Welcome to Cottonmouth

By: Jay S. Bell

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

“Jay S. Bell has arrived and he’s firing on all cylinders. This book is so original and well written that it had to be penned by a legend in the making.”—Joshua Hood, bestselling author of Robert Ludlum’s Treadstone series

What does the US government do with spies and special operators when they pass their expiration date? They retire them to a small town deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas, where they’re certain to cause no trouble.

A collection of broken spies, former double agents, and retired operators lives in secrecy, under the watchful eye of the government in the small, deep-woods town of Cottonmouth, Texas.

Devlin Mahoney is the de facto mayor of these special citizens, charged with keeping them in seclusion, hidden from the world, which he does from the office of the town’s only motel.

But the peace of this sleepy village is shattered when a pair of women, on the run from a vicious criminal, drops into Mahoney’s lap and he’s forced to choose between doing what’s right and doing what he’s told.

©2025 J. Scott Bell (P)2025 Blackstone Publishing

Give this one a try

i enjoyed every minute. Not all authors can pull off wise-cracking, but this one can. The narration is excellent. The hero is my favorite sort; despite considerable damage, he's never morally paralyzed. There's no endless "Can I ever trust again" nonsense. The novel has an Ocean's 11 feel, with a number of characters likeable enough to create suspense over whether they'll succeed. The author is solidly in the "show, don't tell" camp and keeps the story moving. I look forward to the sequel.

Wendy Laubach

Spy Novel of the Year

WELCOME TO COTTONMOUTH by Jay S. Bell may well be my spy novel of the year. It’s smart, fast, and wickedly funny. Packed with fabulous characters, both among the good guys and bad guys. Relentless, propulsive action.

This book seemed to come out of nowhere, which only makes it more surprising that WELCOME TO COTTONMOUTH hasn’t been widely hailed as one of the standout spy novels of 2025. If the genre sometimes takes itself too seriously, this novel gleefully breaks the mold without sacrificing suspense or stakes.

And Devlin Mahony—what a main character. Bring him back, Jay. And what a coup that you landed Edoardo Ballerini to narrate your novel. He’s one of the best in the business. He captured the voices perfectly.

Welcome to Cottonmouth

Cottonmouth is a small town in Texas that is, in reality, a US Government secret. The town's motel manager, auto repair shop owner, restaurant owner, and others are all intelligence or special ops agents - all brilliant and formidable. However, the US Government has deemed them PTSD washouts, over-the-hill, old, or just useless and out of touch. However, they are considered essential or patriotic enough to provide them this lifetime shelter, such as it is - a town we've all seen or driven through - small, dusty, virtually deserted, and forgotten.

A woman and a young girl are stranded in Cottonwood and seek shelter in the motel, as she waits for her car repair. You'll soon learn the woman is on the run.

Thus begins a roller-coaster ride as the team protects the woman, and bad guys fall. The story is rife with pulse-pounding thrills, occasionally hilarious dialogue, and tough-guy Type A characters with gentle hearts.

Highly recommended. Enjoy!

It’s everything a thriller should be….

I always wondered how Jason Bourne, Travis Devine or Will Robbie would retire. Now I know they will end up in a place like Cottonmouth, Texas.

Love it!

Although I'm only halfway through listening, this book is excellent! It has everything: good characterizations, unique plotting, laugh out loud dialog, and the best in the business, Ballerini, as the narrator. He makes everything he narrates better, but he also has good material with this story. It simply doesn't get better. The style of writing, at least to me, is reminiscent of perhaps Deaver or Dugoni, although probably a bit funnier than either of those. Can't wait to listen to the rest of it. Please Jay, write a sequel!