Steve McManus

What if you freed a wrongfully convicted man who might not be the innocent victim you believe he is?

What if the people who know for sure will kill to keep you from learning the truth?

That’s the dilemma facing armchair activist Evelyn McCurdles when she helps get a convicted murderer released after two decades behind bars in THE INNOCENCE MISSION, my 92,000-word standalone thriller about injustice and the dangers of fixing history. Driven by an irresistible heroine whose deep convictions belie a volatile temper, THE INNOCENCE MISSION will appeal to fans of gritty and atmospheric books like SMALL TOWN SINS by Ken Jaworowski and THE DRY by Jane Harper.

Amateur web sleuth Evelyn McCurdles spent eighteen months dismantling the case against Charlie Hayward, who confessed to murdering two girls twenty years ago. Now Charlie’s coming home, and Evelyn intends to be there when he does. His rural hometown is limping toward economic extinction, and in a place with fewer tomorrows ahead of it, the murders still feel like yesterday. As Evelyn talks with anyone who was involved in the case, from the district attorney to the town drunk, she faces growing hostility from a struggling community that blames her for the return of the bogeyman they thought they’d banished forever.

Assisted by a cynical local girl who thinks Evelyn’s the most interesting thing in town, she navigates conflicting memories and personal agendas while unraveling the string of corruption and violence that led to Charlie’s conviction. But when another murder is linked to her efforts, Evelyn’s lingering doubts about Charlie’s innocence bloom. Before anyone else dies, she needs to find out if she’s made a colossal mistake about him, or if the same machinery that sent an innocent man to prison is out to get her now, too.

steve@stevemcmanus.com