderers to obtain justice for the killing of a friend. Unbeknownst to Boyd, his life is to be changed forever.

About the Author

Thomas H. Williams is a former biology teacher, public school administrator, and college professor and has a layman’s interest in botany and archeology. He is a lifelong resident of West Virginia and spends his leisure time writing, fishing and traveling. He attended graduate school at Virginia Tech where he earned a doctorate in education administration and is professor emeritus at West Virginia Wesleyan College. He is the author of four previous novels: Into the Mountains, Backbone Mountain, Blackwater and Bones in the Woods.