Born in his mother’s bed and raised on a small Mississippi farm, Michael Hicks Thompson knows a thing or two about strong Christian women, alcoholic men, and Jesus. His suspenseful, twisty murder mysteries are award-winning and a pleasure to read. And his fictional writings intersperse his observations of human nature with theology.

In his Solo series, (The Rector and The Actress) there’s humor, spiritual introspection, murder, and edge of your seat suspense.

Michael lives in Memphis with his wife of 45 years, and they have three grown sons and five grands. The little ones call him “Big Mike.”

Visit Michael Hicks Thompson online

The Actress

Late 1954. The most famous actress in America, Talllulah Ivey, is in the Mississippi Delta to film a controversial move. A prominent local citizen is shot and killed outside her bedroom window. A note is found clenched in the dead man's hand. The note holds the key to Ivey's guilt or innocence. Was it self-defense? Murder? Or something else? Martha investigates the who, what, and why in this twisty, suspenseful murder mystery, embedded with a Paulinian allegory.

This story could be told only by me—Martha McRae. I’m the publisher and sole writer for the Bethel County Gazette. I also run a boarding house in Solo, Mississippi. We're just a dot on a map in the center of the Delta. Land so level and wide you could see the sun rise in the east and set in the west. Cotton and cornfields stretched as far as our eyes could see.

Here we are again, though, in the land of rich stories and good dirt. Only this time, there’s a celebrity in our midst.

ISBN: 0984528245
Publisher: Shepherd King Publishing

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Interview with Michael Hicks Thompson

By Emilie Hendryx - April 24, 2017

In his typical suspenseful style, Michael Hicks Thompson joins us for an inside look at the latest in his Solo Series Christian Murder Mysteries.

What did you enjoy most about writing The Actress?
Creating an antagonist character as rich in personality as Tallulah Bankhead was in real life.

She was a handful! What was the hardest part about writing this story?
Having to weave the plot, the theology, clues, the cliffhangers, twists, the humor, and the characters into a cohesive story with mystery, suspense, and theology.

Tell us a little bit about the setting.
Small town Mississippi Delta. The place Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner liked to write about. Good dirt. Rich stories.

What was one thing you learned while writing The Actress?
That tarot cards are evil. Very evil.

Hmm...Who would you choose to play the role of your main character if your book was turned into a movie?
Judy Greer

What spurs you to write?
I love to write. Simple as that. My ideas tend to come from dreams, mostly.

And what has been the biggest influence to your writing career?
Growing up on a farm in the middle of the boonies, one had to create imaginary friends or you’d go insane at a young age, being by yourself so much.

Every writer has authors they look up to. Who are those for you?
Brandilyn Collins, C.S. Lewis, Agatha Christie, R.C. Sproul, J.I. Packer.

What are you currently reading?
Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta by Richard Grant.

Do you have an “all time” favorite book you can share with us? Why is it your favorite?
Fountainhead. It made me dream big.

Thanks for sharing with us, Michael!

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Emilie Hendryx is a freelance writer and photographer living in the heart of Washington, D.C. She writes romantic suspense while dreaming up YA Sci-Fi dystopian worlds on the side. She’s got a soft spot in her heart for animals and a love for the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. In her spare time you can find her playing guitar or reading a book all while drinking too much coffee. www.eahendryx.blogspot.com

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