JACKSON CHOICE A novel by Gerard F. Murrin

Where is paradise anyway? Does anyone have a map?

Jackson Choice, by Gerard F. Murrin, chronicles the decisions a man makes in the face of external pressures and internal conflict. After divorcing and feeling disillusioned with his career, Casey Borlen moves to the small town of Jackson to run Kenyon’s Restaurant and experience life at a slower pace. He finds more challenges in this bucolic setting than he expected, as he struggles to motivate his employees, operate his new restaurant, and cope with loneliness in an isolated community.

Casey unexpectedly finds a love interest with whom to share his dreams and home in Jackson. Sarah makes life easier and more enjoyable, until problems arise. The River Club, a golf resort with upscale dining, opens in the neighboring town and threatens Kenyon’s business. Casey befriends Michael Dixon, the owner of the new restaurant and his competition, and inexplicably spends more and more time at the River Club, while he watches as Chad and Darlene, his own employees, are drawn into the debauchery of the club.

Apparently leading more glamorous lives than the locals, the businessmen who visit The River Club from the city cause Casey to second-guess his self-worth and his decision to become a small town bumpkin. Eventually, he begins drinking and exhibiting erratic behavior and, for the first time, he and Sarah lose the openness that has cemented their marriage. It takes a harrowing run-in with nature while lost in the woods for Casey to remember what is really important to him.

After these difficulties, Casey and Sarah restore the strength of their relationship, but not without living through tragedy, as they witness Chad suffer a complete breakdown as a result of his gambling problems and internal struggles. When the FBI comes to town to investigate the River Club, they also discover that there was more to Michael Dixon’s affairs than they ever imagined.

Jackson Choice explores the intricacies of relationships and internal conflict, and their effect on the decisions people make. In thinking about Casey’s predicament, readers will be inspired to reconsider what is important in their own lives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gerard (“Jerry”) Murrin has worked in accounting and financial management his entire career after graduating from the University of Illinois in 1982. Upon reading the latest business letter or writing another internal memorandum, Jerry often searched for more creative releases including making up tales to entertain his daughters when they were on long car rides.   On one occasion his eldest daughter said, “Dad, you should write a book." He replied, “Maybe I will, and maybe you girls should write stories of your own.” Some time after they had arrived home, his youngest daughter presented him with her one-page novel. That (and perhaps a few other things) inspired him to write Jackson Choice. See his other novels, Chez Paradise and Forty Acres.