Murder and Redemption
at
Stinson Creek
Murder and Redemption at Stinson Creek
On a warm May evening, a stranger arrives in the sleepy, Lowcountry village of Stinson Creek, South Carolina. Two weeks later, he is found dead, propped up against a tree behind the village’s only church.
As Sheriff John Ridgeway investigates the identity of the stranger and the circumstances surrounding his death, he is —quite unexpectedly— thwarted by the villagers who, one by one, confess to the murder.
As their whereabouts, motives, and connections to the stranger become more convoluted and inconsistent, Ridgeway becomes more frustrated in his efforts to unravel “who done it” —or more accurately— “who didn’t.”
About the Author
Welcome to my website—and to my first novel, Murder and Redemption at Stinson Creek.
If you enjoy Southern fiction, dark humor, and a touch of mystery, you'll feel right at home among the inhabitants of this sleepy South Carolina Lowcountry village.
I've wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. My first real opportunity came just after college, when I worked as a stringer for a couple of newspapers on Boston's North Shore. As a stringer, I covered the stories the regular reporters were too busy—or too smart—to take on. Think — school committee meetings. I was paid by the column inch, earning $2 for every inch that made it into print, so making friends with the night editor wasn't just a good idea—it was essential.
Over the next 30 years, I wrote for newspapers, magazines, trade journals, and just about anyone willing to pay a few dollars for a story. One career highlight was seeing an article published in Wine Spectator magazine in 1999. I also published an oral history of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, in 1990.
Unfortunately, writing alone was never quite enough to pay the mortgage or put food on the table, so along the way I painted houses, sold insurance, led a local chamber of commerce, was a substitute teacher, and worked in marketing for a technical college—doing whatever was necessary while continuing to pursue my first love: writing.
Murder and Redemption at Stinson Creek is my first novel, and I hope it captures your imagination from the very first page. People often ask how the story came to be, and the best answer I can give is that it was always there. I was simply given the privilege of telling it.
The people of Stinson Creek are, in many ways, like all of us. They carry their struggles, their secrets, and their sins. But they also possess kindness, resilience, and the capacity for redemption. They have become some of the most memorable people I have ever known, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to share their story with you.
