Elk River Blues

Rusty Clay is having the worst day of his year—the anniversary of the disappearance of his sister Lola, whose taped alternative folk/classic concert has made her a cult figure.

As he is falling into a dismal abyss, in walks one-armed Tooley. He wants Rusty to find his arm that he lost forty years ago.

Soon, Tooley is found dead, killed Civil War Tory style. Later, a mussel diver dies in a diving accident. The man’s widow Mina, with whom Rusty is infatuated, hires Rusty to help prove it wasn’t suicide, so that she can collect on his life insurance. Rusty is sure the accident is tied with Tooley’s murder and even connected with his sister’s disappearance decades ago. He knows local multi-millionaire funeral home owner Jake Brubaker is behind it and it all hinges on a sunken Civil War paddle-wheeler with a cache of rare gold.

Rusty and Mina must fight for their lives. And that they do with the help of Rusty’s psychic Aunt Essie and her monkey Herman, Rusty’s Cousin Ray, his District Attorney brother-in-law Sammy and his ex-lover Gloria Davenport.

Elk River Blues is the second in The Gothic River Trilogy. This and other writings by this author may be found at PQM Books.