[Lady Justice 39] - Lady Justice and the Raven
Page 11
It was the manuscript that led me to the home of Galen and Bertha Unger, where the bodies of Carl and Lenore were buried under the parlor floor.
Following the gruesome demise of Galen and Bertha when their home burned, the manuscript led me to the home of Roderick and Madeline Unger.
Little did I know that this encounter would lead me to assist Roderick in laying his sister to rest in their basement vault after her passing.
In the days that followed, Roderick, hearing strange noises, feared we had interred Madeline while she was still alive.
I still vividly recall the stormy night when he summoned me. Thankfully, we discovered that it was the cat that had been buried prematurely and not his sister. But it was that same storm that brought the lightning that struck and ultimately destroyed the House of Unger.
Before being buried in the rubble with his sister, Roderick gave me the envelope containing a letter to his son, Jacob, and a map revealing the location of money buried forty-six years ago by his grandfather, Carl.
Unable to locate Jacob, Kevin and I decoded the mystery of the map and found the hidden stash of cash.
By some quirk of fate, my previous association with attorney Suzanne Romero, led me to the elusive Jacob who had changed his name. After recovering a formula stolen from the autistic savant, we were able to present Jacob with the money hidden decades ago by his great-grandfather --- money which he designated to aid others suffering from autism.
As I contemplated this macabre series of events, I couldn’t help thinking that it was much like something that might have been written by Edgar Allen Poe himself.
In fact, if I had any writing skills at all, I would love to have written a story about my unlikely association with the House of Unger.
But alas, I’m no writer. Just a seventy-six-year-old private investigator, wondering what bizarre set of circumstances Lady Justice will bring to my door next.
Maybe I will give an account of my recent activities to my author/friend, Robert Thornhill. I have no doubt the he would be able to weave the grim, grisly, gory, and ghastly details into one of his mystery/comedy novels.
Anyway, my name is Walt Williams, and I promise you one thing --- if my wife ever asks me to take her to a craft fair to look for antiques, my response will be an emphatic --- nevermore!!!
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Of all the works of Edgar Allen Poe, my favorite is The Raven.
In Walt’s latest adventure, I, of course, borrowed liberally from a number of Poe’s stories. No doubt Poe fans will have recognized all of them, but for those who are not acquainted with this famous author, here are the stories featured in Lady Justice and the Raven.
The Raven
The Black Cat
The Tell-Tale Heart
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Gold-Bug
The Purloined Letter
The Pit and the Pendulum
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author, Robert Thornhill, began writing at the age of sixty-six and in ten short years has penned thirty-nine novels in the Lady Justice mystery/comedy series, the seven volume Rainbow Road series of chapter books for children, a cookbook and a mini-autobiography.
Lady Justice and the Sting, Lady Justice and Dr. Death, Lady Justice and the Vigilante, Lady Justice and the Candidate, Lady Justice and the Book Club Murders, Lady Justice and the Cruise Ship Murders and Lady Justice and the Vet won the Pinnacle Award for the best new mystery novels of Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Spring of 2013 and Summer 2014 from the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs.
Many of Walt’s adventures in the Lady Justice series are anecdotal and based on Robert’s real life.
Although Robert holds a master’s in psychology, he has never taken a course in writing and has never learned to type. All 49 of his published books were typed with one finger and a thumb!
His wit and insight come from his varied occupations, including thirty-three years as a real estate broker. He lives with his wife, Peg, in Independence, Missouri.
Visit him on the Web at: http://BooksByBob.com
LADY JUSTICE TAKES A C.R.A.P.
City Retiree Action Patrol
Third Edition
This is where it all began.
See how sixty-five-year-old Walt Williams became a cop and started the City Retiree Action Patrol.
Meet Maggie, Willie, Mary and the Professor, Walt’s sidekicks in all of the Lady Justice novels.
Laugh out loud as Walt and his band of Senior Scrappers capture the Realtor Rapist and take down the Russian Mob.
http://amzn.to/16lfjnY
LADY JUSTICE AND THE LOST TAPES
Second Edition
When corrupt politicians, the Italian mob and a dirty cop collude to take over a Northeast neighborhood, Walt is recruited for the most bizarre undercover assignments of his new career.
When conventional police work fails to solve the case, once again his band of scrappy seniors come to the rescue.
In the process, the amazing discovery of a previously unknown session by a deceased rock ‘n’ roll idol stuns the music industry. What should be a joyous occasion soon turns dark as lives are threatened.
All of your favorite characters, along with two lovable additions are back to help Walt in his quest for justice.
Their adventures and misadventures are sure to keep you captivated – and splitting your sides!
amzn.to/1twzOfq
LADY JUSTICE GETS LEI’D
Second Edition
In Lady Justice Gets Lei’d, Walt and Maggie plan a romantic honeymoon on the beautiful Hawaiian Islands, but ancient artifacts discovered in a cave in a dormant volcano and a surprising revelation about Maggie’s past, lead our lovers into the hands of Hawaiian zealots.
http://amzn.to/15P6bLg
LADY JUSTICE AND THE
AVENGING ANGELS
Second Edition
Lady Justice has unwittingly entered a religious war.
Who better to fight for her than Walt Williams?
The Avenging Angels believe that it’s their job to rain fire and brimstone on Kansas City, their Sodom and Gomorrah.
In this compelling addition to the Lady Justice series, Robert Thornhill brings back all the characters readers have come to love for more hilarity and higher stakes.
You’ll laugh and be on the edge of your seat until the big finish.
Don’t miss Lady Justice and the Avenging Angels!
http://amzn.to/1xXrYdY
LADY JUSTICE AND THE STING
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL ---WINTER 2012
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
In Lady Justice and the Sting, a holistic physician is murdered and Walt becomes entangled in the high-powered world of pharmaceutical giants and corrupt politicians.
Maggie, Ox Willie, Mary and all your favorite characters are back to help Walt bring the criminals to justice in the most unorthodox ways.
A dead-serious mystery with hilarious twists.
http://amzn.to/1gS4JMA
LADY JUSTICE AND DR. DEATH
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL --- FALL 2011
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
In Lady Justice and Dr. Death, a series of terminally ill patients are found dead under circumstances that point to a new Dr. Death practicing euthanasia in the Kansas City area.
Walt and his entourage of scrappy seniors are dragged into the ‘right-to-die-with-dignity’ controversy.
The mystery provides a light-hearted look at this explosive topic and death in general.
You may see end-of-life issues in a whole new light after reading Lady Justice and Dr. Death!
http://amzn.to/H20Erx
LADY JUSTICE AND THE VIGILANTE
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL – SUMMER 2012
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
A vigilante is stalking the streets of Kansas City administering his own brand of justice when the justi
ce system fails.
Criminals are being executed right under the noses of the police department.
A new recruit to the City Retiree Action Patrol steps up to help Walt and Ox bring an end to his reign of terror.
But not everyone wants the vigilante stopped. His bold reprisals against the criminal element have inspired the average citizen to take up arms and defend themselves.
As the body count mounts, public opinion is split.
Is it justice or is it murder?
A moral dilemma that will leave you laughing and weeping!
http://amzn.to/1d3FLK6
LADY JUSTICE AND THE WATCHERS
Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games, Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World and George Orwell wrote 1984.
All three novels were about dystopian societies of the future.
In Lady Justice and the Watchers, Walt sees the world we live in today through the eyes of a group who call themselves ‘The Watchers’.
Oscar Levant said that there’s a fine line between genius and insanity.
After reading Lady Justice and the Watchers, you may realize as Walt did that there’s also a fine line separating the life of freedom that we enjoy today and the totalitarian society envisioned in these classic novels.
Quietly and without fanfare, powerful interests have instituted policies that have eroded our privacy, health and individual freedoms.
Is the dystopian society still a thing of the distant future or is it with us now disguised as a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
http://amzn.to/15P5LEE
LADY JUSTICE AND THE CANDIDATE
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL – FALL 2012
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
Will American politics always be dominated by the two major political parties or are voters longing for an Independent candidate to challenge the establishment?
Everyone thought that the slate of candidates for the presidential election had been set until Benjamin Franklin Foster came on the scene capturing the hearts of American voters with his message of change and reform.
Powerful interests, intent on preserving the status quo with their bought-and-paid-for politicians were determined to take Ben Foster out of the race.
The Secret Service comes up with a quirky plan to protect the Candidate and strike a blow for Lady Justice.
Join Walt on the campaign trail for an adventure full of surprises, mystery, intrigue and laughs!
http://amzn.to/19f3XVZ
LADY JUSTICE
AND THE
BOOK CLUB MURDERS
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL – SPRING 2013
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
Members of the Midtown Book Club are found murdered.
It is just the beginning of a series of deaths that lead Walt and Ox into the twisted world of a serial killer.
In the late 1960's, the Zodiac Killer claimed to have killed 37 people and was never caught --- the perfect crime.
Oscar Roach, dreamed of being the next serial killer to commit the perfect crime.
He left a calling card with each of his victims --- a mystery novel, resting in their blood-soaked hands.
The media dubbed him 'The Librarian'.
Walt and the Kansas City Police are baffled by the cunning of this vicious killer and fear that he has indeed committed the perfect crime. Or did he?
Walt and his wacky senior cohorts prove, once again, that life goes on in spite of the carnage around them.
The perfect blend of murder, mayhem and merriment.
http://amzn.to/1aWGg3K
LADY JUSTICE
AND THE
CRUISE SHIP MURDERS
Best New Mystery Novel – Summer 2013
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
Ox and Judy are off to Alaska on a honeymoon cruise and invite Walt and Maggie to tag along.
Their peaceful plans are soon shipwrecked by the murder of two fellow passengers.
The murders appear to be linked to a century-old legend involving a cache of gold stolen from a prospector and buried by two thieves.
Their seven-day cruise is spent hunting for the gold and eluding the modern-day thieves, intent on possessing it at any cost.
Another nail-biting mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat one minute and laughing out loud the next.
http://amzn.to/16VjURw
LADY JUSTICE
AND THE
CLASS REUNION
For most people, a 50th class reunion is a time to party and renew old acquaintances, but Walt Williams isn't an ordinary guy --- he's a cop, and trouble seems to follow him everywhere he goes.
The Mexican drug cartel is recruiting young Latino girls as drug mules and the Kansas City Police have hit a brick wall until Walt is given a lead by an old classmate.
Even then, it takes three unlikely heroes from the Whispering Hills Retirement Village to help Walt and Ox end the cartel's reign of terror.
Join Walt in a class reunion filled with mystery, intrigue, jealousy and a belly-full of laughs!
http://amzn.to/17S9YE0
LADY JUSTICE AND THE ASSASSIN
Two radical groups have joined together for a common purpose --- to kill the President of the United States, and they're looking for the perfect person to do the job.
Not a cold-blooded killer or a vicious assassin, but a model citizen, far removed from the watchful eyes of Homeland Security.
When the president comes to Kansas City, the unlikely trio of Walt, Willie and Louie the Lip find themselves knee-deep in the planned assassination.
Join our heroes for another suspenseful mystery and lots of laughs!
http://amzn.to/1bDdrKJ
LADY JUSTICE AND THE LOTTERY
Two septuagenarians win the lottery's biggest prize, dragging Walt and Ox into the most bizarre cases of their career.
The two 'oldies' are determined to use their new-found wealth to re-create the past but instead propel Walt into the future where he must use drones and Star Trek phasers to balance the scales of justice.
When an extortion plot turns into kidnapping, Walt must boldly go where no cop has gone before to save himself and the millionaire.
Come along for another hilarious ride with the world's oldest and most lovable cop!
http://amzn.to/1exhji6
LADY JUSTICE AND THE VET
Best New Mystery Novel – Spring 2014
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
Ben Singleton, a Marine veteran, had returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and was having difficulty adjusting to civilian life.
Fate, coincidence, or something else, thrust him right into the heart of some of Walt and Ox’s most difficult cases.
Our heroes find themselves knee-deep in trouble as they go undercover in a nursing home to smoke out practitioners of Medicaid fraud, meanwhile, Islamic terrorists with ties to the Taliban are plotting to attack one of Kansas City’s most cherished institutions.
Join Walt and his band of senior sidekicks on another emotional roller coaster ride that will have you shedding tears of laughter one minute and sorrow the next.
http://amzn.to/17GyE3n
LADY JUSTICE
AND THE
ORGAN TRADERS
A badly burned body with a fresh incision and a missing kidney leads Walt into the clandestine world of an organ trader ring that has set up shop in Kansas City.
Walt is determined to bring to justice the bootleggers, who purchase body parts from the disadvantaged and sell them to people with means, until a relative from Maggie’s past turns up needing a kidney to survive.
Once again, Walt discovers that very little in his world is black and white.
amzn.to/1jmde5S
LADY JUSTICE
AND THE
PHARAOH’S CURSE
An artifact is stolen from the King Tut exhibit, setting in motion a string of bizarre murders that baffle the Kansas City Police Department.
A local author simultaneously releases his novel, The Curse of the Pharaohs, attributing the deaths to an ancient prophesy, ‘Death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the King.’
Are the deaths the result of an ancient curse or modern-day mayhem?
Follow the clues with Walt and decide for yourself!
http://amzn.to/1yHlnGE
LADY JUSTICE
IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
With the death of a young black man, Walt and Ox are dragged into the eye of a storm as Kansas City erupts in violence and demonstrations.