The writhing finger of death hurls across the prairie toward Graham, OK., one Friday afternoon in May, 1963, on a collision course with the lives of 4 people--each of whom has already planned a personal rendezvous with death in some other form that day.
In Jonas Cunningham's mind, what he's planning isn't murder. The handful of little white pills that will free his precious Maggie from the fog of Alzheimer's is a gift, a final act of unconditional love.
Jonas's 16-year-old granddaughter, Joy, isn't planning "murder" either. She's pregnant and sees only one way to keep from shaming her family. Secrets like that are hard to keep though, especially in a small town.
Joy's father, Rev. Mac MacIntosh has lost his wife and his faith and on Friday, he plans to commit professional suicide--not just leave his church, but abandon his call to ministry.
Princess has an appointment with the Reaper on Friday, too, one she's been staring down for 14 years. At 5 o'clock, the state of Oklahoma will strap her into an electric chair called Sizzlin' Suzie and turn on the juice.
But as the strange, psychic death row inmate meets daily with the minister during the final 5 days of her life, everything in both their lives begins to change. Princess knows--about Mac's life and family. And sees--the Big Ugly coming to eat up the world. She sees other terrible things, too, and is determined to carry to her grave an incredible secret about the little sister she confessed to beheading more than a decade ago.
When the savage tornado roars with a sound like gravel in a blender into their small prairie town on that May Friday, all 4 of the people who'd penciled in "death" on their calendars actually do confront eternity.
But none of them comes to the crossroads of life and death by the path they'd planned or leaves with the result they expected.
In the end, the Big Ugly decides who lives and who dies that day.
READERS praise
Five Days in May (Goodreads and
Amazon.com)
- Ninie Hammon has become one of my favorite authors. She writes gripping stories peopled with believable characters. Her book "Sudan" moved me to tears, and "Five Days in May" is equally moving. She has a way with words and a deep understanding of the human heart. Bestselling author Eric Wilson, Top 100 Amazon Reviewer
- This is the kind of contemporary fiction I love! One character's stunning sacrifice makes Five Days in May inspirational, but it's filled with suspense, too, as a killer tornado gets closer and closer. Though set in the 1960s, the story felt contemporary, about a family with secrets that seemed so real sometimes I forgot it was fiction, a tale that nailed me to the chair with suspense. Inspirational without being sappy, believable drama--a great read. Be prepared for a surprise though, and an ending that'll leave you feeling...ahhhh. Marshall McCarroll
- It's a five star if I lose myself in the mystery, get an anxiety attack from the suspense, and constantly check the dead bolt, convinced that some paranormal specter lurks outside; thrillers this real I DON'T need...but I DO love. Sarah Bridges
- Murder sets the stage, but Five Days in May isn't typical crime fiction. It isn't a typical ANYTHING--not a mystery, thrillers and suspense novel or even a paranormal suspense thriller. It's DIFFERENT, hard to classify--but easy to enjoy. Strange as it sounds, it's actually "inspirational" to feel the suspense grind tight as 3 generations of a shattered family battle a killer tornado--aided by a psychic death row inmate. Princess sees the Big Ugly coming--knows things she can't know. Gripping fiction like this doesn't come along every day, folks; it'd be a "crime" to miss the shocking end! B. J. Frye
