“Tim Garvin’s shrewd debut novel churns with unsettled scores. His wily and disarmingly sentimental detective Seb Creek dredges the past of tidewater Swann County to settle them. Creek’s subtle interrogations make this novel a signal launch.” Kris Lackey, USA Today bestselling author of Nail’s Crossing and Greasy Bend
Description
Two investigations start at the same time in Swann County, North Carolina, one by the FBI, the other by the sheriff. The feds want to know who stole three Stinger missiles during a helicopter crash. The sheriff wants to know who hanged a black ex-con in a well.
Seb Creek, a sheriff’s detective, gets involved in both investigations and fights through lies, secrets, and murder to find the killer. The trail involves a long-ago axe murder, the ravages of combat, an outdoor gas chamber, a mystery at the bottom of a well, and finally a last killing and an ancient testament.
A Dredging in Swann is a tale that deals powerfully with themes of war, race, justice, and, in the end, with healing.
Sometimes justice has to wait.
Sometimes it won’t.
Praise
“Tim Garvin’s shrewd debut novel churns with unsettled scores. His wily and disarmingly sentimental detective Seb Creek dredges the past of tidewater Swann County to settle them. Creek’s subtle interrogations make this novel a signal launch.” Kris Lackey, USA Today bestselling author of Nail’s Crossing and Greasy Bend
“The narrative passages and direct character actions give the rest of us better understanding of what US servicepeople experience, how they suffer, and a possible path to return.” New York Journal of Books
“Tim Garvin delivers the goods with his first Seb Creek novel, A Dredging in Swann. Sharp and insightful, this story of a former Marine MP turned small-city cop is a welcome addition to the canon of southern mysteries, and sets the stage for great things to come. Well done, Mr. Garvin!” John Hart, two-time Edgar Award–winning author of The Hush
“The prose is gin-clear and occasionally striking.” Booklist
“When a man who’s recently been released from prison is found hanged in a well, North Carolina detective Seb Creek must figure out if it was an accident or murder—and what about those missing Stinger missiles?…Investigating the two mysteries will take Seb all over the county, giving debut author Garvin a chance to display a true ear for dialogue and a talent for character portrayal…This polished, beautifully written novel makes one hope Garvin keeps exploring Swann County for a long time.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Details
| Release Date | January 28, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Action & Adventure, African American, Crime, Fiction, General, Hard-Boiled, Mystery & Detective, Police Procedural, Private Investigators, Thrillers, War & Military |
| Number in Series | 1 |
| Series Display String | The Seb Creek Mysteries |
| Release Date Machine | 1580169600 |
Author Bio
Tim Garvin grew up in Arizona, then the Alaskan wilderness. Now he lives beside a creek outside Durham, North Carolina, with his wife, Cynthia, and dog, Blue. He built a cabin beside the creek, and in the mornings goes down there to write. In the afternoons, he throws pots, gardens, reads, discusses life with Cynthia, and sometimes coaxes her and Blue to the coast to float around the Outer Banks in a little sailboat. He’s currently at work on a second Seb Creek book.
Narrator Bio
Bronson Pinchot, Audible’s Narrator of the Year for 2010, has won Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Awards, AudioFile Earphones Awards, Audible’s Book of the Year Award, and Audie Awards for several audiobooks, including Matterhorn, Wise Blood, Occupied City, and The Learners. A magna cum laude graduate of Yale, he is an Emmy- and People’s Choice-nominated veteran of movies, television, and Broadway and West End shows. His performance of Malvolio in Twelfth Night was named the highlight of the entire two-year Kennedy Center Shakespeare Festival by the Washington Post. He attended the acting programs at Shakespeare & Company and Circle-in-the-Square, logged in well over 200 episodes of television, starred or costarred in a bouquet of films, plays, musicals, and Shakespeare on Broadway and in London, and developed a passion for Greek revival architecture.
Overview
Two investigations start at the same time in Swann County, North Carolina, one by the FBI, the other by the sheriff. The feds want to know who stole three Stinger missiles during a helicopter crash. The sheriff wants to know who hanged a black ex-con in a well.
Seb Creek, a sheriff’s detective, gets involved in both investigations and fights through lies, secrets, and murder to find the killer. The trail involves a long-ago axe murder, the ravages of combat, an outdoor gas chamber, a mystery at the bottom of a well, and finally a last killing and an ancient testament.
A Dredging in Swann is a tale that deals powerfully with themes of war, race, justice, and, in the end, with healing.
Sometimes justice has to wait.
Sometimes it won’t.