In 1980, the first black supervisor at a Texas Gulf Coast refinery turns up dead behind an abandoned drive-in theater. When a Texas Ranger comes to investigate, the refinery's attorney, Dan Esperson, is drawn into the investigation-and into a tangled web of racial conflict, sex, and deception. Two refinery employees are arrested for the murder. One confesses that the other did it but will never testify. When the killer is released from jail for lack of evidence, Dan may be next on his list.
What Seems True
was inspired by a true crime on the Texas Gulf Coast in 1979.
"Award-winning author, J. D. Garrison returns with East Texas mayhem in the crime fiction novel, WHAT SEEMS TRUE. These larger-than-life characters deliver an entertaining read of lust, oil, good old boys, and one femme fatale."
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Johnnie Bernhard, author of
SISTERS OF THE UNDERTOW
"Smart and sensual, atmospheric, you can feel the humidity of the Texas Gulf Coast, smell the smoke-filled boardrooms and musty motels, the exhaust belching forth from the refinery that lights up the night sky like a fairyland in James Garrison's latest novel,
... a savvy tale full of grit and grime and passion, vivid characters, and a male narrator who will appeal to both men and women. You will find yourself rooting for Attorney Dan Esperson, even when you are cringing at some of his choices ... I highly recommend it."
-Kathleen M. Rodgers, Winner of the 2020 MWSA Founder's Award and author of
THE FLYING CUTTERBUCKS
"...crime writing fiction at its best, mingling social and political commentary with a murder mystery centered in Texas...Perhaps one reason why
feels so realistic is that it's based on a real-world event that took place in 1979, another reason is because of the way James Garrison crafts his fictionalized story, filling it with first-person reflections that incorporate both a sense of place and the times... Fans of noir detective stories that embrace legal proceedings and social issues will find that
questions many attitudes, moral and ethical standards, and motivations...These vivid inspections make for a story that should be on the shelves of any Texas mystery collection, certainly-but also on the radars of holdings interested in broader portraits of social and ethical concerns."
-Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review