Mystery Novels

Brent and Athena meet accidentally on a sinking cruise ship. They help two wheelchair-bound people onto the last lifeboat and have to swim to safety. As a result of their heroic act, and a somewhat revealing picture of them, they become an internet sensation. They embark on a successful career modeling and making endorsements. Their lives are progressing relatively smoothly until they are kidnapped and two imposters take their place — with a plan to assassinate the President.

The story of two men, both high school dropouts. In 1968, Horace (Ho) Narwhal is caught in a robbery. The judge drops the charges under the condition that he volunteers for the draft. Kenny Sturgis, in 1980, becomes infatuated with a slightly older woman who comes on to him. The book follows Ho and Kenny — as Ho grows up and Kenny pursues his relationship. Eventually the two men meet up when Kenny is convicted of a murder he didn't commit. Ho and his wife help Kenny escape the tight frame his lady friend has constructed for him.

Dwight comes home after a divorce hoping to have peace and quiet while he finishes his next book. Soon he becomes involved with Cathy, who tells him about a mysterious right-wing group her husband has become enamored with. The group claims to be descendants of Vikings who came to America before Columbus and mermaids who met them here. As far-fetched as this story seems, the group has developed a large internet following. Dwight and Cathy are convinced the group has to be exposed as the liars they are — but discovering the truth comes with considerable difficulty.

My one book that belies my claim about my characters being realistic. George Wilcox finds himself reincarnated as a dung beetle — and is quite sure he was murdered. He wants to find out who did it. This presents several obvious difficulties: he is in Africa, not the United States; he can't talk; and some people might find him repulsive. He finds a way to communicate using a computer and convinces freelance writer Judy Clayton to take him from Africa to the US. George and Judy finally enlist some friends to help solve George's mystery — but it is not an easy task.

Phil Philemon's wife is killed in an auto accident caused by a drunk driver. His grief is compounded when the drunk driver gets off with a very light penalty because of a police error. Phil goes into a deep depression and only comes out of it when he devises a plan to seek revenge. He cannot take his revenge directly because he has made some public threats. He decides to poison people who, though obviously guilty, have gotten off on legal technicalities. Phil enlists a friend, Ralph, a computer expert, and they travel around the country investigating and eventually poisoning their victims. Will they get caught — and how will they affect the person Phil really wants to get?

This book starts where Round About Revenge stops. Phil's new girlfriend, Sherry Ahearn, enlists him in a scheme to punish men who have engaged in sexual harassment. The difficulty: it often occurs when the man and his victim are alone together, and when a woman accuses the man, the tables are often turned on her. To overcome this, Phil and Ralph plant cameras to catch the man in the act. When the men proclaim their innocence, Phil and his companions provide the victims with the video evidence needed to prove their cases. They are successful in several instances, but things do not always go smoothly.

A tort case turns out horribly for the Watsons. A woman injured outside their shoe store claims the accident happened inside the store. Luckily for the Watsons, their daughter is engaged to Ralph — Phil Philemon's partner in crime. The two partners discover that the judge and the attorney involved in the case are crooks, so they devise a scheme to steal the judge's ill-gotten gains. They argue that the crime might pay because the judge cannot come after them for stealing money he stole in the first place. Things are going swimmingly until the judge finds out who took his money.