Salvation (A Novel)

Set against the Rocky Mountains, this emotionally charged Western noir explores themes of fathers and sons, men and masculinity, and religion and spirituality through the lens of an unimaginable act—one best friend murdering the other

“Langsfeld’s writing hits like a brushfire: sparks that seem harmless quickly burn you alive. It is searing and direct and quite possibly a perfect voice for our world.” —Dane Bahr, author of Stag

A small rural Colorado town is in a state of crisis at the height of winter. Tom Horak has just murdered his best friend, Rust Hawkins. Morris Green, the town’s Lutheran pastor, is experiencing a profound crisis of faith, questioning the very existence of God. And Marshal Thomlison, the local peace officer looking forward to retirement, is now thrown into the middle of a murder investigation.

Following his violent act, Tom retreats to a cabin in the hills, remembering the events of his hardscrabble childhood—a rural upbringing on a ranch with a distant mother and abusive father.

Rust Hawkins’s son is taken in by Pastor Green, since the boy has nowhere else to go. Thomlison's murder investigation acts as a kind of Greek chorus commenting on the various threads of this moving novel: What could cause a man to commit such a violent act? What does this isolated community owe to one another? Can Tom find the peace he is searching for, even with blood on his hands? Can Pastor Green discover enough faith in our human condition to help Rust’s orphaned son, and can their growing bond perhaps offer the family life that each is sorely lacking?

Salvation is a stunning debut novel that tackles big themes with moving prose and a propulsive plot set against the grand and sometimes foreboding natural beauty of the Rocky Mountain West.