Sharyn McCrumb

A story inspired by a true crime made famous by the Kingston Trio's folk song recording reimagines the events surrounding the murder of North Carolina mountain girl Laura Foster and the hanging of her lover, Tom Dula, in a meticulously researched account that reveals additional information that may prove Dula's innocence. 75,000 first printing.

A Ballad Novel

The Ballad of Tom Dooley

Daryl Houston

This one was probably a lot of fun for the author to write, and I felt like she did a pretty decent job of writing in a couple of different period voices, but the voice of the main woman character didn't really fit the profile or likely experience of that character, which was bothersome to me. It was a little repetitive, and it was too long. It felt in a way like a goose chase, as the author is presenting an alternate or suspected history for a real-life crime. So it was sort of a very long voice exercise seeking to dramatize a maybe-cockamamie theory, and that's just less interesting to me than e.g. Mary Doria Russell's more authentic-feeling historical novels or something a little heavier. I think it's a fine book that just didn't land for me.

The Ballad of Tom Dooley A Ballad Novel

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