It’s been over two years since the last Calvin Watters mystery by Luke Murphy, but some things are worth the wait. Murphy is the internationally best-selling author of the Charlene Taylor Mystery series and the Calvin Watters Mystery series.
Dark Horse is the fifth book in the Calvin Watters Mystery series.
Calvin is back and this time he's definitely out of his comfort zone. The sleepy Mississippi town of Port Hope is a far cry from Vegas or Los Angeles. When a friend from his college football days at USC asks for help solving a murder, how can Calvin refuse?
Investigating the murder of Vanessa Holmes, an African American teenager, seems of little importance to the local police or anyone else in Port Hope, except her family. In desperation, her brother, Roger reaches out to his former teammate.
Southern hospitality abounds in the Holmes household. As Delilah Holmes grieves the loss of her daughter, she’s also determined to pamper Roger and Calvin with sweat tea, home cooked meals, and a mother’s love. Calvin’s glimpses of the family life fate denied him fuel his determination to find the killer and give this family closure.
The townspeople, however, aren't thrilled when a 6'5" African American Vegas PI arrives and begins asking questions. Racism still bubbles beneath the surface of many communities and Port Hope is no exception. Was her death racially motivated or are there other secrets hiding in plain sight? Far away from his West Coast contacts and Las Vegas support system, Calvin must decide who to trust.
Should he accept the overtly racist police chief’s claims that his department is investigating Vanessa’s murder, but has no credible leads? The police haven’t allowed Roger or Miss Delilah to view Vanessa’s body. What are they hiding? Can he trust Deputy Eric Scully? Calvin inadvertently ended Scully’s college football career, and he might be holding a grudge.
Calvin’s inquiries reveal a side of Vanessa her family isn’t prepared to accept. Her high school friends and teachers have their own secrets. Did Vanessa discover something that got her killed?
Lots of twists and turns with the adrenaline-fueled action readers of Calvin Watters mysteries have come to expect. Murphy has done his homework about the American South. He’s “spot-on” about the sweltering heat and the importance of sweet tea, and macaroni and cheese. He also nails the hidden racism and sense of denial that still permeates many of the rural areas struggling to balance the false gentility of hooped skirts and plantations with the realities of slavery and Jim Crow laws.
Other books by Luke Murphy:
The Charlene Taylor Mysteries:
Kiss and Tell (2019)
Rock-a-Bye Baby (2019)
The Calvin Watter Mysteries:
Dead Man’s Hand 2018)
Wild Card (2018)
Red Zone (2020) – Calvin Watters and Charlene Taylor
Finders Keepers (2021)
The Cradle will Fall (2023) - Calvin Watter and Charlene Taylor
For more information on Luke and his books, and to sign up for his newsletter, visit: www.authorlukemurphy.com. ‘Like’ his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AuthorLukeMurphy. Follow him on Twitter/X: www.twitter.com/AuthorLMurphy and Instagram: www.instagram.com/AuthorLukeMurphy
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