Ritual River

by Nancy Sales Cash
Publisher: Chapel Hill Press

In her second novel, Nancy Sales Cash shows us the parallel lives of two fated lovers whose romance fuels the novel as the frontier and modern settings of North Carolina dramatically collide. When a young couple discovers they have inherited both an ancient love and an ancient curse of death from the time of the Indian removal in 1838, they also discover just how strongly the present is influenced by the past. Both a mystery and a double love story, Ritual River features a tumultuous period of history, and is set in historical Murphy, the author's home town, and contemporary Asheville.

"The darkest secrets of the Mattox family are laid bare, as is the hidden agenda of the Cherokee curse that haunts the family to the present day. The legends of the mountains and the consequences of real or fancied fears are strong indeed. Above all, this is a story of a great love and the survival of that love."
-- Jack R. Pyle, award-winning author of 'The Sound of Distant Thunder.'

"You already know the melody of Cash's song. She strikes the notes with satisfying precision and paces her tale expertly."
-- Rob Neufeld, book reviewer, The Asheville Citizen-Times.