Preacher Finds a Corpse by Gerald Everett Jones

Science, faith, and murder intersect in this suspenseful debut set in the suspicious heart of a small Missouri farm town.

The Evan Wycliff series has won 10 awards in mystery - including this book and its sequel Preacher Fakes a Miracle winning both Gold and Silver - the top two prizes in Mystery - in the New York City Big Book Awards in the same year!

When Evan Wycliff returns to his rural Missouri hometown to regroup after leaving a promising science career, he expects peace, not tragedy. But his quiet life is upended when he discovers the body of his childhood best friend in a nearby field. The authorities call it suicide. Evan isn’t so sure.

Haunted by doubt and driven by both scientific inquiry and moral conviction, Evan begins to ask questions no one wants answered. His investigation stirs resentment in a town clinging to its secrets and brings him face-to-face with hidden sins, political ambition, and the quiet desperation of forgotten lives.

As the pressure mounts, Evan must navigate strained loyalties and his own crisis of faith to uncover a truth that could either heal or shatter the community. His journey is one of redemption, resilience, and reconciling the man he was with the man he’s trying to become.

A deeply human mystery layered with suspense and spiritual insight, Preacher Finds a Corpse is perfect for fans of character-driven crime fiction.

“This is literature masquerading as a mystery. Carefully yet powerfully, Gerald Jones creates a small, stunning world in a tiny midwestern town, infusing each character with not just life but wit, charm and occasionally menace. This is the kind of writing one expects from John Irving or Jane Smiley.” - Marvin J. Wolf, author of the Rabbi Ben Mysteries, including A Scribe Dies in Brooklyn