This Is Where It Ends
A Novel
About
How long is a body expected to keep a secret?
When Minerva Jane Jenkins was just fourteen years old, she married a man who moved her to the mountains. He carried with him a small box, which he told her held gold. And when he died fifty years later, he made her promise to tell no one about the box or the treasure it contained.
Now at ninety-four, Minerva is nearing the end of what has sometimes been a lonely life. But she's kept her promise. Even so, rumors of hidden gold have a way of spreading, and Minerva is visited by a reporter, Del Rankin, who wants to know more of her story.
As an unlikely friendship develops, Minerva is tempted to reveal her secret to Del. But the truth of what's really buried in the box may be hidden even from her.
"Blood might be thicker than water, but love trumps both in Cindy K. Sproles's touching novel."--Valerie Fraser Luesse, author of Under the Bayou Moon
"This is the way Christian fiction should be written."--Cecil Murphey, author or coauthor of 140 books, including 90 Minutes in Heaven with Don Piper and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
"Sweet and sharp, This Is Where It Ends provides readers with insights they didn't know they needed."--Cynthia Ruchti, author of Afraid of the Light and Facing the Dawn
Endorsements
"Blood might be thicker than water, but love trumps both in Cindy K. Sproles's touching novel This Is Where It Ends. An unexpected bond forms between a Kentucky mountain woman in the twilight of life and a young reporter who enters her remote world. Together, they explore the nature and meaning of family as they unravel their entwined past--all against the backdrop of a glorious mountain landscape, beautifully rendered by the author."
Valerie Fraser Luesse, author of Under the Bayou Moo
"Cindy K. Sproles is a master of the Appalachian story, immersing her reader into that distinctive mountain life once again in This Is Where It Ends. She invites her reader bit by bit into spitfire Minerva's life, then builds upon that relationship to weave a powerful and emotional story that will stay with you even after you've read the last word. After all, how long does a body keep a promise?"
Sue A. Fairchild, freelance editor
"This is the fourth book I've read by Cindy Sproles. Each time I think, This is the way Christian fiction should be written. The message of God's love is embedded in the storyline and characters; it's not a crude attempt to impose the gospel message. At times the story is sad, but it's also highly inspirational."
Cecil Murphey, author or coauthor of 140 books, including 90 Minutes in Heaven with Don Piper and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
"In This Is Where It Ends, author Cindy K. Sproles again gives readers unforgettable characters that feel like family. Few can find the richness in a scene of seeming deprivation and poverty like Sproles, who draws beautiful images in a slanting screen door and a slanting sun, a worn porch board and worn-through patience, even the aching bones of a woman aching for heaven. Sweet and sharp, drawn out like hard-to-come-by forgiveness, This Is Where It Ends provides readers with insights they didn't know they needed."
Cynthia Ruchti, author of Afraid of the Light and Facing the Dawn
"How long do you honor the promise to keep a secret? To the grave? This Is Where It Ends is a remarkable and beautiful character study. You'll question your own morality when it comes to such, but you'll never question Minerva's."
Eva Marie Everson, CEO, Word Weavers International, Inc.
"Cindy Sproles breathes life into paper and ink to create Minerva, a memorable flesh-and-blood mountain woman who realistically confronts deception, betrayal, rejection, and her own mortality. While written about another time and place, it is thoroughly relatable to modern readers."
James Watkins, award-winning author and speaker
"Cindy Sproles writes about the hardscrabble life of the mountain folks of Appalachia. Her characters are real and gritty and winsome in their own ways, and her stories explore themes that reach far beyond the mountains to touch her readers wherever they call home. It was well worth the wait for this novel."
Nancy Lohr, retired editor, JourneyForth Books
"I laughed. I cried. I enjoyed. Cindy Sproles perfectly captures the voice of Minerva, a fiery, elderly Appalachian Mountains mamaw who embodies the internal strength of twenty men. This story sneaks up on you. At first, you're amused, even intrigued. The next thing you know, you're laughing out loud and crying--sometimes at the same time. By the end of the story, your life is richer for knowing Minerva."
Zena Dell Lowe, author, director, actress, and creator of The Storytellers Mission podcast and online platform
The Author
-
Cindy K. Sproles
Cindy K. Sproles is the author of What Momma Left Behind and the cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministries. A popular speaker, Cindy teaches at writers conferences across the country and directs the Asheville Christian Writers Conference in North...
Continue reading about Cindy K. Sproles