Van Buren's Scandal: The Murder of Harvey Keith - Paperback

by Ann Tracy Marr (Author)

When a murderer goes to prison, society breathes a sigh of relief. Conviction brings a measure of peace to the wronged parties. It comforts people to know that our world is a little less dangerous for putting a bad man behind bars.But what if the man is innocent?Go back 125 years to small town America. Get to know the Barker brothers, those two poor laborers accused of killing Harvey Keith. Decide for yourself if they are callous murderers, if they deserve to go to prison. And remind yourself of the timeless dangers of a system run mad.The setting of the novel, 1880's Van Buren County, Michigan, is represented as accurately as research allowed, including the social realities of the time. Curiously, 125 years after Marshall Barker struggled to keep his family fed during an economic depression, Michigan suffers a similar downturn, with employment as difficult to find. The depiction of legal proceedings is faithful to the period.