"The story of the love between Halley Martin and Mavis Howell is seldom talked about in the tiny town of Homeland, Florida, but in the twenty years since Halley was sent to prison for murdering a rival suitor - the only murder ever in this small, pious town - the story has become a legend. To seven-year-old Shiny Parker it has become a mystery; something his parents whisper about. He knows that somehow the pretty wife of the local minister is involved, but it is all too confusing for him to sort out.". "When the church's parsonage burns, almost killing the minister, only days before the legendary Halley Martin is due to be released from prison, Shiny sees a connection between the events - as do most residents of the town. But if Halley was still in prison when the house burned, who set the fire and why?"--BOOK JACKET.