Narrator: Jesse Vilinsky
Publisher: MacMillan Audio
Release Date: March 31, 2026
Special thanks to MacMillan Audio for a gifted audio arc of this title for review. Opinions expressed are my own.
The Dust Bowl sweeps a handsome stranger into a small Colorado town to dangerous effect
Review:
The Hired Man is a gritty, heartbreaking story that's set in Colorado in 1937, seven years into the Dust Bowl. Times are hard for everyone, especially the women who shoulder the responsibility of keeping their family together while withstanding the worst of their spouses' anger and resentment over perceived failures. Alcoholism and Domestic Violence are prevalent; however, the Kessler family is luckier than most as they are a close-knit family who still manage to scratch out a living on their farm. Protagonist Martha Helen Kessler is a teenager who tends to her young brother, Henry, and yearns for her older brother Emmet who left a long time ago seeking work in California. It is through her young voice that this story is told. During this time period, drifters moving from place to place looking for work are run out of small towns, but when Otis Hobbs appears on the Kessler farm carrying a boy in his arms who was reported missing in the last storm, he's welcomed in. Despite the neighbors' strong objections and at the insistence of Martha Helen's mother, Otis is hired to work on the farm in exchange for meals, room and board. Otis is a handsome, mysterious loner who works hard and says little. Martha Helen and her friends are fascinated with him, but the town's prejudice against vagrants prevails and they're quick to hurl accusations and lay the blame at Otis's feet when a young girl goes missing. The Kessler’s have faith in Otis and use their limited resources to help defend him. The story that unfolds pits neighbor against neighbor in a heartbreaking search for the truth.
Author Sandra Dallas's work in Historical Fiction is highly impressive. The research she puts into each time period is evident as she captures the essence of the time with vivid settings and strong characterizations. As is often the case, Dallas focuses on the trials and tribulations of women and the moral dilemmas faced during the toughest of times while avoiding typical stereotypes in The Hired Man. The story develops slowly as all the players are introduced and the stage set with the pace picking up through some unforeseen twists. I suspect the ending may be controversial for some readers; however, after careful thought, I can't say I didn't see it coming. I did.
I enjoyed the audiobook of The Hired Man and highly recommend it. Narrator Jesse Vilinsky does an impressive job bringing the story to life through the characters' words. On the other hand, if audiobooks aren't your thing, this one is worth reading and would make for a great discussion in book clubs. Highly recommended to fans of historical fiction and mysteries.
Synopsis:
1937. It’s been seven years since the dust storms started in Colorado. Folks can barely remember a time when the clouds were filled with rain instead of dirt, and when the fields were green instead of brown. High school student Martha Helen Kessler and her family are luckier than most; they still eke out a living from the land. Even so, evidence of the Dust Bowl’s grim impact on families, especially on the women who bear the brunt of their husbands’ frustration and their children’s hunger, is everywhere.
When Martha Helen’s compassionate mother insists they take in Otis Hobbs, a handsome drifter who saves a local boy from a vicious storm, she quickly discovers a darker side to their rural community. Suspicion, jealousy, and prejudice grip their neighbors–and emotions reach a frenzy after Martha Helen’s best friend, Frankie, disappears and is then found murdered. Ultimately, Martha Helen is forced to make sense of her conflicting feelings and loyalties in order to help find retribution and to reconcile the difference between the law and justice.
Full of period detail and Sandra Dallas’s trademark focus on the lives of women, The Hired Man entertains and ultimately surprises.
When Martha Helen’s compassionate mother insists they take in Otis Hobbs, a handsome drifter who saves a local boy from a vicious storm, she quickly discovers a darker side to their rural community. Suspicion, jealousy, and prejudice grip their neighbors–and emotions reach a frenzy after Martha Helen’s best friend, Frankie, disappears and is then found murdered. Ultimately, Martha Helen is forced to make sense of her conflicting feelings and loyalties in order to help find retribution and to reconcile the difference between the law and justice.
Full of period detail and Sandra Dallas’s trademark focus on the lives of women, The Hired Man entertains and ultimately surprises.
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