In 1913 Spartanburg, South Carolina, a black man hovers in the county jail, arrested for a horrendous crime against a white woman, and aware of a howling mob outside the jailhouse walls determined to lynch him. Basically true, this novel tells the story of a brave sheriff, denied help by the city mayor and the state governor, fighting to protect his prisoner from the mob with the help of a few deputies. Even if he succeeds, what chance is there for...