In 1937, recent high school grad Lydia hops on a bus from a Missouri shantytown for sunny Southern California. What possibly could go wrong with her plan? Lydia is surrounded by creatures of instinct and Dust Bowl expats immersed in the underbelly of the red light district in Long Beach. In her darkest gloom, she agrees to a risky and dangerous transaction. Fleeing from dishonest gain, Lydia clutches a one-way ticket to Las Vegas, a wicked, free-for-all dusty cowboy town. On the bus, an encounter with a stranger changes her life forever. Is her journey a road to holiness or ruin? Can she break free from a life of errors? Lydia's resolute spirit and bravery will astound and inspire you. Spanning four generations, it's a story you can't put down. Strap in and hang on tight. You're in for a wild and crazy ride! From Kirkus Reviews: "Ringwood's debut historical novel follows a family through years of unpredictable marriages, seedy business ventures, and two major wars. Ringwood's decades-long tale is dense with character detail and subplots. Caroline and Newt, for example, open the novel with similarly grim backstories, as both were suspected of murdering their previous spouses. The narrative teems with gleeful melodramatic turns, including affairs, hidden bundles of cash, and another Cisco joining the story in an unusual way. Many of the characters are flawed, and not all are likable; some are notably hateful or self-centered. Nevertheless, their shared journeys are consistently engaging even when the work spins off on tangents, as when one person who dates a Cisco undergoes a grueling Army tour. Ringwood maintains a tight narrative throughout (... ) It wraps up with a satisfyingly open ending. An absorbing, profound look at tumultuous American lives."
