Quo Vadis, Deputy? by Paul A. Barra

A gritty, no holds barred portrayal of South Carolina in the late 60s, Quo Vadis, Deputy? takes the reader on a historic trip to ‘the way it was back then’. With authentic language and genuine dialogue of the era, author Barra delivers a small-town atmosphere, complete with social gatherings and family drama, amidst a horrific murder investigation. From the heat of South Carolina to the poverty and religious misconceptions of the time, the reader is pulled into the sordid backwoods of human depravity.

When a money lender is found brutally stabbed, bills clutched in his hand and a bag of money missing, his murder is investigated as an armed robbery gone wrong. Addiction, infidelity, and suicide add to the intrigue, along with superstitions. The missing Cow Flop Bingo prize money and rumors of a Black Mass lead a local law enforcer down a dark path as he carries on his duty to uphold the law. His first person point of view is interspersed with glimpses into the minds of other characters.

A far cry from cozy, the story is a mix of noir and hard-boiled, featuring Deputy Sandy Buford, who despite his commitment for doing the right thing, makes some questionable choices. Father Louis, a dark spectre of a man, doubles as a priest and lawyer, adding a layer of mystique to the Catholicism that Buford struggles to understand. The deputy of questionable morals and the unconventional priest become embroiled in a case which revolves around a house of ill-repute and a dark religion. Themes of class, gender, and racial disparity abound, with credible and disturbing scenes.

Crime fiction that teaches of a by-gone era as well as entertains, Quo Vadis, Deputy? leaves its mark on the reader with a glimpse of a not-too-distant history in the southern states. Fast-paced and atmospheric, this is a great choice for fans of modern historic police procedurals and detective novels dealing with inequality and corruption.