"Knowing this was based on real people heightened my interest. I liked the back and forth between the two time frames, Maggie and her research in the 1990s and the story itself in the early part of the 20th century." Huntington, WV reader

"...great sense of place. What comes through is a terribly bleak story...And the ending in that dreadful prison just puts the cap on it. ...a microcosm of the poisoned pool of greed that is spilling all around us these days." Columbus, Georgia reader

Published by Mid-Atlantic Highlands Publishing, an imprint of Publishers Place, Inc., Huntington, WV

Father's Troubles is now available in hard cover only.

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"...an engrossing, splendidly written story of family secrets played out against a background of time and change ­ a setting that has familiarity for everyone in various degrees of personal history. Richly peopled with memorable characters and epic in scope, this insightful book is a true accomplishment of craft and art." Terry Kay, author of To Dance With the White Dog, Shadow Song and Taking Lottie Home.

"I loved reading this novel. The author is a born story-teller, and her ability to establish place, create character and maintain suspense...made this one of the best books I have read since my discovery of Paul Bowles some fifteen years ago. In my book, Father's Troubles is a winner." Virginia Spencer Carr, biographer of Carson McCullers, John Dos Passos and Paul Bowles

"Carter Seaton's Father's Troubles is a rousing good story of the wildcatting days of the nineteen twenties in the Appalachian mountains. Fortunes were made overnight ­ but often at the expense of honesty. Lawrence Burgher is the main character of this novel of four generations; he is a poor boy with that All-American zeal to succeed. He is determined to buy, sell, and cut corners on his way to a life with servants, big cars, and big deals. He is also the lifelong lover of one woman, his wife, and the story of their love affair is the most poignant part of the book. But Lawrence's personal ambition...leads him step by step to ruin. The remarkable thing about the book is that even details of finance are gripping as we trace Lawrence's fall. There is a kind of magnificence in his story, but the novel also leads us to see the ever-widening circles of suffering that a man seduced by a predatory business culture can create." Meredith Sue Willis, author of In The Mountains of America and Oradell at Sea.

Father's Troubles, a double time-frame period piece, is set in Depression era West Virginia. In an attempt to overcome his humble beginnings, bank president and real estate tycoon Lawrence Burgher lets his greed and arrogance overrun his better judgment as he engages in financial corner cutting. His self-indulgence lands him in prison and his family in such disgrace that they develop a cloak of secrecy in which they shroud the next generation for over forty years. The truth about what caused Father's troubles finally surfaces because his granddaughter, Maggie Malone, refuses to let drop a remark her mother makes one summer afternoon.

The novel weaves Maggie's search for the truth of the family myth with her grandfather's rags-to-riches to tragic-death saga. The juxtaposition of the contemporary and period stories shows the powerful impact this well-kept secret had on the entire family, but more importantly on Maggie's own troubled relationship with her mother.

Like A Woman of Independent Means, the novel employs letters as an integral part of the story. Lawrence Burgher is modeled on one of the author's grandparents and the novel is based on fact.

Lawrence rode in a daze, idly watching the snow gather on the street. Once he glanced in the rear mirror and saw it eddy behind them into little snow clouds before resettling on the brick street.

Who the hell did Edward think he was talking to? I'll be damned if I let that uncouth slob talk to me the way he did. I will not be bullied into being his whipping boy. Let him take the pressure for a while and see how he handles it. Maybe I shouldn't have accused him of bleeding the bank but how can he criticize me for things he's done for years. That ass! To hell with him!...Oh shit. What if he decides to cut me out completely? Forces me to sell my stock. I can't live on my real estate business, yet. What have I done? Small as it is--I need that salary. And I need to be sure the dividends continue. But damn, if I let him get away with his bully tactics now, I'll have to kiss his ass the rest of my life. No sir! I won't do it. I'll go to another bank. A man of my talents should have no trouble getting another position. But what about my loans? I've got to clean up that mess. And the check in Shapely. Oh God. How did I let myself get into such a jam.

Suddenly Lawrence was nauseated. His ears roared. His head pounded. A cold, clammy wave passed through his body. He began to sweat profusely.

"Sam, can you hurry just a bit? I'm not feeling well."

"Sorry sir, I can't. I'm afraid of the slippery streets. But we'll be there directly."

What will I tell Anna? It's nearly Christmas. I can't ruin Christmas for her or the kids. Oh, God; how will I pay for all the presents? I'll bet she spent a fortune in New York. Maybe I should call Keeley and apologize. But for what? I only did what I had to in order to cover both our asses. No, I'll let him stew a while. He'll call me. But what if he doesn't? I've got to get back to the bank. Hell, I don't even have my keys. How stupid! I shouldn't have thrown them at him.

A new wave of nausea rolled over Lawrence as Sam turned into the driveway. The Pierce Arrow negotiated the incline easily despite the thick snow. As Sam opened the door for his boss, Lawrence bolted past the chauffeur into the backyard. Through the wet snow he ran. Just as he reached the edge of the gazebo, Lawrence doubled over and vomited.