Publisher's Synopsis
Reviews
""Project Nephili is a southern gothic thriller, but it is much more than that. Tim Farmer has gone all the way into America's heart of darkness and far beyond, and he has done it with a relentless honesty that I would call courage. He has also written a marvelous story of personal redemption. I fell in love with Angie McDowell, the newspaper reporter with a drinking problem. Her search for the story-Mr. Farmer's story-will keep you on the edge of your seat. This is an ambitious novel that succeeds on all levels.""
John Hough Jr. Award winning author of "Seen the Glory and Little Big Horn."
" "Project Nephili is a wild ride through the far past and into the present, all the while addressing societal issues that transcend time.""
Ron Rash New York Times bestselling author of "Serena and Nothing Gold Can Stay."
" In Farmer's debut novel, an alcoholic reporter's investigation of an old psychiatric hospital unearths many more complex and disturbing mysteries, blending American history, African mythology, mystery and Southern Gothic drama...an often taut, tense page-turner with an impressively large scope, not only expanding the story to international boundaries but dipping into flashbacks going all the way back to Africa in 1805 and stretching throughout the pre- and post-Civil War eras in the American South. Ultimately, the story incorporates elements biblical, mythological and even paranormal...this debut is a strong first effort marked by ambition and heart. In addition to its eeriness and suspense, it's also incredibly humane... A gripping mystery with historical and speculative-fiction flourishes that should captivate fans of all three genres." Kirkus Reviews
Description
PROJECT NEPHILI (Ne-fi-lai) combines elements of the creation mythologies of ancient cultures into a thriller that takes you from a secret hidden in the dust of a late Stone Age dig to the slave trade of West Africa, to current day Georgia. Woven into the tale are darker chapters of our history-slavery, racism, murder, rape and greed. Stories are rooted in historical fact with flawed protagonists set against unspeakable evil.
THE REMAINS OF A HUNDRED-year-old lynching are found buried in the garden of Georgia's State Psychiatric Hospital-huge bones, a bullet hole in the back of the skull. The hospital stands on the grounds of the old Blythe Civil War plantation, and the family has controlled the town's secrets for two centuries.
REPORTER, ANGIE McDOWELL, PARALYZED by insecurity and alcoholism, stumbles upon the story of her life. But as she opens the wrong doors, the Blythe family pushes back hard. She seeks help from former lover, Agent Blake Childs. Together, they find evidence of the abuse of a clan of giant slaves and their descendants by the Blythes and their pharmaceutical company, GeneMede. Residents of Blytheville deflect their inquiries and they sense a dark secret, invisible forces set against Blake and Angie to stop them and ensure their silence.
WILL THEY BE ABLE TO solve the 5000-year-old mystery, and uncover its stunning connection to African mythology, Biblical legend and Middle Eastern archaeology? Can they find meaning in their dreams and escape with their lives?
