The Tragedy of Wild River Valley

"The Tragedy of Wild River Valley" by Martha Finley is a tale of family, morality, and crime set in the American Midwest after the Civil War. It follows Phelim O'Rourke, a war veteran returning home to find his love married to another, which sends him spiraling into a plot for revenge and robbery led by the disreputable Teddy McManus. Woven into this storyline is the Heath family, who is struggling to survive against a growing wave of criminal activity, suggesting that their fates are intertwined with the darkening events surrounding Phelim and his actions in Wild River Valley.