Steve McManus

When an amateur web sleuth with anger issues gets a convicted killer freed from prison, she confronts public outrage over his release, the untimely deaths of witnesses, and a conspiracy to keep the truth buried in the past. THE SAWVILLE PROMISE will appeal to fans of rural grit like SMALL TOWN SINS by Ken Jaworowski and evocative twists like INNOCENCE ROAD by Laura Griffin.

EVELYN McCURDLES has been obsessed with the hairline cracks of reasonable doubt that stain the finish of murder cases ever since her father was arrested for the unthinkable when she was only ten. Evelyn spent eighteen months dismantling the case against CHARLIE HAYWARD, who was convicted of two murders twenty years ago based on a confession she believes was coerced. His lawyers used her work to get his sentence overturned, a decision that’s made Evelyn as unpopular as Charlie is in his rural hometown.

But when a woman Charlie knew is found dead hours after his release, local hostility toward Evelyn quickly turns to violence. With Charlie nowhere to be found and the town laying the blame at her feet, Evelyn must figure out if she’s made a colossal mistake, or if the people who helped the real killer escape justice two decades ago are tying off loose ends before Evelyn finds the thread of evidence that can unravel their crimes.

steve@stevemcmanus.com