Matt Tomlinson came to Kingstree Island decades ago. He had little, but he was good with money and he had an eye for opportunities. He began as a shopkeeper, but he quickly expanded, buying fishing boats and the debts of local fishermen. With his business sense and his drive, he came to own the fishing fleet, the ice house, the power plant, and a controlling interest in the island’s only hotel. He is the big man on this remote island, and he is used to having the locals defer to his wishes.
But Tomlinson is uneasy. He has lost his eyesight and he knows the years will continue to diminish him. When Brandon Rhodes arrives on the island, Tomlinson senses the presence of someone like his younger self. After his initial attempt to force Rhodes off the island fails and Rhodes attracts the interest of a few independent-minded islanders and the attractive Marsha Harris, Tomlinson vows to crush the interloper. The struggle between the two men plays out in this isolated community among people who must bend to the weather but who come to realize that they don’t need to bend to the will of one man.
Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.
