PAST, CURRENT, AND FUTURE NEWS
BELOW IS THE LATEST NEWS AND MEDIA SURROUNDING PAUL A. BARRA AND HIS WORK.
"Book review: sgt. ford's widow" from NPR
"A compelling, suspenseful and moving novel... the writing is so evocative you can hear the silence, feel the heat, sense the danger, anticipate the final joy" - Joan Baum, NPR
CARDINAL SINS
A racetrack chaplain seeking his own redemption assists police to investigate a paddock death caused by an unruly stallion—or maybe a cunning denizen of the backstretch did the killing. He unearths a tale of lust, race fixing, murder, and high drama in the Adirondack Mountains.
ON KINDLE UNLIMITED AUGUST 12TH 2024
SGT. FORD'S WIDOW
With a prospective release date of October 2024, Barra tells an enticing tale set in 1969 Wyoming during the Vietnam war. A veteran cowboy's complex decision to help a Vietnamese widow leads him down a road of thrilling twists and turns.
It's 1967, Tran Thi Linh wants to partner with Gil Ford as the PI tries to solve the Case of the Pigeon-Blood Rubies in the wilds of eastern Wyoming. An obstacle stands in her way: she is dying in the Mekong delta. Ford rescues her, however, and so begins the tale known as SGT. FORD'S WIDOW, a modern Western and an oddball love story set in a milieu of action and danger. By the end of their adventure, Linh is a criminal justice legend locally, who bows to fellow westerners—and has them bowing back..
on Kindle and Amazon (including Kindle Unlimited)
new series: A Big Percy Pletcher thriller
Strangers and Sojourners released June 11th, 2024.
The Apostle Spoons released June 13th, 2024.
Both available for download now on Kindle and Amazon.
Short Mystery Fiction Society
Member of SMFS blog
The group keeping mystery & crime stories in the public eye since 1996.
Barra is an avid member of this group, publishing various stories for their anthologies and blog posts.
The Rap Sheet 2021
"Story Behind the Story: Out of the Fog of War"
Find a sense of the inspiration for the soon to be released Sgt. Ford's Widow directly from Barra himself. In this guest blog, Barra speaks of memories from his naval past that set forth the ideas for the new novel.
When a Stranger Comes to Town
A collaboration work that includes "Assignment:
Sheepshead Bay" by Paul Barra
Mysteries to Die For: A TG Wolff Podcast
"A Scent of Murder"
It’s August, 1968 and the rural community of Titus Town, South Carolina is looking forward to the cow bingo fundraiser. But before Katie Hammet’s Jersey cow can do her thing, Deputy Sandy Buford has to figure out who snuffed out the local hip-pocket lender and emptied his till.