Off the Beaten Path

Book excerpt: Private Investigator Steve Cassidy has a knack for finding trouble in the most unusual places. This time around, he gets entangled in a new mystery during a romantic getaway! On a relaxing weekend trip, Steve and his girlfriend Dawn board The Tour of True Terror sightseeing bus to discover the City of Dannenberg's deadly history. The three-hour excursion highlights crimes from the past century, allowing the anxious tourists an up-close look of each murder scene. Final destination: the stately McDowell Mansion, built in 1902 by the most powerful man of his time as the ultimate status symbol. Decades later, it is now known as the site where great-great-grandson Eric McDowell killed his school teacher wife Lucy in cold blood ... or, so claims Guide Rodney Dutton, the Retired Detective who worked the case six years earlier. After a violent confrontation outside the mansion between Rodney and Eric's outspoken mother-in-law, Steve offers to review the court transcript and police files. Not one to retreat from a challenge, he soon discovers that the depth of deception involved in this crime will test his skills like no other case has. Brimming with unforgettable characters, Cassidy's trademark sarcasm and investigative intellect, Off The Beaten Path will leave you twisting in anticipation as its shocking conclusion is methodically revealed.