THE BOOKS
All of my books are based on real crimes. In my first book, What the Barber Knew, it was The Brinks Robbery, which was unsolved for more than half a decade. In Dead to Rights, it was the suspicious death of a CIA operative in the Drake Hotel in Chicago, which remains an open case. In Pack of Scoundrels, I focused on the unsolved murder of teenager Cricket Coogler. I hope you enjoy the history as much as the mystery. My latest book, The Girl in the Orange Maillot is based on the tragic consequence of a false accusation — the death of a close friend.
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Dead To Rights
1953. David Elliott is a college sophomore American Literature major who also plays baseball and has a propensity to jump into things without looking. When his revered professor Steven Jeffrey ostensibly commits suicide, David receives a coded letter from him a day later. With the help of his cousin Judy, David is determined to decipher the message and make it public. However, they quickly become entangled in intrigue, murder, and peril masterminded by a cadre of CIA operatives. Only their courage and ingenuity can save them from also falling victims to staged murders. During their fight to survive, David and Judy face revelations both personal and political which will upend their lives. For readers who enjoy mystery novels sprinkled with political and social commentary. A similar reading experience to the “Mr. And Mrs. North” series by Richard and Frances Lockridge.
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The Girl in the Orange Maillot
September 1963: Pastor David Elliott finds himself investigating an execution-style slaying. Eight years ago, the victim falsely accused David’s close friend of sexual abuse of a young girl. Now that friend’s son is charged with the murder. David’s efforts to prove his innocence provokes friction with police investigators, an influential church member, and David’s own life decisions. Meanwhile, two whip-smart women join David in the quest for the truth. The trio’s search propels them along a treacherous path with little to rely on but their sharp wits. To find the crafty killer in time to save their friend, the girl in the orange maillot is the key.
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Pack of Scoundrels
Las Cruces, New Mexico. 1954. The suspicious death of a friend and a CONFIDENTIAL memorandum stolen from White Sands Proving Ground, epicenter of America's postwar space program, plunge yound David Elliott and his cousin Judy into a deadly battle with vicious killers and a powerful coalition of "Patriots." They race to uncover the real name of the mysterious Cholla; the key that unlocks the answers to their friend's death, the memo and the unsolved murder of a teenager. Time is running out.
What the Barber Knew
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David Elliott, adventurous high school junior, stumbles upon the murdered body of his barber, Benny Angelone. Days later David narrowly escapes death at the hands of an unknown assailant who believes David heard or saw something that will send the barber’s killer to the chair. He tracks young Elliott’s every move, looking for the moment to strike.
But what does Elliott know? What did the barber know which signed his death warrant? In a desperate race against time David must find the answers or be killed. His daring efforts involve him in one of the most famous crimes of the 20th century and bring him - and the reader - to the cliff’s edge with a relentless killer.