The Angels' Share

By: James Markert

Narrated by: Gabe Wicks

Some believed he was the second coming of Christ.

William wasn’t so sure.

But when that drifter was buried next to the family distillery, everything changed.

Now that Prohibition has ended, what the townspeople of Twisted Tree, Kentucky, need most is the revival of the Old Sam Bourbon distillery. But William McFee knows it’ll take a miracle to convince his father, Barley, to once more fill his family’s aging house with barrels full of bourbon.

When a drifter recently buried near the distillery begins to draw crowds of pilgrims, the McFees are dubious. Yet miracles seem to come to those who once interacted with the deceased and to those now praying at his grave. As people descend on the town to visit the “Potter’s Field Christ,” William seeks to find the connection between the tragic death of his younger brother and the mysterious drifter.

But as news spreads about the miracles at the potter’s field, the publicity threatens to bring the depth of Barley’s secret past to light and put the entire McFee family in jeopardy.

The Angels’ Share is a story of fathers and sons, of young romance, of revenge and redemption, and of the mystery of miracles.

Critic reviews

'Mysterious, gritty and a bit mystical, Markert’s entertaining new novel inspires the question of “What if?” Many characters are nicely multilayered, providing a good balance of intrigue and realism. The fascinating glimpse into the process of distilling bourbon --- and the effect of the Prohibition on Kentucky and its bourbon families --- adds another layer to the story . . .'

“Distinguished by complex ideas and a foreboding tone, Markert’s (A White Wind Blew) enthralling novel captures a dark time and a people desperate for hope.”

“Folksy charm, an undercurrent of menace, and an aura of hope permeate this ultimately inspirational tale.”

Kentucky Bourbon, Prohibition, Good and Evil

As a native born Kentuckian, I listened to The Angels' Share with a lot of interest . . .a state where bourbon and tobacco have long held mesmerizing reign over the poor, particularly the farmers, and where most country folks still pack the pews in the local country churches . . . I'm not sure that this title belongs under inspirational and religious . . . and I'm not certain that it doesn't . . . what I do know is that it is quite the historic tale of post prohibition rural Kentucky, the Kentucky my father grew up in and scrambled to make a living in . . . the very one that caused him to fall into a bourbon bottle . . . despite the fact that he was saved in the local Christian church as a boy, along with his four siblings . . . like William's little brother, Henry said, the evil gets in . . . those of us who are Christians have to listen to this story KNOWING it is fiction . . . the Potter's Field Christ to me is not the likeness of Jesus, but an allegory of a man given the gift to perform miracles in the name of Christ, a flawed man, like the disciples were . . . like WE are . . . the point is, I think, that God is still in the business of miracles; it is we who are short on faith . . . the story of the McFee family, the running of illegal, bootleg whiskey during prohibition, and the loss of little Henry in the car accident is a human story, of pain, loss, and finally of renewal. Many issues such as racism, organized crime, murder, alcoholism, drug use and loss of faith are part of this story. To me, it leaves us with a lot to think about . . . and its an accurate description of life and times in post prohibition Kentucky.