Peace. In the aftermath of the Civil War, everyone said they wanted peace, but in Scots Bend, a century old conflict between two families reignites and intensifies to a brutal climax just before the turn of the century. • Stash Harris avenges the deaths of his mother and father by the brutal murder of two men. His sentence is death by hanging. • Leland Cason, Stash Harris' uncle and the sheriff, fights to maintain order and protect his family. He is responsible for hanging his nephew. • The matriarch of the Greers, Julia, plots the demise of the Cason family and anyone who aligns with them. The Last Hanging in Scots Bend is a classic tale of rivalry, greed, mystery, jealousy, and murder. Beyond that, it is an examination of the randomness of fate, man's place in the natural world, and Christian dogma from the perspective of common men. At its core, The Last Hanging in Scots Bend is every thinking man's tale. "THE LAST HANGING IN SCOTS BEND is an incredible read." Five Stars from Indie Reader THE LAST HANGING IN SCOTS BEND opens with an incredibly evocative scene. Leland "Big Lee" Cason visits his family's cemetery plots. As he rambles through the cemetery talking to members of his family, he reflects on the turbulent events of 1898. Before leaving the cemetery, Big Lee marks his tombstone with his own death, tomorrow's date. From that powerful opening to the explosive ending, THE LAST HANGING IN SCOTS BEND is an incredible read. The Last Hanging in Scots Bend combines stories I heard growing up about Sherman's March through my community and about the hardships of the Reconstruction Period with snippets of local legends that are probably more truth than not. It was a hard time, and the people it produced could be hard, doing what was needed to survive. At the same time, those people could be very tender, compassionate people with those they loved. It is true of any time and any people. I am not a fan of revisionist writing, stories that veer too far away from the realities of a time and a place. While that kind of storytelling is entertaining, I have a need to write honestly, and I think readers deserve honesty from writers. Last Hanging is in some ways, a reaction against that revisionist storytelling. I wanted to write a good, honest, book about an important time in our history that still affects who we are and how we act as a people. Jack Hammond Jr. is a lifelong resident of South Carolina, growing up during the Cold War and the Civil Rights era. He holds a BA in English from Coker College and an MBA from Wingate University. After a long career managing municipal and county utilities, a Board of Directors mercifully put him out of his misery when they fired him. He began teaching high school English. Along with teaching, Mr. Hammond became a head track coach and an assistant football coach, winning three consecutive state championships in football. Teaching reignited his love for literature and writing. The Last Hanging in Scots Bend is his first novel. It draws historical images and individuals from the Reconstruction era into the intensely personal drama of two families locked in a bitter generational conflict. It is an examination of man's place in the natural world, the randomness of fate, and man's relationship to God. Mr. Hammond is currently working on a second novel, Never Enough Words, set during the Civil Rights era in Scots Bend, South Carolina.