The Shadow of a Bird in Flight

by Michael McKinney

Thomas Longstreet Baker is a famous 'Southern' author, once titled 'The Premier Voice of the New South'. Baker lives in New York City and hasn't returned home in over 35 years. But the discovery of his mother's remains in an old car submerged in a small lake near his hometown of Apalachicola, Florida, forces him to return to the 'Real South', so unlike his novels based on family and friends who's lives he has recreated in his novels. His father, a wealthy and powerful doctor in Apalachicola, had told Thomas that his mother had abandoned them when Thomas was a child. Now he must return to learn the truth about his mother, himself, and his beloved South. This is a story of family, of tragedy and evil, of Race and the rural South. Michael McKinney's first novel, A Thousand Bridges, was chosen as one of the Top Ten First Fiction by Publishers Weekly, who also awarded his novel with the coveted Starred Review. "A bold and powerful debut!" - Publishers Weekly "A first novel reminiscent of The Saint" - Kirkus Reviews "An astoundingly articulate mystery set in Florida" - The St. Petersburg Times

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 15, 2021

About the author

My first novel, A Thousand Bridges, was released in 1992. It received a coveted Starred Review in Publishers Weekly, as well as being chosen by PW as one of the Top 10 First Novels of the Year. It was released to fantastic reviews in publications like Kirkus Reviews, The San Francisco Chronicle, The St. Petersburg Times and many others. The Library Journal chose it as one of their First Novels of the year.
Though it was listed in the trades as a Mystery/Thriller, I just think of it as a love story with a lot of death in it.
So, I've just released it again, this time as an eBook, through BookBaby. The website for the novel is http://www.athousandbridges1992.com
I think the theme is just as alive today - a modern political thriller/ detective novel set in Northwest Florida in a time of political corruption and change.

It's a good life. Along with my wife, Maggie, we're a duo called Lucky Mud, a name taken from Vonnegut's novel, Cat's Cradle. Our music has carried us from Key West, Florida, to Bandera, Texas; From the main stage of the Florida Folk Festival to a sold-out concert at the legendary Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar, Ireland.

Maggie and I live on a seven acre farm in the Florida Panhandle when not on tour. We call it Maggie's Farm, and have monthly mini-festivals there. If you'd like to see the music side, try
http://www.luckymudmusic.com
This is my first shot on any book site, and I'm extremely nervous. If my Mama was here, she'd be pinching my arm right about now, telling me to sit still and behave.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gut-punch in the best of ways. The Shadow of a Bird in Flight is Southern literature that speaks truths and weaves in elements of local Apalachicola history.