By Design

by Otha Foster

It had been decades since Ed Carvin resigned as pastor from his church in Texas and moved back to his hometown, Copper City. His children had all grown up and moved away, leaving him one son-in-law, two daughters-in-law, and a few grandkids. Ed retired from his position as a mining engineer and now spends his mornings sitting around McDonald’s with his fellow retired engineers, complaining about current affairs. One morning, he and his buddies were confronted by a young lady for some of their luddite opinions, and she turned out to be a former classmate of Ed’s daughter. The reunion was brief, but later, the young lady came by Ed’s house and asked him to do the eulogy at her father’s funeral. Her father was a former Presbyterian minister, but his daughter had split ways with the Presbyterians and thought a former Baptist member would do just fine. Ed thought it prudent to inform her of his recent forays into naturism, which she said she was well aware of and somewhat curious about. After the funeral, she decided to participate, but this led to a conflict with the more current Presbyterian pastor. Ed finds himself involved with church politics, including a property dispute over Susie’s home ownership. Before the property dispute is settled, an elder and the present pastor were both murdered. Ed ends up a suspect and then a possible victim.

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 13, 2025

Reviews

[Ted Bun · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meandering plot line with characters that wander in and out … An enjoyable read

[Bill Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as always a very good read. Leaves one guessing who the culprit really is. Definitely a very good “ who done it.” Highly recommend.