Old Land, Dark Land, Strange Land Stories

"John F. Suter has few peers in the construction of highly imaginative short fiction." — Bill Pronzini
"A writer's writer." — Sharyn McCrumb
The characters in these mysteries might look like ordinary small-town folk, but some of them harbor an appalling capacity for greed, lust, and revenge—unsavory motivations that lead to a fascinating variety of crimes. These intriguing tales of detection are also thoughtful character studies of American rural life. They represent the best work by award-winning author John F. Suter, who entertained readers of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine for decades.
Set amid the natural beauty of West Virginia, the mysteries include the 19th-century adventures of Uncle Abner, a deeply religious cattle-breeder who sees God's hand in every event. The old-time character was revived by Suter at the request of the estate of Uncle Abner's creator, Melville Davisson Post. Other featured sleuths include the modern-day investigative team of Arlan Boley and Warren McKee, a heavy equipment operator and a sheriff whose common sense and keen insights into human nature guide their solutions to crimes in their close-knit community.

John F. Suter (1914–96) worked as a research chemist for Union Carbide, publishing his first short story in 1954. A member of the Mystery Writers of America and the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain, he wrote 15 stories that extended fellow West Virginian Melville Davisson Post's Uncle Abner series, and his work was has appeared in more than 30 anthologies.