Michael Pharis is a physical therapist and writer living in Fort Smith, Arkansas. His debut novel, Death in the River Valley, follows a rookie cop in Depression-era Fort Smith as he attempts to solve two seemingly unrelated murders he believes are linked. His investigation pits him against conspiring politicians, masked vigilantes, and even some of his closest friends. Bradford won't stop until he finds the truth, but it might ruin his entire state - and get him killed. 

Death in the River Valley is a murder mystery and historical thriller that blends the Great Depression imagery of Kristin Hannah's The Four Winds with the twists and turns of a David Baldacci thriller.