In a small Texas town, three adopted Russian children live with a sadistic woman in the backwoods of Caney Head. The child protection agency believes the lies of the adoptive mother but the director of a children's home knows the horrible truth and faces one obstacle after another on her quest to save the children from the unspeakable. Ignored by the system, and in desperation, she turns to an unlikely source and finds surprising answers she never would have believed. "A shocking true story of corruption, betrayal, and courage." Readers' Favorite, 5 Stars - "A must read for anyone who cares about our society's broken safety net for children." BlueInk, Starred Review - "This sincere account of one woman's determination to save three children from abuse is a gripping and satisfying read." BookLife, Editor's Pick - "Now and then a book comes along that is so good that you cannot put it down." Reedsy Discovery Amazon Reader Reviews: "I binged this book. It will live in my mind forever." Kristen Paral "I stayed up all night to finish this book!" Jamie Randal "In this startling account, Black, a professional children's counselor in Texas, narrates her efforts to save three Russian children from an adoptive mother and father that she believes to be abusive. In her direct and unadorned prose, Black powerfully conveys the frustration she feels when she believes the very agencies created to help children continue to fail them for inane and trivial reasons. This sincere account of one womans determination to save three children from abuse is a gripping and satisfying read." --BookLife, Editor's Pick "Now and then a book comes along that is so heart-breaking good that you cannot put it down and cannot stop thinking about it even after the last page has come to an end. From heartbreak to breaking free, this inspirational must read will leave you breathless, feeling despair and outrage with your hands bound." -Jenny Louwes, Reedsy Discovery "In her urgent, remarkable memoir, author Diane N. Black, a licensed professional counselor and prior director of a children's home, recalls her efforts to save three adopted children from sadistic and ineffable abuse. Dead Dog Road is a must read for anyone who cares about our society's broken safety net for children." BlueInk, Starred Review "A heart warming story of abuse and a system that fails abused and neglected children. I was gripped by this story and read it in one sitting. Trigger warnings, but highly recommended. --Gales Tales "The abuse as described by the kids is disturbing. But the illuminating story is frequently uplifting, and occasionally comical: The boy believed that stonewashed, holey jeans at a clothing store were definitely used. Some of the literary imagery doubles as potent metaphors. For example, the author spotted a barbed-wire fence before checking on the three children, who had just run away from home, and dubbed the father, with a trash bag of Alexey's belongings over his shoulder, a "bizarre Santa." Dead Dog Road is an enlightening account of the burdens facing both the abused and the people coming to their aid." --Kirkus Writing Dead Dog Road was cathartic for me, but it feels unfinished, and I think it always will unless, as a society, we do what we can to protect children from the horrors of abuse. Dead Dog Road is a reminder that children have rights they are unable to express and need our voice. Child abuse is the business of anyone who knows about it. And to be complacent, to look the other way, is to be complicit. No child should die a preventable death.    Eli Weisel said, "What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor but the silence of the bystander."  IN A SMALL TEXAS TOWN, THE DIRECTOR OF A CHILDREN'S HOME TRIES TO SAVE THREE ADOPTED RUSSIAN CHILDREN LIVING WITH A SADISITIC WOMAN IN THE BACKWOODS OF CANEY HEAD. A heart-stopping story that highlights the failure of the agencies we trust to protect the most vulnerable among us--and a truth more compelling and powerful than we could imagine. Abuse reports from neighbors draw attention to twelve-year-old Alexey and his younger sisters, Anastasia and Svetlana. But despite her compelling report the agency believes the denials of the adoptive mother and leaves the children in the abusive home. Knowing the horrible truth, the director faces one obstacle after another as she tries to find someone to protect the children from the unspeakable. Dead Dog Road--a place where secrets are buried like the injured fighting dogs who are dumped there. Diane Black is a licensed professional counselor, with an undergraduate degree in social work. As a trauma therapist, and previous founder and director of a home for abused children, she has treated many foster children, and testified for many of them in court. Diane lives near Dallas, Texas. She began studying the craft of writing when life put her into a story she felt needed to be told.