Jonah by Vince Lane
ASIN: B00QQOX00Q (Kindle edition)
Publication date: December 7, 2014
An elderly black hobo “Jonah” shows up begging at the door of two ladies humble shotgun shack. Though they are poor, they feed him. So he returns the kindness doing a couple of odd jobs to repay them. They take a somewhat mystical trusting, and immediate liking to Jonah and offer him a job.
Throughout their time together many amazingly good outcomes happen for the ladies and their families as they are touched by turmoil after turmoil. The story unfolds a murder and cover up involving a prominent Judge who turns out to be responsible for the hit and run death of one of the ladies husbands.
There is tragedy and death involved, but in the end, the human spirit is triumphant when they realize, only after Jonah has left their midst, that he had been an angel sent to help them through some otherwise horrible times.
Excerpt:
I’m certain that what the sheriff was about to have to tell Mandy was a part of being Sheriff that Reggie Perk must have hated. Especially with him being old friends with her and Carl. But at that juncture, Mandy had no Idea yet what Carl had done, and what Sheriff Perk’s secrecy was all about.
Mandy was back out in no time, and soon she and the sheriff were on their way into town.
“How’s Bernice an them boys these days Reggie? I ain’t seen them since the Labor Day picnic.” remarked Mandy lighting a smoke.
“Aw they’re just fine Mandy.” he answered staring straight ahead.
She could tell that Reggie seemed nervous and not very comfortable about something, but Mandy was just a little gun shy to ask what Carl had done. Carl had a habit of drinking too much and having too much fun. Sometimes Reggie would lock him up just to keep him out of trouble, and let him sleep it off. But the whole situation felt different that morning.
As they drove passed the old cemetery Mandy saw a funeral going on and wondered who had died.
“Who you suppose died Reggie?”
“That’s ole Merle Lachney. He had a heart attack. They found him slumped over the wheel of his pickup truck the other day. Hell I went to school with him; he wasn’t but forty years old. That’s too damn young to die.”
After saying that, there was a bit of a pause. Then, Reggie looked over at Mandy with a strange look on his face as though he wanted to say something. But then he simply looked straight ahead again and just kept driving.
“I gotta tell ya, you are in one strange mood today Reggie. What’s Carl gone an done this time? Yo attitude’s startin to scare me now.”
The sheriff passed the police station and continued driving.
“Reggie, you juss passed the station. Where the hell you takin me?”
Still not answering, the sheriff just wheeled the car into the Hospital parking lot, and drove around to an area in the back that was unfamiliar to Mandy.
She just couldn’t understand why Reggie was being so secretive about what had happened. “My God Reggie don’t tell me Carl’s been hurt. Why we at the hospital?” Mandy was really becoming worried.
Again Reggie looked at her with that same strange look on his face. He parked the car and said, “Come on in Mandy. I’ll take ya to him.”
As they walked to the door and Mandy saw the plaque that read Coroner’s Office and Morgue, her heart jumped up into her throat, and suddenly she became very frightened.
“My God Reggie Perk, you tell me right now what the hell’s goin on here, an I mean right now!” she insisted.
“Now Mandy, I didn’t want to tell ya till we got here. There’s been a bad accident. We fished Carl’s body out-a Rapides Bayou this monin.”
Mandy stared a blank stare in disbelief as Reggie continued.
“It looks like he got run down by a car when he was crossin that ole one car bridge on Veterans Drive; you know, off-a Rapides Avenue? We suspect it was some drunk leaving the VFW, so that’s where we’re startin our investigation.”
As his words echoed in her head, Mandy panicked. “Where is he Reggie? I want to see him!”
“Are ya sure you want to see him Mandy? He’s pretty messed up. It was a hit and run. He must-a got caught between the car and the bridge, cause we found a lot of blood at the scene. He was damn near cut half in two.”
About the author:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VinceLaneBooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VinceLaneBooks
Google +: https://plus.google.com/115586990110647359289/about
The Book Diva's Reads 
Tnaks for taking part in the 'Jonah' tour!
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This sounds like an exciting storyline.
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