The Souls of Clayhatchee: A Southern Tale

by Anthony Todd Carlisle

The Souls of Clayhatchee has been honored with numerous awards Best African American Fiction in the National Indie Excellence Award and the Next Generation Indie Best Award as well as Bronze Medal for Best Regional Fiction (South) in the Independent Publishing Book Awards.


"An affirmation of the human spirit. Can a Black American find grace in a land built upon the toil, tears, and blood of his family and ancestors?" — Margo Wilson, author, The Main Ingredient

"Carlisle's words sing on the page in this fascinating genre-bending novel." — Christina Fisanick, author, The Optimistic Food Addict

"Through twists and turns down the dark roads of the Jim Crow era and today's south, The Souls of Clayhatchee shines a light on the magnetism of family and the shattering effects of racist violence. Brisk, touching, and entertaining ... sweeping me into a world I could never enter myself, and I will never forget." — Paul Hertneky, author, Rust Belt Boy

A brilliant novel about family ties, generational racism, and a mysterious murder that casts its shadow across a man fulfilling his mother’s dying wish.

James Kingsman hated the South. Raised by parents who had migrated north from Alabama years before his birth, he had heard their personal stories of racism, injustice, and fear. At best, he carried a certain disdain for those who stayed behind, no matter how much the South had changed.When James reluctantly agrees to his mother’s last wish to be buried in her ancestral home, his notions about southern relatives are turned upside down. As are long-hidden discoveries about his parents. His father did not migrate north, he escaped. His mother kept an even deeper secret, one of rage and beauty.

Some ghosts cannot stay buried.

173 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2021

About the author

Anthony Todd Carlisle is an associate journalism professor in the Department of Culture, Media, and Performance at California University of Pennsylvania. In addition to teaching journalism courses, Carlisle teaches composition and literature classes as well. Prior to teaching at Cal U, Carlisle was a reporter for 11 years. He worked for the New Pittsburgh Courier, Daily News, Pittsburgh Business Times, Beaver County Times and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. As a reporter, he won several awards, including the Robert L. Vann Award for feature writing and investigative reporting and the Keystone State Spotlight Award for first place business story.
He also is a veteran. He served in the United States Army Reserves for 14 years, reaching the rank of captain. He worked as both a supply officer and a military journalist. In 2003, he was deployed to the Middle East as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Carlisle continues to work in the journalism field, doing freelance work for local and national publications. In addition, he is pursuing his passion as a fiction writer.

Reviews

[Tom M · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was awesome. It touched on so many topics - race, generational differences, love, etc but for me in the end it was about Family. More specifically how family can help heal you and make you feel whole. I know it is a great book, when I do not want it to end. I want to know the next steps for the characters.

[Julie Tulba · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read-one whose flowing and engrossing storyline allowed me to become immersed in both the residents of Clayhatchee but also the town itself. Without giving anything away, I thought I had the book pegged as to how it would end but Dr. Carlisle succeeded in throwing the reader a wicked curveball towards the end.

[Pamela Cotter]

Full disclosure: the author, Anthony Todd Carlisle is a former coworker and friend. That said, I'm so impressed with his first novel effort! What a wonderful story ~ a narrative that turns from a family's history to a murder mystery that kept me guessing as to what really happened. He has a descriptive writing style that does great justice to scenery and dialogue. I'm recommending this to my book club(s)!

[Karen Malena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am amazed by the incredible story that took me into another place and another time. So many things I didn't know about old south history. There were believable characters with sins, redemption and great backstories. The murder mystery aspect of this book kept me on edge and wanting to read it at every chance I could get my hands on it. Yet after I was done, I felt as if I was leaving behind some new friends. The writer has a powerful style of telling a good story and enough description that I could see, feel, smell, hear, and taste everything he wrote. Loved this book.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorite genre is southern fiction but I had a hard time getting through this book. Thanks to author Anthony Todd Carlisle, Hidden Shelf Publishing House, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.

[Celeste Richter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is an awesome read. I went to high school with the author and there are scenarios in the book that remind me of home and growing up. The storyline is riveting and takes you back in time.

[Sara Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Souls of Clayhatchee was a great read. I’ve been trying to diversify my bookshelf, so I was excited when this one came in the mail. James finds out secrets about his family (one that made my jaw drop) and learns more than he expected when he goes to Clayhatchee to bury his mother. The final reveal was unexpected and added yet another element of surprise to the book. I enjoyed it very much, and read the second half in only a few hours (couldn’t put it down)!

[Elizabeth Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like books about family secrets, personal growth, and mysteries with twists, you’ll like this.

What I liked best was the unique writing style of author Dr. Todd. A former news man, he took on novel writing and knocked it out of the park! I can’t wait for more!

[Bill O'driscoll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Debut novelist Carlisle's affection for his characters and setting shine through in this thriller about a Northern journalist with roots down South who returns for a funeral and ends up trying to unravel a mystery he didn't bargain for. But while there's a fine sense here of a non-native son discovering the New South, the plotting and exposition are a bit clumsy.