Tawni O'Dell once again returns to the coal-mining country of western Pennsylvania. In the town of Coal Run, the local deputy, Ivan Zoschenko, a permanently-injured one-time football legend branded for life as "The Great Ivan Z," spends a week seemingly preparing for an old teammate's imminent release from prison. He is surrounded by a rich cast of characters: his wise and comic ex-beauty-queen sister; his former idol, Val Claypool; and the young woman whose life he changed forever. During the events of this week, Ivan Confrons his demons and reveals himself to be a man whose conscience is burdened by a long-held and shocking secret that must be reckoned with.
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