“Big Swamp” by Kelly Dean Jolley, excerpt + giveaway

A Private Eye in a One-Eyed Place?

Ford Merrick is a softhearted detective in a sleepy southern town, Opelika, Alabama—a “one-eyed, blinking sort of place.” A provoking visit from beautiful Rachel Gunner complicates his work and his life. This stunning woman asks Ford to tail her uncle and discover what he is up to. Taking the case, Ford quickly finds himself swamped in mysteries: Who is Rachel’s uncle, and what is his secret business? Then there’s the mystery of an earlier death at Noble Hall where Rachel and her uncle now live. But the greatest mystery may be Rachel Gunner herself. Mired, Ford struggles to find his way, unearths tragedies old and new, and exposes his heart to a hard test.

What do you think? Is it mysterious? Softhearted detective? Does it make sense to be a softy if you are a PI? We will see. Maybe the excerpt that we got today may shows us a bit more of Ford Merrick.

I am glad to present Big Swamp by Kelly Dean Jolley. I am reading this book and even if I have just started it and have read three chapters, I am interested on knowing what is going on.

Kelly Dean Jolley is the Goodwin Philpott Endowed Chair of Religion and Professor of Philosophy at Auburn University.  He lives in Auburn with his wife, Shanna, two dogs, two cats, too many books, and a collection of manual typewriters.  Beyond his academic publications, he has also published a book of poetry, Stony Lonesome.

Facebook Author Page Website

Too many books, is that even possible? 😉

Our detective, Ford Merrick, has no clear idea where he stands with Rachel Gunner, his client.  He’s seen her out earlier in the day unexpectedly, and he’s unsure what that means. Their phone conversation doesn’t help him much.

    Hey, Ford,” Rachel says cheerfully when I call.

    Nerves attack me as I start to talk. “Hey, I’m calling because Helen invited Sam to dinner and she’s made a lot, I’m guessing, including banana bread, which is worth it all by itself, and anyway, she wondered if you would come to dinner too because she really likes this man, but she’s nervous about having him to dinner, about the awkward threesome—um, not the right word—the triangle—um, not the right word, either…”

    Rachel laughs. “Ford, slow down. Are you really this nervous about asking me to dinner after the lunch we had?”

   “I guess. Me twice in one day is kind of a lot.”

   “That sounds good. Banana bread sounds good. What have you been up to?”

    I freeze for a second. I don’t want to have this conversation, and I especially don’t want to have it on the phone, unable to see Rachel’s face, her actions. “Just some case follow-up.”

    Her answer is teasing, but there’s a note of worry in it. “Very mysterious.”

   “What about you?”

   Now she’s guilty of a prefatory silence. “Oh, not much. Lake got back from Montgomery, and we’re having drinks on the upper balcony.”

   That information sinks into my lower gut like a knife. “Oh, Lake is back.”

   We’re both silent for a moment. “So, you’ll come to dinner?” I ask.

   “Your place, right?”

   “Right.”

   “See you then. I’m really pleased Helen suggested it. I’d like to get to know her better.”

   That makes my gut hurt less; the stabbing pain subsides. “Okay—five thirty? Helen and I have someone stopping by later about a business matter, so we won’t be able to make an entire evening of it.”

   “That’s fine. See you in a little while. And, Ford”—her voice sinks—“I was already missing you.”

I hardly know what to say, so I say what I feel, surprising myself. “God, I was missing you too.”

I do not know what you think but I have read with a very relieved voice the last bit: “God, I was missing you too.” How do you find Ford Merrick so far? I highly recommend you to check also the rest of the blog tour.

That’s What I’m Talking About
From Pemberley to Milton
Elza Reads
The Reading Frenzy
Meryton Press Blog

Would you like to buy Big Swamp by Kelly Dean Jolley? You could do it here:

Amazon US Amazon CA Amazon UK Amazon ES Amazon DE

Meryton Press is giving away six eBook copies of Big Swamp by Kelly Dean Jolley. The giveaway is international. The giveaway ends August 29^th at 12:00 AM Central Time.

Just click on the link below and follow instructions. Good luck!

Rafflecopter – Big Swamp

I love the cover. Yes, green may be my favourite colour, however, the cover would have been great in dark blue too, so I am not biased;)