The biblical story of Job is brought to life during the expansion of the American West in Donna E. Lane’s Scorched Earth: An American Western Redemption Story, the second installment in This Hallowed Ground series. Narrated by Aidan MacAlister (Mac) the story begins with his confrontation with a “Yankee snake” named Mister Murphy who threatens Mac with his knowledge that Union soldiers are planning to arrest him as a deserter and war criminal. Mac and Ester, his wife who is pregnant with their first child, then flee their Georgia home with a fortune in gold to escape the soldiers. They begin a dangerous trek across the western territory to seek refuge with the Lakota Sioux, who had adopted Mac years earlier. This epic journey tests the strength and the faith of both husband and wife. Will their love for each other and God ensure their survival?

I had not read the first installment of This Hallowed Ground but had little difficulty in following the storyline of Scorched Earth. The author is especially good at incorporating subtle clues to events in the earlier installment that are needed to understand and appreciate the backstory of the MacAlisters. I also liked her choice of first person, present tense for Mac’s narration which lends an immediacy to his telling and allows the reader to better understand the demons he battles and the questionable choices he makes during the novel. I also appreciated Donna E. Lane’s presentation of Lakota culture and spirituality. She illustrates a sensitive grasp of the trials faced by Native Americans and their leaders, such as Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, during our country’s westward expansion. I highly recommend Donna E. Lane’s Scorched Earth for lovers of Westerns and historical Christian dramas.

Scorched Earth by Donna E. Lane is a riveting saga of survival and perseverance in the post-Civil War era, as experienced by a former Confederate soldier and his family. Mac was considered a Civil War criminal and then a deserter from the Union Army. Hiding out under an assumed name, he and his wife Ester are farming his family’s land in Georgia. When his identity is discovered, they know they must flee Georgia and the only safe place is in Montana, where Mac hopes his Lakota tribesmen are still successfully surviving despite continued harassment and the white man's broken treaties. Mac and Ester cannot travel the easily navigable routes of trains and main roads. He and his pregnant wife must negotiate the back trails and their journey will seem endless, always at risk from Union soldiers, local lawmen, and Native American marauders.

Scorched Earth is a truly fantastic read. The trials and tribulations of this little family will grab the reader’s attention right from the very first pages. Mac is essentially a good, moral man, whose love of family and his heritage is paramount to his actions. Like so many of those who are vanquished in war, retribution lies in the hands of the victors. Regardless of Mac’s actions in the Civil War and his underlying depth of anger, he is a gentle, loving husband and father, which makes him such a compelling character. To add to his depth, the time he spent as a member of the Lakota tribe, his Lakota family’s violent and horrific deaths, and the knowledge he gained in mysticism and medicine, all serve to create a fascinating character with many layers. Similarly, Ester is a wonderful foil to Mac’s impulsiveness. Her steady and unrelenting faith in her husband as well as her love and trust in people generally makes her the perfect partner to this heroic man. The writing style is deeply descriptive and takes readers into the harsh and oftentimes violent world that the characters inhabit. This is one of those stories you simply cannot stop reading until you discover what happens next. Although this is the second book, it is not necessary to have read the first, although I would highly recommend reading anything from this talented author. Donna E. Lane drops in nuggets of information to fill in the backstory of Mac and Ester’s relationship. There is a deep underlying element of faith in this rollicking Wild West adventure that adds immeasurably to the depth of the story. I highly recommend this read.