A satirical novel with a severe critique of the destruction caused by modern corporate agriculture and large-scale meat production.

Early one November, portraits of the Chief Executives of three major midwestern meat-producing corporations and the governor of Iowa go missing. These incidents seem minor until the dead bodies of the three CEOs are discovered in the hog lots and chicken factories that they own. The governor remains alive but terrified. He immediately orders the state department of criminal investigation to drop all other duties to protect him. The job of investigating the thefts and murders falls to the small, understaffed, sheriff’s department. Initial suspects—a disgruntled young biology professor who has resigned to protest the state university’s support of large-scale meat production, the widows of the deceased who seem a bit too delighted to be rid of their husbands, and an 80-year-old army veteran who is valiantly fighting the proliferation of CAFOs in her township. The sheriff and his deputies are left with a single clue: an ancient pickup truck that belonged to Craven Snuggs, a fierce opponent of large-scale industrial agriculture, who died in a mysterious fire years earlier. The investigation takes a makeshift posse through the woods, prairies, and crop fields of Nachawinga County.

“The Ghost of Craven Snuggs is a compelling, cinematic novel that understands that mind-boggling weirdness often goes hand-in-hand with ‘Midwestern nice.’ In the tradition of greats like Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard, Moffett combines his love of a place with a keen eye for the strange and the beautiful, bringing us a cast of unforgettable characters who don’t mind causing a little chaos as they navigate the complicated relationships, communities, and landscapes that sustain them.”–Dean Bakopoulos, author of Summerlong.

About the Author

Sandy Moffett, Emeritus Professor of Theatre at Grinnell College, joined the faculty in 1971 and continues to teach and direct plays on occasion, serving as a utility infielder for his department. An ardent outdoorsman and conservationist, he spends most of his time restoring prairie on his small farm, writing songs and stories, playing guitar and mandolin in The Too Many Strings Band, and catering to the whims of his three grandchildren. His writing has appeared in The Wapsipinicon Almanac, Rootstalk, Saltwater Sportsman, and other publications. This is his first novel.