I recently had the privilege of reading and reviewing Chris Skates’ new book, Moonshine Over Georgia (available here).

Today, June 1, is the official launch day for this novelization of a law officer’s true — and riveting — story. Although certain literary licenses were taken in the telling of Officer Miller’s story, the man really lived — and he really brought notorious and dangerous lawbreakers — especially bootleggers — to justice in west Georgia in the 1940s.

I’ve reproduced below the review I submitted to Amazon two days ago; for whatever reason, it has not been posted as of the release of this Word Foundations post.

I have been a fan of Chris Skates’s work for a good number of years. One of his earlier novels, Going Green: For Some it Has Nothing to Do with the Environment, not only arrested my attention but did so with true-to-life, believable scenarios — one after another. Chris has a knack as do few other writers to draw readers in and hold them with situations that are both gripping (vividly presented) and realistic. This sets the stage for Moonshine Over Georgia to be especially captivating — and it is in every way.

In Moonshine, Chris tells the story of his own grandfather’s professional experiences in law enforcement in West Georgia in 1946, the time and setting for events that included high-stakes intimidation, murder, bootlegging, and thuggery. C. E. “Kid” Miller was a state Revenue Agent in the area. He knew that busting the bootleggers would be a key factor in solving the murder, and that it would go a long way in restoring law and order to the area. Unfortunately for the bootleggers and other lawbreakers, busting their operation was Kid Miller’s specialty and calling! Thus, Moonshine Over Georgia is based on actual events Chris’s grandfather lived through and dealt with during 1946 — probably the most climactic year of his entire career.

The story is absorbing, suspenseful, and ultimately satisfying; Kid Miller emerges as a role model for men today. Skates honestly portrays his grandfather as a man who, like everyone else, is flawed and capable of making bad choices. At the same time, Miller also is a man guided by principle and conviction, a man who understands that the anchor of an absolute standard of right and wrong is essential for a free and stable society.

“Masculinity is toxic,” we’re told today. In telling his grandfather’s story, Chris Skates presents to us a man whose masculinity was strong — yes — but toxic only toward the intentions and actions of those that pose grave danger to people and society. This type of masculinity also is protective of family, friends, neighbors, and members of the community at large; it is powerful in the most constructive and healthy of ways.

Thank you, Chris Skates, for telling your grandfather’s story! His world was better for his actions and example, and ours will be as well!

B. Nathaniel Sullivan

Postscript: You’ll also want to check out the Audible audiobook of Moonshine Over Georgia. Narrator Gary Barboza seasons Chris’s account of his grandfather’s suspenseful quest to “bust the lawbreakers” with a voice that fits this captivating west-Georgia story perfectly.