Seven books set in Macon
Get your reading glasses out because there’s a whole literary world set right here in Macon. Check out these cool books set in the place we call home:
1. “The Whisper of the River” by Ferrol Sams (1984): This novel is actually the second part of a trilogy about the fictional life of Porter Osbourne Jr., but it can definitely be read as a standalone. Loosely based on the author’s time at Mercer University, the story follows an ambitious college freshman’s wild adventures with his classmates and professors.
2. “Numbering All the Bones” by Ann Rinaldi (2005): This historical fiction novel takes place right after the end of the Civil War. As the slaves in the South begin to gain freedom, a 13-year-old girl named Eulinda is still controlled by a terrible mistress, and the master at her plantation refuses to admit that he is her father. Eulinda is helped by Clara Barton, who goes on to found the Red Cross.
3. “Unseen” by Karin Slaughter (2013): A GBI agent goes undercover in Macon as an ex-con. When the woman he loves follows him to Macon, his case endangers them both.
4. “Four and Twenty Blackbirds” by Cherie Priest (2005): Eden Moore has a disturbing family history filled with deadly secrets and mysterious ghosts. But with enemies closing in on what remains of her family, she sets out to unearth the secrets surrounding them. Her quest for the truth takes her back in time to Georgia in the antebellum era.
5. “Sunrise” by Jacquelyn Cook (2008): Set in the 1850s, this historical fiction novel follows the life of Anne Tracy. After having a businesslike marriage to merchant William Butler Johnson, the two end up forming a deep romantic bond. But with war looming and tragedy on the horizon, Anne’s perfect life is about to be tested.
6. “My Summer of Southern Discomfort” by Stephanie Gayle (2007): Natalie Goldberg is many things: a Harvard law graduate, a Yankee through-and-through, a New Yorker, and absolutely not excited to be working in Macon convicting arsonists and petty thieves. But her office romance in New York turns sour real fast, so she makes the move South and accepts a job offer in the heart of Georgia.
7. “Murder in Macon” by Beverly Connor and Charles Connor (2013): In the 1970s, Frank Hayes — ambitious, young and naive — takes a job at Macon’s City Hall while racial tensions are high. When an elderly and illiterate black man asks for Frank’s help in deciphering a city condemnation order against his home, Frank ends up roped into a far larger and more complicated mess than he bargained for.
Know something missing from this list? Comment below.
This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 9:27 AM with the headline "Seven books set in Macon."