Sorrow Wood [Hardcover]

Raymond L. Atkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2009

When the charred body of a promiscuous, self-proclaimed witch is discovered at a farm called Sorrow Wood, nearly everyone in the sleepy town of Sand Valley, Alabama, is drawn into the case. As the murder probe continues, a multitude of secrets are revealed, including one that leads back to the rock castle home of Wendell Blackmon, Sand Valley's police chief, and his beloved wife Reva. The town's inhabitants ruminate on the true meaning of commitment, love, death, hope, and loss as they delve deeper into questions such as Who was this woman? Where did she come from? and What did her presence mean to Wendell, Reva, and the townspeople of Sand Valley?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Subtle humor and mostly pitch-perfect prose distinguish Atkins's compelling mix of mystery and romance, set in 1985 with flashbacks to the 1930s and '40s. When Wendell Blackmon, the 59-year-old police chief of Sand Valley, Ala., investigates the murder of a self-proclaimed witch whose charred body was found at a farm called Sorrow Wood, he discovers that the victim was loathed by many in her occult-as-an-excuse-for-free-love coven. Meanwhile, decades earlier, after a painful childhood, Wendell meets his future wife, Reva, falls in love and marries her in the course of a week. Together they build a family. Reva, who serves as Sand Valley's probate judge and believes in reincarnation, believes she and Wendell have shared several lifetimes, indicated in historical vignettes throughout. Atkins (The Front Porch Prophet) smoothly weaves past into present as the action builds to a final poignant twist. (Aug.)
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Review

Raymond L. Atkins's second book (after last year's The Front Porch Prophet) is a casually clever, darkly humorous mystery...solving the mystery is almost beside the point, anyway, when the cast of characters is this intriguing.  --Atlanta Magazine

This is the story of two ordinary people who fall in love; their tale is reminiscent of Erich Segal's Love Story. Fans will enjoy love through the ages on a par with the epics of Barbara Delinsky and Danielle Steele. --Midwest Book Review

Sorrow Wood is an excellent book. Anyone who lives in a southern small town or the rural south will be able to relate to some of the characters portrayed by Atkins. --Decatur Daily News

Like all great southern writers, Raymond Atkins knows how to spin a yarn. With trenchant wit and poetic prose, he weaves the homely with the divine, creating characters that glow with human life. --Melanie Sumner, Author, The Ghost of Milagro Creek

Most pleasing of all in this book is the humor. I found it a realistic, satisfying, unsentimental and rather moving love story --Alabama Public Radio

"Ultimately a story about the lasting strength of love."  —Tennessee Library Association

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Medallion Press; First Edition edition (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193475563X
• ISBN-13: 978-1934755631
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,237,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Raymond L. Atkins resides in Rome, Georgia. His short stories have been published in Christmas Stories from Georgia, Christmas Through a Child's Eyes, The Lavender Mountain Anthology, The Blood and Fire Review, The Old Red Kimono, Long Island Woman, and Savannah Magazine. His columns have appeared in The Rome News-Tribune, Memphis Downtowner Magazine, Purple Pros, and Like the Dew. His first novel--The Front Porch Prophet--was released by Medallion Press in July of 2008 and went on to win the Georgia Author of the Year Award for First Novel as well as the Independent Publishers Book Award for Best Regional Fiction. His second novel--Sorrow Wood--was released by Medallion Press in June of 2009 to critical acclaim. Atlanta Magazine called it a "darkly humorous, casually clever mystery." Publishers Weekly praised its "subtle humor and pitch-perfect prose." His third novel, Camp Redemption, will be released in June, 2011.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should win Pulitzer, September 1, 2009

By 

D. Crutchfield "hensrule" (Evergreen, Al. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sorrow Wood (Hardcover)

This epic tale will stay with me for a long time. As a librarian, I read several books a year but I have to say, I don't want to read anything else for a while. Nothing else could compare to this book. It was that wonderful.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Impressive Tale Of Supernatural Romance, June 14, 2010

By 

Apex Reviews (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sorrow Wood (Hardcover)

After only their second date, Wendell proposes to Reva, the newfound love of his life, with whom he's felt a profound spiritual connection since they first met - and without whom he can't imagine spending the rest of his life. Eventually settling together in Sand Valley, Alabama, Wendell becomes the town police chief while Reva serves as a probate judge. After decades of a quiet, peaceful, murder-free existence, Sand Valley soon witnesses the gruesome burning death of Christine Hendricksen, a self-proclaimed witch with a controversial reputation for unscrupulous "free love" - masked as mystical occultism. As his investigation into Christine's death proceeds, Wendell soon discovers a host of disturbing truths, not only about her, but also about him and a series of previous lives that he's supposedly lived - all of which were designed to prepare him for the shocking twist his present incarnation is about to encounter...

With a keen eye toward the supernatural, author Raymond Atkins has crafted a compelling suspense thriller in Sorrow Wood. In masterful fashion, Atkins seamlessly weaves spiritual poignancy with tender romance in order to create an engaging tale that offers tentative answers to some of the lingering questions we all find ourselves pondering from time to time: why are we here? What lies beyond the grave? Have we ever been here before - and if so, why? Not that Atkins professes to know all the secrets behind our storied existence in the present dimension, but his thought-provoking tale certainly provides readers with a helpful nudge in the right direction, encouraging them - like Wendell - to further explore the mystical realms of fate and circumstance for themselves.

Engrossing, entrancing - and with an ending sure to leave you wanting more - Sorrow Wood is more than just a garden variety love story. A thoroughly entertaining read.


Renee Washburn
Apex Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK, November 17, 2009

By 

Timothy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sorrow Wood (Hardcover)

This is one of the funniest books I have read in quite some time. It is a laugh out loud tale of romance, murder, and colorful characters in a small town. Mr Atkins irreverant humor is delightful and I highly recommend this and his other book to avid readers. You will not go wrong reading this book. Great story. I also had a chance to met him recently at a book signing in my area and he promises some of these characters will appear in his next novel due out early next year. I cant wait for his next book. This is an author to watch!!!! 5 stars in my book