Hell in the Low Country

Caley Givens the county deputy sheriff is busy chasing the perpetrators, while trying her best to keep ahead of her incompetent boss, Sheriff Wilson. She takes the lead on solving several killings, including the cold case murder of two civil rights workers that occurred in 1968. All evidence points to Oats Schoenfeld, the main protagonist in the book. He is former head of the local KKK. While most have rejected the deeds of the KKK, he has not given up his evil plots against the black population. The incidents are as hurtful to the victims, as they are amusing to the perpetrators. He and the other members of the Cobb Club are continuously causing problems, some of which are comical. Usually the Geechee population of the community is on the receiving end of the pranks. The social environment and alcohol induced personalities of the unscrupulous club members contribute to the chaos.
Bubba Vandi, a State Law enforcement agent trying to help solve several crimes, is shot, but survives, when he enters the Cobb Club house. Oats is arrested for the crime and put in jail. While he is incarcerated, Patrick and Staci keep Flood’s Place running.
Big Al is continuously haunted by a vision of Fuzz, an old lowcountry Geechee. His visions become worst when he drinks, which is most of the time.
A tragic series of events occur when Jeff Ireland's Alzheimer stricken wife is allowed to escape into the swamp by her housekeeper, Cyndi. There she dies. Her demise puts Jeff in a deep depression. He talks Oats into killing her and her boyfriend, Daryl. You won’t believe how this twist turns out.
While other despots in the low country are busy raising hell, Earl Magus, an old friend of Oats, is busy making methamphetamine and selling it throughout the south. Once a University of South Carolina chemistry professor, he is well suited to developing the equipment and processes to get rich from this scheme. His cover for his ill-gotten gains is his greenhouse on Oats property near the Salkehatchie River. His dog, Ding, guards the property and accompanies him on deliveries. Ding is a continuing source of comical reprieve.
A major tornado comes through and creates havoc. The hell’uns of the Cobb Club, get together and help the Geechee community rebuild their church and homes. Almost all is well between the two factions, after the act of charity. Even a few of the most rebellious Cobbs attend the Geechee church on Sundays.
While this novel is a mystery, the author has infused it with comical episodes, and situations that keep the reader turning pages. The overall venue and situations are typical of those once experienced in the prejudicial Deep South.
The ending is unlike most novels, in that some of the perpetrators do escape the law, and go on to become productive citizens. Big Al marries Jill, one of the Saturday night scraggy patrons of Flood’s Place. Oats, goes clean and buys a RV trailer, and lives a lawful life on the road, while Patrick and Staci continue to keep Flood’s Place running. Earl Magus and Dink get out of the meth business and find plenty of new ventures to keep them busy.
Most every geographical population is composed respectable law-abiding citizens of all races and backgrounds. Here as in any area, there is always a fringe element, which thrives on narrow-mindedness and even lawlessness. The author has done an excellent job in portraying a fictional account of the later exception to these social norms.