A musician and songwriter, Clyde Edgerton has penned multiple best-sellers and has had five of his novels named New York Times Notable Books. In The Bible Salesman, Preston Clearwater is scoring cash working a car-theft ring in post-World War II North Carolina. When he picks up 19-year-old Bible salesman Henry Dampier, Preston convinces the kid that he's an FBI spy. And before Henry knows what's up, he finds himself in way over his head with no apparent way out.
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"This book really surprised me with it's humor and style. I was thoroughly enjoying it when he met Marlene and then I was a goner for it. Since that is my name his obsession with her name, repeating it so much, ... well, I felt that he wrote it for me. Silly Marlene, it's not really about you!"
— Marlene (5 out of 5 stars)
" I love his books. They are simple, sweet stories. You can visualize his characters. "
— Janet, 2/12/2014" This is a quirky but charming southern tale. "
— Leslie, 2/10/2014" the audio version is entertaining. the narrator is really great! "
— Kadie, 2/6/2014" I checked it out from the library on the strength of the Sedaris blurb on the front. Unlike Sedaris, I didn't find it laugh out loud funny, and only really found a couple scenes humorous. That said, it has a good story, and it's told well, with an interesting main character, and his girlfriend is pretty interesting, too. It's a guess, but I bet that there's a lot more going on here than meets the eye, and if you wanted to do a little digging into it you could find some nice Biblical toplogies. Even if you don't find them (and I didn't) it's still entertaining. "
— Steve, 1/30/2014" Pretty good novel set in the Deep South that flits around in setting--too much flitting around actually--from the early '50s and back. It follows a sweet, naive door to door Bible salesman who is in his early 20s who gets drawn into a car thief ring thinking he's secretly working for the FBI. Lots of colorful southern characters in this short, quick book. Kind of wish it had been set more in the '50s w/ less family flashbacks. "
— Joshua, 1/27/2014" Eh...just not my cup of tea. Rod really liked it. "
— Hanje, 1/22/2014" Amusing, easy to read. Good beach read. Likeable main character. Classic "Southern fiction." "
— Annieamw, 1/14/2014" bleech. I didn't make it thru ch 1. "
— T, 1/8/2014" This is an okay book, I was told it was funny but I saw little humor in it. I found the story confusing as it travels between time periods. "
— Marylu, 11/26/2013" Nice little story about a young man in 1950 who wants to do well and do right and, hopefully, make a lot of money. He falls in love and steals cars for the FBI. "
— Scot, 10/10/2013" I found out about this book under the "Bookshelf" section of Oprah magazine. This was okay. "
— Chrissy, 8/11/2013" Edgerton's characters appear simple at first glance but deeper revelations show that sometimes the simple characters offer far greater insight into the profundity of the world. "
— Beth, 7/2/2013" The characters were interesting, but this novel missed the poignancy of Edgerton's other works. There were some very funny moments, but ultimatly they were not enough to carry the novel. "
— Valerie, 7/2/2013" What a great book! I was so pleasantly surprised by how involved I became in the plot & subplots. I'm going to read more of Clyde Edgerton. I highly recommend this book. "
— Kathie, 3/31/2013" Wonderful book, couldn't put it down. Loved the discussion of the differences between the two creation accounts in Genesis. One of his best. "
— Mary, 1/18/2013" I found this book in the bargin bin of a grocery store. The book's $5 price tag, and an excerp of a review by David Sedaris, closed the deal. "
— Michael, 12/7/2012" I enjoy Edgerton. This one was fine but not as good as Raney or Walking Across Egypt . "
— Bayneeta, 12/2/2012" Okay I had lofty expectations for this book because David Sedaris is used as a quote on the front cover saying how funny the book is. I enjoyed the book, but it is not in the Sedaris category by any means. But a cute story with a mushy ending. "
— Matt, 10/2/2012" It wasn't bad...but it pretty much feels like nothing happened, really. Very anticlimactic. "
— Amanda, 9/29/2012" I have read every one of Clyde Edgerton's books! "
— Glenda, 1/17/2012" I was really liking this book - but wasn't too fond of the end. I thought it was really flowing and was into it, then it just abruptly was over... "
— doug, 1/3/2012" I felt Edgerton was milking old themes a little too much in this one. "
— Hunter, 4/3/2011" I usually absolutely love Edgerton's books, but I was a bit disappointed in this one. Not sure why, but there is no doubt that I will read his next book anyway! Nobody can hit a home run everytime! ;) "
— Vicki, 1/17/2011" I was a little skeptical at first but it turned out to be a great read. I could barely put it down. "
— Crystal, 12/12/2010" Enjoyable read, gotta love Clyde Edgerto<br/>n. "
— T.J., 10/24/2010" What a horrible book. I couldn't even tell you what it was about. "
— Jaime, 9/27/2010" This is a great Southern book, but I think I've OD'd on too many good books lately. Edgerton is original for sure, and he did make me laugh out loud. "
— Alison, 9/18/2010" I really liked Walking Across Egypt and was expecting the same sort of thing. This book was a disappointment. "
— Teresa, 8/29/2010" What a great look at this region of the country and religion! "
— Lynn, 8/23/2010" A fairly good read. I was a little disappointed at the lack of his humor (haven't read in years since Raney and Walking Across Egypt). Still, the characters were wonderful and the story pulled you along in many avenues of thought. "
— Brian, 7/27/2010" Classic Edgerton. Full of North Carolina's finest fictional, but very real characters. Edgerton is a wonderful storyteller. What fun to read. "
— Grady, 6/21/2010Clyde Edgerton is an American author and creative writing professor. He was born in Durham, North Carolina, and his books are known for endearing characters, small-town Southern dialogue, and realistic fire-and-brimstone religious sermons. His books are full of humor while still respecting the characters’ integrity.
T. Ryder Smith is an American actor. A native of New York state and long-time resident of New York City, he has appeared frequently on stage, particularly in avant-garde theater works, and in film, sometimes as a voice actor.