Darkness Dwells in Dixie

This story held my attention from the beginning through the end! I found the characters believable and well-developed. Though this is a fictional account, the plot is based on real-life events, which makes the reader very sympathetic to the characters. The emotions I felt as I read the novel ran the gamut of sadness, crying, laughing and anger–truly the marks of a good writer. I highly recommend Darkness Dwells in Dixie, but have a box of tissue at the ready! – Amazon Review

Darkness Dwells in Dixie

Can’t anyone in this family tell the truth?

Young Mickey is determined to uncover the secrets his mother, Dixie Mae, and his family have long hidden. He relentlessly exposes the murky past of two families through three generations entangled by marriage, betrayal, and violence. But in trying to protect his brother and mother from the brutal man who raised him, Mickey does something he fears God can never forgive.

Mike E Reynolds weaves a jarring yet moving 1950’s and 1960’s coming of age story set in a small town near Florida’s Apalachicola River swamp and the crystal-clear waters of the Florida Keys. Filled with grit and grace, this riveting tale reminds us that faith and forgiveness are ultimately more powerful than the darkness within.

“Mike Reynolds makes a bold showing that clearly places him at the forefront of his generation by authentically capturing the Southern culture in which he grew up. What a great conclusion to a riveting journey.” –Duane K Estill, Minister, Author of A Tin Can Cosmos
“Mike Reynolds has crafted a taut and tense narrative peopled with characters each wrestling with the peculiar demons of violence, loss, and identity. Well written, compelling, and ultimately uplifting.” –Greg Fields, author of Through the Waters and the Wild, and Winner of the 2022 Independent Press Award for Literary Fiction
“A riveting tale of family secrets and unhealed trauma. Reynolds gives us an often difficult yet inspiring story that demonstrates human resilience in the face of trauma.” –Janyne McConnaughey PhD, Trauma-informed author of Trauma in the Pews, Brave, Brave Childhood, and A Brave Life
“The street level writing is not for the easily offended. Then again, neither is the Bible. This is humanity in God’s unblinking spotlight. Darkness Dwells in Dixie is well worth the time.”
–Jerry Wilson, author of God’s Not Dead (And Neither Are We), and host of “Cephas Hour”
“Darkness Dwells in Dixie is a gripping story full of real character- and emotion-driven storytelling. The historical and cultural context Reynolds provides audiences offers an intense read. Definitely a book worth reading!” –Garrett K. Jones, author of The Archives of Icínq-Régn

About the Author

Mike Reynolds writes fictionally about what he knows, where he’s lived, and what he’s experienced with an ease that comes with familiarity. Born in the small town of Bainbridge, Georgia—which is just over the Florida Panhandle line where Georgia and Florida come together—and raised in Florida, Mike’s blue collar upbringing exposed him to a lot of hard-working honest people, but also to the seedier side of life there. He grew up in a violent and abusive home, and one in which alcoholism played a major role in day-to-day life. But Mike was able to break free of the abusive cycle and become a successful business owner and entrepreneur.