Candlemoth — R.J. Ellory

In this “searing . . . harrowing” novel from a “prose master,” a white man reflects on the murder of his black best friend that brought him to death row.(Publishers Weekly)

Daniel Ford and Nathan Verney were six years old when they first met by a South Carolina lake and became best friends against all odds?Daniel was white, and Nathan was black. Thirty years later, Daniel is convicted of Nathan's murder, and he now faces the long, lonely walk to the electric chair. With time running out until his execution, Daniel tells a sympathetic priest his story, sweeping through first loves, Vietnam, and, finally, the pair's flight from the draft, which ended in Nathan's brutal murder. A powerful vision of the American South in an age of upheaval, Candlemoth is a stunning suspense novel?and an unforgettable tale of lost friendship.

“The storytelling's beckoning quality and the conclusion's welcome twist easily bury [all] grievances. For fans of Tom Franklin, John Hart, and, remarkably, even Pat Conroy.” -- Booklist