They'd been dead for 15 years. The brutal murder and mutilation of the high school's beloved basketball coach and his beautiful wife rocked the small Southern Alabama town of Daleville. Small towns don't forget their past. The residents wear that bloody scene like a scab. When Billy Jacobs confesses to the crime, it feels like there might finally be closure.
But John Marsh, now a New York reporter, grew up in Daleville. He was there. He grew up with Billy. Something doesn't feel right, and John wants the story. Once back in Daleville, John begins to uncover his past and how it links him and all his friends to the future. As John struggles with coming home, the truth starts to surface from the depths of the Choctawahatchee River. The ghosts of the past are coming home, too.
The truth is still buried beneath the murky waters of a raging river below the Old Bridge on 92. Even the prosecutors, who rely on Billy Jacob’s own confession, are starting to doubt what is real and what are lies. With every witness a potential suspect and every whisper a confession, the truth begins to surface. Perhaps Billy didn’t do it. Perhaps the real murderer is still on the prowl. But why would Billy confess? Does the death penalty—and escape from his disease-torn body—hold the key to freedom? Is death better than life? Karen says, “death is cold, John.” If only she knew how true that is.
Life and Death is a story about living and dying. It's about redemption and confession. It's about cleansing your soul and preparing to die, on your own terms. It's about protecting those you love, and punishing those who stand between the ones who want to live, and the ones who want to die.