about the book
Cheri had been missing for a year, so the fact that she was found at all has put people more on edge than her dismembered body has.
The Ozarks are full of hiding places, and bodies often just disappear, never to be found—until now. This break with tradition scares people the most; only an outsider could be responsible. Outsiders breed more fear than homegrown criminals in this community.
Outsiders like my mom. She showed up in Henbane just long enough to marry my father, have me, and then disappear.
I’ll never know what happened to my mom, but maybe I can figure out what happened to Cheri, a girl I should have been a better friend to.
But people either don’t want to know what happened or they don’t care. They do know more than they’re saying though. After all, the Ozarks community is deeply protective of its own.
And because of my mother, they still view me as an outsider. So what does that mean for me…?
about the author
Born in Iowa, Laura McHugh moved to Ozark County, Missouri, when she was in second grade. The area was so remote that they couldn’t see any evidence of other people from their house. Even though Laura made friends quickly, her family—all ten of them—were considered outsiders. After sixth grade, her family moved away to other places in southern Missouri.
Laura is a first generation college student. First she earned a degree in English and then, to be more practical, library science and computer science. She worked as a software developer for about 10 years before she lost her job.
She was devastated. Thankfully, her husband encouraged her to use the time to write a book since she’s always loved writing and had even published a few short stories. “Writing sort of gave me a sense of control over my environment.”
Her debut novel, The Weight of Blood, is set in a fictional town in the Ozarks. The tight-knit community is full of unspoken rules, and things are done a certain way, especially the crimes: “crimes are committed quietly and kept secret…anyone who doesn’t play by the rules is a threat.”
Laura lives in Columbia, Missouri, with her husband and two daughters.
Sources:
Author website
Author interview: Kansas City Star
Author interview: Columbia Daily Tribune
Author interview: School Library Journal
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