About the Book
A dead body, a missing motorcycle, a strange key, and dope are at the bottom of the trouble Denton and Alex Davies, and Taffy, their Jack Russell Terrier, run into when they head for their first stop in the Smoky Mountains immediately after early retirement.
All Denton wants is to fish and recapture his wife’s love. Instead, they find the body of Anthony Risler with a bullet hole in his head. None of the campground people, or even the sheriff, pretend to like Denton and his snoopy questions, and everyone seems to be lying.
Denton figures Risler’s missing bike has to hide some kind of evidence that incriminates the murderer. Archie McGhee, the campground manager is self-centered and greedy enough to hide the motorcycle for the murderer, so why doesn’t he know where the bike is now? The Stillwells, although good-looking and popular, brag way too much to suit the Davies. The expensive S-shaped, ruby watch they foist onto Alex ought to play into the mystery, yet Denton can find no evidence of it. The drug-using, gun-toting man who chases Taffy knows more than he’s telling and raises questions in Denton’s mind even when forced to partner with the man.
Why is the sheriff ignoring obvious clues, and why would he leave a bribery note lying around where Denton’s suspicious eyes can see it? When Denton finds the keys with the strange looking C charm Alex and Denton realize only their pastor’s wife, back in Ohio, and the small, cherry-wood box Risler gave her, can provide the final clue they need to reveal the killer.
Denton wrestles with his personal demons of self-blame over his nephew’s death while riding a bike. Alex resents Denton’s riding roughshod over her feelings. When he thinks her love is fading, he’s determined to woo her back. But if he doesn’t find the young man’s murderer, their love may stretch to the breaking point.
Book Excerpt
Chapter One
“You what?”
“I bought—”
“I know what you said,” I growled. A vision of my wife’s closet back home, filled with rows of shoes—basic colors like black, blue, brown, and white, and a rainbow of colors—flashed across my mind’s eye and nearly blinded me. Alexandria Davies had more shoes than any middle class lady should admit to.
We strolled toward the campground restaurant. The lights from the office behind us cast weird shadows on the shortcut path. I scowled and opened my mouth to let Alex hear why she didn’t need that eighty-sixth pair of shoes.
An explosive crack split the air around us and blasted the fussing right out of my head. I dropped to the mossy ground and pulled Alex down with me, breathing hard, my eyes searching the shadowy darkness closing in on us.
The throbbing rumble of a fast approaching Hog drowned out the creaks of nightlife, as the bike tore down the road that ran parallel with the path we were on. In a blur of silver and black, the sole rider wove from side to side in an imbecilic pattern.
Before I could dwell on it, a small, dark car roared by, twenty feet or so behind the bike. All the windows were dark except one, and something protruded from it. Something long, narrow, and ominous.
I blinked and hugged the edge of the road even tighter. Couldn’t be a gun.
Nah. Ludicrous.
About the Author
Carole Brown lives in Southeast Ohio and is always on the lookout for catchy titles and suspenseful plots. The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman, her debut inspirational novel, is a Selah Award Finalist and a ACFW Genesis semi-finalist and also wrote a companion book (West Virginia Scrapbook: The Life of Caralynne Hayman) with discussion questions, quotes, recipes and interesting tidbits to go along with it. The first book, Hog Insane, in her cozy mystery book series, has recently been released. She has also written five children’s books, Racy, the Rabbit, dealing with character traits, and won two awards for her poems.
Carole has written her whole life as newspaper reporter, editor of journals and newsletters, and research manuscripts. When not penning her own novels, she enjoys mentoring beginning writers and founded a writer’s group called Circle of Pens where she can mentor to her heart’s content. Her passion for serving continues in her secretarial work and coordinator for the state of Ohio with ACFW.
She and her husband have traveled extensively throughout the United States ministering and counseling. They have particularly enjoyed the western states where they’ve labored with the Native Americans and many other specific places where she gathers folder for her writings. They continue to enjoy traveling, their grandsons, the country life and city lights, gardens, and good food.
Connect with Carole here:
Carole is also part of several other blogs:
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