The Steep & Thorny Way by Cat Winters (Proof) - Something's rotten in the state of Oregon.Hanalee Denney's hometown is not a welcoming place in the 1920s. Hanalee is the daughter of a white woman and an African American man, so she has no rights under the law. If that weren't enough, the Ku Klux Klan is a powerful force in the area, breeding fear and hatred, even among friends. Her father, Hank Denney, died a year and a half ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now the killer is out of jail and back in town... but he claims that Hank wasn't killed by the accident at all but, instead, was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him - who just happens to be Hanalee's new stepfather. The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she desperately needs is to ask her father - a "haint" who wanders the roads at night.
Inspired by Hamlet and infused with the real history and feel of Prohibition-era Oregon, The Steep and Thorny Way is a gripping and thoughtful story of intolerance, forgiveness, and finding one's own path. From the blurb.
