The Gray and Guilty Sea: An Oregon Coast Mystery

Scott William Carter

Sep 2016 · Garrison Gage Series Book 1 · Flying Raven Press

About this ebook

"Carter's writing is on target." - Publishers Weekly

A curmudgeon. An iconoclast. A loner. That's how people describe Garrison Gage, and that's when they're being charitable. 

After his wife's brutal murder in New York, and Gage himself is beaten nearly to death, the crippled private investigator retreats three thousand miles to the quaint coastal town of Barnacle Bluffs, Oregon. He spends the next five years in a convalescent stupor, content to bide his time filling out crossword puzzles and trying to forget that his wife's death is his fault. But all that changes when he discovers the body of a young woman washed up on the beach, and his conscience draws him back into his old occupation - forcing him to confront the demons of his own guilt before he can hope to solve the girl's murder.

"It was a shrewd marketing move ... to entitle his first mystery novel The Gray and Guilty Sea. It makes it nearly irresistible for an old John D. MacDonald fan like me . . . Recommended." - Brandywine Books

"The Gray and Guilty Sea is quite an enjoyable novel that engages a reader on multiple levels." - Stimulated Outlet Book Reviews

"Outstanding debut crime novel set on the Oregon coast and starring a misanthropic former detective ... as much a fascinating character study as it is an original story." - Michael J. Totten, author of Resurrection

"Scott William Carter makes it look easy." - Chizine.com

The Garrison Gage Mystery Series (in chronological order):

A Plunder By Pilgrims (short story prequel)
The Gray and Guilty Sea
A Desperate Place for Dying
The Lovely Wicked Rain
A Shroud of Tattered Sails

Keywords: Keywords: Free Books, Mystery, Garrison Gage, Private Investigator, Free ebook, Oregon, Oregon coast, Hard boiled, Travis McGee, Spenser, crime fiction, mystery series, free

Ratings and reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. it had all the fine and often intricate elements of mystery, mayhem and murder delivered in a captivating and utterly human Garrison Gage. Gage is a semi-retired private investigator with his own history of pain and loss, but when he stumbles on the body of an unknown girl while walking on a beach in coastline Oregon, he can't simply turn his back on the possibility that a heinous crime has been committed. seeking nothing but justice for this lost young soul he decides to investigate the death by turning over every stone to find the killer and see him or her punished. I was intrigued by this character and had to read late into the night to get to the satisfying conclusion. Gage is curmudgeonly and damaged but still determined to solve the mystery. Along with an interesting romantic sideline, this novel was polished and satisfying. I recommend this book to murder/mystery fans. I'll read more of the series, I liked the character so much. Try it.

As someone who lived on the Oregon Coast in the Coos Bay/North Bend area for seven years the tone of this story rings true. The feel of a small, dreary coastal town off the 101 is intimately captured. The main character Gage is well developed and the truth of how small town dynamics play out between residents, local authorities and business owners is represented in a very real way. I will absolutely be reading the other volumes of this series as soon as I can! It took me right back home and reeled me in!

Quite a yarn, truth be told. Gage is badly damaged goods. Author does a great job of getting you into Gage's head. Well written and well plotted yarn. Only nit I have is the repeated reference to the grip of pistol as a handle.

About the author

SCOTT WILLIAM CARTER's first novel, The Last Great Getaway of the Water Balloon Boys, was hailed by Publishers Weekly as a "touching and impressive debut" and won an Oregon Book Award. Since then, he has published a dozen novels and over fifty short stories, his fiction spanning a wide variety of genres and styles. Critics raved that The Gray and Guilty Sea, the first book featuring the crippled and curmudgeonly Garrison Gage, was "irresistible" and "a fascinating character study." His most recent book for younger readers, Wooden Bones, chronicles the untold story of Pinocchio and was singled out for praise by the Junior Library Guild. He lives in Oregon with his wife and children.  Visit him online at ScottWilliamCarter.com

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