The Gulf : a novel
(Book)

In 1970s Texas, on the gulf coast, twenty-nine-year-old Lou, mourning her brother's death in Vietnam, attempts to solve the murder of her elderly neighbor and unearths disturbing secrets involving the history of her tight-knit, religious small town and its residents that may be the key to catching a killer.

1970s. Parson, Texas is a small town ravaged by a devastating hurricane and the Vietnam War. Lou is diligently renovating a decaying old mansion for Miss Kate, the elderly neighbor who has always been like a mother to her. Mourning her brother's death in Vietnam, Lou dreams of enjoying a more peaceful future in Parson. When Miss Kate is murdered, no one but Lou seems to care about finding the killer. Joanna-- Miss Kate's long-estranged daughter and Lou's first love-- arrives in Parson not to learn more about her mother's death but for Parson House. Her arrival unearths sinister secrets involving the history of the town and its residents ... revelations that may be the key to helping Lou discover the truth about Miss Kate's death and her killer. -- adapted from jacket