A Small Disturbance on the Far Horizon

In the stark Nevada landscape of the 1950s, A Small Disturbance on the Far Horizon explores the aftermath of a murder through the intertwined lives of three individuals. Tom Lang, a deputy sheriff, finds solace in a secret affair with Ettie Calvert, the wife of his overbearing partner, Ronnie. Their lives unravel when Adam Ott, a troubled teenager, impulsively murders Ronnie, setting off a harrowing chain of events that culminates in a deadly pursuit through the rugged mountains. Against the backdrop of the country's nuclear bomb tests, which ominously shadow the narrative, Tom, Ettie, and Adam each wrestle with their choices and seek redemption from the haunting consequences that relentlessly pursue them.

A native of the Midwest, Richard Babcock trained as a lawyer, but has spent a career as a writer and editor moving between fiction and nonfiction. He was a top editor at New York magazine, then longtime editor in chief at Chicago. He has taught writing at Northwestern University, among other schools. Babcock has published three novels, including Are You Happy Now?, a finalist in adult fiction from the Society of Midland Authors.