Love and Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere: A Memoir

De: Poe Ballantine

Narrado por: Poe Ballantine

Fans of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil will embrace Poe Ballantine's Love and Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere.

For well over twenty years, Poe Ballantine traveled America, taking odd jobs, living in small rooms, and wondering the big whys. At age 46, he finally settled with his Mexican immigrant wife in Chadron, Nebraska, where they had a son who was red-flagged as autistic. Poe published four books about his experiences as a wanderer and his observations of America. But one day in 2006, his neighbor, Steven Haataja, a math professor from the local state college disappeared. Ninety five days later, the professor was found bound to a tree, burned to death in the hills behind the campus where he had taught. No one, law enforcement included, understood the circumstances. Poe had never contemplated writing mystery or true crime, but since he knew all the players, the suspects, the sheriff, the police involved, he and his kindergarten son set out to find out what might have happened.

©2103 Hawthorne Books and Literary Arts (P)2014 Hawthorne Books and Literary Arts

Great title; insighful memoir

Who was your favorite character and why?

Poe Ballantine, of course. He tackles the difficult and the personal (marriage, parenthood, career and a local murder) with compelling openness, honesty and insight.

What about Poe Ballantine’s performance did you like?

As a reader of his own writing, Ballantine knows how his book is supposed to be read. Compelling and enjoyable.

One of best listen

Can we have all of Poe Ballantine book read by Poe Ballantine on audible please?

"Not what I had expected"

This is a very different read then the usual true crime tale. It's read by the author in a manner and style that I can describe as a his almost humming of the words , not choppy and has what I thought was a hint of dry almost "dead pan " humor which I found fit in with the manner in which he read.
With that said, this is more an memoir of his life not about the murder . He uses the murder as a back story that happen during his life journey , which he begins talking about 2/3 of the way through.
Granted he has had a some what interesting story, I felt slightly mislead after reading the description and though I was getting true crime not memoir , and then side story. Plus , the book leaves u with more questions then answers. "

The narration is what brings it to life.

Jazz from Nebraska? Poe Ballantine(sp) is the only person who should be allowed to narrate this story. He makes being an imperfect human being an honorable thing. Bless him!

a scientist and writer adores this book

Brilliant! Chadron seems like the absolute freak town for me, based on a loose model of Twin Peaks. The characters, case, intrigue, and wonderful display of Tom's original use of the English language has shackled me to this case, the people involved, and the unlikely definitive outcome. I am very upset that none of the other author's books is on audible... I drive 3 hours a day and would love another book by Ballantine.