What do you think?
Rate this book
So Shall The Tree Grow
Family loyalties, deadly feuds, and international drug wars are brought to life in Ninie Hammon’s new intergenerational tale inspired by the story of the Cornbread Mafia in rural Kentucky.
When Ruth Hannacker finds a “just-in-case-anything-happens-to-me” letter among her mother’s things after she was killed in a hurricane, it opens a new chapter in the family’s decades-long, fraught, and often tragic story with Righteous Weed.
The letter from Jessica Monaghan Hannacker tells of the Tree House, a propane tank buried in the ground where Willie Ray Taggart stashed his marijuana money back in the heyday of the Cornbread Mafia. When Ruth finds the Tree House, she discovers $75,000 in cash and quart jars of Righteous Weed seed, the finest strain of marijuana ever developed.
Over the protests of 72-year-old Riley Hannacker, the only remaining living member of the original Cornbread Mafia, the family decides to grow an indoor crop so they can patent the strain and get a license to grow in one of the 11 newly legal states. They plan to market it as a premium boutique cannabis, appealing to the nostalgia of the smokers’ first-time high.
But as so often happens with the best-laid plans, things quickly go awry. Jealousy, resentment, anger, greed, and deeply buried feelings from long gone wrongs resurface and wreak havoc with what is left of the family.
So Shall The Tree Grow is the fourth and final book in Ninie Hammon’s new Cornbread Mafia series, a fictional story inspired by the real Cornbread Mafia that sprang up in picturesque Marion County, Kentucky, and grew into the largest illegal marijuana-growing operation in U.S. history.
When Ruth Hannacker finds a “just-in-case-anything-happens-to-me” letter among her mother’s things after she was killed in a hurricane, it opens a new chapter in the family’s decades-long, fraught, and often tragic story with Righteous Weed.
The letter from Jessica Monaghan Hannacker tells of the Tree House, a propane tank buried in the ground where Willie Ray Taggart stashed his marijuana money back in the heyday of the Cornbread Mafia. When Ruth finds the Tree House, she discovers $75,000 in cash and quart jars of Righteous Weed seed, the finest strain of marijuana ever developed.
Over the protests of 72-year-old Riley Hannacker, the only remaining living member of the original Cornbread Mafia, the family decides to grow an indoor crop so they can patent the strain and get a license to grow in one of the 11 newly legal states. They plan to market it as a premium boutique cannabis, appealing to the nostalgia of the smokers’ first-time high.
But as so often happens with the best-laid plans, things quickly go awry. Jealousy, resentment, anger, greed, and deeply buried feelings from long gone wrongs resurface and wreak havoc with what is left of the family.
So Shall The Tree Grow is the fourth and final book in Ninie Hammon’s new Cornbread Mafia series, a fictional story inspired by the real Cornbread Mafia that sprang up in picturesque Marion County, Kentucky, and grew into the largest illegal marijuana-growing operation in U.S. history.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 20, 2023
91 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Ninie Hammon
48 books240 followersI was born in Socorro, New Mexico, sometime shortly after the earth cooled off. It’s clear that from the outset my parents never intended for me to amount to anything. How could I? With a name like “Ninie?” Please.
Fame and fortune do not come to people named Ninie Bovell (My maiden name.) Gabriella Bovary? You could work with that. Even something as pedestrian as Madeline Bovell or Rebecca Bovell or (though you’d lose points here for lack of originality) Elizabeth Bovell. But Ninie? I never had a chance.
If I sound a mite hostile, bear in mind that in one decisive stroke my parents sentenced their precious newborn daughter to a lifetime of explanations that began my first day at Muleshoe Elementary School. (Yeah, Muleshoe. The hits just keep on coming.) After a painful week, I had a rap down that I still use today:
“No, it’s not Ninnie like skinny and penny. It’s Ninie—rhymes with tiny and shiny. 9e…get it? And no, it doesn’t mean anything, it isn’t short for anything, long for anything, or a substitute for anything. It just is. (Pause here for the inevitable ‘Why?’) You got me, pal, I couldn’t tell you.”
I grew up in Texas, got a BA in English and theatre from Texas Tech University and snagged a job as a newspaper reporter. Didn't know a thing about journalism, but my editor said if I could write he could teach me the rest of it and if I couldn't write the rest of it didn't matter. I hung in there for a 25-year career as a journalist. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, but as soon as I figured out that making up the facts was a whole lot more fun than reporting them, I never looked back.
Now, I write suspense--every flavor except pistachio: psychological suspense, inspirational suspense, suspense thrillers, paranormal suspense, suspense mysteries.
In every book I write I try to keep this promise to Loyal Reader: I will tell you a story in a distinctive voice you'll always recognize, about people as ordinary as you are--people who have been slammed by something they didn’t sign on for, and now they must fight for their lives. Then smack in the middle of their everyday worlds, those people encounter the unexplainable--and it's always the game-changer."
Fame and fortune do not come to people named Ninie Bovell (My maiden name.) Gabriella Bovary? You could work with that. Even something as pedestrian as Madeline Bovell or Rebecca Bovell or (though you’d lose points here for lack of originality) Elizabeth Bovell. But Ninie? I never had a chance.
If I sound a mite hostile, bear in mind that in one decisive stroke my parents sentenced their precious newborn daughter to a lifetime of explanations that began my first day at Muleshoe Elementary School. (Yeah, Muleshoe. The hits just keep on coming.) After a painful week, I had a rap down that I still use today:
“No, it’s not Ninnie like skinny and penny. It’s Ninie—rhymes with tiny and shiny. 9e…get it? And no, it doesn’t mean anything, it isn’t short for anything, long for anything, or a substitute for anything. It just is. (Pause here for the inevitable ‘Why?’) You got me, pal, I couldn’t tell you.”
I grew up in Texas, got a BA in English and theatre from Texas Tech University and snagged a job as a newspaper reporter. Didn't know a thing about journalism, but my editor said if I could write he could teach me the rest of it and if I couldn't write the rest of it didn't matter. I hung in there for a 25-year career as a journalist. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, but as soon as I figured out that making up the facts was a whole lot more fun than reporting them, I never looked back.
Now, I write suspense--every flavor except pistachio: psychological suspense, inspirational suspense, suspense thrillers, paranormal suspense, suspense mysteries.
In every book I write I try to keep this promise to Loyal Reader: I will tell you a story in a distinctive voice you'll always recognize, about people as ordinary as you are--people who have been slammed by something they didn’t sign on for, and now they must fight for their lives. Then smack in the middle of their everyday worlds, those people encounter the unexplainable--and it's always the game-changer."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 25, 2023
Did NOT See That Coming!
I wondered what the author was going to do with the Cornbread Mafia in this last book. If you've read the other books in this series, you'll understand why I felt that way. But I never expected the series of events that occurred.
Willie Ray's infamous treehouse comes back in a big way. But that's only part of the fun. There's a whole new generation of Hannackers to meet. Riley's son Drew is now grown up with a family of his own, and his daughter's nearly an incarnation of Willie Ray. But she's not the only firecracker in this outrageous generation. The new characters are a great addition to the "family."
This entire series, but especially this last addition is a fascinating study of the human psyche. What will some people do for those they love? Are they "right" to feel and act that way? How could a person make choices like those presented here? Once those choices are made, will the consequences be worth the faithful devotion?
I highly recommend this entire series. Start with book one and meet the moonshining Hannackers and McCluskeys. Go to Vietnam with their sons, then read on as they come home from the war, damaged and changed, but still struggling with a generations-old blood feud now fueled by the outrageous events of one of the soldiers. Read on as this generation develops a new cash crop and becomes infamous. Family devotion, family rivalries, bitter history, forgiveness, and a desire for a better life while maintaining tradition all have their place here. These characters will fire your imagination and spark a deeper desire to know them more.
I wondered what the author was going to do with the Cornbread Mafia in this last book. If you've read the other books in this series, you'll understand why I felt that way. But I never expected the series of events that occurred.
Willie Ray's infamous treehouse comes back in a big way. But that's only part of the fun. There's a whole new generation of Hannackers to meet. Riley's son Drew is now grown up with a family of his own, and his daughter's nearly an incarnation of Willie Ray. But she's not the only firecracker in this outrageous generation. The new characters are a great addition to the "family."
This entire series, but especially this last addition is a fascinating study of the human psyche. What will some people do for those they love? Are they "right" to feel and act that way? How could a person make choices like those presented here? Once those choices are made, will the consequences be worth the faithful devotion?
I highly recommend this entire series. Start with book one and meet the moonshining Hannackers and McCluskeys. Go to Vietnam with their sons, then read on as they come home from the war, damaged and changed, but still struggling with a generations-old blood feud now fueled by the outrageous events of one of the soldiers. Read on as this generation develops a new cash crop and becomes infamous. Family devotion, family rivalries, bitter history, forgiveness, and a desire for a better life while maintaining tradition all have their place here. These characters will fire your imagination and spark a deeper desire to know them more.
January 20, 2023
This book is the fourth and final installment in the Cornbread Mafia series, so if you haven't read the entire set, I definitely would recommend doing so; you'll get the most enjoyment out of this neat generational story if you fully understand the family tree past and present.
I enjoyed how real the characters are. They're flawed yet you will love them. Except maybe the villain, but even he is fleshed out well! Ninie gives him a reason to care about what he's set out to do beyond money alone (although of course that plays into it as well). Although we've never met this character before, he shares ties to someone from Riley's past in Vietnam.
Our old friend Riley Hannacker has served his time in prison and is now out. His kids and grandkids are struggling financially and have the opportunity to go back into the weed business. But if they take this risk, what might be the consequences?
Old skeletons are dealt with in this book. It definitely has a fulfilling conclusion that feels well planned out. Without going into spoilers, it was a bit ironic and spoke to many of the details that needed to be wrapped up.
My only criticisms would be that earlier in the series, there were seeds planted about a paternity that seemed to disappear from the canvas in this book. There were some typos in the early version I read, but those may have been taken care of.
4.5 stars
I enjoyed how real the characters are. They're flawed yet you will love them. Except maybe the villain, but even he is fleshed out well! Ninie gives him a reason to care about what he's set out to do beyond money alone (although of course that plays into it as well). Although we've never met this character before, he shares ties to someone from Riley's past in Vietnam.
Our old friend Riley Hannacker has served his time in prison and is now out. His kids and grandkids are struggling financially and have the opportunity to go back into the weed business. But if they take this risk, what might be the consequences?
Old skeletons are dealt with in this book. It definitely has a fulfilling conclusion that feels well planned out. Without going into spoilers, it was a bit ironic and spoke to many of the details that needed to be wrapped up.
My only criticisms would be that earlier in the series, there were seeds planted about a paternity that seemed to disappear from the canvas in this book. There were some typos in the early version I read, but those may have been taken care of.
4.5 stars
February 10, 2023
Don't be fooled by the fact that this book is in a shorter format than its predecessors in the series - it remains a "MUST-READ" for anyone who has enjoyed the Cornbread Mafia series by this accomplished and highly talented author.
It brings to a conclusion, the saga of the Cornbread Mafia, a group of locals from a remote county in Kentucky, who are thrown by circumstance, into the world of illegal marijuana growing and selling.
With many of its scenes drawn from events that really took place, this entire series is fascinating, and makes highly entertaining reading.
As always, the author's meticulous attention to detail and exhaustive preparatory research, are supported by a cast of characters who are real enough to be standing right in front of you, along with descriptive work so good it might as well be a movie.
Interactions between characters are brilliantly crafted, with easy-flowing prose and snappy dialogue that is punctuated by just the right amount of colloquial content to put the reader in the room, without coming across as "over-the-top".
Brilliant. brilliant!!
It brings to a conclusion, the saga of the Cornbread Mafia, a group of locals from a remote county in Kentucky, who are thrown by circumstance, into the world of illegal marijuana growing and selling.
With many of its scenes drawn from events that really took place, this entire series is fascinating, and makes highly entertaining reading.
As always, the author's meticulous attention to detail and exhaustive preparatory research, are supported by a cast of characters who are real enough to be standing right in front of you, along with descriptive work so good it might as well be a movie.
Interactions between characters are brilliantly crafted, with easy-flowing prose and snappy dialogue that is punctuated by just the right amount of colloquial content to put the reader in the room, without coming across as "over-the-top".
Brilliant. brilliant!!
January 20, 2023
When I pick up a book by Ninie Hammon, I always know it will be a great read. I've read the first three books in the Cornbread Mafia series and enjoyed every one. When I found out the fourth book was ready to release, I couldn't wait to devour it. I wasn't disappointed. The only disappointment I have is knowing this is the last book in the series.
Ninie has a way of connecting the reader to her characters so that we know them intimately. Even the "bad" guys have some good in them. I hope that even though the series is now complete, we'll be able to go back and visit this area of Kentucky again in a future novel.
Ninie has a way of connecting the reader to her characters so that we know them intimately. Even the "bad" guys have some good in them. I hope that even though the series is now complete, we'll be able to go back and visit this area of Kentucky again in a future novel.
January 30, 2023
Absolutely splendid
I absolutely love this series! You cant help but to fall in love with all the charters. Each one with a story of their own to tell, and a legacy to leave to future generations. Fabulous writing Ninie! I hope to own these books in hardback!
I absolutely love this series! You cant help but to fall in love with all the charters. Each one with a story of their own to tell, and a legacy to leave to future generations. Fabulous writing Ninie! I hope to own these books in hardback!
Want to read
January 31, 2023Book Adrenaline
February 1, 2023
.
.
THE WAY THIS IS WRITTEN —BADLY, POORLY, TERRIBLY, HORRIBLY— I HAVE NO IDEA AT ALL WHAT’S GOING ON.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYBODY!
??????????
.
.
.
THE WAY THIS IS WRITTEN —BADLY, POORLY, TERRIBLY, HORRIBLY— I HAVE NO IDEA AT ALL WHAT’S GOING ON.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYBODY!
??????????
.
.
February 12, 2023
Love this Series
Not my normal type read. I developed Devoured book book!!! I still want more of the Cornbread Mafia!
Please give us more!
Not my normal type read. I developed Devoured book book!!! I still want more of the Cornbread Mafia!
Please give us more!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews