Sunset and Sawdust — Joe R. Lansdale

It's the depression era in East Texas. The Klu Klux Klan is active and many Texas men feel that they are the king in their home and if they smack their wives around, they won't have to answer for it.

Constable Pete Jones comes home drunk and beats his wife, Sunset, and is raping her when she reaches for his revolver and kills him.

Since the sawmill town of Camp Rapture is now without a law enforcement officer, at the camp meeting, with the help of her mother-in-law who is majority owner of the sawmill, Sunset is appointed the new constable, on a trial basis. She is to be assisted by Clyde Fox and a new man in town who goes by the nickname, Hillbilly.

Soon after her appointment, a baby's body is found in the land of the only black farmer in the town. Not long after that, the body of a woman is found, shot and covered with oil.

To the surprise of many, Sunset takes her job seriously. She tries to learn the laws and the aspects of her job. When she does identify the woman, it adds other complications to her life.

As Sunset is progressing with the investigation, she has to resolve the issues with her precocious fourteen-year-old daughter and the relationship with her mother-in-law.

The story is realistically told. The author makes the reader care about the characters. I felt that I could see the action was unfolding before me and I was drawn to the difficulty of life at that time.

Very enjoyable.