Dominie Dean: A Novel

David Dean arrives in the bustling river town of Riverbank after a long journey down the Ohio and Mississippi, stepping off the steamboat “Mary K” with a modest carpetbag and a hopeful heart. As a newly ordained minister, he is greeted by a mix of curious townsfolk and a familiar friend—a rough‑spoken, tobacco‑chewing itinerant preacher—who reminds him to keep a steady mind in the face of new challenges. Among the crowd, the striking Thusia Fragg, dressed in a flamboyant silk gown, catches his eye, her confident flirtation hinting at the lively social currents that await him.

Set against the gritty backdrop of post‑Civil‑War America, the story follows Dean’s earnest attempts to bring faith and purpose to a community that has known hardship and neglect. Through his interactions with the townspeople, the law‑man Hoskins, and the spirited Thusia, readers glimpse a man of big heart striving to make a lasting impact while confronting the inevitable tensions between idealism and reality.