Vanessa Lafaye

A debut novel set in Heron Key, Florida, in 1935. Missy has waited 18 long years since Henry went away to war. Now he's back, but she barely recognizes the desperate, destitute man he's become. When a white woman is found nearly beaten to death after the Fourth of July barbecue, suspicion falls on him. Tensions rise in the community while the barometer plummets -- a massive hurricane is on its way. Based on real historical events.