The Pale-Faced Lie

In this remarkable book about family and survival, a violent ex-con compels his kid to commit crimes. The story is memorable.

David Crow and his three siblings looked up to his father, a self-taught Cherokee who loved to tell his kids about his exploits during World War II, when they were growing up on the Navajo Indian Reservation. But as time went on, David learned about Thurston Crow's darker side—that of an ex-con whose morality condoned violence, brutality, deception, and even murder. Thurston used threats of physical harm to scare David into carrying out his criminal orders. David's mother was unable to shield him since she was too mentally sick to look after her kids.

David was able to go into college and succeed professionally via sheer willpower. When he eventually mustered the guts to reject his father's illegal demands, he unintentionally set off a revenge scheme that would lead him to a fatal confrontation with Thurston Crow.

With just twenty-four hours left, David would need to outwit his father—a bright but insane man who boasted that his three years in the infamous San Quentin State Prison had been the simplest of his life.

The Pale-Faced Lie is an inspiring tale about the strength of the human spirit and the power of forgiveness that is real and raw.