Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A body in a rundown Opera House.
Simmering resentment in a small Virginia coastal town.
A missing manuscript.
A dark family secret. Crime consultant and former classical pianist Scott Drayco reluctantly finds himself on Virginia's Delmarva Peninsula in Cape Unity, a dilapidated fishing village where vacation homes once provided a playground for the rich. In the center of town rises an imposing Opera House recently bequeathed by a grateful client to Drayco, whose hopes of a quick sale are soon dashed by the ambitions of townspeople looking for civic rebirth and a new client with dreams of his own personal redemption. When the client is murdered in the Opera House, the letter "G" mockingly carved into his chest, Drayco, assisted by the local Sheriff and his attractive Deputy, navigates a maze of illicit love affairs, hostility over immigration and coastal development and a vendetta reaching across the Atlantic into some of the darkest days of human history. Along the way Drayco must overcome doubts about his own past that cost the lives of two innocent children on his last case - before the tensions in Cape Unity explode into more violence, and he becomes the next victim.
Synopsis
A Shamus Award Finalist and Named Best Mystery in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Still suffering nightmares from a case that ended tragically, brilliant freelance crime consultant Scott Drayco considers retiring from crime solving altogether. When a former client bequeaths Drayco a rundown Opera House in a Virginia seaside town, he figures he'll arrange for a quick sale of the place while nursing his battered soul in a peaceful setting near the shore.
What he doesn't count on is finding a dead body on the Opera House stage with a mysterious "G" carved into the man's chest. With hopes for a quick sale dashed and himself a suspect in the murder, Drayco digs into very old and very dangerous secrets to solve the crime and clear his name. Along the way, Drayco must dodge a wary sheriff, hostility over coastal development, and the seductive wife of a town councilman-before the tensions explode into more violence and he becomes the next victim.
Want to read a Scott Drayco novella for FREE? Sign up for BV's Mysteries in Crimetime newsletter at bvlawson.com and receive a FREE copy of "The Maltese Moon Rock"
Scott Drayco Thrillers in order:
PLAYED TO DEATH
REQUIEM FOR INNOCENCE
DIES IRAE
ELEGY IN SCARLE
THE SUICIDE SONATA
PRAISE FOR BV's MYSTERIES IN CRIMETIME:
"Worth putting on your reading list." - The Library Journal
"Lawson's protagonist is greatly compelling." - Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize
"Lawson uses the gothic features of the abandoned Opera House to great effect, creating an atmospheric background for the crimes and the solving of them, all of it accompanied with music that's almost like another character. The pace never sagged and it kept me enthralled." - Long and Short Reviews
"Lawson's book was so good, I read it twice from beginning to end...The citizens of Cape Unity are as diverse and multi-layered as any person living in the large cities, and Lawson portrayed them splendidly." - Reader's Favorite Reviews
"The storyline here is nicely structured, and creatively ties together two murder mysteries, which occurred decades apart. The small town setting is ideal, the lead character engaging, and the supporting cast interesting and diverse." - Omnimystery News
"A nice tight mystery in a realistic setting. Totally enjoyable." - Terrie Farley Moran, national bestselling author of the Read 'Em and Eat Mystery Series
"Now this story was close to brilliance...The plot was fast, dark and thrilling." - IHeartReading.net
All in all, an excellent read for lovers of quality mystery fiction." - Jacqueline Seewald, author of The Inferno Collection