Ruby Ridge : the truth and tragedy of the Randy Weaver family

On the last hot day of summer in 1992, gunfire cracked over Ruby Ridge in northern Idaho.

By the next day three people were dead, and a small war was in full force, pitting the full might of Federal law enforcement against one well-armed family.

Ever since the stand-off ended, Ruby Ridged has been recognised as a dark watershed in the US history.

In RUBY RIDGE Jess Walter leads the reader through the siege in which Vicky Weaver was fatally shot as she stood in the doorway of their cabin, her infant daughter in her arms.

The deadly stand-off on Ruby Ridge reveals the racism, violence, paranoia and hatred of government that continue to erupt in places like Waco and Oklahoma City, and Walter's definitive account is both insightful and disturbing.

Jess Walter's coverage of the Randy Weaver case helped the Spokesman Review earn a Pulitzer Prize nomination.