The Goat Castle Murder
Before the television age, when “crime of the century” meant something, the public was unduly fascinated by murder. This was especially true during the Great Depression, when Americans were desperate for escapist fare. The more bizarre or glamorous the crime, the greater their fascination, and few intrigued them more than the events of August 4, 1932 in Natchez, Mississippi. The brutal shooting of spinster recluse Jennie Surget Merrill grabbed instant headlines with tales of fabulous wealth, beautiful women, European royalty, Southern aristocracy, a U.S. President and the Confederate President, army generals and ambassadors, not to mention madness, incest, racism, bitter internecine feuds, vertiginous falls from grace and eccentricity in spades. The case became known as the Goat Castle Murder.
Michael Llewellyn has taken the known facts of the case, breathed life into these eccentric Southerners, and created a fascinating novel, The Goat Castle Murder.
(Word count 102,000; available as ebook)
“Michael Llewellyn’s twentieth 20th novel, The Goat Castle Murder, is another showcase for his skills in recreating the past. The book recounts a 1932 murder in Natchez, Mississippi, and the research of the events surrounding it is evident. In addition to being a superb piece of historical fiction, the book reads as a can’t-put-it-down mystery novel. Impeccably written and rich with detail, this is a provocative story of lost grandeur, peppered with elements of incest, insanity, and extreme eccentricity. What more could a reader want?” –The Louisiana Advocate
“Michael Llewellyn’s impeccably and intricately constructed historical novel, The Goat Castle Murder is shrouded by a true crime in Natchez, Mississippi. From the onset, dominating the story is the dead woman making the reader ponder who and why. Llewellyn’s plotting is the strength of the book, along with language achieving heightened imagery in creating the visual story. For those who like a good historical novel, this is a must. For those who like an intricate whodunit, it’s also a must. For the reader who likes both, it’s a gift.” –Gene Farrington, author of The Blue Heron
