Preacher Fakes a Miracle

In the heart of rural Missouri, former physicist-turned-preacher Evan Wycliff is no stranger to mystery—or pain.
2020 New York City Big Book Award – Distinguished Favorite (Silver) in Mystery
Still grieving the death of his fiancée and navigating the spiritual minefield of small-town faith, he’s trying to live a quiet life. But when Melissa Benton, a troubled teen mother with epilepsy, is forcibly taken from her sister’s trailer by child welfare officers—and separated from her newborn—Evan’s life of uneasy peace is shattered.

He quickly learns Melissa isn’t just another runaway. Her baby may be the illegitimate son of Luke Shackleton, a wealthy banker’s schizophrenic teen heir, now locked away in a questionable mental clinic. Evan’s mission to find Melissa becomes more urgent as he uncovers a chilling web of corruption: a manipulative psychiatrist, complicit clergy, human trafficking masked as adoption, and a mysterious Eastern European syndicate with secrets to keep.

Evan’s investigation pits him against power players who consider people like Melissa disposable. His only ally may be Luke, whose psychic connection to Melissa might be real—or madness. To protect them both, Evan must do something he’s never done before—fake a miracle so convincing, it just might save a life.

But the deeper he digs, the higher the stakes—and the more Evan questions whether justice can ever come without sacrifice.

Blending spiritual suspense, gritty noir, and sharp-witted dialogue, Preacher Fakes a Miracle is a soulful mystery of love, faith, and the lengths one man will go to uncover the truth. Fans of Louise Penny, Julia Spencer-Fleming, and James Lee Burke will find a new hero to root for in Evan Wycliff.
“This is literature masquerading as a mystery. Carefully yet powerfully, Gerald Jones creates a small, stunning world in a tiny midwestern town, infusing each character with not just life but wit, charm and occasionally menace. This is the kind of writing one expects from John Irving or Jane Smiley.” - Marvin J. Wolf, author of the Rabbi Ben Mysteries, including A Scribe Dies in Brooklyn