Meet USM alum Candace Wheeler and pick up a copy of her latest novel Sunset in the Sound!
In 1951, wide-open gambling is both a way of life for fun-loving Biloxi, Mississippi residents, and a way of drawing tourists with plenty of post-war money to burn. However, that’s not the only thing burning, as one nightclub after another erupts in flames. The city’s economic future is also threatened when the U.S. Senate sends an investigating committee to Biloxi for a one-day hearing on the ill effects of gambling impacting 25,000 young military personnel stationed at Keesler Air Force Base. The real-life testimony from this historic hearing will keep you turning the pages as local citizens and politicians come under fire for their city’s open stance on the state’s anti-gambling laws.
Enjoy the journey of Cradle in the Oak heroine, Carrie Burns, and her husband, Judge David Tauzin, as they sail into their twilight years when they once again encounter Squall in the Gulf murderer, Carlo Bandini, now serving time at Angola, as he continues to seek revenge on their family. David is determined to keep his loved ones safe and will do anything to protect them. Their granddaughter, Vickie Burns, a gorgeous young composer with a mesmerizing voice, meets Mac Simpson, a young airman and pianist from Savannah, Georgia, who is studying electronics at Keesler Air Force Base. Mac suspects someone from his past could be Biloxi’s arsonist, and he works to solve this crime as he deals with the life-threatening antics of Vickie’s jealous high school sweetheart.
A fascinating work of historical fiction, Sunset in the Sound provides a powerful conclusion to Candace Cox Wheeler’s suspenseful Biloxi-based trilogy. Life comes at you fast as you cruise down Highway 90, enjoying the beautiful sunset in the Mississippi Sound behind the wheel of your cherry red convertible, but don’t let the glare from your rear-view mirror keep you from focusing on what lies ahead.