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A Billy Coffey Collection: When Mockingbirds Sing, The Devil Walks in Mattingly, In the Heart of the Dark Woods
Now available in one volume—three novels from Billy Coffey.
When Mockingbirds Sing
What marks the boundary between a miracle from God and the imagination of a child?
Leah is a child from Away, isolated from her peers because of her stutter. But then she begins painting scenes that are epic in scope, brilliant in detail, and suffused with rich, prophetic imagery. When the event foreshadowed in the first painting dramatically comes true, the town of Mattingly takes notice.
Leah attributes her ability to foretell the future to an invisible friend she calls the Rainbow Man. Some of the townsfolk are enchanted with her. Others fear her. But there is one thing they all agree on—there is no such thing as the Rainbow Man.
But then a dramatic and tragic turn of events leaves the town reeling and places everyone’s lives in danger. Now the people of Mattingly face a single
Will they cling to what they know . . . or embrace the things Leah believes in that cannot be seen?
The Devil Walks in Mattingly
For the three people tortured by their secret complicity in a young man's untimely death, redemption is what they most long for . . . and the last thing they expect to receive.
It has been twenty years since Philip McBride's body was found along the riverbank in the dark woods known as Happy Hollow. His death was ruled a suicide. But three people have carried the truth ever since—Philip didn't kill himself that day. He was murdered.
Yet what cannot be laid to rest is bound to rise again. These three will be drawn together for a final confrontation between life and death . . . between truth and lies.
In the Heart of the Dark Wood
A motherless girl hungry for hope . . . and the dream that could be leading her astray.
Almost two years have passed since twelve-year-old Allie Granderson’s beloved mother, Mary, disappeared into the wild tornado winds. Her body has never been found.
Now, Allie and her best friend Zach leave the city behind and push into the inky forest on the outskirts of Mattingly. For Allie, the journey is more than a ghost she is rejoining the mother she lost—and finding herself with each step deeper into the heart of the dark wood.
Brimming with lyrical prose and unexpected discoveries, In the Heart of the Dark Wood illustrates the steep transition we all must undergo—the moment we shed our childlike selves and step into the strange territory of adulthood.
When Mockingbirds Sing
What marks the boundary between a miracle from God and the imagination of a child?
Leah is a child from Away, isolated from her peers because of her stutter. But then she begins painting scenes that are epic in scope, brilliant in detail, and suffused with rich, prophetic imagery. When the event foreshadowed in the first painting dramatically comes true, the town of Mattingly takes notice.
Leah attributes her ability to foretell the future to an invisible friend she calls the Rainbow Man. Some of the townsfolk are enchanted with her. Others fear her. But there is one thing they all agree on—there is no such thing as the Rainbow Man.
But then a dramatic and tragic turn of events leaves the town reeling and places everyone’s lives in danger. Now the people of Mattingly face a single
Will they cling to what they know . . . or embrace the things Leah believes in that cannot be seen?
The Devil Walks in Mattingly
For the three people tortured by their secret complicity in a young man's untimely death, redemption is what they most long for . . . and the last thing they expect to receive.
It has been twenty years since Philip McBride's body was found along the riverbank in the dark woods known as Happy Hollow. His death was ruled a suicide. But three people have carried the truth ever since—Philip didn't kill himself that day. He was murdered.
Yet what cannot be laid to rest is bound to rise again. These three will be drawn together for a final confrontation between life and death . . . between truth and lies.
In the Heart of the Dark Wood
A motherless girl hungry for hope . . . and the dream that could be leading her astray.
Almost two years have passed since twelve-year-old Allie Granderson’s beloved mother, Mary, disappeared into the wild tornado winds. Her body has never been found.
Now, Allie and her best friend Zach leave the city behind and push into the inky forest on the outskirts of Mattingly. For Allie, the journey is more than a ghost she is rejoining the mother she lost—and finding herself with each step deeper into the heart of the dark wood.
Brimming with lyrical prose and unexpected discoveries, In the Heart of the Dark Wood illustrates the steep transition we all must undergo—the moment we shed our childlike selves and step into the strange territory of adulthood.
1169 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2015
9 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Billy Coffey
12 books266 followersBilly and his wife, Joanne, live with their two children in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. A product of his small-town locale, Billy counts as assets his rural authenticity, unwavering sense of purpose, and insatiable curiosity--all of which tend to make his front porch a comfortably crowded place.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 12, 2022
It was past time for the third or fourth reading of this trilogy. I love the way Billy Coffey brings us a story. He can make your heart sing, or feel trampled near to death, occasionally in the same paragraph. I was swayed to start with 'The Devil Walks in Mattingly'. It's small town Blue Ridge high school, finals are over, graduation is mere days away, and seniors are collected at the football stadium, wasting time, and making mischief. For Phillip McBride, the day will end in his death, perhaps by his own hand. For Kate, Jake, and Taylor, the careless events on that day will steer their lives in many negative, unseen ways for the next 20 years. When the truth will out, will it create a sense of freedom, or emphasize their heartfelt guilt?
November 20, 2018
The dark and wooded Hollow with its many secrets will grab hold of you and never let go....
even when you set the book down and try to sleep. I spent many sleepless nights pondering everything that was happening, the tragedies, the loss the life changing choices. Just when you can't bear anymore of the dark and tragedy don't give up as this journey will keep you wanting to know more and more. Dress warm....it is a cold and unforgiving place...the Hollow. You will never be the same after you leave Mattingly, it's people and the Hollow behind. If the Hollow even lets you leave...
even when you set the book down and try to sleep. I spent many sleepless nights pondering everything that was happening, the tragedies, the loss the life changing choices. Just when you can't bear anymore of the dark and tragedy don't give up as this journey will keep you wanting to know more and more. Dress warm....it is a cold and unforgiving place...the Hollow. You will never be the same after you leave Mattingly, it's people and the Hollow behind. If the Hollow even lets you leave...
May 29, 2020
When Mockingbirds Sing is my favorite out of these three books. That said, each is a masterpiece of storytelling. Exquisite prose, heartwrenching plots, and characters so well-drawn that you feel like you have met them in real life.
Where Mockingbirds Sing felt strangely familiar, having been one of those people from Away in a small town that didn't know what to do with me. I know the feeling of people talking to you out of obligation when they would prefer to stay away. I wanted to cry almost every time Barney and Mabel appeared on the page. His steadfast love for his wife mingled with the exhaustion of being a caregiver felt so raw and honest. It reminded me of my grandfather caring for my grandmother in her last days.
The Devil Walks in Mattingly was hard to read. There was so much regret in each character, and it wore on me. But I had to know what they were carrying in their hearts. I had to see them through that ugliness to whatever lay on the other side. The amazing thing about Coffey is his ability to make every character somehow sympathetic even when they have done and are doing horrible things. The redemption is slow in coming and almost too little too late. But it comes, finally.
There was a moment In the Heart of the Dark Woods where had to stifle a scream of actual terror. I felt my stomach drop into my shoes, and even though I was safe in my own bed, I panicked. Allie and Zach broke my heart over and over, making awful decisions that were also somehow inevitable. And when Allie finally found what she'd been looking for, I had to put the book away for a few moments before I could finish the book.
Coffey has a way of leading you through the ugly raw places in the human heart, dragging you through darkness and unanswered questions until you can take no more. Then he pokes you in the shoulder, and the sun is coming up and somehow you've made it home.
One last thing: the Happy Hollow is truly the stuff of nightmares. I don't know how Coffey came up with that place, but I'm genuinely terrified of hiking anywhere in Virginia.
Where Mockingbirds Sing felt strangely familiar, having been one of those people from Away in a small town that didn't know what to do with me. I know the feeling of people talking to you out of obligation when they would prefer to stay away. I wanted to cry almost every time Barney and Mabel appeared on the page. His steadfast love for his wife mingled with the exhaustion of being a caregiver felt so raw and honest. It reminded me of my grandfather caring for my grandmother in her last days.
The Devil Walks in Mattingly was hard to read. There was so much regret in each character, and it wore on me. But I had to know what they were carrying in their hearts. I had to see them through that ugliness to whatever lay on the other side. The amazing thing about Coffey is his ability to make every character somehow sympathetic even when they have done and are doing horrible things. The redemption is slow in coming and almost too little too late. But it comes, finally.
There was a moment In the Heart of the Dark Woods where had to stifle a scream of actual terror. I felt my stomach drop into my shoes, and even though I was safe in my own bed, I panicked. Allie and Zach broke my heart over and over, making awful decisions that were also somehow inevitable. And when Allie finally found what she'd been looking for, I had to put the book away for a few moments before I could finish the book.
Coffey has a way of leading you through the ugly raw places in the human heart, dragging you through darkness and unanswered questions until you can take no more. Then he pokes you in the shoulder, and the sun is coming up and somehow you've made it home.
One last thing: the Happy Hollow is truly the stuff of nightmares. I don't know how Coffey came up with that place, but I'm genuinely terrified of hiking anywhere in Virginia.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews