Clay County

I found this book so very interesting. There are lots of characters so it is a little hard to remember who everybody is but as the same time they are so relatable. Everyone should be warned though that this book has lots of triggers; rape, abuse, incest, violence, and death. I live in eastern Tennessee and have for most of my life so I can really relate to the characters and their way of life. Even though there is a lot going on so much of this is true to life especially the part about how neighbors help each other out in time of need. The author has done a great job of thing everything together and the ending is quite good. I highly recommend!

There is a lot going on in this book when you follow all 4 of the main characters that are best friend teenagers growing up in the hills and hollers of Tennessee during the early to mid 40's. There are many things they are dealing with besides the fact of just finding their way as teenagers. World war II is going on so the boys are facing that, they are facing various family issues such as having enough food, some have drunkard fathers and seem to being facing death from many causes. The fine people of Clay county are dealing corrupt and greedy political and law enforcement officials on top of all this also. I had a little concern with this story as there are a lot of religious undertones in this story but the other presents things in away that does not seem overwhelming. This book may bring a tear to your eye at times and it may make you scream at this book as I did as there are some tragic subjects and there needs to be a trigger warning as there are some very tragic events that deal with rape, incest and or molestation, spousal and child abuse and suicide. After it is all said and done this is a good afternoon read it maybe something a little different then you read but give it read. Thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an ARC for a fair and honest review.

This was a pretty interesting story. What I really didn’t like were the pages and pages of detailed daydreaming by one of the main characters, Cap. These greatly distracted from the story line and had no purpose whatsoever. Overall it was a good read.

A complex tale of 4 teenagers growing up in Tennessee in 1944 - Cap, Lenny, Dempi and Abby.

Each has a story to tell with lots of different aspects of life, incest, abuse etc. At times I was drawn in as the writing is very, very descriptive. However, there is too much of the narrative spent with the characters daydreaming -which didn't seem to add to the story?

Overall a satisfying read but I remain bored with the 'abusive father' scenario creeping into far too many books for my liking.

Thanks to Net Galley and BooksGoSocial for the chance to read and review.

Clay County
by Randall Floyd
BooksGoSocial
Mystery & Thrillers | Romance
Pub Date 24 Nov 2020


I am reviewing a copy of Clay County through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:


Clay County is set in 1944 east Tennessee, the story is about four teenagers Amid war, corruption, violence, greed, and growing into adulthood, each navigates through the challenges to escape a life that holds them in repression. They have no idea that their guardian angel is an eighty-year-old preacher who lives in the woods with his dog Sampson. Preacher Monroe is a mystery. He shares tidbits of his life and mission along the way. They face corruption, war and death is all around them. Each of the teenagers face peril as the death Angel awaits their fate. Clay County is rich with local customs, era genre, superstition, faith, love, and hope. Each character comes alive with their own story, some good and some bad, but all intriguing.






Cap finds himself having to cope with his mother's death, as well as seeking his father's attention and the love of a girl who continually walks the pathways of his mind. With a soulful imagination he loses himself in fantasies. The girl accompanies him in every imagination, her character changing to fit the story.



Lenny must fight the behavior of an abusive father. He has accepted the responsibility to protect his mother and siblings. He struggles with his Faith in God asking the same questions people have sought since the beginning of civilization. He has a burden so massive the strongest would struggle to carry.




Dempi, is the girl from Chicago and she is trying to fit in an environment different from what she had ever known. From the fast-paced setting of the big city to the slow methodology of southern country living. She has grown to love the people here and wants to be a part of their lives.




Abby is a feisty, stubborn breathtakingly beautiful young lady. Abby’s dark secret influences her attitude, decisions, and behaviors. She feels as if God has abandoned her as well as misunderstood by her friends , so she locks her feelings inside, trying to hide them away.



I give Clay County five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Really great and unique story set in 1944 east Tennessee, The four main characters are teenagers and best friends facing difficult family issues and WWII. Also the community of Clay county are dealing with corrupt and greedy political and law enforcement officials and the story can get a bit tragic. Definitely a book that I would recommend!

1940's Clay County, Tennessee, where life was the typical hill country and families scraped by on whatever they could get. Life for the four teenagers featured in this story was hard, but no harder than it was for many. As the world turns it's attention to WWII, this young men and women struggle to make wise choices. They receive guidance and wisdom from an old Reverend living in the backwoods. As they mature, their lives will become more than they planned. A really good fiction set in some of the toughest times in US history, where success was a dream for so many.