They find him on the beach, shooting bullets into the sand. His name? Jeremiah Cooper, the son of the bullheaded high school football coach. Slight of build, soft of voice, he's got all kinds of torment lurking behind his eyes. But despite Garrison Gage's best efforts, he can't pull the kid out of his shell. Then someone turns up dead at the local community college, and Jeremiah's fragile world shatters. Add a crisis in Gage's good friend's life, an ongoing feud with his adopted daughter about her life choices, and a hauntingly beautiful FBI agent with secrets of her own, and it's a lot more drama than a half-retired private investigator with a bum knee wanted. Whatever happened to quiet rainy nights sipping bourbon, watching the sun sink beneath the waves on the Oregon coast, and trying to think of a ten-letter word that means grumpy and glad about it? But before Gage can even write the word curmudgeon, he's pulled deeper into Jeremiah's world—a world of sex, secrets, and a sadistic evil that preys on human weakness. "Carter's writing is on target." - Publishers Weekly Never miss a new Garrison Gage book : Sign up for the new release mailing list by going to this link (copy/paste into browser): swcarter.com/news The Garrison Gage Mystery Series (in chronological order): The Gray and Guilty Sea - A Desperate Place for Dying - The Lovely Wicked Rain - A Shroud of Tattered Sails - A Lighthouse for the Lonely Heart Praise for Scott William Carter's Previous Work "It was a shrewd marketing move for author Jack Nolte 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 "...touching and impressive..." - Publishers Weekly "Scott William Carter makes it look easy." - Chizine.com "As powerful a package as dynamite." - Gnostalgia "Certain to prompt contemplation and discussion." - School Library Journal "A stunner." - Fright.com "The witty dialogue was one of the greatest strengths." - Nicky Drayden, Diary of a Short Woman "Beautiful and haunting." - SFRevu "Riveting." - Tangent Online "Dazzled me." - Reading with Mo "Especially chilling." - Gumshoe Review 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 many books, including the popular  Garrison Gage mystery series  set on the Oregon coast, as well as the provocative  Myron Vale Investigations , about the private investigator in Portland, Oregon who works for both the living and the dead. 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. In past lives, he has been an academic technologist, a writing instructor, bookstore owner, the manager of a computer training company, and a ski instructor, though the most important job--and best--he's ever had is being the father of his two children. He lives in Oregon with his family. Visit him online at ScottWilliamCarter.com.