Synopsis "Under a Purple Sky: An Emmett Hardy Crime Novel"
Oklahoma, Christmas night, 1981. Burr Oklahoma Police Chief Emmett Hardy's head has just hit the pillow when his phone rings. On the line is the wife of an old schoolmate; her husband has gone berserk. She begs Emmett for help. His intervention subsequently leads to a low-speed car chase, which ends with his friend's pickup plunging into Burr Lake. As Emmett rescues his friend from the freezing water, a bloated corpse rises to the surface. Soon, Emmett uncovers evidence the deceased was part of a community of men forced by societal prejudice to live their lives in secret. As more bodies are discovered, it becomes clear a ruthless serial killer is preying on these men. When the county sheriff seems content to look the other way, Emmett starts his own investigation, which leads him inside a world of fear, shame, political corruption, and long-buried prejudice. He races to stop the killer before he strikes again-while battling his own demons and an ever-present temptation to return to the bottle. Set against the desolate beauty of western Oklahoma, Under a Purple Sky is a gripping historical mystery about justice, redemption, and the people society chooses not to see. Rich in authentic detail and unforgettable characters, it combines the atmosphere of rural noir with the emotional depth of literary fiction, introducing a detective whose compassion is as important as his courage. For readers of James Lee Burke, William Kent Krueger, and S. A. Cosby, Under a Purple Sky is a haunting mystery that lingers long after the final page.
