The year is 1883. The place is Fish Springs—a remote mountain community in rugged East Tennessee. The grisly murder of a black man and the pursuit of his killer in predominantly white Carter County rekindle old hatred and bigotry. Will the victim’s killer be caught and brought to justice? Or will the white power structure in this mountain community dismiss the murder as just another Negro who got out of line and deserved to die? The Ku Klux Klan gets involved, and the accused murderer hires a take-no-prisoners, crafty defense attorney. Witnesses are threatened, property is destroyed and the well-intentioned but outmanned county sheriff has his hands full. Read all about it—and the climactic ending— in Justice for Toby

Justice for Toby: A Fish Springs Novel

Literature & Fiction

Manuel, Michael

Timbs Jr., Larry C.

United States

Bearhaven Publishers

Could someone commit murder with a rattlesnake? Fish Springs is a story of romance and jealousy, unbridled desire, unseemly deaths, faith in the Almighty and the atrocities of slavery and racism. In the remote mountain communities of East Tennessee, people lived their lives raising livestock and crops, hunting the abundant wildlife, keeping home fires burning and selling their wares at the few stores in their community. They fought in our nation’s wars and, by the grace of God, returned home. Through it all, they loved, worked, lusted, worshipped, deceived, and even killed. Some harbored dark secrets. One such grisly secret could still be hidden below the surface of Watauga Lake—if not for this story. “Fish Springs is a rare and intimate story with powerful complex characters that bring out emotional elements we want to see move from page to screen.” —Belle Avery, Exec. Producer of Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, w/ Philip Seymour Hoffman “Searing tale examining themes from jealousy and revenge to social impropriety and compassion, along with racial injustice and uncommon racial harmony.” —The Herald, Rock Hill, S.C. “A long-told tale of love, war and a snake gets a novel treatment. ... (But) this could be more than the plot for a novel. It just might be a true story ...” —Ashley Rader, Elizabethton Star, Elizabethton, TN “If you love a great story, then you’ll love Fish Springs with its Civil War backdrop and an unusual, suspicious death that’s at the heart of the story. It’s hard to put down.” —Dave Osborn, Las Vegas Review-Journal “It’s a story about passion, pain, war and murder. But it’s also a story about a little-known community in Northeast Tennessee that time—and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water—have almost washed away. … From prisoners being guided across state lines to local legends about a love triangle and a suspicious death, Fish Springs offers no shortage of history.” —Max Hrenda, Johnson City Press, Johnson City, TN “The novel is entertaining and a little mysterious. It’s easy to wonder what’s true.” —Dudley Brown, Herald-Journal, Spartanburg, SC “Flows as steadily as the Watauga River where much of the story is centered. The reader can easily get a true sense of living through each moment right along with the characters. The characters are complex and the lives they lead are certain to keep readers glued to the pages wondering what will happen next.” —Lacy Hilliard, The Tomahawk, Mountain City, TN “Manuel and Timbs write honestly and sometimes humorously, easily gliding into back-stories about their mountain characters in a style reminiscent of Pat Conroy through his coastal characters and scenes. … the dialect is fast paced and advances the plot so effectively that one would think he is watching the drama unfold in a mini-series. … Romantics will love this tale, but so, too, will Civil War historians.” —Bessie M. Meeks, Lake Wylie Pilot, Lake Wylie, SC “Beneath the surface lies the soul of every human being.” —The Rev. Bruce Simcox, Mountain City,

Fish Springs: Beneath the Surface

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

When evil descends on what had always been a “friendly, lovely little town” in the mountains of East Tennessee, High Sheriff Ethan Coffmann faces his greatest challenge. At stake are the safety of his community, his reputation and career, his family and even his sanity. A combat-tested decorated Marine veteran, the high sheriff must draw on all his skills—and then some—to catch a gruesome serial killer. The plot thickens when the community’s bombastic newspaper publisher, one of the sheriff’s close friends, demands that his paper play a pivotal part in helping apprehend the murderer. Also playing key roles in the investigation are a sketch artist who hangs around with the wrong crowd, an editor who gets his eyes opened about freedom of the press in a small town, and a bubbly young woman with Down’s syndrome. There’s a group of irate Concerned Citizens who demand justice—their anger fueled by the surge in gossip and fear at the morning coffee “liars’ tables” around town. Is it the end of the road for the beleaguered High Sheriff of Taylor County, Tennessee? Or will the sheriff somehow turn the tables and get his man? Read all about it in this Appalachian tale of intrigue and suspense—that features a small town’s residents, and their power structure, gripped in terror.

Unlikeliest Witness: An Appalachian Novel of Suspense

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Timbs Jr., Larry C.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Timbs Jr., Larry C.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Timbs Jr., Larry C.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Justice for Toby: A Fish Springs Novel

Fish Springs: Beneath the Surface

Unlikeliest Witness: An Appalachian Novel of Suspense