APPALACHIAN MYSTERIES

About the Book

The Rev. Paul Peters is facing problems with his Presbyterian denomination, as the leaders west of Appalachian Kentucky, wonder why the mission pastor is so heavily involved in social action at the Troublesome Area Mission, a very poor settlement with much poverty, and they also question his work to help solve crimes, in an unlikely partnership with Sanders Yard, Sheriff of Bascom county and a close friend of Paul''s. Yard is a black, jovial, six foot seven former linebacker in the pros, who is in his second term as sheriff, and who values his friend''s intuitive guidance among Appalachian people and their unique customs and folkways.

Now the two will need all the help they can get to figure out why a severed hand has turned up, hanging from brush along the Troublesome River, not far from the TAM parish. Missie Scrappel, a young parishioner of Paul''s, while fishing, discovers the gruesome hand. But whose hand is it? Is the person still alive? What is the unique ring with the strange symbol doing on the finger of the mangled hand?   The community around Troublesome, superstitious at the best of times, begins to fall apart-guns are kept loaded, every noise is cause for alarm. As tensions begin to mount, Paul and Sanders are desperate to find answers, and also deal with massive corruption , and whiskey stills in a dry county, an assault on a friend of Paul''s and another on an older widow near the church...and then Missie is abducted....and time is running out....

About the Author

Bill Winch is a retired Presbyterian minister, celebrating 50 years of ordination in 2004, who lives with his wife, Ann, in Rolla, Missouri. He has always had an interest in writing, including poetry, and recently had a poem published, entitled ''Ariel''. He has written a second novel on the theme of Appalachian Mysteries, which he calls, ''Kentucky Corn'' involving the same characters and including many more. The second novel describes events two years after ''The Severed Hand'' story. Mr. Winch also paints, both oils and watercolors, and is an avid fisherman, often seen in the trout streams of the Ozarks. He continues to supply Presbyterian, Lutheran, and United Church of Christ congregations and is much interested in progressive politics in Rolla, and in the nation. The Winches observed their 50th Annivesary in 1991 and have three sons. He writes his novels out of what he calls, "Practical Theology'', in which the characters act out of their joy and commitments.