Carla Damron

Social worker Caleb Knowles finds himself in the heart of a firestorm of racial tensions and violence in downtown Columbia, SC. When he interviews young Laquan Harwell, the truth behind Laquan's crime becomes clear-it was born from years of racial mistreatment. However, Laquan's assault on a white storekeeper lights the match that sets the town on fire: a hate crime sparks protests. Protests erupt into riots. Downtown becomes a war zone. The murder of a racist police officer further fuels the violence, and soon Caleb is entangled in a desperate search for justice. As the riots escalate, Caleb's brother Sam is injured, leading Caleb to take rash actions that put his career on the line. As he uncovers the truth about the police officer's death, Caleb's efforts to save a client thrust him into the eye of the storm and endanger his life. Will justice prevail, or will the hate-spawned violence take more lives? Literary Titan Book Award - WinnerAmerican Writing Awards - FinalistA Caleb Knowles Mystery - Book 4

Crime fiction that makes a difference: in The Orchid Tattoo, award-winning author Carla Damron delves into the disturbing world of human trafficking. Social worker Georgia Thayer can balance her own mental illness with the demands of an impossible job. Mostly. But when her sister vanishes in the dead of night, her desperate quest to find Peyton takes her into the tentacles of a human trafficking network-where she encounters a young victim called "Kitten." Kitten is determined to escape. She won't be trapped like the others. She won't sell her soul like Lillian, victim-turned-madam, feeding the dark appetites of international business moguls and government leaders. But the Estate won't let her out of its lethal grip, and her attempts at freedom threaten her very life. Aided by Kitten and, at times, by the voices in her head, Georgia maneuvers to bring down the kingpin of Estate and expose its dark secrets, but her efforts place her-and the few people she allows to get close-in grave danger.

Crime fiction that makes a difference: in The Orchid Tattoo, award-winning author Carla Damron delves into the disturbing world of human trafficking. Social worker Georgia Thayer can balance her own mental illness with the demands of an impossible job. Mostly. But when her sister vanishes in the dead of night, her desperate quest to find Peyton takes her into the tentacles of a human trafficking network-where she encounters a young victim called "Kitten." Kitten is determined to escape. She won't be trapped like the others. She won't sell her soul like Lillian, victim-turned-madam, feeding the dark appetites of international business moguls and government leaders. But the Estate won't let her out of its lethal grip, and her attempts at freedom threaten her very life. Aided by Kitten and, at times, by the voices in her head, Georgia maneuvers to bring down the kingpin of Estate and expose its dark secrets, but her efforts place her-and the few people she allows to get close-in grave danger.

Clawing chest pains and a fiery car crash take one life and change the destiny of four others. The Stone Necklace braids together the stories of a grieving widow, a struggling nurse, a young mother, and a troubled homeless man, reminding us of the empowering and surprising ways our lives touch one another and how, together, we can recover from even the greatest of losses. Carla Damron weaves the stories of four people in Columbia, South Carolina, whose seemingly disparate existences intersect through tragedies realized and tragedies averted. Lena Hastings survived breast cancer and marital infidelity but now faces an uncertain future and crises with her teenaged daughter Becca without the support of the one person she has always counted on. Intensive care nurse Sandy Albright, newly released from drug rehab, confronts temptations from her past and false accusations threatening her career, leaving her to wonder if a drug-free life is really living. Tonya Ladson, a mother whose child is injured in the wreck, must decide if her domineering husband is right and a lawsuit will solve their financial problems. Joe Booker, a homeless man who sleeps in a graveyard, loses his gentle benefactor and must either succumb to the real and imagined evils of his world or find the heretofore-untapped courage to care for himself and for others as a stranger once cared for him. Weighted down by their respective pasts, the characters must make life-altering choices that reverberate into the fates of the others, ultimately bringing them together in unexpected but healing acts of compassion, forgiveness, and redemption. The Stone Necklace includes a foreword from novelist Patti Callahan Henry.

KEEPING SILENT (originally published in 2001) is the first mystery featuring social worker Caleb Knowles. In this updated version, we meet Caleb, a clinical social worker, as he tries to prove his brother innocent of murder. Acclaimed sculptor Sam Knowles, deaf since a teenager, is accused of the murder of his fianc e. When Anne Farrell, who was also deaf, is found lying by the piece of sculpture that was used to kill her, her still hands sign the word "No " in a silent scream. Caleb believes his brother is innocent, but Sam, who's battling demons Caleb cannot understand, withdraws into a dark, silent world. He won't defend himself and fights Caleb when he tries to help. When the seemingly unrelated crisis of one of Caleb's clients turns out to be a crucial link to Anne's murder, Caleb starts down a dangerous path, uncovering secrets Anne was keeping from them all. As Caleb exposes the killer, he must also confront the fine line between guilt and innocence to which no one-including himself-is immune.

The Safe Harbor Center is supposed to be a sanctuary for the homeless, but when a ruthless killer strikes, no one is safe. Social worker Caleb Knowles, immersed in the demanding work of housing, feeding, and counseling the colorful array of clients at Safe Harbor, is deeply concerned about the murders. It doesn't help that city officials blame the homeless and plan to use the killings as an excuse to close Safe Harbor for good. There's even talk of razing Zooville, a tent village that is home to some of Caleb's most vulnerable clients. Like the flick of an arsonist's match, tensions ignite when Wyman Carter, a homeless drug addict with a strange fascination for fire, enters the mix. Wyman knows more than he should about the murders, but he's on the run--from the guardian who exploits him, from his past, and from the voices screaming inside his head. Tempers flare as Caleb himself becomes a suspect in the murder investigation led by Claudia Briscoe, the detective he used to call friend. With help from his deaf brother Sam and Henry Rudd, a recovering addict, Caleb faces a firestorm that threatens not only his reputation, but his very life. - - - - - - - - - - Praise for Carla Damron's Caleb Knowles mysteries. SPIDER BLUE "A personable character ... readers will follow him breathlessly to the novel's well-reasoned conclusion." --The State, Columbia, SC "Carla Damron writes with wisdom, heart and deft hand at building suspense, but mostly she writes about characters any one of us could become." --Pamela James, The Writers Room Magazine KEEPING SILENT "Damron's adaptation of the deaf is poignant and exact ... one of the better examples of true deaf characterization." --Deaf Characters, Behind The Fiction