A Plot for Pridemore: A Novel

For five heart-churning days, the world turns its attention to tiny Pridemore, Missouri, where rescue teams work around the clock to free a mentally challenged man from a collapsed cave. Thats how Mayor Roe Tolliver envisions it, anyway. Weary of watching the town hes led for more than forty years slide into economic oblivion, the mayor hatches a devious and dangerous plan. Over the course of a year, the mayor and his cronies carry out the convoluted scheme, which involves everything from bilking state money for a bogus tourist attraction to hiring a militia ballistics consultant to detonate the limestone cavern. Their success hinges on unassuming pawn Digby Willard, whose simple-minded likeability provides human interest in the made-for-television crisis. Get ready for a fast-paced romp filled with quirky characters, hilarious twists and turns, and a small town that just might get its fifteen minutes of fame.

Stephen Roth worked twelve years as a reporter covering politicians, business figures, and local eccentrics for newspapers in Missouri and Florida. Originally from LaGrange, Georgia, he currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with his wife, son, and dog. This is his first novel.