Synopsis "a thundering wind"
A splendid historical novel depicting the hardships of an early 20th century family whose livelihood of hunting waterfowl on the Chesapeake Bay is threatened by newly enacted laws that turn an honorable vocation into one of criminality. Clay Buchanan, a market hunter and decoy carver, risks life and limb each night as he stalks the Susquehanna Flats in an unsteady sneak skiff in search of rafting fowl. His weapon of choice, his killer of ducks, geese, and swan by the barrelful, is the fabled Davenport, a 12-foot punt gun. Struggling against nature's cruel elements to feed his family, Clay must also outwit the tenacious game warden, Felipe LeCompte. The lawman's sworn mission is to jail Clay for poaching, while Clay attempts to raise a precocious daughter under a roof where Christian values are tested by life's tribulations. This extraordinary tale, highlighting the incredible migrations of many dwindling species, is set in the marsh south of the quaint town of Havre de Grace, Maryland, the heart of American history. The author seamlessly weaves the notable characters of our illustrious past with the everyday man, the hunter, oysterman, tavern owner, and planter, to create a tapestry of the honorable to the rapscallion. Each character, toiling by whatever means are available; by wit, wisdom, hook, and/or crook, strives to better their uncertain futures.
