The Shepherd's Voice

a novel

Plot

Gabe Talmadge is on his way home to Depression-era Ransom, Idaho, after a long spell in jail for a crime he did not commit. Hungry and exhausted, he collapses just 15 miles from his father's mansion. Beautiful, devout Akira Macauley takes him in, giving him a home-cooked meal and a clean bed for the night. The next day she drives him to town, where he asks his wealthy but cruel father, Hudson Talmadge, for a job.