Welcome to the Fallen Paradise

by Dayne Sherman

Believing that he has escaped the legacy of violence that has haunted his family in Baxter Parish, Louisiana, twenty-seven-year-old Jesse Tadlock returns home after a nine-year Army hitch to reclaim his life, only to be confronted by a dangerous neighbor who threatens everything he cares for. A first novel.

Genres: Suspense

248 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2004

About the author

Dayne Sherman is a high school dropout. He has worked a variety of jobs as a grocery store clerk, carpenter's helper, door-to-door rat poison distributor, watermelon salesman, itinerant Baptist preacher, English as a second language teacher in Russia, fitness instructor, and most recently as a reference librarian (full professor of library science). At 18 years old, he took the GED and went to the university in his hometown. A member of Phi Kappa Phi, Sherman earned master's degrees from LSU and Southeastern Louisiana University.

Zion is Sherman's latest novel, a Southern mystery. His first novel, Welcome to the Fallen Paradise, was published released in 2004. It was named a Best Debut of the Year by The Times-Picayune and a Notable Book by Book Sense. Recently, Welcome to the Fallen Paradise was the sole "Louisiana" pick for Booklist's "Hard-Boiled Gazetteer to Country Noir."

His writing has appeared in many literary magazines, and one of his short stories was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Sherman lives in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, with his wife and son. His website is daynesherman.com.

Reviews

[Cathy DuPont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Friends of Mine:

I have forgotten who recommended this book (Judge Mike Sullivan from the Southern Literary Trail?) but please, let me say thank you, thank you, thank you whoever it was. This book was so very good it took my breath away. I was simply blown away not expecting such a great book.

The description of each character was amazing. The storyline (perhaps because I'm from the south, not sure) was unbeatable. The dialogue was spot-on. It was like a book I'm looking for now; one which I hate to put down and can't wait to pick up; then annoyed with myself because it's the end. Foolish, I know.

I still have it and think I will read it again before the end of the year. That, my friend, is what an impact it made on me. And I just read that a new book is coming out in November. Hoorah! I can hardly wait.

As an aside, I like his politics, too. He's not fond of Bobby Jindal and neither am I.

[Melissa Delbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neo Southern Gothic at its best! Sherman writes like a dream, and kept taking me deeper and deeper into this dark little world. I was physically and intellectually unable to close this book till I read the last page. Thank you, Dayne Sherman! I hope to see your name on another cover very soon.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grit lit at its very best.

[Jess Van Dyne-Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a weakness for Jeffrey Deaver books.

Also any finely-crafted horror/suspense novels (which is odd since I don't like horror movies at all) and this fit the bill quite nicely. More Deliverance than The Bone Man, this tells t5he story of a man who got out of the sleepy little town he grew up in because he recognized the seed of violence swelling inside him...and how when he came back, he stepped in the wrong spot and angered the wrong people. The family characters in this should have been one-dimensional (they're not mentioned unless someone is crying or angry) but by the end of the book I could picture most of them, could imagine their houses and their lives.

Surprisingly haunting.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a first novel he has done a great job.

[Richard Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not necessarily the finest work of southern literature but it stuck with me. A good, gothic-style story.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book. Was pleasantly surprised how much this book sucked me in. Did not expect that from such a simple story powerful emotions would come forth. Could not put this book down .

[Savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quiet story set in the deep south. Others may find the simplicity of the plot a bit tame or boring, but that's actually what I enjoyed about this book. By no means was the book's antagonist tame. It had some thrilling scenes and was a page turner for me. I had no idea what to expect, but the overall feeling you get when reading this book is to have one eye looking over your shoulder. The setting, characters, and dialogue were well rounded.

My only let down was THE final scene between the protagonist and antagonist. I felt that it could have been longer, to me it felt rushed for the leadup of the book to come to this point. I understand that in the reality of the scene it would have had to actually happen so fast, but I wanted more details from the author especially since justice was being served.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow a young southern man returning from war to face tragedy after tragedy, much of it caused by one man protected by local law and feared by everyone else. He rises to each trial. Then as the consequences pile up, he wonders if he should abandon the fight in order to save himself and those he loves who are helping him to fight. Well written and engaging.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this SOMEWHAT dark Southern novel, reading it in 3 days. The setting and plot were richly developed so much that I felt a part of the landscape. The extended family of aunts and uncles were familiar to me since I am from the south.

[patricia sendelbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

After living an Army career and the death of his mother, he just wanted to go home. It is not easy and presents long standing obstacles.

[Greg Bascom · Rating 3 out of 5]

At age 18, Jesse Tadlock joined the army to escape the feuding violence of Baxter Parish, Louisiana. He left the love of his life, Penny Nesom behind, not even writing her a letter. Twelve years later Jesse's mama dies and leaves him sole beneficiary of a thirty-thousand dollar insurance policy. Jesse returns to Baxter and buys ten acres and a house in rural Mount Olive. Things are looking good for Jesse. Penny walks back into his life without one word of complaint for being dumped and forgotten for twelve years. Then, the morning after Jesse moves into the house, he is confronted by Cotton Moxley toting a rifle and accompanied by a massive pit bull. Cotton tells Jesse he has seventy-two hours to get off his land. The feud begins.

The story opens with a well crafted prologue set in 1975, two years before Jesse joins the army, when Jesse is helping his kin dig the grave for his cousin. These five, tightly written pages tell about Jesse's family, their mannerisms, the community where they live, its topography, economy, mores, religion and violence. The next twelve pages of good writing provide essential back story leading up to the narrative present, May 1989, when Jesse returns to Baxter Parish. Then the story flounders for the twenty-some pages. Jesse drives the interstate, watches his dog nap, takes a shower, drives to his aunt's home, and does other mundane things which, as described, he could be doing anywhere. Unlike the prologue, the narrator portrays Baxter County as if he were speeding down the highway while reading a roadmap.

Jesse is a young man who shuns violence but is forced to confront it. His character is well drawn. His Uncle Red comes off as the classical Red Neck, and Cotton Moxley is the larger-than-life despicable slime-ball living in filth. The other cookie-cutter characters are nondescript. Even Penny, the love of Jesse's life, is described only as tall with dark brown hair in a ponytail. Her personality is just as exciting.

The plot, once started, moves along at a nice pace, plausible and entertaining but not predictable beyond the certain demise of the fiend Cotton Moxley. Beyond the prologue the prose is unremarkable. Here's a good story to speed read without remorse

[Ingrid457 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baxter Parish, in south Louisiana, is all that is wrong in Louisiana, the true "Fallen Paradise" of this book. Corruption of public officials, kin folk ruled by passions generations older than themselves, the land itself a binding force that won't let go. Dayne Sherman's first novel follows the story of Jesse Tadlock as loss brings him back home to Baxter Parish, only looking for peace and a simple life of land and love. He is quickly drawn into a nightmare spurred by the evil living in one man, an evil that seems at first to be too large to be real. But as the story unwinds, you begin to understand the motivations of the main characters: Jesse and his simple desires versus Cotton Moxley, who believes whatever he does is justified -- as long as HIS life is undisturbed.

As if by preordination, Moxley tears into Jesse's life in a hurricane of hatred, lust and terror. Backed up by family that for generations have "settled" disputes with blood, Jesse has to make basic decisions that he knows will haunt him and yet must be made. You'll get caught up in the characters quickly, coming to love or hate them with a fierceness that will surprise you. Chapters burn past quickly, as you wonder what new dread you'll face as the book moves you along as if on a fast-moving, churning river.

"Welcome to the Fallen Paradise" has characters worthy of any of the great Southern writers, without all the pontification that comes with some of them. The pacing and power are certainly more powerful than Southern heat and humidity, which says a lot. You're in for a special treat with Sherman's novel.

[Alice Verberne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dayne Sherman has made it easy to explain why personalities such as "Jenny" in Forrest Gump would pray for God to make her a bird so that she may fly far far away (from her hometown). Sherman describes in a clear manner several of the complicated reasons why it seems impossible for locals who have left Tangipahoa to ever want to return. Although he has changed the names of restaurants, towns and people, Tangi residents know exactly where and of whom he speaks. Sherman is a brave man to nail down the heinous acts of the locals without fearing reprisal. I hope to read more from Sherman in the future.

[Zoey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tend to rate low, so don't let that deter you. If you like the supposedly more scholarly and/or literary books then you might like this, but it isn't what I'd call a fun read. It's fairly short and didn't have absurd amounts of description, which was nice.

[Bobby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would have made a great short story. Unfortunately, it is a 250 page book. Sub-plots are thin, development of ancillary characters is weak, and there is an honest to goodness deux ex machina.

[Philip Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few writers achieve such poise in a first book. This book speaks with authority and a memorable voice. The people ring true, and the story makes you want just one more page, then one more....

[Marilyn Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The voice was very colloquial, which actually went along well with the story. It seemed as if someone were sitting in front of you relating their life. Pretty gripping yarn.

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining, the author's writing style is wonderful.