Barren River is set in the southern Kentucky cave country in 1962. Arnie Travers and Morgan Hargett are lifelong friends who have taken to exploring caverns in the region hoping to find one interesting enough to develop and exploit through public display. The story begins with the proceedings of a coroner's inquest into the death of Morgan who has become trapped in a cave that he and Arnie are exploring. He apparently has fallen into a pit inside the cave and died of his injuries. Arnie has found his way out and summoned ...
Read More
Barren River is set in the southern Kentucky cave country in 1962. Arnie Travers and Morgan Hargett are lifelong friends who have taken to exploring caverns in the region hoping to find one interesting enough to develop and exploit through public display. The story begins with the proceedings of a coroner's inquest into the death of Morgan who has become trapped in a cave that he and Arnie are exploring. He apparently has fallen into a pit inside the cave and died of his injuries. Arnie has found his way out and summoned help for Morgan, but too late. During the inquest Morgan's wife accuses Arnie of murdering Morgan and reveals that she and Arnie have had an affair and have planned to go away together. Arnie's testimony convinces the jury that the affair had ended and that he has held no grudge against Morgan. The coroner's jury is sent out to deliberate the verdict and most of the members who have known Morgan and Arnie for several years are ready to rule it an accident. One member, a young man new to the town, demurs. He thinks this is a rush to judgment and he wants further discussion of the other two possible verdicts - murder or suicide. He is finally beaten down by the others of the jury and a verdict of accidental death is returned. But has justice been served? How have we arrived at this moment? The book recounts the events leading up to the time of the inquest to reveal the startling facts behind the death.
Read Less
Add this copy of Barren River to cart. $12.95, very good condition, Sold by Libris Hardback Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Rockingham, VA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Authorhouse.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Near Fine. Signed by Author(s) 8vo-over 7¾-9¾" tall. Black and green pictorial soft cover with white and green lettering on front cover and spine, cover is slightly scuffed and the corners curl slightly. Binding tight, pages very clean, author signature on title page is the only marking. 243 pages. Packaged carefully for shipment in cardboard with U. S. tracking. Oversized or heavy books may require extra postage for priority or international shipment.
Add this copy of Barren River to cart. $13.64, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2008 by Authorhouse.
Add this copy of Barren River to cart. $15.76, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Authorhouse.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 248 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Barren River to cart. $33.63, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Clarita, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by AuthorHouse.
It?s a rare talent that can begin a story with its tragic conclusion and tell it so engrossingly that the reader is nevertheless shocked to arrive once again at the ending. Charles Roe displays such talent in his fourth novel, Barren River, a gripping tale of friendship, betrayal, love, and loss set in the cave country of southern Kentucky.
The story opens with a coroner?s inquest into the death of Morgan Hargett, who met his end while exploring a cave with his best friend Arnie Travers. After being trapped in the cave for hours, Arnie found a way out and returned, too late, with help. Suspicion falls on the survivor in the minds of some, but the jury eventually decides that the death was accidental. Intent on retribution, Morgan?s widow then takes matters into her own hands, plunging the town of Greenfield back into incredulous grief.
After this prologue the narrative shifts to the ill-fated caving excursion, which serves as a backdrop for all but the final chapter of the novel. From the outset there are signs that things will not turn out well: a forgotten rope, a slipped knot, a foothold that gives way. Prepared and provisioned only for a brief scouting foray, Morgan and Arnie find themselves on a full-blown expedition to secure their very survival.
The taut description of their underground ordeal is punctuated by flashbacks to events from the months leading up to the calamitous venture. Morgan and Arnie consider what has happened between them during that time, and between each of them and Verna, Morgan?s wife, and Fern, Arnie?s new love interest. The cave, with its treacherous terrain and disorienting darkness, is eerily analogous to the confusing landscape of human relationships in which the two men find themselves.
As the narrative unfolds within the cave and without, the mystery deepens: what actually took place between them in the chill blackness, and how did Morgan die? The gravity of the situation forces the trapped men to grapple with their inner demons, and each makes choices that ultimately and inadvertently bring tragedy down upon them both.
Barren River has elements of romance, intrigue, mystery, and morality, but as a whole it is a nuanced exploration of the unraveling of the human heart under the quiet frictions of daily living as well as the pressure of extreme circumstances. The principal characters? joys and struggles are universal and familiar, and the rural small town setting creates an intimacy that deepens their poignancy. Most pleasing of all, it is a tale so well told that the reader is taken as unawares as the characters by the final act of shattering violence foretold in the prologue.
