This novel by Sean Dietrich has a dual storyline. The first is about Sheriff Winston Browne and the residents of Moab. The second is about a young girl who is being held captive in a cult.
Set in the 1950s, “The Incredible Winston Browne” is a heartwarming novel. Winston has never married and his still friends with the high school classmates. Early in the novel the reader learns that Winston has terminal lung cancer. He is keeping his illness a secret, even from his best friend Jimmy.
Jimmy has dated another classmate Eleanor for years. He proposed but has never agreed to a wedding date. After Jimmy forgets to pick up Eleanor for a church social, Eleanor has had enough. Winston sees Eleanor on the porch waiting for Jimmy and asks Eleanor to the social with him. They enjoy the food and company and dance the night away. After the social, Eleanor undergoes a transformation from prim to sassy. It does not take long for Jimmy to think Winston has stolen his girlfriend.
The young girl in the second story is being raised as an orphan in a restrictive and abusive environment. An older women from the cult wants to get the young girl to a safer location. Her plan is to send the girl to friend in the panhandle of Florida. She puts the girl on a train with strict instructions on who to trust, how to hide in plain sight and how to change to another train farther down the line. Afraid and confused, the girl winds up in Moab. Winston and Eleanor find her and keep her safe. Winston and Eleanor grow close while they are taking care of the girl, who they now know is Jesse. While they have a special bond, they are not exactly boyfriend and girlfriend. But, they spend a lot of time together.
The elders of the cult have been scouring the Florida panhandle looking for Jesse. Eventually, the elders get a lead that Jesse is in Moab. Winston and Eleanor realize Jesse is in danger. They try to hide her from her abductors. Jesse is a spunky tomboy who will not be captured without a fight.
Dietrich does an excellent job with the character development and capturing the small-town life. The novel is not overly sentimental or trite. I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.
I recently saw Dietrich preform at the Vestavia Hills Library fundraiser. He plays several instruments and has a beautiful voice. He sang old country hymns. It did not take long before the audience was singing along. You can find his music online. He was not born in Alabama, but he certainly belongs here.
Dietrich, also known as Sean of the South, is an American writer of books, newspaper columns and a blog.
He was born in Kansas City, Missouri. After his father committed suicide, his family moved to Walton County, Florida. When he was 14, he dropped out of school and worked construction and odd jobs. Dietrich struggled in his teens and 20s to fulfill his dreams of being a writer and musician. He gives his wife Jamie a lot of the credit for his success. He writes about life in the South and the everyday people who live here.
He currently lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his wife. His writing has been featured in Southern Living, The Tallahassee Democrat, Good Grit, South Magazine, Alabama Living, The Birmingham News, Garden and Gun and Newsweek. He has written 15 books and has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry. I first became aware of him on his blog that I saw on Facebook. I love his writing, yet I hate his writing, because I often cry for the plight of the everyday men, women and children. He captures their stories, their troubles and their joys oftentimes at the Waffle House, Cracker Barrel or the Piggly Wiggly. Dietrich is quite the storyteller. He captures the essence of his characters and has profound insight into the plight of everyman.
