Preacher Raises the Dead by Gerald Everett Jones

A near-death experience looks like a miracle, but it won’t be this rural preacher’s only confrontation with suspicious demise.

Four-time winner in 2022, including Silver in both the Independent Press Award and New York City Big Book Award. The Preacher Evan Wycliff series has won 10 awards in mystery.

When former seminary student Evan Wycliff learns that a woman believed to be dead has returned to life, he’s skeptical. With locals divided between awe and suspicion, Evan must cope with rumors he’s a healer.

Evan’s newfound fame tempts him with ambitions for a megachurch empire, drawing him into a web of secrets where miracles are manufactured and believers manipulated. Evan must confront not only a cunning schemer but also the almost certain death of one he loves, culminating in wrenching questions of his own beliefs.

Taut and evocative, Preacher Raises the Dead delivers a slow-burning, southern noir with soul. Fans of Louise Penny and Julia Spencer-Fleming will savor its blend of moral tension, character depth, and gripping suspense. In Evan Wycliff’s third mystery, the line between faith and fraud blurs—and only the truth can resurrect the innocent.

Praise for Preacher Finds a Corpse (Evan Wycliff #1) – Winner NYC Big Book Gold, IPA Silver, Eric Hoffer Finalist, NABE Pinnacle Best Mystery

This is literature masquerading as a mystery. Carefully yet powerfully, Gerald Jones creates a small, stunning world in a tiny midwestern town, infusing each character with not just life but wit, charm, and occasionally menace. This is the kind of writing one expects from John Irving or Jane Smiley. - Marvin J. Wolf, author of the Rabbi Ben Mysteries, including A Scribe Dies in Brooklyn

This is an excellent read. Such an engaging storyteller! It really sucked me in. That last page did cause a triple-take, quadruple-take, and whatever comes after, up to about eight. Jones is definitely one of my favorite authors. - John Rachel, author of Blinders Keepers and The Man Who Loved Too Much

Jones manages to infuse a deceptively simple story with suspense, angst, and whimsy, as well as surprise. His command of setting, history, and behavior is beyond exceptional. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. - Paula Berinstein,author of the Amanda Lester Detective series and host of “The Writing Show” podcast

Praise for Preacher Fakes a Miracle (Evan Wycliff #2) – NYC Big Book Silver

As anyone who’s spent time in a small town the American Midwest knows, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than you’d expect. Or suspect. And there are plenty of suspects in the latest Evan Wycliff mystery by Gerald Everett Jones. Preacher Fakes a Miracle haunted my dreams as I read it, in the way that a good story about a bad situation should. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment of the Evan Wycliff mystery series. - Pamela Jaye Smith, Mythworks, Award-Winning Writer-Director-Producer

A fast-moving mystery with twists and surprises that take you in unexpected directions.  Jones is adept at creating unique and fascinating characters.  His mystery sleuth is a part-timer with lots of heart who splits his time between religion, skip tracing and sometimes the metaphysical. The hero's search for a missing girl and his interactions with various eccentric individuals in the small town make him both sympathetic and compelling. A bit of a shock to learn what's really going on with the abducted young unwed mother... and amazing how it relates to real stories in the news today. - M.J. Richards, Coauthor of Dishonor Thy Father