Tony

C.D. “Tony” Hylton, III

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Crusading Young Newspaper Publisher

and

Corrupt Political Machine

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in Award-Winning Author’s three novels

Three riveting novels

feature the thrilling adventures of Rick Hill, a small town newspaper publisher, who takes on a corrupt political machine in a rural southern West Virginia county in the 1960’s.

The long ruling political kingpins get rich using their political power to hand out jobs to supporters, spend public funds at businesses owned by political supporters, thus influencing every facet of Jordan County life. The novels’ plots stand alone but feature the same colorful characters.

In the first novel, Enough, two crooked political powers react to this principled brand of journalism by engaging in a conspiracy which burns the Lawnsville Crier to the ground and hatches a plot to murder the young publisher on a deserted country road.  The underdog young publisher continues to face life-threatening challenges from those who want to keep the truth from We The People in Jordan County.

Paris Book Festival Honorable Mention Best General Fiction

Hollywood Book Festival Honorable Mention – Best Genre Fiction

New York Book Festival Honorable Mention

The second novel, And Raise Hell, focuses on the trials of those who burned down the paper and tried to murder Rick Hill. As the legal noose tightens the political crooks turn on each other to try and avoid long stays in federal prison.

Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist

Southern California Book Festival Honorable Mention

Comes Around – the newest in the series, published in 2023 –  finds the U.S. Attorney following up on Lawnsville Crier stories about the continuing questionable political maneuverings in Jefferson County. The veteran federal prosecutor launches investigations and secures criminal indictments, only to watch as the man he thinks leads the old-line political faction walk out the Court Room a free man in what seemed sure “open and shut” cases.  He and the Lawnsville Crier publisher are beginning to think the man – Charles Beauregard – lives a charmed life. Then a slip of the tongue opens a door which could lead to justice.

Los Angeles Book Festival Runner Up

Paris Book Festival Honorable Mention

London Book Festival Honorable Mention Best Fiction

Southern California Book Festival Honorable Mention

Northwest/Southwest/MidWest/South East Book Festivals Honorable Mention

San Francisco Book Festival Honorable Mention

Our Publisher - Headline Books

They’re the best. The world agrees – 1054 National Awards, 2023 Independent Publisher of the Year, etc.

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Enjoy these entertaining novels!

Personally autographed copies of And Raise Hell, Enough, and Comes Around are available for $27.75 each directly from the author.

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What People Are Saying

H. Marshall Jarrett

Enough is a compelling narrative describing the machinations of a venal county political machine. Set in Southern West Virginia during the famous 1960 John F. Kennedy Presidential primary, Tony Hylton exposes the tawdry details of exercising power in a corrupt political system. He also captures the determined efforts of a brave newspaperman to clean it up. Enough is a fast moving and intriguing read.

H. Marshall Jarrett
Retired Director. Executive Office for United States Attorneys Department of Justice, Washington, D. C.
Served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of WV

Hoppy Kercheval

There’s nothing like a good old fashioned story about political corruption in West Virginia to pique a reader’s interest. Tony Hylton accomplishes that and more in Enough. Hylton uses his experience in the newspaper business to weave a page-turner of a tale that will leave the reader cheering for principled small town journalism.

Hoppy Kercheval
West Virginia Broadcaster of the year
host of “Talkline” statewide radio show

Ronald Pearson

Hylton’s experience as a small town newspaper editor/publisher makes this novel more than just a good read.  It is a seldom revealed window into the way corrupt political systems operate, regardless of their location and provides evidence of the value of an honest non compromised free press to all of us.

Ronald Pearson
WV State Treasurer, 7/75 to 1/77