Title: Bring the Judgement
Author: Darin Fortner
Genre: Historical Mystery
Book Blurb:
It began with the discovery of a body along the roadside, but it didn’t end there…
To the sheriff of Bishop’s Hill, South Carolina, the solution was obvious. In his sleepy little county there was hardly any crime to speak of, and the dead man was a bully and a blackmailer. It was only a matter of time before one of his victims turned on him. But when the attacks continue and the death toll begins to rise, the town council insists on enlisting help from an unexpected source: Major Booth Sommerlott, a local landowner and Army veteran whose analytic mind and keen powers of observation are sorely needed.
Together the two men will follow the evidence to a startling conclusion, and a life-or-death confrontation with a ruthless killer. "Bring the Judgement" is a mystery in the Golden Age style, set in the period between the world wars, where an intricate chain of clues leads to an unexpected finale.
Excerpt:
“Jess,” Talmadge said abruptly, “I’m going to ask you to do me a favor. You’re not going to be happy with what I’m going to ask, I know, but it’d be a great help if you’d do it. What with Marcel Carr gone as he is, and no one knowing when he’ll be back, or if he’ll be coming back at all, I’d be obliged if you’d slip me the key to his room. I want to step in and take a quick look through his papers, that’s all. I think there’s a chance he’ll have something in his room that’ll help me understand what all’s been happening lately.”
“You don’t think he has something to do with these shootings?”
“I don’t think he’s Perry duBree’s killer, if that’s what you mean. But there may be something in among his papers to help point me to the man who is.”
Mrs. Brett wrung her hands together. “If my other boarders see you coming in and out of his room, they’ll know I gave you the key, and then where will I be? If a body can’t have a private place of their own. . .” She sighed. “You’re sure this will help you find out who shot Mattie Armstrong?”
“You know I wouldn’t ask a thing like this if it wasn’t necessary, Jess.”
She turned to Sommerlott in mock appeal. “You see how he twists my little old arm, don’t you, Major? And when my boarders all start packing their suitcases and leaving me because they don’t trust me anymore, and I have to sell my home and go live with my maiden aunt, it’ll be on your head, John. . . Oh, hang it all!”
She led them across to her bedroom, where she kept the spare keys to her lodgers’ rooms. As she held one of them out to the sheriff she said archly, “I do believe this means you owe me, John.”
Talmadge, who could picture with crystal keenness what his wife would say to this scene, only smiled vaguely and turned quickly on his heel.
“On the left at the top of the stairs,” she called after them.
As they climbed the wide steps Talmadge said, “You follow my thinking, don’t you, Major? I know Marcel Carr isn’t the killer, so that leaves only one reason for him to take fright and clear out like this- he knows who the killer is, and is afraid he’ll be coming after him next. What I’m hoping is he has something in his room, some clue, that’ll tell me the name of this person, or at least start me on a good clear trail to him.”
“It sounds plausible,” Sommerlott murmured.
Talmadge reached the top of the stairs first and moved briskly to insert the key into Carr’s door. Sommerlott followed a few steps behind, and when he reached him the sheriff was already turning the knob. The door opened but a few inches and then stopped, knocking against some obstruction inside. Talmadge thrust his head into the opening.
“Well,” he said, his voice muffled, “he didn’t go so very far, at that.”
He withdrew his head and the major took his place. Marcel Carr’s body was sprawled face-down on the bare wooden floor of his room, his feet against the door and the back of his head bloody.
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Readers can travel back in time to experience a 1930s South Carolina small town while following the main characters’ desperate hunt for a mass murderer.
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Author Biography:
Darin and Sarah Fortner have been happily married for ten years and live in west-central Indiana, where they are the proud parents of an adorably affectionate red tabby. They enjoy watching a variety of TV shows and movies, especially mysteries (although Sarah tends to solve the mystery too quickly!). They also enjoy puzzles and games of all sorts and spending time with loved ones. In addition they serve as volunteer ministers in their community.
Darin has held a variety of jobs over the years, primarily in customer service. From an early age he has delighted in exploring the world of books and has written stories to amuse himself. In recent years he has self-published two historical mystery novels detailing the investigations of a WWI veteran in South Carolina in the 1930s. Sarah has an Associate of Applied Science degree in Office Administration, and has held positions in fields ranging from retail grocery to mental health. She is a master at learning and using different kinds of computer programs. She also shares a love of card games with various family members and friends.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://fortnercreations.com/