Major Works
- Deputy: Once Upon a Time in Mississippi (2017)
- The Redeemed (2016)
- A Rented World (2014)
- A Ghostly Shade of Pale (2013)
Biography of Merle Temple
Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Merle Temple joined the FBI in Washington just after high school. He moved back to Mississippi where he earned bachelor and master’s degrees in Criminal Justice at the University of Mississippi in Oxford.
In the 1970’s he went to work for the newly formed Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN) and became the first Captain in the Bureau. He is a graduate of the DEA Academy and the New England Institute of Management. While working undercover, he had many close encounters with drug dealers and organized crime. He also worked as a Special Internal Affairs investigator at the MBN.
After leaving the MBN, Temple held various positions over the years including professor at Augusta State University, a Bell System Security Manager, education chair for the Augusta Chamber of Commerce, Care Management Consultants Chair, and Deputy Superintendent of Education for the state of Georgia.
Temple has been honored with the American Legion Award and received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Mississippi.
Temple took up writing when he retired. His books, A Rented World (2014) and A Ghostly Shade of Pale (2013) are inspired by his real life experiences. For example, his main character in A Ghostly Shade of Pale is a Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Captain.
He and his wife Judy Bates Temple live in Saltillo, Mississippi.
In the video below, Merle Temple speaks at Itawamba Community College, a school he once attended.
Related Websites
- Stowers: Merle Temple’s second installment digs deeper (2014) The Clarion Ledger
- Merle Temple Books Facebook Page
- Merle Temple’s LinkedIn Profile