{"id":4311,"date":"2025-12-06T12:29:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T17:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.167.168.176\/~phillips\/kerriansnotebook\/kerriansnotebook\/?p=4311"},"modified":"2025-12-18T17:09:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T22:09:46","slug":"visiting-detective-ava-logan-crime-in-appalachia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/2025\/12\/visiting-detective-ava-logan-crime-in-appalachia\/","title":{"rendered":"Visiting Detective Ava Logan – “Crime in Appalachia”"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there are no paragraph separations in this article, please double-click on the title to create a more readable version.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"VisDetAvaSmokies\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that Sheila and I like to take a week here and there and see the sights around this great country of ours. This past Fall, we took the scenic route through the Great Smoky Mountains (part of the Appalachian range) to see the North Carolina cousins. I know, really<\/em> long way around from the New York area, but the weather was great and it was a \u201cwhy not?\u201d kind of week.<\/span><\/p>\n

The scenery was breathtaking and we pulled over lots of times to take pictures and soak it all in. When we finally left the Smokies, we stopped at a little spot called Minnie\u2019s Diner in Jackson Creek, North Carolina. The parking lot was packed, but that\u2019s usually a good sign, and we looked forward to mouth-watering, down-home cooking.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we waited for the waitress to lead us to the only open booth, another couple came in behind us. She grabbed two menus from the counter for us, and spoke to the couple in typical small-town fashion. \u201cSheriff. Ava. Y\u2019all doing okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I glanced at the guy\u2014long sleeve black shirt, rugby-type, tucked into black utility pants, a round patch on the shirt front reading Jackson County Sheriff<\/em>. Below that, a bar with G. Ridge<\/em> inscribed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoing good,\u201d he answered the waitress for both of them. \u201cLooks like it\u2019s standing room only today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe wait shouldn\u2019t be too long.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The waitress turned to lead me and Sheila to the booth, but I stopped and turned toward the couple. The badge meant he was okay with me. \u201cWant to join us?\u201d They looked surprised, but agreed right away.<\/span><\/p>\n

We all slid into the booth – Ridge and Ava sitting across from us \u2013 and introduced ourselves. Ava and Ridge lived in the next town.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll let Ava Logan tell their story.<\/span><\/p>\n

*****<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cSo let me get this straight,\u201d Charlie said, wagging a finger between Ridge and me. \u201cYou\u2019re the sheriff, and you\u2019re the publisher of the town newspaper?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d we both answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

Charlie nodded and asked, \u201cDoes it ever cause a problem?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all.\u201d I must have answered too quickly because Ridge jerked his head around to glare at me. \u201cMaybe. Sometimes,\u201d I conceded.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Ridge and Charlie talked shop, Sheila and I chatted about their trip through the mountains. Born and raised in western North Carolina, I love hearing others\u2019 take on my part of the Appalachians. I smiled and declared that the scenic beauty is matched only by the people who called these hills and hollows home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Highway-SmokiesIMG_3611\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Although engaged in conversation with Sheila, I couldn\u2019t help but overhear Charlie ask, \u201cSo how many residents are there in Jackson Creek?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c4,327,\u201d I answered. A hot blush crept up my cheeks as the Kerrians and Ridge looked at me like I always went around spouting random numbers. I mumbled a clarification, \u201cJackson Creek proper. I\u2019m not sure about Jackson County.\u201d Somewhere near the fifty-thousand range, but it was Ridge\u2019s county. I thought he might want to answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

The corner of Ridge\u2019s mouth arched upward in a slight grin. He turned back to Charlie. \u201cFifty-three thousand. Jackson Creek is the county seat. I\u2019m sure that\u2019s a lot smaller than what you\u2019re used to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Charlie answered with a smile, then turned to me. \u201cIs there enough news in a town of four thousand to sustain a newspaper?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yeah. We do a lot of human interest features. And the occasional crime wave public service announcement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He and Sheila laughed. Ridge didn\u2019t. He pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek, a sign I knew all too well. We\u2019d ridden this merry-go-round before. We rode it every day. The Jackson County Sheriff\u2019s Department wasn\u2019t large enough to hire a media liaison so as Sheriff, Ridge filled that role. He was quick to feed me information when he needed to get the word out, and got especially tight-lipped when he didn\u2019t want the press involved.<\/span><\/p>\n

To be fair, Ridge was a good sheriff. And the fact that extracting information from him was like pulling the proverbial teeth, probably made him an even better one. It did make my<\/em> job more difficult, though. And, sometimes caused me to do a little detecting in search of the facts behind the crimes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong,\u201d I said, spitting the words out like I was in a hurry to defend him, or explain my earlier words. \u201cWe had a rash of car break-ins a few weeks ago and I was happy to put a warning out to residents. And we always have ginseng poaching that sometimes gets out-of-hand. And of course, the…occasional murder.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"VisDetAvaBloodyFootprint\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I stared at the trail of condensation snaking its way down my water glass, remembering every detail of that recent murder, the scene stamped into my brain forever. The victim had been a good friend. It was hard to forget, no matter how many times I\u2019d tried, when you were the one to find the body. I\u2019d never in my life been more glad to have a conversation interrupted by a waitress delivering food.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, Charlie,\u201d I said, diving into a chicken wrap. \u201cHow\u2019d you like the Smokies?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWait!\u201d He and Sheila chimed in together. Charlie laughed, \u201cYou can\u2019t leave us hanging like that! What poaching? What murder? Tell me no lies!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"VisDetAvaGinseng\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe poaching was a big deal around here!\u201d I launched into my tale, but left out a few details about the danger we were all in, knowing that Ridge was still not happy about how that had played out. Charlie shook his head. \u201cThat\u2019s a case we\u2019d never get in the city.\u201d The waitress delivered some warm apple pie and Charlie nudged, \u201cTell us about the murder. Don\u2019t leave anything out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I glanced at Ridge, not at all sure he wanted to talk about that case. Yup, he was scowling. I quickly changed the subject and we continued our lunch over more pleasant conversation, laughter, and a promise to keep in touch. I had no doubt we would.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lynn Chandler Willis created the newspaper owner Ava Logan character, based in no small part on her own experience in the news biz. \u201cTell Me No Lies,\u201d the first in the series, debuted in February, 2017, and explained all about the ginseng poaching as well as the murder, and Ava Logan\u2019s part in both.\u00a0\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amazon link<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Tell Me No Secrets”<\/a><\/span> and “Tell Me You Love Me<\/span><\/a>” are available as well.<\/span>
\n“Tell Me Where You Are” will be available in the Spring of 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a look at www.lynnchandlerwillis.com<\/a><\/span> for updates about the series and Ms. Willis\u2019 other Award Winning work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Willis’ Facebook Author Page<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

*Photo credits:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Smokies, Ginseng, Footprint \u2013 Google<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Lynn Chandler Willis, Blue Ridge Highway \u2013 Patti Phillips<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Save<\/span><\/p>\n

Save<\/span><\/p>\n

Save<\/span><\/p>\n

Save<\/span><\/p>\n

Save<\/span><\/p>\n

Save<\/span><\/p>\n

Save<\/span><\/p>\n

Save<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Visiting Detective – Ava Logan; Crime in Appalachia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1,115],"tags":[269,90,271,4,270,213],"class_list":["post-4311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-visiting-detectives","tag-appalachia","tag-crime","tag-ginseng","tag-murder","tag-north-carolina","tag-visiting-detective"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4311"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4330,"href":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4311\/revisions\/4330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}