Mike McGuire

The Invading Presence Mike McGuire

It's rural Tennessee law enforcement vs the supernatural in this modern thriller. The combination of putting ordinary people into extraordinary circumstances is alive and well is this rich yet graph novel. Pall County, Tennessee, has been in an economic and social slump for decades. Drug abuse, unemployment and violent crime are on a slow but steady rise. The population has plateaued and anyone with sufficient means or intelligence has pulled up stakes. While on the surface this seems like a simple case of a bad economy and poor local politics, there is something much deeper and sinister afoot. Sergeant Jim Hawk of the Pall County Sheriff's Department works nights to keep citizens safe, while the job is slowing eating away at his own sense of morality. He's not doing too bad though. He has a girlfriend, a steady job and deputies under him that see him as a big brother. His home is paid for and, at least compared to most other folks, he's living high on the proverbial hog. Events come to pass quickly that force Jim to question what could be coincidence and what could be...something else. The town experiences their worst fire since the 1950's, a man is murdered by his brother and another man is murdered during a jail riot all in the same hot summer night. Each event gives Jim notions that these horrific events could be connected. Jim's alpha male idealism fails him as he holds one of his deputies as they die in his arms after being stabbed. At the height of his grief, that he attempts to patch with alcohol, he sees his world crumbling around him. Jim is approached by friends and strangers. This seemingly unconnected group proves to Jim that an outside force, an invading presence, is at work in his community. Will Jim master his fear and come to terms with his faith, or will this quickening cycle of violence continue and eventually spread? Our story also begs a question. Where is God in all of this?