J. Thurbin, a new writer to the fictional crime scene. He has a unique and fast moving style that will appeal to the reader who likes mysteries that are in the genre of those by John Grisham and M.C. Beaton. His book has all the ingredients that one would expect to find in a classic murder mystery. It is centered on an ivy covered Victorian house set within the campus of a modern University just outside London. A group of five academics find themselves embroiled in a series of vicious attacks that are linked to incidents that took place 100 years earlier. The main character, Ralph Chalmers, a Professor of International Business, attempts to unravel the links between a 100 year old skeleton found on the site and a series of recent attacks in the University, while at the same time courting an old flame from his days as a student at Cambridge University. Inspector Linham and his Sergeant Wilson also strive to apprehend the villains and lend an air of authenticity to the investigations. As the plot thickens, various members of the academic staff are seen to have motives that would also implicate them in the events that unfold. The atmosphere of jealousy and mistrust is stimulated by the character of the head caretaker, Jack Welsh, a retired army Master at Arms who has compelling reasons for wanting to unravel the mystery. The book is fast moving in that the plot moves to Australia, France, Monte Carlo, and the world of diamond trading, while delving into the backgrounds and lives of the main characters. A final twist will leave the reader surprised at how greed and desperation can result in tragedy. Thurbin manages to entertain by depicting the frailties of his main characters in all too familiar ways, while at the same time adding just enough intrigue to keep the reader turning the pages. This novel is for anyone who likes the thrill of a good mystery with plenty of action coupled with the element of surprise. -------------------------------

    

    I was ten. I made a new best friend. And, I became a murderer. Yep. You heard right. The summer of 1987 was the ninth stop for yours truly on the great prison tour of my childhood. Every year a new town and a new prison to explore. I wasn’t yet a murderer. Not at the beginning. Just the plain old son of a warden in jeans with permanent grass stains and threadbare sneakers that wore me more than I wore them. Life as the son of a Federal prison warden never felt weird until I turned 10. I was still a naive little waif until that nasty summer when everything changed. Now I sit here in my suit, so far removed from the boy of 1987 Virginia that I feel like I’m perfectly qualified to judge him. But when the window’s open, all I have to do is get a breeze from which I can detect the gluey stink of split black locust, or hear the froggy grind of a woodcock’s call, and then I’m no longer qualified. There I am, back under the hot sun, at the edge of the creek stinking of heat and moss. I am that boy again. And I can make out the line of Redcoats marching in ramrod-straight formation along a pink-feathered sea of mountain laurel in the distance..." What happens when a ten-year-old boy becomes friends with an inmate? Jimmy Allen's about to find out, and the crash of reality will stick with him for an eternity. The author of the USA Today bestselling Corps Justice series pens a coming of age story about youth, strength and the bravery of bonds between friends.

    The unsolved shooting death of Mayor Hank Richards has a five-year curse hovering over the historic mountain community. Townspeople look over their shoulders in fear as neighbor accuses neighbor. Rumors of buried moonshine money captivate those seeking unearned riches, but haunt Emily Edwards, the strong-willed granddaughter of the purported moonshiner. Shortly following the murder of Mayor Richards, James Wolsey returns from college to help his mom manage the family’s hardware business. James and Emily are traveling diverse paths when they meet, but quickly align on a common course. If not for obsessed treasure hunters convinced Emily possesses a map, it seems their future together is promising. The couple's attempt to dispel rumors of buried treasure leads them to the gravesite of Emily’s ancestor beside the New River. What they uncover at the river’s edge propels them into the path of the mayor's killer, and unleashes a chain of chilling events that forever changes Sunset Peak. Mayor Richards’ murder will not be the last in the previously peaceful town.