The Most Dreadful Witness is a novel about two ill-matched guardian angels who’ve been given the task of looking after a hard drinking college professor. The setting is a small college town in western Kansas, and the professor in question is a psychology professor. Woody Pickens is married, has two children, and a good job. But he also has a drinking problem that is steadily dragging him down. Doug Salty Anderson, the senior guardian angel, has been on the job for fourteen years. He’s a former professional rodeo cowboy from Texas, and a military officer who was killed in action in Vietnam. The job of guarding Woody has become more than he can handle, and he starts making repeated requests for a partner. The Central Office for Custodial Services finally relents and sends in Dewey Davvison, a former haridresser from Chicago. The two men, needless to say, don’t see eye to eye when it comes to guarding Woody Pickens. And guarding this particular college professor is no easy chore. Woody is reckless and sometimes self-destructive, but his escapades are often humorous. This novel examines the causes behind his heavy drinking and rude behavior - his family history, rocky marriage, involvment in campus politics, and friendships and associations. Humor is intended, but the book is filled with serious discussions between the two guardian angels. Dewey is a sensitive, intelligent, thoughtful individual, while Salty is a more practical but somewhat crude man. They clash on occasions, but a fond friendship develops between them, due in part to a coming together of ideas and common concerns. This narrative is not a roller coaster ride through the life and times of a rowdy college professor. It is more a progression of events and circumstances leading toward a climactic ending. And more importantly, although it is strictly fiction, it is a story that could have happened.
