Brendan Prairie

In Brendan Prairie, O'Brien writes with grace and eloquence of fractured lives and endangered lands. He tells the story of Bill Malone, widower, father, lover and hot-tempered man, whose world is unraveling around him. Malone's young wife died mysteriously years ago, and something also died within him. Once a great falconer and environmentalist Malone has entered middle age a broken man, devoid of the passion and promise of his youth. His aching regret is the disappearance of his old world and he is infuriated that Brendan Prairie, his beloved retreat, is threatened by developers who want to build condominiums on the land. When the developer Andy Arnold dies in a suspicious accident and Malone's long-ago love, Margaret Adamson, becomes involved in the investigation, old emotions are stirred and uncomfortable truths must be confronted.