Last night I finished reading:

THE BIBLE SALESMAN by Clyde Edgerton, 2008.

Edgerton is one of my favorite Southern writers. From the time I read RANEY, I have enjoyed his sense of humor and his writing style. This particular novel concerns a car thief, Preston Clearwater, who picks up a young Bible salesman, Henry Dampier, and makes the innocent faced, somewhat naive kid his partner in crime. Set mainly in the post-World War II South, Edgerton includes plenty of down-home language and customs and foods and plot twists and odd characters (the old lady who throws her voice so that her cats talk is hilarious) to keep the reader interested. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys good Southern storytelling.