Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heaven’s Crooked Finger | 2017 | Hank Early | Buy |
| 2 | In the Valley of the Devil | 2018 | Hank Early | Buy |
| 3 | Echoes of the Fall | 2019 | Hank Early | Buy |
The Earl Marcus Mystery series follows Earl Marcus, a man trying to put distance between himself and a childhood spent under the influence of a manipulative preacher father in the mountains of North Georgia. When questions about his father and the church community he grew up in refuse to stay buried, Earl is pulled back into a world he thought he had left behind. The first book, Heaven’s Crooked Finger, sets up the core tension between Earl’s desire to move on and the secrets that keep dragging him back.
Hank Early (pen name of John Mantooth) writes these books with a feel for the rural Southern landscape that goes beyond scenery. The mountains, hollers, and small churches are active parts of the story. Religious extremism, family loyalty, and the weight of the past run through all three novels. In the Valley of the Devil and Echoes of the Fall continue to deepen Earl’s world while introducing new cases that test him in different ways. The series is a strong pick for readers who like their mysteries dark, atmospheric, and rooted in a specific place.