Crime and violence are commonplace in 1947 postwar Chicago, but when a man’s mangled body is discovered on the railroad tracks in a small southern Illinois town, people take notice.

Bargetown’s Chief of Police, Bert Thatcher looks to a seasoned railroad detective, Grady Colston, for help in solving the case. Fate has brought them together, but they soon realize just how much they have in common and a tight bond develops between the two men.

As they struggle to uncover the man’s identity, surprising details of his past come to light, and the circumstances of his death ultimately pose a moral dilemma for Grady and Bert.

From the banks of the Wabash River to a beach in the South Pacific, BRYANT’S GAP is peppered with folksy humor and nostalgic references that transport the reader to a simpler time, when good and evil stood on opposite sides of the street and relationships had real meaning.