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The Prison
In The Prison, Shell Ferguson visits his incarcerated grandson Cal with tragic news: his daughter, wife, and grandmother have perished in a fire. Cal must rely on his grandfather to uncover the suspicious circumstances of the blaze, as clues unfold to establish his innocence. Compelling revelations link the fire and Cal’s innocence with domestic terrorism. From plots to blow up Mississippi River bridges to threats on their lives, grandfather and grandson take a series of risks, including Cal’s daring prison escape, to save the remnants of their family and southern community so disturbingly infiltrated. A surprise addition to their efforts is Cal’s six-year-old daughter (thought to have died in the fire), who was kidnapped by the terrorists and escaped from their camp. The trio, in a race against time, help the FBI and Coast Guard thwart the nefarious plot.
276 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 7, 2019
Most refreshing and brilliant book I came across in recent times!
I did not know the author and his works, so this book was a totally unknown entity to me! But the moment I started to read it, it had me engrossed so much that I read it in one sitting. The subject matter of a 79 year old grandfather struggling hard to exonerate his young grandson who has been incarcerated after being framed for a murder he didn't commit holds the readers in its spell!
"Shell" Ferguson has seen his grandson Cal Ferguson hauled away to prison, experienced the pain of losing his wife of many years, his grand daughter-in-law and his little great granddaughter in a conflagration at his grandson's house. His quest starts from the ruins of the burned house and he logically pursues his answers and manages to visit Cal at the special prison where he is being held in solitary confinement.
Cal who has been a very progressive preacher before his incarceration is also grappling with his own thoughts, feelings and emotions and finds unexpected help in the form of Chris, another inmate.
The struggles of the grandfather and grandson to overcome the evils they encounter such as the prison political atmosphere tainted with extremist groups associated with terrorism with very strong, powerful, have international connections form the content of this book along with the positive factors of people recognizing the merits of Shell's investigations, supporting him keep the reader enthralled.
The narrative is exemplary, smooth and all the characters are very appealing. There are a lot of positive aspects such as strong family values, reliance on God that bring a strong positivity to the book.
A thoroughly enjoyable and exhilarating reading experience!
I did not know the author and his works, so this book was a totally unknown entity to me! But the moment I started to read it, it had me engrossed so much that I read it in one sitting. The subject matter of a 79 year old grandfather struggling hard to exonerate his young grandson who has been incarcerated after being framed for a murder he didn't commit holds the readers in its spell!
"Shell" Ferguson has seen his grandson Cal Ferguson hauled away to prison, experienced the pain of losing his wife of many years, his grand daughter-in-law and his little great granddaughter in a conflagration at his grandson's house. His quest starts from the ruins of the burned house and he logically pursues his answers and manages to visit Cal at the special prison where he is being held in solitary confinement.
Cal who has been a very progressive preacher before his incarceration is also grappling with his own thoughts, feelings and emotions and finds unexpected help in the form of Chris, another inmate.
The struggles of the grandfather and grandson to overcome the evils they encounter such as the prison political atmosphere tainted with extremist groups associated with terrorism with very strong, powerful, have international connections form the content of this book along with the positive factors of people recognizing the merits of Shell's investigations, supporting him keep the reader enthralled.
The narrative is exemplary, smooth and all the characters are very appealing. There are a lot of positive aspects such as strong family values, reliance on God that bring a strong positivity to the book.
A thoroughly enjoyable and exhilarating reading experience!
September 9, 2019
Couldn’t stop reading
This is such a great read!!! I read this book in 3 days!!! It is so descriptive that I felt as if I was with the characters of the book. Would recommend this great book to anyone.
This book really brings to light what Jesus taught us. No one is above redemption!
This is such a great read!!! I read this book in 3 days!!! It is so descriptive that I felt as if I was with the characters of the book. Would recommend this great book to anyone.
This book really brings to light what Jesus taught us. No one is above redemption!
August 30, 2019
Good book
I enjoyed this book. The characters were all well developed and believable. I would definitely read more books by this author.
I enjoyed this book. The characters were all well developed and believable. I would definitely read more books by this author.
May 20, 2020
I’m not sure why this isn’t a 4-star read for me. It has everything necessary - an engaging plot, likeable and despicable characters alike, adventure, suspense... it all points to a great read. But it wasn’t great for me. It was ok. I wish I could articulate why I didn’t like it more than I did.
December 31, 2019
I was 90% of the way through this book and was looking forward to writing a great review because the characters, story and writing were so exceptional and thoughtful. Then, as the book neared its climax there was a scene too contrived, too Hollywood to live up to the high standards set previously by author Joe Edd Morris. I feel badly including any criticism because Mr. Morris is such a wonderful writer with rich, thoughtful characters. He understands the complexity of human beings and can find goodness in the imperfect. He doesn't need to contrive either chapter endings or book endings to be complex and deeply interesting.
I loved that his protagonist was 79 and still fighting. An ode to age and wisdom. Mr. Morris also appreciates the art of forgiveness and the power of self awareness. Strongly recommended and delightful. It is no surprise to learn Mr. Morris writes non-fiction as well. This is a book well worth reading and the author belongs in the pantheon of great contemporary novelists.
I loved that his protagonist was 79 and still fighting. An ode to age and wisdom. Mr. Morris also appreciates the art of forgiveness and the power of self awareness. Strongly recommended and delightful. It is no surprise to learn Mr. Morris writes non-fiction as well. This is a book well worth reading and the author belongs in the pantheon of great contemporary novelists.
September 20, 2019
A great read from beginning to end! The main character has a keen sense of justice, and is willing to go to extremes to see that justice is done…even if that means breaking the law. That’s enough for me to keep me reading. I found myself cheering him on in his mission to rescue the world from a bad situation. It was geographically accurate...the best I could tell.
August 23, 2019
Great detail, excellent story.
Grandfather, who had been in prison, in his younger days, now sees the same for his grandson. The grandson was framed. Family members killed, buildings burnt down. All because of a terrorist cell, in the last place anyone would expect.
Grandfather, who had been in prison, in his younger days, now sees the same for his grandson. The grandson was framed. Family members killed, buildings burnt down. All because of a terrorist cell, in the last place anyone would expect.
October 2, 2019
Good story. Interests characters. It’s a story of corruption and the triumph of evil. I wish there was a bit more story from the bad guys. It seemed we only heard ABOUT them rather than FROM them.
September 21, 2019
Shell Ferguson was once a prisoner and now he has to see his grandson Carl in jail. he was accused of killing a man, but he has always claimed his innocence. This visit will be particularly difficult as Shell has tragic news: his wife, Cal's grandmother, wife and daughter died in a fire. Cal is now desperate and knows that his grandfather is the only one who can help him to prove his innocence. As Shell starts uncovering evidence, a more terrible criminal plot starts to unfold. The murder and the fire appear to be connected, but will that be sufficient to convince the authorities of his innocence? Both Shell and Cal will put their lives at risk to uncover the truth and try to pick up the only thread that remains of their shattered lives. A good thriller.
November 29, 2021
Emotion packed
Entertaining and informative, this book covers the entire spectrum of emotions from extreme joy to utter desolation. While there is much sadness in the story, there is also much rejoicing. The characters are strong and lovable. You will be pulling for them throughout the book, and they leave you with a lot to think about, including faith in God.
Entertaining and informative, this book covers the entire spectrum of emotions from extreme joy to utter desolation. While there is much sadness in the story, there is also much rejoicing. The characters are strong and lovable. You will be pulling for them throughout the book, and they leave you with a lot to think about, including faith in God.
September 10, 2019
This would not have been my first choice...
But I have to say from the grandfather 's relation to telling the story, I was gripped needing to get to the truth!
I loved beginning to end with the final follow up! WOW! 👍😊
But I have to say from the grandfather 's relation to telling the story, I was gripped needing to get to the truth!
I loved beginning to end with the final follow up! WOW! 👍😊
November 7, 2019
Totally unexpected
I started this book expecting a light afternoon read but soon got involved in this excellent tale. This is a thought provoking novel about more than just a thrilling story. It is in many ways a look and a warning to modern America.
I started this book expecting a light afternoon read but soon got involved in this excellent tale. This is a thought provoking novel about more than just a thrilling story. It is in many ways a look and a warning to modern America.
June 20, 2020
The Prison
This book took a lot of patiece to complete. The characters were well developed and the story of the deep South are always engrossing. I kept wanting to rush each chapter, then go back and re-read the previous one. It was that good, IMO.
I gave it 5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 This book was it for me thanks to the author Joe Edd Morris. I have added his other fiction/non-fiction 📚 on my TBR soon liat.
This book took a lot of patiece to complete. The characters were well developed and the story of the deep South are always engrossing. I kept wanting to rush each chapter, then go back and re-read the previous one. It was that good, IMO.
I gave it 5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 This book was it for me thanks to the author Joe Edd Morris. I have added his other fiction/non-fiction 📚 on my TBR soon liat.
September 9, 2020
An incredibly well told story that will bring tears to your eyes -- more than once.
Brace yourself:
- all of the good guys are not necessarily good; and,
- all of the bad guys are not necessarily bad.
Brace yourself:
- all of the good guys are not necessarily good; and,
- all of the bad guys are not necessarily bad.
August 10, 2025
Really enjoyed this book. Lots of surprises. Joe Edd is a master as describing the events the that are taking place. Makes you feel like you are really there. Very detailed. Hard to put the book down.
September 28, 2019
Slow start
On my gosh. I'm so glad I kept reading! I lost sleep because I was not able to put down this book!
On my gosh. I'm so glad I kept reading! I lost sleep because I was not able to put down this book!
January 24, 2021
I couldn't put down!!
June 1, 2021
Nice clean story, with slow character development, slow story line and plot. It took some time to get into, but it was interesting. Some points were a bit far fetched.
June 13, 2021
I usually don't like books like this one but I really enjoyed reading it. Great ending!
March 3, 2023
Another good read!
I have found my favorite author! Two books that I have read for Joe Edd Morris have been captivating and exciting to read. Looking forward to the next one!
I have found my favorite author! Two books that I have read for Joe Edd Morris have been captivating and exciting to read. Looking forward to the next one!
December 19, 2023
A great story
It is amazing what normal.people can accomplish when confronted by evil. I will definitely read more from this author, it was great.
It is amazing what normal.people can accomplish when confronted by evil. I will definitely read more from this author, it was great.
April 28, 2020
I enjoyed this book. It has Christian overtones, but is not sappy or sentimental. It is also clean and avoids the "f" word and other profanities - which I like. It's a good read and kept me interested to the end.
January 11, 2020
This book got my attention
A few chapters in and I knew I was going to enjoy this book. I found the main characters fascinating. This is the first thriller I've read/listened to where the hero is 79 years old with all the physical and memory challenges one has at that age. I tried to read it slowly so I could savor it, but the action took off and I had to stay with it to the end.
A few chapters in and I knew I was going to enjoy this book. I found the main characters fascinating. This is the first thriller I've read/listened to where the hero is 79 years old with all the physical and memory challenges one has at that age. I tried to read it slowly so I could savor it, but the action took off and I had to stay with it to the end.
May 22, 2019
The Most Liberating of Prison Novels
Every few years I come across a novel that embodies all the elements that fill me with joy, satisfaction, and stimulation as a reader. The Prison by Joe Edd Morris is such a novel.
The Prison is an exciting murder mystery led by amateur sleuth Shell Ferguson, who uncovers clues in disarming and lively ways. The Prison is also a rich and thoughtful family drama as Shell must confront the loss of his wife and the imprisonment of his grandson Cal. The Prison is an exposé on the secrets of penitentiary life, everything from how inmates make very primitive alcohol to how they engage in underground forms of communication like “fishing.” The Prison is a suspense-filled thriller, marked by daring escapes, hidden camps, and brazen attacks. Finally, The Prison is a wonderful piece of literary fiction, eloquently written with its nuanced depiction of the flat Mississippi delta landscape and the intriguing characters who inhabit it.
In other words, The Prison is the rarest of novels: a deep, thoughtful exploration that is also a fun read. A memorable character who is infinitely likable, the 79-year-old Shell ties all the disparate qualities of the novel together. As he copes with the loss of his wife in a fire, Shell must summon the inner strength and intellect to comfort his wrongfully imprisoned grandson Cal and to investigate the crimes that destroyed his family. And boy, the unspeakable acts Shell discovers. Without spoiling the climax, let’s just say Shell encounters the most disturbing elements of today’s society and must summon all of his shrewd resourcefulness to combat the evil he confronts.
What makes The Prison so powerful is Morris’s ability to ground all of the actions in everyday reality. The behaviors and even the small heroics of the main characters are quite credible. Shell, Cal, and those agents attempting to thwart rising threats take on their tasks with world-weary awareness and humor. Whether its investigating the arson scene of his wife’s death or going back over incidents preceding the death of a prominent judge, Shell is patient and methodically uncovers truths that reside not only on the periphery of a landscape but in the recesses of a mind.
An experienced prison psychologist, Morris writes with an effortless command of the intricacies of both penal life and subconscious motivations. Furthermore, the conversations between Shell and the Mississippi Bureau Investigators as they confront a building threat of domestic terrorism are authentically gripping. Ultimately, the murder investigation and the subsequent manhunt will lead to a rip-roaring climax as Cal and Shell confront great dangers to themselves, their families, and the Mississippi Delta central to the fabric of their lives.
In the opening of The Prison, Shell points out how the flat Mississippi Delta plays tricks on the eyes. Like the landscape, the novel is rife with surprises, most tellingly in the way the story comes together. Given the complex nature of the novel, the title The Prison takes on a multitude of guises, yet a paradoxical wonder of the work is that the reader feels a euphoric liberation upon rifling through the final pages. That’s what happens when a novel has so many pleasures of so many levels that upon its conclusion, the reader returns to the beginning.
Every few years I come across a novel that embodies all the elements that fill me with joy, satisfaction, and stimulation as a reader. The Prison by Joe Edd Morris is such a novel.
The Prison is an exciting murder mystery led by amateur sleuth Shell Ferguson, who uncovers clues in disarming and lively ways. The Prison is also a rich and thoughtful family drama as Shell must confront the loss of his wife and the imprisonment of his grandson Cal. The Prison is an exposé on the secrets of penitentiary life, everything from how inmates make very primitive alcohol to how they engage in underground forms of communication like “fishing.” The Prison is a suspense-filled thriller, marked by daring escapes, hidden camps, and brazen attacks. Finally, The Prison is a wonderful piece of literary fiction, eloquently written with its nuanced depiction of the flat Mississippi delta landscape and the intriguing characters who inhabit it.
In other words, The Prison is the rarest of novels: a deep, thoughtful exploration that is also a fun read. A memorable character who is infinitely likable, the 79-year-old Shell ties all the disparate qualities of the novel together. As he copes with the loss of his wife in a fire, Shell must summon the inner strength and intellect to comfort his wrongfully imprisoned grandson Cal and to investigate the crimes that destroyed his family. And boy, the unspeakable acts Shell discovers. Without spoiling the climax, let’s just say Shell encounters the most disturbing elements of today’s society and must summon all of his shrewd resourcefulness to combat the evil he confronts.
What makes The Prison so powerful is Morris’s ability to ground all of the actions in everyday reality. The behaviors and even the small heroics of the main characters are quite credible. Shell, Cal, and those agents attempting to thwart rising threats take on their tasks with world-weary awareness and humor. Whether its investigating the arson scene of his wife’s death or going back over incidents preceding the death of a prominent judge, Shell is patient and methodically uncovers truths that reside not only on the periphery of a landscape but in the recesses of a mind.
An experienced prison psychologist, Morris writes with an effortless command of the intricacies of both penal life and subconscious motivations. Furthermore, the conversations between Shell and the Mississippi Bureau Investigators as they confront a building threat of domestic terrorism are authentically gripping. Ultimately, the murder investigation and the subsequent manhunt will lead to a rip-roaring climax as Cal and Shell confront great dangers to themselves, their families, and the Mississippi Delta central to the fabric of their lives.
In the opening of The Prison, Shell points out how the flat Mississippi Delta plays tricks on the eyes. Like the landscape, the novel is rife with surprises, most tellingly in the way the story comes together. Given the complex nature of the novel, the title The Prison takes on a multitude of guises, yet a paradoxical wonder of the work is that the reader feels a euphoric liberation upon rifling through the final pages. That’s what happens when a novel has so many pleasures of so many levels that upon its conclusion, the reader returns to the beginning.
January 31, 2020
Great Read
Congrats on one of the best books I've read in last 5 years! Rated "G" for great and clean! No profanity,no sex, no bloody violence, but great detail, good local detail and super great ending! I had to read several chapters, then stop to digest what I had read, and then continue! Just can't say enough good to say about this book! I hope to read the sequel¿. rinkydink473@gmail,com
Congrats on one of the best books I've read in last 5 years! Rated "G" for great and clean! No profanity,no sex, no bloody violence, but great detail, good local detail and super great ending! I had to read several chapters, then stop to digest what I had read, and then continue! Just can't say enough good to say about this book! I hope to read the sequel¿. rinkydink473@gmail,com
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews