The Jon Mote Mysteries is a series of novels narrated by one Jon Mote, a man with many problems—psychological, relational, and spiritual. But also a man blessed with a sister, Judy, who, while cognitively disabled, is also a sort of saint, doggedly devoted to holding her brother together while he tries to find his way home.

In the first in the series, Death Comes for the Deconstructionist, Jon battles, with Judy’s help, the multiple voices in his mind that speak to him and contest for control. In the second, Do We Not Bleed?, Jon begins working at Judy’s group home and, while trying to save one of his charges from an accusation of murder, discovers that the people he is paid to take care of are actually teaching and taking care of him. And in the third, Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees, Jon finds himself, because of his book editor job, on a Bible translation committee. And the Bible scholars are dying, during committee meetings no less. Why? The last in the series, The Mystery of Iniquity, explores the problem of evil in the characters’ and our lives.

Defining characteristics of all four novels include an investigation of how we make meaning of our lives, intellectual satire, humor, and a sympathetic interrogation of the often painful human experience. With room for thoughts about God, church, and spiritual pilgrimage in the twenty-first century.

Another standalone novel, The Docent of Leningrad, is set during the siege of Leningrad in WWII and will be released in 2025.