About the Book
A POIGNANT AND TIMELY NOVEL OF RACE RELATIONS IN AMERICA"Beautiful. A journey you will never forget!"A TOWN DIVIDED BY RACE IS HIDING A MIRACLE AMONG ITS SECRETS
Travel seventy years through the secrets of the white Thanos family and the black Taylor family, twisted like strands of yarn woven together on a loom. The wealthy, powerful Nikkos Thanos owns a woolen mill and almost everything else on the north side of Delphi, Missouri, and is the overseer of a fractured society. The brave, judicious Thaddeus "Cousin" Taylor owns a grocery store and a tavern on the south side and carries a past hauntingly shrouded in tragedy. Each man tries to shepherd his part of town through the turmoil of racism, the depression, and war. With the passage of time, those caretaker roles are filled by Evangelina, Nikkos' beautiful and strong-willed daughter, and T.J., the grandson who worshipped Cousin. Forty-five years after high school, two friends, Ab and Grady, return for the funeral of their mentor, T.J., and walk into the middle of a mystery. They unweave the black and white threads that are the town's concealed, troubled past, revealing an extraordinary tapestry of life and death, revenge and triumph.
LEARN WHAT IT MEANS TO "WALK WITH STRENGTH""This story is more than white and black differences. It's about what it means to be a man, to earn and give respect, to stand tall against adversity, to be a role model."
More Review Praise for A PUNCTUAL PAYMASTER"If you only read one book this year, let this be the one."
"An incredible debut novel."
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About the Author: Dan Groat gathered his formal education from the elementary and secondary public schools of DeSoto, Missouri, Jefferson College, the University of Missouri, and Southeast Missouri State University. His non-formal education was accumulated as a newspaper delivery boy, a grass cutter, a lunch ticket puncher, a factory laborer, a quality control technician, a hod carrier, a pool hall assistant manager, a plumber's helper, a rock band manager, a bartender, a secondary math teacher, a furniture delivery man, a cross country coach, a shipping warehouse order filler, a consultant to an educational software company, a help desk person at an insurance company, a college math teacher, a seed merchandiser, a bank courier, and an author. His informal education was collected in group interactions pursuing interests he chose or interests that were chosen for him. The learning continues, intentional or not... FROM THE AUTHOR: The purpose of a book's bio is to create a connection with the reader by telling them something about the person behind the title. Telling you what I believe may do that better than telling you who I am, since what I believe is what I write, and what I write is really who I am now, and who I hope to be in the future. I believe in the uniqueness of each person and that, if given the equality of opportunity, the individual is the best architect of his own destiny. I believe that societal problems are best remedied by small groups, preferably starting with the family; that government should protect people without getting in the way of their lives; that Americans are not guaranteed happiness, but the right to pursue it; that society is both a benefit and a burden that requires giving as well as receiving; that acceptance of cultural diversity includes acceptance of a diversity of opinions; that change is not automatically good; that displaying a devotion to country is a virtue; that individual differences can be served without sacrificing excellence. I believe deeply in love, loyalty, individualism, self-reliance, liberty, ambition, hard work, competition without trophies for everyone, and that action is a form of expression as well as words. If you share these beliefs, you might enjoy crawling into the pages of one of my books. Why do I write? I write to escape and be entertained. I write to communicate and connect. I write to better understand the world and the human condition. I write to strengthen my hope. Why do you read?
