From the author of House Call comes a fiery novel of southern intrigue drenched in shock and materialism. Obstetrician/gynecologist Darden North, MD, weaves another intricate tale as the characters of a quaint, but greedy, fictional town come to life. In this twisted Mississippi community, appearances are not a luxury but a necessity as arson, jealousy, and medical tragedy tangle with old money, beauty, and secrecy in a bizarre backdrop of extravagance.
While the town of Larkspur, Mississippi, exudes that extravagant southern charm, its inhabitants yearn for the more cosmopolitan --- because in most places and concerning most people, appearances are not a luxury but a necessity. No one finds that truer than the Foxworth family. There in Larkspur, or anywhere else for that matter, the life of handsome young Sher Foxworth fills an enviable American dream: smart kid starring as high school quarterback; successful plastic surgeon for a father; attractive, supportive mother; not to mention rich grandparents.
But when his physician father encounters a local teenage girl, her family and his are ripped apart -- throwing the life of Sher Foxworth into a downward spiral, a corkscrew that entangles more devastation and turmoil as Sher himself lands in jail. It is that bizarre tangle with a female police officer that derails him from circumstantial town hero into a journey he never intended -- far from his medical school plans.
While Sher Foxworth belongs to the modern era when careers are chosen voluntarily, he nevertheless is conscripted into a service that neither he nor his grieving grandfather would have ever chosen. Instead of becoming a doctor, Sher becomes a fireman. It is that twist of fate that places Foxworth in a universe parallel to an individual from his past, an arsonist for hire whose techniques are at times unorthodox by even criminal standards, but nonetheless effective. A cell phone call draws the arsonist home from the shadows, back to the same unforgiving town fronted with a tranquil façade.
Behind that façade lurks more tragedy as the anguish of regret and the venom of envy engulf the lives of more players. No person is more resentful than Darla Bender, an aging real estate agent whose internal clock runs to the reverse of her physical looks or libido, and Faith Ridley, whose family falls victim to human greed and error as well as to the wrath of nature. In contrast, the likes of successful attorney Cordell Pixler serve as an object of hatred and bitterness as he ruthlessly survives courtroom battles as well as multiple marriages. But in sexy Rachel, his latest young wife, he may have met his match.
The Pixlers join the other believable and engrossing characters of Points of Origin as Darden North sustains a rapid, tangled suspense. Throughout the detailed action and enticing settings, the reader will cling to the story, riding the surprising climax.
In Points of Origin readers will sample a dose of medical thrills along with the return of endearing and controversial characters made popular in North’s 2005 debut novel House Call. Likewise, lovers of fiction will quickly become immersed in the tumultuous lives of the colorful inhabitants of Larkspur, Mississippi -- a new mix of personalities and jealous egos that plunges the reader into the livid world of southern intrigue.
Read the Reviews
Delta Magazine
Bluffs & Bayous
The Clarion Ledger
Watch the Interviews
To view the interviews, you will need Quicktime.
WLBT, October 20, 2006
WREG, October 25, 2006
WLOX, November 10, 2006
Listen to the Interviews
Lagniappe: Live On Air Interview with Sunny Meriwether
KEDM-FM 90.3, Monroe, LA, March 9, 2007
Live On Air Interview with Mark Carbonaro
KION-AM 1460, Monterey, CA, March 23, 2007, 8:35 AM
Contact the author
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