Everything seems wrong in Ginny Polk’s life, from her bitter relationship with her mother to her inappropriate romance with Roscoe Simms, warden of Greenmount State Penitentiary in 1950s Louisiana. Ginny even bears scars from her childhood, when she witnessed the electrocution of the man convicted of killing her father. It’s to Ginny’s credit that she attempts to beautify her ugly environment, by cooking special last meals for the condemned prisoners.

Even those meals sound like cruel and unusual punishment, but I suppose you’d have to be a Louisiana native to relish artery slammers like pork neck stew, or spoon bread with butter and maple syrup. Nevertheless, Ginny feels the condemned men deserve one special treat before they die. Usually, it’s a recipe from the prisoner’s happier days. Her kind gesture is a bright light in a dark world of brutality.

What this novel does, it does well – exploring the foundation of corruption, racism and violence characteristic of the Segregationist South, and the lingering consequences that infect and destroy family ties, friendship, love, even pursuit of redemption. It is not a happy story, but it has the ring of truth.

Be advised that The Last Suppers is rife with profanity, foul language and some sexual activity, which accounts for my three-star rating.

Chevron Ross's novels include Weapons of Remorse, The Seven-Day Resurrection, and The Samaritan's Patient. Click here for more information.