THE SCRIBE is difficult to classify, other than as a great book, certainly one of the better titles of 2015. It simultaneously fulfills and transcends the promise of THE RESURRECTIONIST, Matthew Guinn’s inaugural work. While set in postwar Atlanta, less than two decades after the close of the Civil War, THE SCRIBE is more than a historical work. Guinn uses the tumultuous setting to reconstruct the mystery genre while treading effortlessly into the horror genre, without taking on the supernatural aspect that’s so prevalent in the latter. Well, maybe he doesn’t take it on. Maybe he does. The lines are blurred here, even as the writing is crisp, sharp and ever so well defined.

The book takes place over the better part of October and November 1881. Atlanta, devastated by Sherman’s infamous but effective “March to the Sea,” is rebuilding and recasting itself as an enlightened (for the times) jewel of the South. The cornerstone of this effort is something called the International Cotton Exposition, which, among many other wonders, features a field-to-factory processing of cotton. It is not without problems --- the exposition is still being constructed, even as it is scheduled to begin --- but it continues to attract attention, in no small part due to the rumored appearance of Sherman himself in what is presented as an unspoken and subtle “all is forgiven” on both sides appearance.

"THE SCRIBE is complete in itself, but Guinn leaves at least the possibility of a sequel open and on the table. As frightening as it may be, to leave matters as they are at the close of the book will keep the reader wondering what is out there, after lo these many years."

However, the proceedings are threatened by a series of brutal murders that appear to be connected. At first, they are visited only upon the most prominent and prosperous of Atlanta’s black businessmen. Atlanta’s police chief recruits the one man he can totally trust, a former Atlanta police officer named Thomas Canby, who left the force in disgrace three years before as the result of what was poor judgment at worst. Canby is not inclined to return, but the restoration of his reputation and, with it, a resumption of a romantic relationship that he left behind entice him back to Atlanta. Canby, paired with Atlanta’s first black police officer, is under pressure from the city’s movers and shakers to solve the crimes quickly. Two additional murders widen the demographics beyond Atlanta’s black citizens.

A somewhat unlikely suspect is arrested, and a swift, violent and inappropriate justice is administered, despite Canby’s insistence that the wrong man has been accused. The killings do stop. Canby is certain that there is more to the murders than has manifested itself, and he eventually is proven correct. What follows is a bit of a nesting doll sequence of events, with one never being too sure where the revelations will stop, or, indeed, whether they will at all. Along the way, Guinn raises the question of evil and its manifestation, and whether it comes from within, without or someplace else. Whether or not he answers his own question bears pondering, and ponder you will, long after the last page is turned.

THE SCRIBE is complete in itself, but Guinn leaves at least the possibility of a sequel open and on the table. As frightening as it may be, to leave matters as they are at the close of the book will keep the reader wondering what is out there, after lo these many years. And perhaps that is as it should be.