Villa Leila: A Muddy Tale of Love & Monsters

"There's bad magic in this river."

The words gave Theo Beckett pause. A few days ago, he did not expect to be back in his hometown of Kenton, Illinois. He did not expect to be cleaning out his recently deceased father's house, and he certainly did not expect to be having a conversation with a talking catfish named Mr. Jones. Life is funny, though, and one should always try to expect the unexpected.

It had been years since he and his father had spoken. Abner Beckett, an icy planet of a man, ...