The Broken Promised Land [Paperback]

The Griffiths, a family in rural East Tennessee at the foot of Appalachia are thrown into a hotbed of legal trouble when a federal notice of forfeiture turns up on their doorstep against land held by the family for five generations. A local man is charged with production and trafficking of marijuana when plants are discovered by the DEA in a remote parcel of 64 acres of family land. Although the Griffiths are unaware of the illegal activity, the property is tainted by the crime in the eyes of the law. Faced with losing home and property, John Griffith also must fight to save his marriage and his family. A growing tension already exists between he and his wife Ellen long before the forfeiture notice arrives. Having lost his management job four years before, John has had to scrape by with a combination of odd jobs. Against his wifes objections he enlists the legal assistance of his best friend Clem, a provincial lawyer of limited experience in these matters. They busy themselves in the preparation of a defense against a drug asset forfeiture law that is severe and unforgiving, placing the burden of proof entirely on the property owner. Their son Walt, a disillusioned post-grad with a penchant for doing nothing has been back home with his own souring relationship and no apparent prospects. At the same time their daughter Barbara is fleeing Pennsylvania and an abusive marriage to what she presumes to be the stable home she left six years before. Their youngest son Will is away at MIT on a full academic scholarship, and is kept out in the dark about the familys legal turmoil. As the story unfolds, so does the truth- with its dark secrets that threaten to break the implicit trust between husband and wife and children. A compelling and insightful glimpse into contemporary American life and the family dynamic, this is a story of one family struck by a legal tragedy that threatens to pull it apart at the seams- if the dark forces within and between them dont first.