---
product_id: 63806205
title: "Beneath a Ruthless Sun: A True Story of Violence, Race, and Justice Lost and Found"
brand: "riverhead books"
price: "€ 39.97"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 7
category: "Book"
url: https://www.desertcart.nl/products/63806205-beneath-a-ruthless-sun-a-true-story-of-violence-race
store_origin: NL
region: Netherlands
---

# Beneath a Ruthless Sun: A True Story of Violence, Race, and Justice Lost and Found

**Brand:** riverhead books
**Price:** € 39.97
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Beneath a Ruthless Sun: A True Story of Violence, Race, and Justice Lost and Found by riverhead books
- **How much does it cost?** € 39.97 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nl](https://www.desertcart.nl/products/63806205-beneath-a-ruthless-sun-a-true-story-of-violence-race)

## Best For

- riverhead books enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted riverhead books brand quality
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## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![Beneath a Ruthless Sun: A True Story of Violence, Race, and Justice Lost and Found - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51nKuP1pC4L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Well Written True Story
  

*by K***R on Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2018*

Mable Norris Reese (Chesley) was my grandmother and I grew up with Jesse's story being a part of my family history.  As a young girl, I met Jesse and "Aunt" Pearl when he was released from Chattahoochee and spent time with them before they moved to Green Cove Springs.  Even with all that they had been through, they were the kindest, sweetest people I knew.After reading Gilbert's book, I'm horrified (but not surprised) at how much more there was to the story - I can certainly understand why my family would have censored so many things when talking to a young child.  I still get chills thinking about how much my grandmother, grandfather, mom, Jesse, Aunt Pearl and Richard Graham went through to get Jesse's freedom.My grandmother would have been honored to have her story told by such a skilled and determined researcher and compelling storyteller as Gilbert King.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    An Important Compelling Story
  

*by M***H on Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2018*

I read the entire book on the day it was published. Gilbert King did lengthy research and structured the story to keep the reader captivated. He made the scenes and people come alive ;it is a portrait of the worst in human nature and also the best.As a former southerner I remember the racism and prejudice which sickened me during those decades and therefore I can imagine the truth in this dark story.It’s a story with villains, heroes and innocents. I am glad that the author brought this story to light.I highly recommend this book.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Will Willis McCall Pay?
  

*by D***R on Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2018*

There are a couple of important story threads in BENEATH A RUTHLESS SUN.However let's start at the beginning. Blanche Knowles, citrus baron Joe Knowles's wife, is raped in 1957, a Jim Crow year. She says it was a bushy-haired black manWillis McCall, the virulent racist sheriff of Lake County, Floridas rounds up every black man he can find. The two main suspects are Sam Wiley Odom, whose main crime seems to be his uppity attitude and Bubba Hawkins who happens to be related to Virgil W. Hawkins who had the audacity to apply to law school at the University of Florida.Then matters change. A white, mentally retarded man, Jesse Daniels, is arrested and promptly confesses, although he insists to his mother, his lawyers and everyone else he knows, he didn't do it. Now, why would a racist sheriff, who has gone so far as to murder black suspects, charge a white man with a crime the woman says a black man committed? She later changes her story, insisting it was so dark in the room she couldn't be sure who did it, but she identifies Jesse's voice. Remember the old saying, “Nothing is as it seems.”Jesse avoids a trial by being found mentally incompetent to stand trial, and he is sent to Chattahoochee, the Florida insane asylum where he spends fourteen years, lumped in with violent criminals since he was charged with rape. Jesse's mother and just about everybody else he knows insists he wouldn't even know how to commit rape, nor would he hurt a fly.Pearl Daniels finds a confidant in Newspaperwoman, Mabel Norris Reese who spends the next fourteen years trying to get Jesse out of Chattahoochee. She has evidence he didn't do it, but McCall and his henchman, county attorney, Gordon G. Odom Jr. won't even let Blanche see her son.So . . . will Jesse ever get out? Will Willis McCall ever pay for his murderous  behavior. I have to say I wanted to see him skinned alive, boiled in oil, and drawn and quartered. This is not a novel; this stuff actually happened. Willis McCall made Bull Conner look like Mary Poppins.Oh, yeah, there's one more ingredient in this mud hole. Joe Knowles was a known ladies man.  How does that enter into the picture and why did Blanche insist a white man raped her when she knew that wasn't true? These questions will keep you turning pages.

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*Product available on Desertcart Netherlands*
*Store origin: NL*
*Last updated: 2026-01-29*