The book follows two characters over a three week period in Africa. In 1899, Jeremy, a young engineer from Maine with a "shameful" secret is sent to British East Africa to build a railroad with hundreds of Indian laborers. Besides the malaria and primitive working conditions, he must hunt and kill the two lions killing his men.
In 2000, Max a brillant botanist with Aspergers travels to to Rwanda to find a plant that could save many lives. She shadows a family of gorillas who hopefully will lead her to it. Both characters are misfits in their worlds; both have challenges - Jeremy the lions, Max, the Kutus (boy soldiers). The stories never intersect except at one small point which ties everything together. There's lots of interesting information and lots of suspense. Couldn't put it down.

The story grabs the reader from the first page. Mary Saint, lead singer for the hardrock band, Sliced Ham - almost famous, and then Garbagio, bandmember and Mary's lover dies and it's over. The characters are unique, real, and marvelous. You laugh and cry with them. I'm not a hard rock fan but loved the words to "The Back of My Ass" and "Sewer Flower", and the reaction of Mary's mother to the concert is priceless. Watching Mary overcoming her past, reconnecting with her mother, and beginning a new life is a joy to read.

I personally did not like the book. It reminded me of The Shack. The first chapter was great, but after that the characters weren't developed, and the plot was predictable. I felt it was written on a Young Adult level. However, there are lots of discussable issues - Do miracles happen? Does heaven exist? Is religion necessary? I think book clubs would have lots to talk about.

The title, Low Town, describes exactly what the reader is in for. If you enjoy reading about drunks, druggies, and degenerates, this is the book for you. It is a mystery; and Warden, an ex-government detective, discovers the first of several murdered children and becomes involved. A glossary would have helped to define words - scryer, wyrm. Most of the characters had few redeeming qualities, and I didn't care what happened to them.

Reading the first page, I was thinking The Lovely Bones with Native American and cowboy characters. Pony Jones, a fiesty 26 year old rodeo bull rider is dead and she doesn't know her murderer. Titus, her father and Jo Beth Dawson, an alcoholic former detective, wanting answers, form an uneasy truce. The reader will laugh and cry; there are miracles, totems, and lost of Cherokee roses, The book was enjoyable. I did have to look back several times to understand the family history, but I never lost interest. Pony Jones is a character the reader will remember long after the book is done. Waiting for the next novel!