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A Sheriff Luke McWhorter Mystery #1
A Fragment Too Far: A Sheriff Luke McWhorter Mystery
True Detective meets X-Files in the first installment of the Luke McWhorter series
Nine physicists are dead. The medical examiner has determined that the victims died from drinking coffee laced with rat poison. The owner of the house, Professor Thaddeus Huntgardner, isn’t suspected, but his claim that a piece of the debris from Roswell’s 1947 UFO crash was hidden in Flagler might be true. Enter Luther “Luke” Stephens McWhorter, a Yale Divinity School–educated West Texas sheriff with all the right questions.
Is the fragment real? If so, who is trying to locate it? And what has fueled the byzantine activities of Abbot County’s two secret societies for the past 70 years? Working with FBI agent and girlfriend, Angie Steele, Sheriff Luke begins to put together all the pieces and come to understand the connection between seemingly unrelated phenomena.
- GenresMystery
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2019
166 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Dudley Lynch
20 books8 followersDudley Lynch has published by-lined articles in 250 periodicals on six continents, including Reader's Digest, Business Week, Newsweek, Fortune Magazine (special sections), The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor and The Economist. His book, Strategy of the Dolphin: Scoring a Win in a Chaotic World (written with a colleague), was a Literary Guild alternative section, has been published in seven languages and made best-seller lists in France, Germany and Austria. Your High-Performance Business Brain was a Macmillan Book Club selection. The President from Texas was the first young-adult biography of Lyndon B. Johnson. His out-of-print work, The Duke of Duval, a political biography, has commanded prices as high as $3,000 each on Amazon.com.
Dudley attended one of the three church universities in a semi-isolated West Texas community much like the location of this work. (His father was a preacher for more than 50 years for the Churches of Christ, a Southern-based evangelical group.) With two journalism degrees, including a master's degree in mass communications, he also majored as an undergraduate in religion. But he has spent most of his career as a writer and researcher on how the brain handles beliefs and creativity, which is also the focus of his blog, LEAP!psych. He is the president of Brain Technologies Corporation, Gainesville, Florida. For information about his self-help books, go to www.braintechnologies.com.
Connect with Dudley Lynch:
Email: dudley@braintechnologires.com
Company website: https://www.braintechnologies.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brainleaper and
Blog: http://www.braintechnologies.com/blog
Goodreads author's page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Smashwords Interview: https://www.smashwords.com/interview/...
Smashwords profile page: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...
Dudley attended one of the three church universities in a semi-isolated West Texas community much like the location of this work. (His father was a preacher for more than 50 years for the Churches of Christ, a Southern-based evangelical group.) With two journalism degrees, including a master's degree in mass communications, he also majored as an undergraduate in religion. But he has spent most of his career as a writer and researcher on how the brain handles beliefs and creativity, which is also the focus of his blog, LEAP!psych. He is the president of Brain Technologies Corporation, Gainesville, Florida. For information about his self-help books, go to www.braintechnologies.com.
Connect with Dudley Lynch:
Email: dudley@braintechnologires.com
Company website: https://www.braintechnologies.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brainleaper and
Blog: http://www.braintechnologies.com/blog
Goodreads author's page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Smashwords Interview: https://www.smashwords.com/interview/...
Smashwords profile page: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 2, 2023
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Thrillers / Supernatural
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
A Fragment Too Far, by author Dudley Lynch, is the first installment in the authors Sheriff Luther McWhorter Mystery series. True Detective meets X-Files in the first installment of the Luke McWhorter series. Sheriff Luther McWhorter is the Sheriff of Flagler County in West Texas stepping into the shoes of his grandfather, and his father before him. But the most curious thing about Luther is that he wanted to be a preacher. In fact, he has a Masters of Divinity Degree from Yale. Luther's girlfriend just happens to be Angie Steele a Special Agent in the FBI.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Thrillers / Supernatural
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
A Fragment Too Far, by author Dudley Lynch, is the first installment in the authors Sheriff Luther McWhorter Mystery series. True Detective meets X-Files in the first installment of the Luke McWhorter series. Sheriff Luther McWhorter is the Sheriff of Flagler County in West Texas stepping into the shoes of his grandfather, and his father before him. But the most curious thing about Luther is that he wanted to be a preacher. In fact, he has a Masters of Divinity Degree from Yale. Luther's girlfriend just happens to be Angie Steele a Special Agent in the FBI.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
September 11, 2019
Can I say I really wanted to like this book? It had the elements of an easy to read mystery and opened up with a really intriguing murder scene that threw you right into the gory details along with Sheriff McWhorter.
But then, after the story moved from the scene of the crime, I became more detached. I was about 40% through when I had to take a bit of a break, I was getting lost in some of the writing and finding it a bit hard to follow.
Some of the descriptive text was excellent, for some reason I remember text describing a cadaver dog sticking out as very smart, but I found so much more of it to be stretching in the comparisons.
Maybe it was the connection with the professor which felt obscure? And while I liked his FBI agent girlfriend, the relationship didn't sit well somehow.
I am glad I picked it back up and followed it through to the end because it was worth finishing and McWhorter did grow on me a bit. I feel like future mysteries in the series are set up to be a bit more successful than this one.
I received a digital ARC from ECW Press in exchange for my honest review.
But then, after the story moved from the scene of the crime, I became more detached. I was about 40% through when I had to take a bit of a break, I was getting lost in some of the writing and finding it a bit hard to follow.
Some of the descriptive text was excellent, for some reason I remember text describing a cadaver dog sticking out as very smart, but I found so much more of it to be stretching in the comparisons.
Maybe it was the connection with the professor which felt obscure? And while I liked his FBI agent girlfriend, the relationship didn't sit well somehow.
I am glad I picked it back up and followed it through to the end because it was worth finishing and McWhorter did grow on me a bit. I feel like future mysteries in the series are set up to be a bit more successful than this one.
I received a digital ARC from ECW Press in exchange for my honest review.
January 16, 2020
This is probably the oddest review I have written since I started blogging. The oddness comes with the conflicting feelings I have for it, having never had such polar reactions to anything before I had to think before starting the review. The two parts being the narrative voice and the story itself. Usually, they are a team, and I can like or dislike a book based on the combination. Here the mix is the reason I am uncertain as to how I should talk about the book.
To start with, I really liked the narration. The writing, the tone and the lead character were all-engrossing and upbeat while maintaining the seriousness of the multiple deaths at the very beginning. We are in a small town whose sheriff is the third of his family to hold the post. He is also a divinity graduate and surprisingly (for me at least) added to the multicolour shades of our main man. I really enjoyed reading the book which I was lucky to get a hold of.
The story itself, the plot and the finale were too bizarre for the setup! I am usually all for twists and surprise additions, and when the first mention of it was slipped out, I thought it would be a placeholder for something bigger, but it was not. The plot, in its entirety, revolved around something that I could have gotten behind if not for the writing and how the overall picture was framed. It is like the painting, and the colours do not match each other while separately they would have been better accepted.
I would read the next book in the series given a chance just to revisit the people and the town, but this plot lost me almost halfway through. I would recommend it to others solely based on the writing and the subtle humour laced into well-framed dialogues and descriptions.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and after that expired before I downloaded it the publishers were kind enough to send me another copy. The review is entirely based on my own reactions while reading the book and nothing else.
To start with, I really liked the narration. The writing, the tone and the lead character were all-engrossing and upbeat while maintaining the seriousness of the multiple deaths at the very beginning. We are in a small town whose sheriff is the third of his family to hold the post. He is also a divinity graduate and surprisingly (for me at least) added to the multicolour shades of our main man. I really enjoyed reading the book which I was lucky to get a hold of.
The story itself, the plot and the finale were too bizarre for the setup! I am usually all for twists and surprise additions, and when the first mention of it was slipped out, I thought it would be a placeholder for something bigger, but it was not. The plot, in its entirety, revolved around something that I could have gotten behind if not for the writing and how the overall picture was framed. It is like the painting, and the colours do not match each other while separately they would have been better accepted.
I would read the next book in the series given a chance just to revisit the people and the town, but this plot lost me almost halfway through. I would recommend it to others solely based on the writing and the subtle humour laced into well-framed dialogues and descriptions.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and after that expired before I downloaded it the publishers were kind enough to send me another copy. The review is entirely based on my own reactions while reading the book and nothing else.
September 5, 2019
Dudley Lynch writes a complex story combining mystery with science fiction in Sheriff Luke McWhorter’s fascinating first adventure.
This account starts when the sheriff finds the remains of nine unidentifiable bodies at the abandoned home of physics Professor Thaddeus Huntgardner, some thirty miles outside of Flagler. The Professor, now 90 with dementia and living in the Pecan Mountain Nursing Home, is rumored to have found a strange piece of debris from the Roswell alien incident in 1947. Then, just a teenager, he retrieves the object and keeps it hidden all this time.
By the time the bodies are identified – they are all physicists who belong to a group led by Professor Huntgardner called Unus Mundus (One World) Masters – another body has been found and the Professor has disappeared. Sheriff McWhorter, along with his girlfriend, FBI Special Agent Angie Steele uncover the back story as informally compiled by the sheriff’s father and grandfather, both preceding Luke as sheriff. They review boxes of “unofficial” documents that describe unusual events and mysterious activities that occur over the years including the disappearance of Bible Professor Wilson Carmichael. An intruder leaves a note “Don’t Make Roswell’s Mistake” with a flashing blue light in the sheriff’s living room. Next morning, the sheriff finds a bomb beneath his car.
While Lynch plays with lots of moving parts, A Fragment Too Far is an intriguing read. The twists keep the pace afoot. The characters are interesting and well developed. Since this is the beginning of a new series, I’m a bit more than curious about what the next adventure will bring.
This account starts when the sheriff finds the remains of nine unidentifiable bodies at the abandoned home of physics Professor Thaddeus Huntgardner, some thirty miles outside of Flagler. The Professor, now 90 with dementia and living in the Pecan Mountain Nursing Home, is rumored to have found a strange piece of debris from the Roswell alien incident in 1947. Then, just a teenager, he retrieves the object and keeps it hidden all this time.
By the time the bodies are identified – they are all physicists who belong to a group led by Professor Huntgardner called Unus Mundus (One World) Masters – another body has been found and the Professor has disappeared. Sheriff McWhorter, along with his girlfriend, FBI Special Agent Angie Steele uncover the back story as informally compiled by the sheriff’s father and grandfather, both preceding Luke as sheriff. They review boxes of “unofficial” documents that describe unusual events and mysterious activities that occur over the years including the disappearance of Bible Professor Wilson Carmichael. An intruder leaves a note “Don’t Make Roswell’s Mistake” with a flashing blue light in the sheriff’s living room. Next morning, the sheriff finds a bomb beneath his car.
While Lynch plays with lots of moving parts, A Fragment Too Far is an intriguing read. The twists keep the pace afoot. The characters are interesting and well developed. Since this is the beginning of a new series, I’m a bit more than curious about what the next adventure will bring.
April 6, 2024
This book spans a few genres - one part murder investigation, one part UFO mystery, one part secret society/conspiracy theory thriller, as third generation Sheriff Luke McWhorter and his FBI girlfriend attempt to solve the mystery of the grisly murder of a group of physicists.
The good:
-The Sheriff has an interesting past and unique track to his career in law enforcement.
-There are a few twists and some surprise threats to the lead characters.
-The storylines are resolved by the end of the book however, leaving some loose ends might have resulted in a good set up for the second installment in the series.
The not so good:
-I found it difficult to imagine the setting for this story - specifically the size of the city/town, geographical features, due to a lack of description.
-The pacing of the story was fairly slow and the layering of secret societies and UFOs and, and...seemed to stretch credibility. The story arc might have benefitted from going deeper on one thread of the many mysterious storylines.
-Spoiler free: the surprise relationship between Luke and another character (revealed during the investigation) is quickly glossed over and becomes a plot hole.
Overall, an interesting introduction to the lead characters - with lots of room for character development as the series progresses. I'm not sure the mix of paranormal and formulaic legal investigation genre featuring this character will work but I'm willing to give the series another try.
The good:
-The Sheriff has an interesting past and unique track to his career in law enforcement.
-There are a few twists and some surprise threats to the lead characters.
-The storylines are resolved by the end of the book however, leaving some loose ends might have resulted in a good set up for the second installment in the series.
The not so good:
-I found it difficult to imagine the setting for this story - specifically the size of the city/town, geographical features, due to a lack of description.
-The pacing of the story was fairly slow and the layering of secret societies and UFOs and, and...seemed to stretch credibility. The story arc might have benefitted from going deeper on one thread of the many mysterious storylines.
-Spoiler free: the surprise relationship between Luke and another character (revealed during the investigation) is quickly glossed over and becomes a plot hole.
Overall, an interesting introduction to the lead characters - with lots of room for character development as the series progresses. I'm not sure the mix of paranormal and formulaic legal investigation genre featuring this character will work but I'm willing to give the series another try.
June 12, 2024
finished 11th june 2024 good read three stars i liked it kindle library loaner and i think the first fro dudley lync for me a sheriff luke mcwhorster mystery. scene is west texas mcwhorter is a 3rd generation sheriff not married during the telling thought that can change has an f.b.i. agent girlfriend. vultures draw his attention to the scene of a multiple murder and the investigation of that leads to other facts related to the town and its current and former inhabitants. entertaining story. all in all good read.
June 7, 2023
I thought this was very fun! The mystery adds in some x-files elements that I thought were a little underdeveloped. I understand there's a sequel, and I'll be curious to see those developed more. The relationships between the main character and the townspeople were a real highlight. The town is set up to be so full of life and vivid. Very good summer read.
September 18, 2024
This book is definitely four stars but I gave it three stars because I read the ebook and the man does not number his chapters! Which is a real pain for me the reader so I took a star off if you think that's cruel oh well. What's cruel is losing your place because authors don't number their freaking chapters! And why wouldn't you?
September 26, 2019
Even if it's well written and the character development is interesting I couldn't connect to the book and it fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
April 29, 2023
Engaging Thoughout
Twisting and turning plot, clever wording, and humor interjected all along - what a fun read!! This was my first Dudley Lynch novel, and I will be looking for more.
Twisting and turning plot, clever wording, and humor interjected all along - what a fun read!! This was my first Dudley Lynch novel, and I will be looking for more.
August 27, 2020
The main character is so full of himself, it is painful to read.
February 12, 2021
When I began reading this book I thought, "I really should be more careful with my book selection." When I finished nothing had changed.
January 2, 2022
A gripping mystery based on the alleged UFO crash at Roswell in 1947
January 25, 2022
This was a fantastic book. Well written in prose and the ability to keep my attention all the way through. I am absolutely THRILLED that there is a sequel to this book.
December 17, 2022
Twisty and turny, and very entertaining.
August 13, 2023
An odd mixture of mystery and UFO mythology whose Texas Sheriff has a Ph.D. in Theology, not particularly looking forward to the next book in the series.
September 2, 2024
Interesting premise and builds the town well.
September 3, 2024
I really wanted to like this book, because I love the premise of a grounded procedural tackling the supernatural. It just didn’t work for me, but I’m willing to give the series a second chance.
December 26, 2025
a solid three. pretty fun!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews