CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - June 27, 2024 - Unsettled States is a flight of fancy written by a former airline pilot. Tom Casey’s psychological mystery is sure to keep readers in thrall from take-off to landing. A coastal Connecticut town known for sailing races and small-town placidity is rocked by a series of unfortunate events: A woman is strangled in her home; a gruesome accident cuts short an extramarital romance; and a Peeping Tom lurks in the bushes. Police Detective Gerard Mallory is tasked with getting to the bottom of all this, and in his quest to separate pretense from reality, misdemeanor from criminality, and sanctity from sin, he uncovers a shocking secret that will have readers gasp.
Though this story has its share of turbulence, Casey steers a sure course between the thunderheads of passion and betrayal, while navigating strong philosophical, psychological, and religious currents.
Advance Praise:
“Diversely average characters given extravagant but believable situations with satisfying but sometimes unexpected resolutions at the end. A remarkable literary achievement.” — Michael Mailer, writer & filmmaker
“A good old-fashioned mystery novel that goes beyond its elegantly crafted whodunit into the deeper, messier mysteries of mental disorder and religious belief. Unsettled States is as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is fun.” — Kurt Andersen, author of Heyday
"Unsettled States is both brisk and philosophical, and always entertaining, like the best of classic noir. Tom Casey has a nose for moments that matter; details are crisp, dialogue is larger-than-life or warmly naturalistic as the scene requires. Casey charts a compelling course that will keep every reader guessing." — Cole Tucker-Walton, journalist & writer
“Good character development and fast pacing add to the book’s appeal, as do some moments of levity that effectively vary the tone…. An often-thrilling novel that’s likely to satisfy mystery buffs.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Each of Casey’s characters are granted satisfying resolutions, many with surprising relevance to the main plot.… The languid pacing, bright details, and delightful indulgence in theology only add to this distinctively off-beat, quality mystery.” — BookLife
“The lives of citizens in a small Connecticut town are anything but simple in this enchanting book…. The dysfunction hovering over suburbia is not exclusive to the life of a cop or a voyeur, as the story’s drama encapsulates the dissolution of two prominent couple’s marriages. The characters are well-developed, and the plot’s pacing is consistent, with more than a few surprises thrown in to make for a fulfilling read.” — Philip Zozzaro, US Review of Books
Heresy Press was founded in 2023 with support from Joyce Carol Oates, Steven Pinker, Nadine Strossen, and other notable writers and public intellectuals as an initiative to counter the malaise of timidity, undeclared censorship, and identity-essentialism that currently afflicts mainstream publishing. Heresy Press publishes outspoken authors of all backgrounds, requiring only that their work demonstrate literary excellence.
“The readers we aim to reach are not frail creatures in need of protection from potentially discomfiting experiences but resilient, curious, and adventurous individuals,” said Bernard Schweizer, Founder & Director of Heresy Press. “Unsettled States has significant mature content, but we trust that our readers can handle this without the infantilizing safety provided by content warnings.”
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