Murder Most Public
A US Marshal Ward Wilkinson Murder Mystery Adventure
When Ted Harper, one of the wealthiest men in Bedford County, Tennessee, is shot dead in broad daylight, on a Saturday afternoon, in the main street of the small railroad town of Buckland Station, none of the townspeople, including the business associates he was allegedly meeting, come forward and admit to hearing or seeing anything. At first, it appears that that the lack of cooperation or evidence will render the crime unsolvable. Then, the dead man’s politically connected family petitions the governor’s office for assistance. A request is made to the Federal District Judge, and he responds by ordering U.S. Marshal Ward Wilkinson and his Deputy, Tom Seibert, to Buckland Station to determine who killed the man, and why.
The marshals soon learn that Harper had a deserved reputation as a violence-prone, unethical predator and that those who might have wanted him dead number in the dozens. Was this a private quarrel? An organized conspiracy? Vigilantism? Further complicating the marshal’s task is finding a wanted bank robber and murderer residing in the area.
The answers the lawmen seek lurk in the dark corners of the community, behind barriers of long-delayed justice, hatred, and a defiant attitude of justified revenge. And the exposure of this well-hidden truth might be fatal to anyone disturbing it. Ward and Tom will have to work their way through a slew of complex characters and scenarios to find the killers and bring them to justice.
Praise for Murder Most Public
About
Jim Siburt attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University and Vanderbilt University, where he earned post graduate degrees in History and Library & Information Science. His non-fiction works have appeared in Civil War Times Illustrated, America’s Civil War, The Tennessee Historical Quarterly, and others. He’s written several volumes of historical mysteries and police procedurals; most of them set in 19th century Tennessee. His debut novel is Murder Most Public: A U.S. Marshal Ward Wilkinson Murder Mystery Adventure.
Retired from a career as a librarian for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Nashville District, he lives in Middle Tennessee, enjoys travel, golf, sampling beer from around the world, and following the fortunes of his favorite sports teams. He is a member of the Western Writers of America and the Middle Tennessee Authors Circle.
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