The Omaha Reads selection for 2017, this novel by Nebraska author Jonis Agee is a multigenerational family saga set in the Sand Hills about a decade after the massacre at Wounded Knee.

The events of the novel are precipitated by the murder of J.B. Bennett, a white rancher, and Star, a young Native American woman in a remote meadow on J.B.’s land. Dulcinea, J.B.’s estranged wife, and Rose, Star’s sister, are the main protagonists in this ambitious and powerful mix of mystery, tragedy, and romance.

“The finest western novel since Lonesome Dove, Jonis Agee’s The Bones of Paradise is an epic saga with elements of a Greek tragedy.” (New York Journal of Books)

“Agee’s fast-paced narrative resembles the expansive prose of Larry McMurtry. Her lyrical writing and attention to detail evoke comparisons to Annie Proulx. . . . A captivating tale of life—and death—in the old American West.” (BookPage)

“A haunting tale . . . Agee brilliantly interweaves two stories of loss, guilt, and vengeance, which play out against the vivid backdrop of the [Nebraska] Sand Hills . . . Beautifully rendered and thought-provoking.” (Booklist (starred review))

“The Bones of Paradise is part noir, part Western, and all kinds of good . . . a remarkable tale of greed and violence . . . Jonis Agee is a master novelist.” (Dallas Morning News)

Here’s Ms. Agee giving us a little background on her novel: