Flyover Country

In 1962, three intersecting crimes—a patricide, a bank robbery, and a kidnapping—lead to tragedy, secret sharing, redemption, and a May/September romance. ADELE FORTENBERRY, an educated, professional woman, and WILLIE BAKELEKOS, a much-younger man with a criminal history, are thrown together when two local boys are kidnapped. Educated, single, and beautiful, Adele grieves over an unhappy love affair and resigns herself to a spinster's life of caring for her demented father, IKE. When Ike's delusions turn violent, Adele shoots him in self-defense, and the suffocating guilt she experiences over his death transforms her into a haggard recluse.Willie is an underachieving 21 year-old truck driver with dark good looks, a 141 IQ, and a romantic outlaw fixation. To raise capital to escape “Dogtown,” Willie successfully orchestrates an improbable bank robbery with two childhood friends that nets over sixteen thousand dollars. Problems start when his aggressively ignorant accomplices get twisted around the axle over Willie's plan to bury the loot and delay splitting the money. In 1962, three intersecting crimes—a patricide, a bank robbery, and a kidnapping—lead to tragedy, secret sharing, redemption, and a May/September romance. ADELE FORTENBERRY, an educated, professional woman, and WILLIE BAKELEKOS, a much-younger man with a criminal history, are thrown together when two local boys are kidnapped. PRAISE FOR "FLYOVER COUNTRY" A lovely romp! Sharply-drawn characters and a finely-tuned plot." CYNTHIA LUKAS, Documentary Producer-Writer known for "Rumi Returning," "Gandhi's Gift," and "Gandhi's Awakening." Rollicking!" MICHAEL MORAN, author of "Jesse Crosse," Proudly We Speak Your Name," and "Glory Hunters" "A book which works on every front—a fine sense of locale, good plotting, credible characters, and a compelling climax." JIM BAILEY, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette columnist, and author.