Carolina Cruel — Lawrence Thackston

In the deep swamps of the South Carolina Low Country, two hunters stumble upon a sheriff's patrol car, which disappeared over forty years before. Inside the car are bullet holes, blood stains, and scattered bones that provide long-awaited clues to solving one of the palmetto state's greatest mysteries. Enter cold case reporter, Tindal Huddleston, who must weave through local resistance and historical angst to piece together the explosive story of race, politics, crime and corruption. She recruits Chan Adams, a burned-out former reporter of the local paper, who must overcome the demons of his own painful past before involving himself again in the decades-old case. Against impossible odds, the two reporters will make startling connections between an executed mass murderer, the fallout from the 1968 Orangeburg Massacre, and the hanging of one of the state's most prominent citizens. And in their search for answers, they will discover a cruelty so devastating; it will change countless lives forever. Mystery fans will enjoy this suspenseful page-turner filled with historical significance and social commentary.