Final Harvest

Depicting the shocking Ruthton, Minnesota murders of 1983, Andrew Malcolm manages to capture the very essence of the tale. Without bias or personal prejudice, he clearly and simply paints a picture of two bankers, their families and the men caught up in the whirlwind farm crisis of the 1980's. Taking the time accurately depict the Midwest and her people, he delves into the past to bring to light the personal motivations and conflicts between the two groups that eventually simmered over as a father and son decided to take the law into their own hands. Andrew Malcolm does a great job remaining unbiased throughout the narrative, while still touching on the possible motivations, not only of the murderers, but also of the bankers themselves. Like a true storyteller, he knows how to keep his audience on the hook, concluding with a flourish that leaves the reader breathless in its entirety.

This is an extremely well-written account of a very unusual crime -- the killing of a banker by a farmer he foreclosed upon. It does a fabulous job of showing the monetary links between farming and banking, and of delving into the personalities involved. The story line is maybe a bit thin -- two guys killed by a father-and-son who blame the bankers for their troubles -- and the author really makes the most of it.For anyone who likes true-life, non-fiction stories, this is a good one.