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Synopsis
When Phin Chase witnesses a violent murder, he knows he must leave town. But no matter how fast he runs and where he hides, there is always someone close behind. Who is it? And what does he want? Set in the aftermath of the Civil War, this adrenaline–laced novel features a horse with the ability to track like a bloodhound, a resilient hero, a mystery that will keep readers hooked, and a relentless chase across a wide swath of the American Midwest.
Ages: 10 –14
KLIATT
You may remember Haas's name from Unbroken and other horse stories. She really outdoes herself with this one, with a remarkable horse, a boy named Phin Chase, accused of murder, and a detective from Pinkerton's, who relentlessly chases the young fugitive. From the first few pages, the chase is on, and it's scary and challenging. Phin is an orphan in a coalmining town in Pennsylvania, just after the Civil War. The struggles of the coal miners are linked to violence, from the owners and from some of the organizers. It's unclear who is on which side. Phin walks in on a murder, so he is a witness; he escapes but becomes the accused and must literally run for his life. A few of the townspeople help him and from the first, Haas has the reader gasping with Phin. The events of the novel occur within a few days, and the tension never lets up. Phin manages to hide in a boxcar when the train leaves town, but his pursuers are right there too. When a strange man on a horse seems to know when Phin leaves the train and where he goes, Phin figures out that somehow the horse is able to track him, just like a dog would be able to track. Phin uses his wits even when he is exhausted, hungry and cold—he has to in order to survive. He hides out in a farmhouse when he is desperate—can he trust the old woman and the girl who discover him? Can they trust him? This is fine historical fiction, with suspense on every page and a courageous young man who is quite a hero. The cover art shows a black horse running fast through the woods, which introduces the excitement.