Intro: These are excerpts from Dorothy’s Book, the first in a series of stories about Private Detective Tom Cutchin, his assistant Belle, and their allies in the war on crime in 1930s Southeastern North Carolina. Dorothy Britt, a young widow, comes to Tom trying to find her missing husband, who turns up murdered. Tom joins forces with a rogue federal agent and Charlie, a local man with a tragic past, to solve the mystery — with a lot of help from Belle and the ever-saucy Carolann.
The second novel, Swamp Fire, has also been completed. Swamp Fire tells the story of a pyromaniac with an axe to grind terrorizing a small rural community. Tom must find the pyromaniac while searching for a young orphan who is a key to the mystery.
The third Tom Cutchin novel is in its earliest stages.
Sadly, no art yet. It’s challenging to coordinate a wet plate photographer with a Speed Graphic,  antique cars, a Thompson along with the real-life Belle. I can gin something up on Grok this evening.
Jefferson Weaver
