My third novel, Strange Country, is on bookstore shelves today.
Here’s the description:
After facing Death himself and banishing a reaper bent on the destruction of Sheriff’s deputy Boyd Davies, Hallie Michaels had hoped things would finally settle down; that she and Boyd would find more time to spend together, and that the ghosts she attracts would stay in the cemeteries where they belong.
But on a wintry night in mid-December, a woman is murdered with a high-powered rifle. Not long after, another of West Prairie City’s citizens is killed in exactly the same way, drawing the attention of state investigators. But the connection between the victims is not easily uncovered.
Meanwhile, Hallie finds a note tied to post outside her home. “What do you fear most?” it asks, accompanied by a set of map coordinates. Over the next few days she receives an anonymous phone call, and a letter left for Hallie at the local ag supply. All pose the same question and offer the same set of coordinates. The mystery deepens, and Hallie must solve it before the body count rises again, in Strange Country by Deborah Coates.
What I’ll say: Strange Country is about Hallie and Boyd, about a killer, about the past and the present, about dogs, both supernatural and non-, about place and family and friends and community, about figuring out what you want and about holding onto it.
I hope it sounds like something you’d like to buy. But more than that I hope it sounds like something you’d enjoy.
I am starting Strange Country today; unfortunately, my budget does not allow me to buy SC, so I had to wait impatiently for my library to get it in. Is Strange Country the last book in a trilogy, or will Hallie and Boyd be back?
Great! I hope you enjoy it! Right now, STRANGE COUNTRY is the last Hallie and Boyd story, but you never know what the future will bring.
Thank you. I loved Strange Country. Now I will read all three again. I admit I hope Hallie and Boyd have more stories.
Just read the third novel in this series, and I did not want the book to end. These books do something i find very rare, I actually care about the characters. The plot and subplots are intriguing and far from obvious. I hope there are many, many more books in this series.
Diane, I’m so glad you enjoyed the novels and thanks so much for letting me know!
Just found Strange Country on the New Book Shelf at my library branch and fortunately within the library system I was able to get the first two books in the series as well. Have read all three this weekend and really enjoyed them. Thought the ending of Strange Country might have been the ending of a trilogy although I, like other readers, hope that there will be more books about Hallie and Boyd.
Barb, I’m glad you found my books! Thanks so much for letting me know! You’re right, right now Strange Country is the last book, but that could change in the future 🙂
Found your short story What Makes a River while searching through TOR.com archives. That led me to your Web site and then I realized I’d read the Wide Open, Deep Down and Strange Country excerpts on tor.com over the last few years.
I then read the How to Hide your Heart short story. I REALLY hope you put several of these into a larger volume or begin another series featuring Beth and, maybe, Paul???
Anyway, this led me to buy all of the Hallie Michaels stories, as e-books, which I’ve read twice, each. I really enjoy your writing style: reluctant hero, military vet that isn’t a super ass-kicker, but does pretty well, object and incident descriptions which are sometimes “clues” to the current mystery and sometimes just life happening to otherwise real people.
Your characters are interesting and empathetic and your (other-) world building with ghosts, death and the beyond all make me laugh, fret and sometimes angry (I haven’t yelled at my Nook yet, but I’ve laughed out loud and shook my head a few times in exasperation.)
Please continue to write. I’m now reading everything else you’ve done just because it’s so… refreshing. (Must be the air out on the prairie.)
Michael
Michael, I’m glad you enjoyed my stories and thank you so much for letting me know!
I’d really like to do more writing on Beth and Paul and have ideas for several more stories though I haven’t had a lot of time to work on them and I’m a bit stuck on the beginning of the one that should come next. But maybe soon!