In 1896, young rector Jack Alford is sent to the implacable, granite shores of Labrador on the vast St. Lawrence River. Hazards imperil his life as he travels this harsh 450-mile coastline by boat and dogsled, to visit his far-flung parishioners. Jack also manages to rescue a cook from the crew of a schooner to keep him company on his travels. In this fourth book of The Alford Saga, his zeal for the welfare of Labrador's hardy parishioners diverts Jack from his romance. Through summer storms that menace his tiny mission boat and fierce blizzards that almost annihilate his dog team, Jack brings succour to stranded families, care and leadership to villages perched on the windy granite, and, finally, inspired teachings in hill-top churches that stand as beacons of hope among the seal-fishers and rugged pioneers of Labrador.

Paul Almond, OC, was one of Canada's preeminent film and television directors, and has directed and produced over 130 television dramas for the CBC, BBC, ABC and Granada Television (SevenUp). He has now turned his talents to writing a series of novels based on his family's own PIONEERing adventures in Canada: The Alford Saga, five of which have been published, (The DESERTER, The Survivor, The Pioneer, The Pilgrim, and The Chaplain) and three more to come over the next two years (The Gunner, The Hero, and The Inheritor). Paul Almond lives on the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec and Malibu, California. www.paulalmond.com

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