by Jeannette Walls

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In 1920’s rural Claiborne County, Virginia, Duke Kincaid is the wealthiest man around. He owns the town and the land that his tenants farm. Prohibition is in effect but that doesn’t stop the locals from making their own whiskey and selling it to make some money. and Duke closes his eyes to this illegal activity and sells it in the general store that he owns. The people in the town respect Duke because he is tough but fair with them but no one dares to cross him.

Eight year old Sallie Kincaid is smart, fearless and a chip off the block of her father. Duke is a big man in rural Claiborne County and Sallie thinks her father ‘hung the moon”. Duke adores Sallie too but he needs a son to carry-on the Kincaid business and name. Sallie doesn’t remember much about her mother who died after a violent argument with her father and when she is eight, Duke marries Jane and he finally gets the son that he wants. However, Eddie is a small ,frail, musically inclined child who is nothing like his father. Sallie is a wild, daredevil and not at all “proper” as Jane repeatedly points out. Sallie loves her brother and decides to help Eddie become more like a Kincaid. When an accident occurs when Sallie is with Eddie, she is sent away from her privileged life to stay with her Aunt Faye in another town.

Nine years later, Sallie is summoned home and she is determined to reclaim her former life and position in the family. But things have changed since Sallie was exiled and it won’t be easy for her but she is a Kincaid so nothing will stand in her way.

I loved Hang the Moon and couldn’t put it down. It has a great 1920’s setting in rural Virginia, bootleggers, family secrets and a damaged but feisty, determined heroine that readers will love. Don’t miss this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. Hang the Moon will be published on March 28, 2023 and it can be ordered here..