Three children playing in a barn. A deadly accident...and then a void. When Lorene Whitten returns to Garland, Kansas, because of her father's illness, she is shocked to find that her childhood playmate, Cassa, has been missing all of this time. The Lander farm evokes haunting, ghost-like memories of her little playmate, as if Cassa were beckoning to her from the grave. Lorene starts asking questions and encounters resistance from the close-knit group of three long-time friends and town leaders who call themselves the Knights of Garland, of which her father is a member. Ethan Lander, the boy who was with them in the barn that day, offers to help her locate Cassa. But Lorene wonders if his real goal is to prevent her from finding out the truth. And what of her own disturbing memories? Lorene must find out what really happened that day. Was Cassa the victim of an ill-fated accident, or murder?
At times funny, at times frightening?a fast-paced thriller. When Sheriff Jeff McQuede's friend, Barry Dawson, tricks him into attending a Bigfoot convention at the small town of Trails' End, he finds the adventure is only beginning. He is soon invited by the head of the research team, Dr. Adam Kurtz, to hike with them into the isolated mountains below Lost Man's Peak where few people ever venture. McQuede immediately notices friction among the members of the team?love triangles, resentment, and greed. Professor Callahan has obtained special funding for the project because of his claim to have encountered Bigfoot in this area, and Dr. Kurtz intends to call him out for being a fraud. The first night out trouble erupts. Ted Weiss insists that he spotted Bigfoot near his camp and tells them he was almost attacked. Is Bigfoot really out there, or is someone perpetuating a carefully-planned hoax? When murder follows, McQuede must solve the biggest case in his career!
To create excitement, Ruger, a shady dealer at the annual rendezvous flea market, puts up for auction a locked Civil War trunk with contents to be sold sight unseen! That night, the highest bidder, Zeke Jones, is found stabbed to death beside the trunk. Sheriff Jeff McQuede believes Jones has interrupted a robbery in progress. Several people had offered to buy old coins, photos, and medals from him, which indicates to McQuede that Jones had already sold what the robber had been after. Acts of vandalism follow as the thief continues his ruthless search. Baffled, McQuede must beat the killer to a treasure he can't even identify. Fear spreads throughout the Black River Rendezvous as McQuede tries to discover the secret behind the mysterious trunk before another murder occurs.
Sheriff Jeff McQuede battles treacherous rapids in search of Andy Norton. Twenty-one-year-old Andy, known for perpetuating fake publicity stunts, has wandered from the isolated Rapid River Outpost and failed to return. When McQuede arrives at the lodge, to his amazement he encounters the person he least expects-Loris Conner-who has just days ago left him at the altar. Accompanied by her boss, Arden Reed, the two archaeologists are competing with McQuede's friend, Professor Barry Dawson, in a race to find a rare, ancient Sheepeater site high in the mountains. The Outpost, operated by Doug Kemp, an enigmatic character they call the Captain, and his shady assistant, Milo Croft, has long been rumored to be a front for illegal deals. Mysterious guests include a Bigfoot hoaxer, a researcher of Bighorn sheep, and Andy's estranged girlfriend, who appears to be harboring deep secrets. As McQuede investigates the disappearance of Andy, strange, dangerous happenings occur that he begins to suspect are part of a carefully-planned hoax.
Threatened victim, waiting grave...Sheriff McQuede is called to the cemetery by Ben Ward, a member of Durmont's Good Old Boys' Club. Ward's tombstone, where he plans someday to be buried with his first wife, is vandalized. A menacing date of death, fast approaching, has been drilled into the stone, and splotches of red paint drips over it like blood. Ben Ward and his four partners have sunk vast sums of money into a recreational community, Pleasant Valley Retreat, and this failing project has flamed anger among the investors. As the inscribed date of Ward's death draws nearer, a killer stalks the resort. McQuede must act quickly before a vandal's threats turn into reality.
In the heart of a raging blizzard Sheriff Jeff McQuede discovers a woman frozen to death in her car. At first he believes her death to be an unfortunate accident--until he finds clues that point to cold-blooded murder. Margaret's husband, Arthur, left her in the stalled vehicle to brave the storm and manages to reach Joe Trevino's isolated ranch. The case becomes more complicated because of the recent warehouse robberies at Trevino's store. McQueede finds that Trevino is Margaret Burnell's business partner, and that she has traveled from their Casper store to conduct a company audit. In addition, Margaret has planned to meet with her only child, a run-away daughter she hasn't seen in years. Trevino, the missing daughter, and Arthur Burnell would all profit financially from Margaret's demise. Has a relentless killer tracked and sabotaged the Burnells, or did Arthur simply abandon his wife for his share of the money, leaving her to die an icy death? AN ICY DEATH is the fifth book in the Jeff McQuede High Country Mystery Series. Each book in the series contains a complete story and can be read as a stand-alone.
While returning from Professor Dawson's lecture on haunted places, the last thing Sheriff Jeff McQuede and Dawson expect to encounter is a terrified woman clinging to the railing of Mirabella's Bridge, crying for her lost baby. It looks as if Rae Harris has thrown the infant over the bridge in a fit of despair, but she claims he has been stolen by a ghostly figure she calls Mirabella. Similar to the La Llorona legend Dawson just spoke about, Mirabella was a local pioneer woman who was rumored to have drowned her infant after being abandoned by a lover. At first McQuede believes Rae was driven by madness, but he soon finds evidence that her story may be true, and the perfectly timed kidnapping of her child may be, in some way, related to lecture attendee and local celebrity, Jim Royce, and his vast fortune. Crying Woman Bridge is the sixth book in The Jeff McQuede High Country Mystery Series. Each book in the series contains a complete story and can be heard as a stand-alone.
...AND THE KILLER HAD NO FACE... Lara Radburn arrives minutes after a crime is committed. She finds her renter, Crystal Mar, a local artist, dead. She has been bludgeoned by one of her own works in progress...the sculpture of a fierce lion. Her four-year-old daughter, Karma, has disappeared. In a frantic search through the surrounding woods, Lara encounters a stranger who helps her find Crystal's child. But she soon discovers that Dane Lanford is the man who has taken her late brother's role as head of the local art retreat, a place shrouded in rumors and mystery, and has ties to Crystal through her artwork. To the traumatized child, the face of the killer has merged with that of the stone lion, so she can identify no one. Lara suspects charming Dane Lanford may be Karma's father...and a cold-blooded killer.
The famous Carlo painting Stealer of Horses sells for cash in a small Wyoming town and gallery owner Sheldon Spence gives the $200,000 to his wife, who walks over to the bank to make the deposit... and never returns. A witness claims to have seen a frightened-looking Susan Spence in a battered old Chevy, speeding out of town. And each succeeding clue reveals a different angle on her disappearance. Sheriff Jeff McQuede begins to wonder if this is more than a simple case of kidnapping and robbery. Was Sheldon involved in Susan's disappearance? Or did Susan and a lover fake the scheme, planning to run off with the money they stole from Sheldon? The identity of a victim found shot behind the wheel of the Chevy holds the key to one ominous question: Is Susan Spence a kidnap victim-or is she part of some sinister ploy?
Who killed Judge Grayson? When Sheriff Jeff McQuede finds Durmont's highly respected judge, Phil Grayson, bludgeoned to death in his study, a black executioner's hood shoved over his head, he faces his toughest case yet. The judge has many enemies, including Darin Keefe, sentenced by Grayson and just released from prison. McQuede soon finds out that Keefe's case is linked to a city scandal that may involve Grayson. Seven years ago the judge's best friend, John Harwood, was believed to have taken a bribe from Keefe Construction and to have committed suicide rather than face conviction. Had Keefe, taking the fall, left prison intent on revenge? Or is the judge's murder the result of a robbery gone wrong? Grayson died surrounded by his fabulous Old West outlaw collection, including a death mask, a famous Peacemaker, and other rare artifacts. The intruder could have been after some unknown item of great value. Is the judge's murder a simple burglary gone wrong or a case of modern-day vigilante justice?
Sheriff Jeff McQuede finds 'Bartering Bill' Garr murdered at his rural antique store. Only one item is missing ? a rare artifact believed to be the Pedro Mummy. First discovered in a cave in Wyoming, the Pedro Mummy was reported missing in the 1950s. Dr. Seth Talbot, newly arrived in town, has put out a fifteen-thousand-dollar reward for any information on the mummy, hoping that modern technology will prove his theory that a tiny race of people actually existed: one the Shoshones call the Nimerigar, or Little People. McQuede is astounded to find the mummy in the trunk of Seth Talbot's car. Talbot swears he's being set up by rival co-workers ? Dr. Arden Reed, in particular ? who plans to benefit from his research. McQuede suspects the theft of the mummy is a red herring used to cover up the true motive for the crime. The closer he comes to the truth, the deeper McQuede is drawn into an elaborate hoax that threatens his career and places him in grave danger.
Sheriff Jeff McQuede becomes suspicious when a robber breaks into the Coal County Museum and steals only one item - a black-and-white class photograph. Under the name Jerome Slade the photographer had printed two ominous words: never graduated. When a body is unearthed beneath the newly demolished school, McQuede realizes Slade had not left Black Mountain the night of the spring dance. McQuede soon uncovers hidden rivalries between Slade and his classmates. When he discovers that Heather Kenwell and the woman of his dreams, Loris Conner, were rivals for Slade's affection, McQuede fears finding out the truth. Theft, blackmail, and another brutal killing lead back to photographs taken by Black Mountain's eccentric photographer, Bruce Fenton. While others see an innocent collection, McQuede sees murder in black and white.
