Spartanburg

In 1913 Spartanburg South Carolina a black man hovers in the county jail arrested for a horrendous crime against a white woman and aware of a howling mob outside the jailhouse walls determined to lynch him. Basically true this novel tells the story of a brave sheriff denied help by the city mayor and the state governor fighting to protect his prisoner from the mob with the help of a few deputies. Even if he succeeds what chance is there for justice for a black man in a white man's court at a time when Jim Crow laws and culture ruled in the South? A mix of racial stereotypes hatred long-held opinions a desire for integrity duty-bound lawyers and a fair-minded judge lead to what might be a surprising conclusion.