Books with author Bill Percy

"A light, breezy thriller, but its tale of a troubled man acting as a father to an equally troubled girl has exceptional dramatic impact." –Kirkus ReviewsIt’s the rugged Monastery Valley of Montana. High on the cliff called the Coliseum stands a man, deciding whether to live or die. In the valley below, Grace Ellonson, fourteen, will be abandoned by her mother. Where has Grace’s mother gone, and why has she left her daughter behind? A rancher will be seduced into a racist and anti-government conspiracy—who’s leading the conspiracy and what are his plans? Depressed psychologist Ed Northrup and Monastery Valley newcomer deputy sheriff Andi Pelton struggle to unravel these mysteries before they explode in a violent collision. And amid the chaos, Ed, Andi, and Grace must face the most formidable decision of their lives.

It’s the rugged Monastery Valley of Montana. High on the cliff called the Coliseum stands a man, deciding whether to live or die. In the valley below, Grace Ellonson, fourteen, will be abandoned by her mother. Where has Grace’s mother gone, and why has she left her daughter behind? A rancher will be seduced into a racist and anti-government conspiracy—who’s leading the conspiracy and what are his plans? Depressed psychologist Ed Northrup and Monastery Valley newcomer deputy sheriff Andi Pelton struggle to unravel these mysteries before they explode in a violent collision. And amid the chaos, Ed, Andi, and Grace must face the most formidable decision of their lives.

Psychologist Ed Northrup, hiding a fatal secret, is guilty, depressed, and desperate to escape his quietly unhappy life. His patient's sufferings have dragged him down. But instead of escaping, he faces a cluster of mysteries that demand his involvement: Why was fourteen-year-old Grace Ellonson brought to the valley and abandoned? How can Ed keep her from vanishing into the child protection system? Where does rancher Vic Sobstak go when he sneaks into town at night? Why has Vic's church-organist wife, Maggie, turned up drunk? Who is behind the hate-filled racist flyers appearing around town? And how are these enigmas linked? When Ed helps Deputy Sheriff Andi Pelton investigate Grace's abandonment and Maggie's intoxication, no one knows why the girl was left behind or that Maggie's husband Vic is snared in a vicious anti-government conspiracy. But they'll soon find out-disastrously. When the mysteries begin to twine together, they collide in a violent climax, and Ed is forced to wrestle with friendship for Andi and to forgive his hidden, deadly mistake. Amid the chaos, he and Grace face the most formidable decision of their lives. Climbing the Coliseum unfolds in the Monastery Valley of Montana, a rugged land in the shadow of the Coliseum, a towering mountain cirque. Locals climb the Coliseum in search of recreation, beauty, and sometimes, healing. Below, in the Valley, the clash of needs can swiftly turn tragic; but honesty, friendship, and the quiet kindness of strangers can turn tragedy to new life.