The Edge of Town: Summary and book reviews of The Edge of Town by Dorothy Garlock, plus links to an excerpt from The Edge of Town and a biography of Dorothy Garlock.

Dorothy Garlock's novels have won her acclaim from the Chicago Sun-Times as a "gifted storyteller" and praise from readers as a truth teller about America and its people. Now in her hardcover debut, the USA Today bestselling author begins her new saga of the Midwest in the 1920s with the heartwarming story of the Jones family, who meet life's incredible challenges with bravery, humor, and zest... THE EDGE OF TOWN Julie Jones knows what she is: a country girl, not beautiful but presentable, in skirts too long to be fashionable. A responsible young woman who has been raising her brothers and sisters since her mother's death and helping her father on their hardscrabble farm. She's not exactly the free, giggly flapper the town boys fancy. Secretly, she wishes someone she could love would find her special enough to come courting. But as the country roars into the Jazz Age, neither her family nor the town of Fertile, Missouri, can remain untouched. Veterans have returned from the Great War, among them big, quiet Evan Johnson, the enigmatic son of the town bully. Crime has risen enough to warrant the town's hiring Corbin Appleby as police chief, a stranger on a man-hunt of his own. And, via the train from points south, comes flirty Birdie Stuart, looking for a new man to take care of her. Before the summer fades into golden autumn, tensions explode. A series of rapes sends fear rippling through the town, and Birdie's schemes threaten to tear Julie's family apart. Then Evan Johnson, who has been trying to win Julie's heart, is suddenly charged with murder.

Media Reviews

Booklist With settings and characters so authentic the reader believes they have a past and a future, Garlock's heartwarming romantic historicals are Americana at its best.   Publishers Weekly Garlock's dark and incongruously graphic rape subplot seems out of place in an otherwise charming story, but her sprightly dialogue and convincing depiction of family farm life rescue the tale.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by shay
I find it impossible not to love Dorothy's books. I have read all of them and have yet to find one that did not grab me from the very first page. I love the heart warming characters and can't wait for the bad ones to "get their dues". In...   Read More

Rated of 5 by darla varvel
I just love to read your books i have been collecting them. I thought that you had a new one coming out called HIGH ON THE HILL I have been looking every where for it. I get so excited when I see a new DORTHY GARLOCK book, I buy it and when I get...   Read More

Review (not rated) by Anonymous
Donna Everett, WA
Very well written. Kept me on the edge of my seat. Couldn't put it down.
Felt the characters were real. A very shocking twist at the end.

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