COVEY JENCKS
by
SHELTON L. WILLIAMS
Narrated by Kathy James
Genre: Mystery / Social Thriller
Publisher: Southern Owl Publications, LLC
Date of Publication: February 10, 2018
Publisher: Southern Owl Publications, LLC
Date of Publication: February 10, 2018
Number of Pages: 229
Audio Book Length: 6 hours, 38 minutes
Covey Jencks is a murder mystery with a social conscience. Set in West Texas with a cast of colorful and humorous characters, it follows a young lawyer from Washington, DC back to his hometown of Odessa, Texas. He wants and needs to solve a murder case from 1979 in 1993. The problem is that the Odessa Police Department has already found its man, and no one wants to re-visit the case of a black prostitute whose life was seemingly of no consequence to anyone. But Freddie Mae Johnson’s death matters to Covey, and eventually he discovers an old flame, JayJay Qualls, who also knew and loved Freddie. Together they undertake an investigation that uncovers not only the truth about Freddie but also the secrets of Odessa’s south side, Mexican gangs, a Boston mobster, and the fallacy of unexamined assumptions. Finding out who killed Freddie is one thing, but preventing their own demise is quite another!
PRAISE FOR COVEY JENCKS
“Williams seamlessly braids a murder mystery with a love story and a drama about the pervasiveness of racism in the South… The author’s prose is buoyantly eccentric, both insightful and self-effacingly humorous. And the clues Covey and JayJay track down are meted out to readers with impressive judiciousness: The author never prematurely surrenders so much information that the conclusion is rendered foregone while the tale’s swift pace prevents it from becoming tedious. An engrossing crime drama that’s both entertaining and provocative.”
JayJay, a character from Covey Jencks,
Interviews Author Shelton Williams
JayJay: Dr. Williams, you seem to like actors? Why?
Shelly: JayJay, I am just Shelly, please. My 17-year-old cousin, Betty Williams, was an actor and she was murdered. I started looking at folks who chose to act then. I can’t say I like all of them, but I liked her, and I like you.
Shelly: JayJay, I am just Shelly, please. My 17-year-old cousin, Betty Williams, was an actor and she was murdered. I started looking at folks who chose to act then. I can’t say I like all of them, but I liked her, and I like you.
JayJay: OK, Shelly, how did you decide to study Odessa’s south side?
Shelly: It has always fascinated me. That’s why. I did interact with the south side a lot when I lived in Odessa. The folks who worked at my dad’s car wash lived there. I played and officiated sports there. I took my girlfriend on clandestine dates there. Then over the decades the black/brown composition of Odessa changed dramatically and eventually changed Odessa. Today Odessa is 52 % Hispanic, so it is Texas and America writ large.
Shelly: It has always fascinated me. That’s why. I did interact with the south side a lot when I lived in Odessa. The folks who worked at my dad’s car wash lived there. I played and officiated sports there. I took my girlfriend on clandestine dates there. Then over the decades the black/brown composition of Odessa changed dramatically and eventually changed Odessa. Today Odessa is 52 % Hispanic, so it is Texas and America writ large.
JayJay: Ah, ha! So you are Covey since your dad owned a car wash and you did steal away to the south side restaurants?
Shelly: Sure, there is an element of Covey in me, but my dad was neither as criminal nor as technologically savvy as Frank Jencks. Nor did I date the girl who became you. Let’s just say I just admired her from afar. Almost all the characters in Covey Jencks are real people, but none of their storylines is anything but pure fiction.
Shelly: Sure, there is an element of Covey in me, but my dad was neither as criminal nor as technologically savvy as Frank Jencks. Nor did I date the girl who became you. Let’s just say I just admired her from afar. Almost all the characters in Covey Jencks are real people, but none of their storylines is anything but pure fiction.
JayJay: Do Covey and JayJay live happily ever after?
Shelly: What do you think?
Shelly: What do you think?
JayJay: I can’t really see it. To err is human. One or both are gonna screw up, don’t you think?
Shelly: That would not surprise me, but I just don’t know. They do really care about each other.
Shelly: That would not surprise me, but I just don’t know. They do really care about each other.
JayJay: I really like solving mysteries, but what are the chances we can see more of Texas in the future? I have a cousin in Dallas I really would like to visit.
Shelly: OK, pack your bags, but remember: all dusty roads lead to Odessa!
Shelly: OK, pack your bags, but remember: all dusty roads lead to Odessa!
Shelton L. Williams (Shelly) is founder and president of the Osgood Center for International Studies in Washington, DC. He holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and he taught for nearly 40 years at Austin College in Sherman, Texas. He has served in the US Government on 4 occasions and he has written books and articles on nuclear proliferation. In 2004 he began a new career of writing books on crime and society. Those books are Washed in the Blood, Summer of 66, and now Covey Jencks. All firmly prove that he is still a Texan at heart.
My first part time job while I was in high school was announcing at the local radio station, and I had fun being “on the air” and using my sarcastic sense of humor. I worked in the radio business for more than twenty years. My favorite pastimes are teaching figure skating, getting lost in a great book, and watching movies. I narrate and produce audio books in my home studio, and I truly enjoy bringing an author’s characters to life with an audio book. I currently reside in Minnesota with my slightly overweight cat and two childlike golden retrievers.
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November 27 – December 6, 2018
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VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
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11/27/18
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Review
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11/27/18
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Excerpt
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11/28/18
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Audio Review
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11/29/18
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Guest Post
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11/29/18
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Playlist
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11/30/18
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Audio Review
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12/1/18
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Author Interview
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12/1/18
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Character Interview
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12/2/18
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Review
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12/2/18
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Scrapbook Page
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12/3/18
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Review
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12/4/18
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Audio Review
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12/5/18
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Excerpt
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12/6/18
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Audio Review
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12/6/18
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Review
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2 thoughts on “Covey Jencks”
Love the graphics you created.
Such a fun way to do an author interview! And love your link-back to your review! You are right — it’s impossible to put down the book those final chapters!