Morris releases debut novel
Tony Morris, professor creative writing, released his debut novel “Deep River Blues” in July. The novel is a mystery/thriller set in the Appalachian Mountain region of Eastern Tennessee.
The book has garnered praise from mystery crime writer Craig Johnson, author of the “Longmire” mystery series and the basis for the Netflix hit series. Johnson said, “With the perception of a poet and the knack of a novelist, Tony Ray Morris joins the ranks of some of the finest crime fiction writers. In turn, part James Lee Burke, Tennessee Williams, and William Faulkner, Deep River Blues will pull you under and have you gasping for breath.”
Following is the description for “Deep River Blues.” When the body of a young girl washes up on the shores of the French Broad River, Cord McRae, newly elected sheriff of Acre County, Tennessee, suspects her death might be connected to the Glad Earth Farm, a commune just outside the small town of Falston. Guru/leader Levon Gladson and a group of a hundred and twenty-five followers have moved into an old farm that butts up to the Smokies, and Cord suspects they may be growing something more profitable than sorghum cane up in the hills. The mystery’s complicated by Cord’s investigation into a second recent murder of an Afghan vet; the growing power of a local “hillbilly” mafia operated by the wily Thorn Reevers; and his own marriage, which is teetering on the edge of divorce over past violence and Cord’s on-again, off-again love affair with liquor. With echoes of “Winter’s Bone” and the novels of James Lee Burke, “Deep River Blues” will be a worthwhile addition to the regional crime thriller genre.
The book is available for purchase at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Amazon, and Walmart. For more information, visit Morris’ website.
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