Final Harvest

On the most literal level, this is a story of two Minnesota bankers slain in 1983 by a father and son on the farm on which their mortgage had been foreclosed. But the author's concern is far more universal, for his real topic is the death of a way of life. Chicago bureau chief of the New York Times and a native Midwesterner, Malcolm avers that the true America was forged in the heartland between the Alleghenies and the Rockiesthe America of independent, self-reliant individuals, firm in the belief that if obstacles developed despite hard work, the way to overcome them was to work harder. Malcolm's views are borne out in his depiction of James Jenkins and his uncomprehending frustration at the loss of his landa frustration vented at the visible instruments of his suffering, the local bankers. Those who read this as a murder story will not find it especially noteworthy; those who see the people involved as archetypes will find it a tragedy indeed. (April)