The Dead Ringer of Taterville
An Amos Grant Mystery
by
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The Fireman smiled through artificial teeth and studied his reflection in the rearview mirror of his rented black Lincoln. Like uncooked chicken, gobs of skin dangled from his cheeks. He used the point of his sharp knife to flick off a piece of stringy flesh from below his right eye. “Looks like I could use another face transplant,” he said, matter-of-factly. He checked his watch and drew in a breath. It was time. He opened the car door and walked casually up to the Victorian house. He turned. Watson Street was quiet, as usual. Much like most of Taterville. From beneath his heavy fireman’s coat, sweat dripped down his scarred body. He rang the bell with the tip of his knife. This was the best part. The anticipation. He smiled to himself. "I wonder who will answer? I hope it’s his beloved Holly. I just love to watch a woman’s face as the blade goes in." He stepped back, and waited. "Either way," he thought, "I’ll have my revenge."
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About the Book
When Amos Grant’s old nemesis, Lester Dowd, the face-changing Fireman, emerges from the tropical Florida heat and stabs Holly, Amos’s grief over his wife’s death becomes unbearable.
Devastated, he tries to drown his sorrow with his old friends, Jim Beam and Jack Daniels. Holly comes back from the grave to straighten him out. He doesn’t know if her visits are real, or not. His best friend, Buford Billings, advises him to seek psychiatric help.
In the meantime, life goes on in Taterville with mounting troubles from banker Clayton Armstrong and his new hand-picked sheriff. On top of everything, Amos’s old newspaper competitor, Travis Lane Robertson, shows up as a new business associate of Armstrong. Then, when Amos finally regains his mental balance, the Fireman returns for another deadly showdown. Perhaps the last. Unfortunately, Amos doesn’t know the Fireman’s new secret identity. And time is running out!
Like the two previous Amos Grant mysteries, Dead Ringer moves with a rapid pace that will keep you turning pages and out of breath until the very last sentence.
About the Author
E. P. Ned Burke has worked in the publishing field for three decades as editor of newspapers in Pennsylvania and Florida and as editor/publisher of three nationally circulated magazines. He is the author of seven novels and numerous short stories and articles. Currently, he is president of E. P. Burke Publishing and serves as the online editor of Yesterday's Magazette and The Perspiring Writer Magazine. He is also owner of My Personal Copywriter, Ebooks On Writing, Ebooks For Marketeers, and The eBay Book Nook Depot. An avid reader, golfer, and film buff, he lives in Sarasota, Florida with his writer/author wife, Carrillee Collins Burke.