The Great Meadows

by Christopher Walsh

Levi Motley is an aimless rambler fleeing his latest personal tragedy. Moussa Diab is a spiritual pilgrim journeying to a Trappist monastery. When Levi spots Moussa hitchhiking down a rural Kentucky highway, their lives become ensnared in a decades-old mystery unfolding in the bourbon capital of the world, Bardstown.

Levi delivers the young pilgrim to his destination. Three days later, Moussa’s body is discovered on a nearby riverbank. Within twenty-four hours, a local man confesses to the killing.

But he’s lying.

Why?

Because small towns hold dark secrets. This secret draws Levi into a perilous confrontation with an amorphous power bent on concealing the truth. If Levi can uncover the secret and check that power, then he will reconcile the wounds of his troubled past and discover what really happened to Moussa Diab out there in the elusive Great Meadows.

But the thing about dark secrets is…they’re meant to remain untold.

The Great Meadows is a captivating mystery woven into the southern fabric of the Bluegrass State, a place replete with natural beauty and a complex history that informs the hearts and minds of its people. This compelling novel combines the propulsive elements of popular suspense with the expansive themes of literary fiction. Sophisticated and meticulously crafted, this story of dark secrets and festering family wounds is replete with a host of unforgettable characters on a quest for a truth that will transform the characters and reader, alike. By the time this long-sought-after truth is revealed, the reader will feel entertained and inspired while yearning for yet another journey through the mysterious Great Meadows of Kentucky.

Genres: Mystery

440 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 23, 2025

About the author

Christopher Walsh is the author of "The Great Meadows", a propulsive literary mystery set in the bourbon capital of the world, Bardstown, Kentucky.

A career educator, Christopher earned his doctorate at Spalding University and has served as a teacher, principal, professor, and dean. He currently serves as Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Christopher resides in Greenwood, Indiana, with his wife, Sallie, where he is diligently working on the follow-up to his literary debut, a novel that promises to carry the reader on another exciting journey through the mysterious Great Meadows of Kentucky.

Reviews

[David Shams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read much of this book on a train between Warsaw and Lublin, part of my own journey of self-discovery.

I picked this book up for two reasons: I'm writing my own based in the same town, and the author is a friend.

Walsh's narration from the start leaned heavily on the style of exposition found in Southern Noir, a sort of mishmash of Chris Offut and Larry Brown. And something I was drawn to immediately, the kind of tall tales Walsh and I were used to growing up. The solitude that comes with growing up in a small rural-ish town in Central Kentucky.

Beyond that, the plot of a mysterious hitchhiker, a guest whose tragic death leads the protagonist, Levi Motley, on a journey of self-discovery. It may seem like a cliched plot device, and maybe it is, but the storyline remained intriguing and alluring.

Layer upon layer of nuance about the town, Motley, his friendships, and the bad decisions he's made along the way, and give this work the literary meat you want to bite into.

I was happy to dive into it, as it gave me a touchpoint back to my hometown while I was halfway across the globe.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an ARC reader for Book Sirens and this is my honest opinion. This is a really good book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's the kind of story that made me feel I was probably reading a great book as I got more and more into the journey of discovery of Levi Motley. A drifter who has nothing except his truck and the ability to write, Levi has a tendency to move on every time things become complicated, or difficult, and also drinks too much. On a really bad day, the reason for which becomes clear later, he sees a young man on the opposite side of the road holding a sign that intrigues him. He drives off, but his curiosity makes him turn around and pick up the young man, Moussa Diab. Moussa is on his way to begin a spiritual quest. The conversation affects Levi more than he realises. Turns out, one person's treasure can be very different from another's. As I'm sure Judge Harry McGill would say.

[Helena Regan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Great Meadow pulled me in right from the start. The meeting of Levi and Moussa feels almost fated, and the sudden tragedy that follows had me hooked. What I really enjoyed about the book is how it blends suspense with deeper, reflective themes about loss, secrets, and the weight of the past. The Kentucky setting is beautifully described, giving the mystery a haunting backdrop that lingers as you read. The twists kept me guessing, and the characters especially Levi felt layered and real. It’s the kind of story that sticks with you, not just for the mystery, but for the way it explores the human need for truth and redemption.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I couldn’t put this book down at all! The writing was beautifully done and the plot was captivating. This book is full of mystery and the struggle to reconcile with the past. Levi was a complex and fascinating main character. I love the setting and how well it was described to put the reader right there themselves. If you like books about dark secrets, complicated pasts, and mysteries to solve this is a must read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Amelia Rosewood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up The Great Meadows expecting a standard small town mystery, but what I got was something much deeper and far more poetic. Christopher Walsh doesn’t just tell a story he unearths one. The characters feel so raw, especially Levi. His pain and guilt bleed through every page, and the way Kentucky itself becomes almost a living, breathing character gave me chills. The writing is lyrical but grounded, filled with tension and quiet emotion. By the end, I found myself staring at the last line, not ready to leave the world Walsh built.

[Juliana Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s something so gripping about how The Great Meadows unfolds. It’s not flashy it’s deliberate, slow burning, and heavy with atmosphere. The mystery around Moussa’s death is intriguing, but it’s the emotional undercurrent that really hooked me. Levi’s journey toward redemption, the eerie calm of Bardstown, and that sense of something unseen lurking beneath everyday life it all hit me hard. It reminded me of how guilt and truth can tangle together until you can’t tell one from the other. A masterfully told story.

[Clara Whitman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t just a murder mystery it’s a reflection on loss, faith, and the weight of the past. At times, I had to slow down and reread passages because Walsh’s prose is so rich and thoughtful. I could feel the Kentucky air, the quiet of the monastery, and the unease of knowing something dark is being kept hidden. It’s the kind of book that makes you sit with it for a while afterward. My only wish is that the middle section had moved a bit faster but honestly, the payoff at the end was worth every page.

[Vivian Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Levi’s story resonated with me more than I expected. His brokenness, his search for meaning, and his desperate need to do right by Moussa all felt so painfully human. The contrast between the physical journey through Kentucky and the inner one Levi takes is beautifully written. The twist when the truth about Moussa’s death finally comes out left me speechless. I actually had to close the book for a moment just to take it all in. It’s been a long time since a novel hit me like that.

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Great Meadows is one of those rare novels that sneaks up on you. You think it’s about a murder, but by the end, it’s really about redemption, truth, and the strange ways people heal. Walsh writes with a kind of stillness that makes the tension even more unsettling. The sense of place Kentucky’s hills, its bourbon soaked towns, its history seeps into everything. The ending didn’t just answer the mystery; it changed how I viewed Levi and myself. Simply put, this book stayed with me.

[Tony Heck · Rating 5 out of 5]

“…my mind drifted through all the years I’d spent thinking I was unencumbered, and that it was the lack of encumbrance that made me free. But that wasn’t true. I was neither free nor unencumbered. I was uncommitted. And it was that lack of commitment, that lack of a will to sacrifice, that kept me alone.” The novel, The Great Meadows, by Christopher Walsh, throws us into the mystery of a young man, Moussa Daib’s, novel search for purpose and unexpected death that wraps up the protagonist, Levi Motley, following his simple, though considerate, actions. As Levi seeks truth beyond false appearances and admissions, he is confronted with the hard-fought secrets of those that mean to keep them that way through the lens of a small-town Kentucky landscape. The Great Meadows forces those that seek truth into self-reflection as to what lies they may continue to tell themselves.

I received an advanced complimentary copy and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.