The bestselling author of Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith weaves
a literary spell of love, shame, death, and the power of faith,
set against the charismatic world of Appalachian snake handlers.

Lauded for her beguiling stories of passion and history set in exotic lands, Gina Nahai's new novel takes place in a hidden part of America-a land untamed by man, seemingly forgotten by God, but filled with the mystical fervor for the miracles promised by Jesus Christ. After seventeen years in flight from his roots, Adam Watkins returns to Appalachia to investigate the murder of his father, Little Sam, a renowned Holy Roller. The suspect, Blue, is a fiery-haired, purple-eyed beauty with a reputation for being immune to earthly harm.

When Blue and Adam meet, the power that moves between them is both dark and exhilarating. Will their sudden love, like the mortal bite of a poisonous snake, destroy them or redeem them? In indelible images and mesmerizing prose, Nahai explores the triumph of passion over reason, the cross-cultural sympathies of fundamentalism, and the price of extremism.