"I realize that saying, The Devil Won't Keep Us Apart, Shane Clark's gritty novel about friendship and revenge is masterfully paced and suspenseful to the upmost degree sounds like the usual promotional B.S, but honestly, people, this book kept me reading way past my bedtime, and I don't find many that can do that these days. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next." Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff, The Heavenly Table, and The Devil All The Time Some vendettas can never be forgotten...
When Sherman Rehabilitation Center suffers its first murder in decades, authorities race to find a motive as the media swarms. The brutality is unprecedented, even in a prison setting. One week later, eighty-seven-year-old Elmer Ray walks into the local Ohio Highway Patrol Post, claiming he has the answers. First, they need to hear about the two most interesting people in the world: Adrian Franklin and Conner Wallace.
Adrian Franklin, the young neighbor of Elmer Ray, lived a troubled life of neglect and abuse. He had a bad haircut and a worst nickname. The older man tries to take the boy under his wing in a way no one else has ever done. For Adrian, most see a quick temper and lost soul. Elmer sees something different in him, a sense of loyalty and a yearning to be loved.
Conner Wallace, a British National, a drifter on a motorcycle, and a pugilist with a quick wit, roamed the west and lived by an unbreakable moral code that got him in more trouble than he bargained for. After a five-year bit in a Nevada prison, he finds a safe haven in the underground fight scene on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
What does a young boy and foreigner have to do with a brutal prison murder in the sleepy town of Sherman, Ohio? Only Elmer Ray knows the answers. And he isn't giving them until the Post Commander hears how their lives converge with an Appalachian drug dealer, a sexual predator, and a mob boss to influence the brutality in that prison cell.
The Devil Won't Keep Us Apart is a shocking and raw account combining a coming-of-age tale with a disturbing psychological thriller. Shane T Clark hails from Chillicothe, Ohio, where he lives with his wife and four kids. He played football at Ohio State University, including in the 1997 Rose Bowl. He earned a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree before being employed by the State of Ohio for the past twenty-four years, and he also has taught Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Deviant Behavior courses