When the Corn Is Waist High
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
“Highly original
. . . Ample dry humor leavens a plotline that thoughtfully explores the heart
of human darkness . . . Michael Koryta admirers will be enthralled.” —Publishers
Weekly, starred review
“What appears to be a humorous story set in Indiana farm country becomes a thriller with multiple shocking twists. Fans of TV's Dexter might want to try this disquieting book from Scott.” —Library Journal
In the early 1980s, a tight-knit Indiana community is struck by a series of violent murders.
Father Solomon Lancaster—the town’s dry-witted sheriff and priest at the community Catholic church—finds himself on the forefront of the investigation. Soon, he’s fighting to match wits with the serial killer terrorizing his town while trying to justify his law enforcement credentials to the FBI as their analysts and profilers take Crooked Creek, Indiana, by storm.
But Father Solomon is hiding secrets of his own. Ones that threaten to rise to the surface as the murders continue and the investigation draws nearer to the truth. As the killer begins to escalate, Father Solomon finds that even the innocent have dark sides, and trust might be the deadliest weapon of all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Solomon Lancaster, the highly original narrator of this mystery set in 1980s Indiana from Scott (the Ables series), is not only the sheriff of Crooked Creek, Ind., but also the town's Catholic priest. Lancaster has long feared that those two roles might conflict, and that soon happens. When 84-year-old Tina Hillary is found on her kitchen floor during a wellness check, there are no usual signs of violence, though her left hand cradles a lily whose stem has been sewn into her arm. Lancaster opposes outside assistance, but he's overruled following the discovery of the body of 17-year-old Katie McGuire in the town creek, her hands severed and replaced with daffodils. McGuire, who was distraught over an unplanned pregnancy, recently took confession with Lancaster. The lawman must navigate a tense working relationship with the FBI as he tries to catch the murderer. Ample dry humor leavens a plotline that thoughtfully explores the heart of human darkness. Scott demonstrates that an imaginative author can make such tired tropes as a serial killer hunt fresh. Michael Koryta admirers will be enthralled.
