Plum Springs: An Emotional Thriller About Family and Survival

by Dan Lawton

How far will two boys go when the people meant to protect them become the ones they must escape?

Nine-year-old Rusty Travis and his older brother Bo can’t take it anymore. The manual labor forced upon them has worn them thin and callused their hands. Water is rationed and the heat is slowly killing them. They miss their mom.

She lives on the same lot as them but in a different trailer, separated by a single plum tree. They’re not allowed to see her. And now that their dad has gone after their baby sister, Ruby, it’s up to them to do what’s needed for survival.

Desperate to change their fates, Rusty and Bo run away into the forest. They stay nearby and closely watch their dad’s trailer. When the time is right, they’ll risk it all to save themselves and their sister.

But the town of Plum Springs, Kentucky, and its secrets won’t make it easy. All the boys need is for someone to show them mercy. They’re just boys.

In these parts, family ties and twisted loyalty runs deep …

… maybe too deep.

Read now and follow Rusty and Bo’s fight for freedom.

Winner of the 2019 New Hampshire Writers' Project Readers' Choice Awards for Fiction

Previously published by Moonshine Cove Publishing.

Genres: Ebooks, Fiction

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 4, 2026

About the author

Dan Lawton is an international best selling and award-winning thriller author from New Hampshire. He is an active member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) Organization.

His fifth novel, The Green House, won the 2021 New Hampshire Writers' Project Literary Award for Fiction, was a Bronze Medalist in the Adult Fiction E-Book category for the 2020 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards), a Finalist for the 2021 Montaigne Medal (Eric Hoffer Awards) for most thought-provoking book, a Finalist in the Fiction category for the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, a Finalist in the Mystery category for the 2020 Book Excellence Awards, and a Finalist in Literary Fiction for the 2020 American Fiction Awards.

His fourth novel, Plum Springs, won the 2019 New Hampshire Writers' Project Readers' Choice Award for Fiction. His first novel, Deception, was named one of the best thriller novels of 2017 by the Novel Writing Festival.

Website: danlawtonfiction.com
Email: info@danlawtonfiction.com
Twitter/Instagram: @danlawtonauthor
Facebook: facebook.com/danlawtonfiction

Reviews

[Rain · Rating 2 out of 5]

*1.5* I picked this book up because some stranger on the internet said it was one of the best books they’d read this year. Lies!!

The story is weird, dark and depressing. Two young brothers (9 and 13) suffer emotional and physical abuse at the hands of their father. They work day and night on their father’s tobacco farm. When their six-year-old sister starts getting hit, they decide to put an end to it.

The children’s mother and grandfather lived next door and do nothing to help the kids. They are married, which is gross.

I couldn’t connect with the storytelling, at all. It was too bleak, and honestly, really odd.

Questions:
Is sheriff Cletus related to Earl?
What exactly is the toxic green goo?
Was that magic water they drank?
How does an eight-year-old survive in the woods?
How did Lenny purchase his farm?
Is the mom doing oxy?

*Despite my very strong dislike of this story, I do feel this author has talent.

[Debbie W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An incredibly heartbreaking story of child abuse and neglect. I found this book to be suspenseful throughout, but I think it would have been a little more believable (at the end) if: (a) the kids were more nervous around people of authority, especially police officers, and (b) that they received intensive counselling/therapy. Let's face it! These kids went through hell and back!
The author made great use of figurative language, especially through setting descriptions. I found it interesting to hear POV, especially Rusty and Ruby's, but what about Bo's? Although some minor punctuation, grammatical and spelling errors were evident, they didn't distract from the overall plot. A good read!

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plum Springs is a tale of horrible abuse 3 siblings lived through at the hands of their father. Their grandfather and mother lived next door, but let it happen. When the father starts abusing the boys' little sister, Ruby, the boys feel that it must end now and take matters into their own hands as the only option they feel they have and kill their dad. In the end, everyone gets justice-- the children for what they went through, the grandfather and mother for their inaction, and JT, a boy the boys met in the woods who had helped them.

[Alexis Scheuplein · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I received this book from the author/reader’s house to read and review. It took me a little longer to read because I’m also in college and had reading to do for that. Aside from that, I loved this book.

It had a fairly slow start for me, so that made it a little difficult to keep reading. Once I got into it, the vivid detail of what the elements and heavy labor Rusty and his brother were going through really tugged at my heart strings. Some of the details in there, based on things I’ve seen in real life, make me feel like bits and pieces of this are based on a real life family. Unfortunately, with the world we live in, this very well could be a book of real events. Between the child abuse, the drunk father, and the boys doing the work in the fields…

The incident with Ruby is what really got me. As someone who has witnessed that same thing, it really hits you and it makes you hurt for her, fictional character or not.

Dan Lawton has a wonderful writing style and he really knows how to keep a book going. I sat and read most of it in one day while I was substituting for some kids who were in detention. This story flows really well and has some vivid details that make you want to continue reading until the end.

[Divya Mahajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartbreaking beautiful novel that I received from the author for a review. This is the story of 3 siblings and their strong bond amidst cruelty and abuse and how the circumstances force them to take difficult decisions to escape the abuse. A tender but harsh story of 2 very young brothers (13 and 9 I think) who would do anything it takes to see that their sensitive younger sister does not face the same fate of abuse that they have endured all their young lives and how everyone around failed them.
All through the story along with younger brother Rusty we wait for the secret door to open to the magical world of their Narnia.
They do find their version of this magical world along with another half sibling that they did not know about till now. This is their story.
The story is not fast paced but still keeps you bound and guessing as to what happens next. Once started it the book is difficult to put down.
Though there are some loose ends of which the most irritating is the enigmatic character of the Sheriff and some other minor flaws which loose their importance before the tender story.
A must read for evryone this great coming of age story

[Nathanael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every second of this book - so much so that I finished it in 2 reading sessions.

This book is harrowing and dark and very emotionally raw. It’s not for the faint of heart but it was never designed to be. It hit me so hard that I cried 5 times when reading it, and certain sections particularly resonated with me emotionally.

The characters are all very memorable, with clear character strengths and flaws and weaknesses; the children stand out as characters that you can’t help but root for. The setting is small scale but so intricately described that you can’t help but sense the weight of every single scene in perfect detail.

This book is a monumental read that encapsulates the true meaning of what it is to mature, what family really means, and how good can triumph over adversity.

I couldn’t recommend this enough to anyone, regardless of what genres you normally read. A modern classic!

[Eva Lazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the get-go, this book is packed with vivid descriptions and constant energy. The subject of the story is a sensitive one and in my opinion the author went about using the topic in a way that seemed well thought-through.

There were elements there that added realism to the story – a child having an asthma attack, for example – which makes the writing feel like it could be based on a true story. There are some overly optimistic occurrences and coincidences that are used to further the story, but not to the detriment of the overall work.

I was slightly torn at first about the rating because I did not feel like the book spoke to me all that much, but as I cannot put my finger on what it is that bothers me and I did enjoy the read, five stars seems the only appropriate rating. A well-written book by a talented author!

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plum Springs
I have not read such a truly heartwarming books in eons. It masterfully had me running through a gamut of emotions from sad and happy and angry - sometimes simultaneously! If all his books are written like this, I want to read them all. I thank Dan Lawton, Reader’s House and Amazon for giving me the chance to read and review this book

[Carol A. Thayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational! Triumph over adversity and the will to survive! A gifted new author! 5 stars!

A great read by a gifted new author - triumph over adversity and the power of the will to survive- inspirational!

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story. There were a few spots where I felt a child would not talk or even think that way. Especially a 9 year old. There was a word that I've never heard before. I looked it up in the dictionary and it was not there! But it kept my attention.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story

Thanks for an amazing story. I'm so happy that these kids found their happiness. It's hard to fathom what heartaches kids have to go through.

[Mahmoud Saad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic fiction story with a wonderful series of action, it should be categorized under more than one genre , thanks for Reader's House for sending me it

[Arlys Veen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Lawton, this is a great book! Intense, yes, but not enough to put it down. I love how it’s told through 9 year old Rusty’s voice, the abuse they suffered , the secret they find in the woods and the neat ending.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plum Springs is an intense, gritty, fast-moving thriller focused mainly on the perspectives of three young siblings. The innocence and humanity of the children are stark contrasts to the cruel, uncaring actions of all the adults in the novel. Brothers Bo and Rusty, ages 11 and 9, toil in their father's tobacco field with little water and few rations allowed by Lenny, a father in name only.

It is a hard scrabble life on the outskirts of the small Kentucky town of Plum Springs, the only one that they know. Until a violent act toward their younger sister compels them to free themselves from a tyranny even more debilitating because their grandfather and mother, living in a nearby trailer, do nothing to change the children's circumstances. As many adults as children on the property, but none of their relations provides the young ones any compassion or protection, certainly not any love.

The first half of the novel presents the brothers and their relationship with their father. Moving between the thoughts of Bo and Rusty, the narrative is rendered in simple language, the vocabulary consistent with the boys' age and (lack of) education. Across the pages we take in the details of their lives and their love and regard for each other and for their little sister. The second half of the novel introduces a boy living in the nearby forest who befriends the brothers when they run away and helps them plan the rescue of six year old Ruby.

The most compelling aspect of the novel, for me, is the clarity of the personalities illuminated by the extensive detail of the children's thoughts, as well as the adults'. The lack of any adult support or kindness may be upsetting to some readers, but Plum Springs is an immersive dive into the minds of deplorable adults and young people who struggle to sustain their innocence.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

****I won a free copy of this in a Goodreads Giveaway****

First things first: I really think the word 'thriller' needs to be taken out of the title, even if it's just being used as a descriptor. There are a few moments that are a bit worrisome, but, and maybe it's just me, this book never really reaches the height of a thriller. It's sad, heartbreaking, really, and reading the story from Rusty's perspective, as well as the other characters, gives you a good idea of what's going on and why. A horrible father who has control over everyone around him due to his financial situation finally crosses a line that won't be tolerated. The boys who suffer far too much at such a young age, can't tolerate what he does next and so they do the unthinkable.

As I said, it's a sad book, makes your heart hurt for these kids, with all the adults in this book extremely unlikeable, as I believe is how it's meant to be. All of the adults around these kids fail them and so the kids have to take matters into their own hands.

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. It could've used another go-over by an editor, for sure. And, while I understand the author was trying to express how the kids had to grow up fast, things that both Rusty and Ruby were saying, things they understood, just didn't seem right, didn't seem like things kids under ten years old should get, even given their circumstances.

[Crystal0503 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book and sadly was let down, there is so much in this book that isn't done correctly that leaves the rest of the book off putting. This is a very emotionally in depth book that follows a family of abused children. Some idiosyncrasies I was speaking of include how does the older brother have so much knowledge into the father and grandfather's life was together? Along with how is he able to provide so well for him and his brother in the wilderness, at his age did he just what magically know how to do certain things to build shelter and help prevent infection? And then we move along to the mother being married to their grandfather and sibling and half siblings. I mean sure these things may happen in a drug addled mind but the part that saddens me the most is the not even trying to be their for your children when you flat out know they are being abused, but saved yourself. Do not get me wrong addiction is a horrible thing for anyone to go through, but her husband claimed to be "helping her" while asking her for pills? And then it seemed the only reason he cared for anyone of his children old or young and was able to tolerate his wife was for the value of money it may bring, here son let's break your bones and dissolve them in acid it will benefit me. What parent in their right mind could stomach that...

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This could have been ripped straight from the headlines. As a matter of fact we have seen stories like this in the news. We have the abuse of young children by their father. Bo and Rusty work long hours in the field. They have little food or water. They do everything they can to protect their youngest sister Ruby. Living next door are the family members who should do everything in their power to protect them but didn’t. I think as things got worse for the children and the mother and grandfather did nothing to help the children, I got angrier. No child should have to take matters into their own hands to protect themselves. I kept thinking the whole system had let them down. They were slipping through the cracks. This is not an easy book to read. The story of abuse will rip your heart out. What the children do to protect their sister will haunt you. The writing shows the strength of the characters and the love that bonds them together. Most importantly it shows that there is always hope. This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the emotional and physical abuse these two brothers threatens their little sister, they feel the only way out of the cycle is to kill their father. What they didn't do was consider the ramifications. As Rusty, 9, and B0, 13, run to the nearby woods to hide and plan, they will find more questions and receive help from unexpected sources. Yes, there's a happy ending, but these siblings will move through more trauma to stay together.

I enjoyed the story, feeling the emotions as they played across the children in their quest to feel loved. I do feel as if there were way too many descriptive side stories that did nothing to advance the center story, but in the end, the story came to a place that could be completed. I've already added two more of the author's titles to my TBR list.

[Susan Sloan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Dan Lawton but it won't be my last.

Both intense and heartbreaking, this story about child neglect and abuse will be hard to put down,, so set aside enough time for a marathon reading session. It is that blood.. It has a less than totally realistic ending. However, it was the kind ending that we all want to see.. Besides that, the abused kids deserved this kind of the ending

[Cherie Williams Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice twist

The beginning was hard to read because I love children and though I know some kids go through this or even worse, I prefer to put on blinders. It makes me think about children being abused, I pray for them every night. I totally understand why the children did what they thought was needed... It's sad that they will forever be the boys that killed their father, at least in their mind

[Glenn Moye · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author can write. He’s badly in need of an editor or proofreader, as the text is sprinkled rather generously with grammatical errors. Having said that, the story is readable, if not particularly enjoyable because of the graphic descriptions of abuse. There are quite a few hard-to-swallow scenes, and that’s not necessarily a criticism because we know things like that do happen in real life. In the end, it wraps up with a satisfying conclusion.

[Quinesia Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing literature. Engaging in the foremost parts, then settles into a more lulled version of good reading, with less plotting. The resolves are less intriguing than the beginning of the novel, but clean.

What started off as a hidden gem was a bit too long- winded, and resolved into basic questions of the value of true life. Respectfully ended, but somehow my expectations for a twist were heightened, and i was underwhelmed at a simpler, more literature style ending.

Reasonable. 4 stars.

[Patricia L. Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plum Springs

This isn't the kind of book I ever read, and I really couldn't tell you why I started reading it, but once I started, I couldn't stop. This author had me from page 1!
It's non-stop from the very beginning! You'll fall in love with both of these boys, and if these characters were real people, we'd all be fighting over Ruby!

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotional Thriller

This book took me on an emotional roller coaster. There were some twists and turns as the story progressed but wow. What children can go through due to the mistakes of their parents is heart wrenching. This story was so well told. I am quickly becoming a big fan of Dan Lawton!

[Contentmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is an excellently skilled storyteller and this book is a DO NOT MISS! Heavy drama, unexpected plot twists and turns and great writing make for an extraordinary psychological suspense thriller. Highly recommend.

[Jessie hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really Good!

Great plot and cast of characters. Well conceived story and descriptions of everything from people to settings. And a conclusion that was a surprise and shock. Enjoyed it!

[Erica smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to finish this book because I was so into it at the beggining , but after the first major part of the book happened it got super slow for me . All the talking and no action made it hard to finish.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sad book. Rusty Travis and his older brother Bo decide their father must be stopped when, in a drunken rage, he goes after their six-year-old sister, Ruby. They are just children but they have to get rid of him after seeing what he did to Ruby.

[arlene martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book!

This was such a good book. A short read that turned into a great book. Rusty,Bo,Ruby and J.T. will stay in my mind for a long time. I will be reading this again. Arlene Martin

[Allen Carmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book I enjoyed

This book was very good! I enjoyed it very much. The children went thru so much. I cannot imagine a parent treating their children like they were treated. It sounds like the abuse in this family was stopped!