“Poetic Justice: A Restaurantland Romance,” the second book in the Restaurantland series by Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays, returns to the world of the Rose and Thorn in Portland, circa the 1990s, and the restaurant’s eclectic mix of misfits epitomizing Oregon’s most (in)famous of cities.

Those of us who grew up in the Pacific Northwest in that era well remember the spotted owl debate and the widespread dichotomy between the ecologically minded and timber interests. Hays and McFall personalize the battle and its fallout in a story of eco-warriors, small-town timber families and government entities engaged in a no-holds-barred fight for supremacy. When peaceful protest is hijacked for ulterior motives, innocents often pay the highest price.

Enter Hudson and Roz, former lovers and coworkers at the Rose and Thorn.

Hudson is a man of some mystery, an ex-con who just wants to clear his name after his arrest for an act of eco-terrorism — that he swears he didn’t commit.

Roz is trying to escape her past as well — her stepfather gone off the rails after losing his job when the lumber mill shut down, her kid sister gone without a trace, and coping skills found either in the bottom of a bottle or the pages of a poetry journal.

They find themselves handcuffed together at an eco-rally as Hudson tries to keep Roz from making a life-altering mistake. Their connection is one neither could have expected.

Hudson’s deep connection to nature becomes a prison sentence; Roz’s family upheaval becomes one of another kind. Is she broken, or, as Hudson sees it, is she “looking at herself in a broken mirror”? In this story of he-said she-said, lies and betrayal, is forgiveness and compromise even possible?

According to an unlikely mentor, “Accepting love is the truly revolutionary act.”

Hays and McFall are the authors of 12 books on such eclectic subjects as vampires and cowboys, worlds dominated by AI, and a fanciful take on Bonnie and Clyde.

“Poetic Justice” is available now as an e-book at Pumpjack Press, or pre-order the paperback version before its Oct. 22 release date on the website, pumpjackpress.com.