Ephraim Cutler sure doesn’t seem like the type of person to commit a cold-blooded murder. He’s a soft-spoken young man with an eye for Isabel, the local mercantile owner’s daughter, and a soft spot for folks in need. But all that doesn’t change the fact that he shot a man, an old friend in fact, dead in front of witnesses.

Thus begins the saga of Some Dark Holler: The Redemption of Ephraim Cutler, a truly entertaining book by local (local to me, that is) author Luke Bauserman. I came across this book through an interview with the author, along with his two colleagues for a story I have yet to get around to writing–sorry, guys. He’s a dentist who also writes books. Or is he an author who also works on people’s teeth? I guess he’s both. While I can’t speak directly to his skills as a dentist, I can attest to the fact that he can spin a truly entertaining tale. Inspired by Appalachian folk tales, this story has it all: romance, suspense, good vs. evil, a hellhound–the poor doggy made me sad–and even old Scratch himself. It seems the Devil is trying to get hold of Ephraim’s soul so he can become one of his agents of darkness.

I don’t want to give too much away, so I won’t tell more of the story, but I will tell you that the characters in this story become quite real and the story is gripping from beginning to end. It is definitely not in my wheelhouse in terms of genre, but I have every intention of picking up the next book in the series as soon as it’s available. You should pick it up too. You can find the book on Amazon for Kindle and in audio format, as well as my favorite, a good, old-fashioned paper book. Check it out. You’ll be glad you did.