The Gray and Guilty Sea: An Oregon Coast Mystery (Garrison Gage Series Book 1)

“Carter’s writing is on target.” – Publishers Weekly

A curmudgeon. An iconoclast. A loner. That’s how people describe Garrison Gage, and that’s when they’re being charitable.

After his wife’s brutal murder in New York, and Gage himself is beaten nearly to death, the hobbled private investigator retreats three thousand miles to the quaint coastal town of Barnacle Bluffs, Oregon. He spends the next five years in a convalescent stupor, content to bide his time filling out crossword puzzles and trying to forget that his wife’s death is his fault. But all that changes when he discovers the body of a young woman washed up on the beach, and his conscience draws him back into his old occupation – forcing him to confront the demons of his own guilt before he can hope to solve the girl’s murder.

“Irresistible for an old John D. MacDonald fan like me . . . Recommended.” — Brandywine Books

“The Gray and Guilty Sea is quite an enjoyable novel that engages a reader on multiple levels.” — Stimulated Outlet Book Reviews

“Carter’s outstanding debut crime novel set on the Oregon coast and starring a misanthropic former detective is as much a fascinating character study as it is an original story.” – Michael J. Totten, author of The Road to Fatima Gate