King Spruce, a Novel

Dwight Wade arrives at "Castle Cut 'Em," the grim fortress of the Umcolcus Lumbering and Log-driving Association, seeking his fortune in the forests of early 1900s Maine. He enters a world where John Barrett, the ruthless "King Spruce," holds absolute power over workers, townspeople, and the ancient trees themselves. Wade's vision of sustainable forestry places him on a collision course with the lumber barons, while his forbidden attraction to Elva, Barrett's daughter, deepens the stakes of his defiance. Day renders the Maine wilderness with aching beauty and the logging camps with brutal authenticity, painting a world where men are made expendable and forests are bled dry. This is a novel about what happens when a young man with principles meets a system designed to crush them.