In April 1968 twenty-six-year-old newspaper reporter Tom Williams travels to Atlanta to cover the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King. Inspired by this experience, he returns to his hometown of Monrovia, Florida seeking justice in the lynching of a childhood friend, a young Black man falsely accused of rape and murder. For Tom this is an odyssey into a past marked by the sudden and mysterious deaths of his parents when he was eleven years old and the tragic end of a relationship with an unhappily married woman.
Along the way he runs afoul of local law enforcement and international drug smugglers as he uncovers the buried secrets of some of the most important people in his life. He discovers much about himself and his community he would rather not have known. In time he comes to realize that, in the words of a close friend, “the truth just might not set you free.”
Set against the backdrop of racist brutality, the war in Vietnam, and changing sexual mores, this story winds its way through the dark passages of the Jim Crow South and those of our nation at large. Tom’s journey reflects that of America in a rapidly changing time, a journey we are still traveling today.
REVIEWS
“Bookreview.com recommends “Unfinished Business” as a fine addition to the crime genre and hopes to hear from Ray Dan Parker again.”
“A fast-paced tale that leads its protagonist down some unexpected and dangerous paths…”
Kirkus Reviews
“Couldn’t put this book down. This story exposes the secrets of an outwardly sleepy, small Southern town during the 50’s & 60’s as a young reporter attempts to discover the truth of his parents’ deaths. This novel uncovers the corruption, greed & betrayal in the reporter’s backwater, Florida hometown. Great story; great writing.”
“Ray Dan Parker has written an exciting novel full of mystery, intrigue, and surprise. He speaks with an authentic Southern voice as he describes small town life in the days when children had the freedom to explore and experience growing up into the adult world. The story is well written and holds the reader’s attention to the surprising ending.”
Amazon Reviews