What would you do if your community was under a murderous siege? Tyler Dodd, owner and Publisher of the Redondo Beach Dispatch, has been through this twice before and both times there was life threatening danger - in fact, Tyler and his loved ones became the targets of the vicious psychopaths. But with the outstanding work of Homicide Detective Ron Buckner, who is also his best friend and presumptive brother-in-law, and the skills of the paper's investigative reporters, they survived. But the pattern of pernicious evil that had started with the serial murders and then followed by the gruesome antics of the copycat killer has shown itself again. The question that seemed unending was: why? Why Redondo Beach? The beaches of Hermosa and Huntington occupy the coastline just a few miles north - why not there? Of course there are times when a question can be just a scratch that cannot reach the itch. Once again Tyler Dodd gets drawn into a series of murders that have been perpetrated in Redondo Beach - or brought there. The answer to the nagging question of 'why' seems to be getting more imperative. These acts of violence are not random - they suggest the presence of a larger more sinister entity. And making it worse is the perception that these murders take place within a maze of distinct possibilities immediately negated by just as many improbabilities. This maze is so full of twists and turns and distorted images that he wonders what it is that he is missing. Of course, where you find Tyler Dodd you will also find Dana Buckner and her brother Detective Ron Buckner. And in every shadow you can be sure there will be the beneficent shibboleth that is Ashton Tate - always ready to help and always far advanced in deductive reasoning.
About the Author: In reading my novels you will discover that I love humor. The sarcastic, but affection crusted banter between Tyler Dodd and the other main characters of the Tyler Dodd series is one of my true joys in writing. But I try very hard to make sure that it comes at just the right time. In reading my novels you will also discover that I like to send the reader off in the wrong direction; to force him to reconsider previously rejected suspects and utterly fail in picking the true outcome. Finally, in reading the Tyler Dodd mysteries you will see that I have given you a wonderful cast of intriguing and memorable characters that we will revisit with every story. I'm in love with them all, just as I'm in love with Redondo Beach. Who says that good mysteries can only take place in New York and Chicago? Daschel Hammit did it well in the foggy and sinister back-streets of San Francisco, Sue Grafton does it well in the distinctly ordinary environment of middle California, Lawrence Sanders did wonderful pastel versions of it in West Palm Beach and Robert Parker found a perfect spot in Paradise, Massachusetts. Redondo Beach is an ideal setting for murderous mystery. Why? - Because it is the antithesis of an ideal setting, that's the challenge. However, if you are sufficiently observant, you will find that I have discretely imbedded in my stories a chronicle of our times - and ours is a mess! Or you might become aware of some wisdom from the past: "If an historian were to relate truthfully all the crimes; weaknesses and disorders of mankind, his readers would take his work for satire rather than history" (Pierre Bayle: Dictionary). Can you think of any time in American history when there has been such dishonesty and deceit? Thomas Wolf said that novelists should be 'the reporters of their times' (paraphrased). Expect to read occasional observations on 'our times' in my stories. These observations may upset some. And to them I can only offer the retort I would expect to come from Robert Parker's incomparable Jesse Stone: "I kinda thought they would."