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Death Plays the LeadFrom a great height, a human form hurtled down, glancing off a limestone shelf and crashing through the mesquite to land in a broken heap on the rocky earthen floor....
About the author:Frances McMaster is a writer, artist and
psychotherapist who lives in Fort Clark Springs, Texas. She has
had poetry published and articles related to her profession,
and is a regular contributor to the Brackettville News where
she lives. Fiction / $10.95 212 pages |
Death Plays the Lead is set in an old cavalry
fort now owned by the private sector. The fort was built in the
mid-1800s to protect
settlers from marauding Indians. Here, a strange mixture of past
and present mingle. A body is found on the Amphitheater stage
nestled into limestone cliffs where the blocks were cut to build
the original buildings on the fort. Clues lead the sheriff to
think the murder is related to drug dealers. The victim has secretly
left money to his close friend, hairdresser Dee Martin, but the
money is hidden somewhere in his house. Protagonist Jon McAllister.
a journalist living at the fort while on sabatical to write a
book, joins forces with Amy Mathieson, an Houston artist and divorcee,
to look for the murderer. An anonymous caller pleads with him
to "Look to the past" because the sheriff doesn't recognize
the true motive. Meanwhile, the murderer furtively searches for
the money while a naive Dee Martin actually finds it--unwittingly
becoming the target.
"Frances McMaster's first novel is a clever take on the social scene of a small South Texas town near the Mexican border and the people who inhabit it. Her characters are unique and the suspense will keep you turning the pages."
-Patsy Ward Burk, author of The Knife Struck Four
"Frances McMaster is a master of characterization and clarity.
Death Plays the Lead is a smooth but exciting blend of mystery
and romance in brilliant relief against a colorful background."
-Roy L. Fish, author of Iceman