Fracktown Gumshoe

The women in the life of private investigator Niccolo Fitzhugh aren't making things easy for him at all. His mother has told Father O'Malley, the priest at St. Rita, he would investigate-for free-the case of Aileen O'Connor, who lost $50,000 to con man Benedict St. Giles and who believes she's part of a rebirth of the Catholic Church. Then Fitz's beloved wife Gracie leaves him for two weeks to fend for himself to take a group of students to Vienna,-and Father O'Malley ends up dead. The case brings another problem-FBI Special Agent Fiona Rafferty who has been on St. Giles' tail since another priest was found dead. Even worse: the history she has with Fitz since she was a new police officer in Fawcettville, could explode in ways that put his life -and his marriage-in danger. Can Fitz resist the temptation that Rafferty poses? And can he rescue O'Connor before the worst happens?

A Saturday of ballistic therapy at the Fawcettville gun range turns bloody for PI Niccolo 'Fitz' Fitzhugh when local social worker and community theater star Anna Maria Ippolito is found murdered in her home. It's personal too-he's been casually dating Anna Maria following his disastrous break up with prosecutor Alicia Linnerman. The discovery of a strange coded journal at Anna Maria's home makes Fitz and Anna Maria's sister Carlotta wonder if she's living some sort of double life, one Carlotta wants to know about before the police get wind of it. A box of clothing and other strange items raises more concern, even as the mayor's wife wants Fitz to investigate her husband's suspected infidelity. When Fitz cracks the journal's code, the two cases converge in a way no one could in this Rust Belt Ohio town could imagine. This is the fourth in Debra Gaskill's Fracktown Gumshoe detective series.

Hometown star Nora Solomon was poised for fame when she was found dead in her barn. Its a sad end to a long acting career that was ready to explode with the upcoming release of two movies. Then Noras nephew contacts Fitz and says Nora was murdered, even though theres nothing to suggest that she died from anything other than a heart attack. The actress certainly surrounded herself with some questionable characters. Her farm help did time for killing a man, her fan club president cant be found and her abusive boyfriend is a former cop under investigation for use of excessive force. Even her nephew has a shady past with drugs and sex workif thats who he truly is. Any of them could be suspects in her murder. But are they? The search sends Fitz down a rabbit hole of twisted relationships and explosive secrets that will tear one family apart.

Unhappy clients and a marriage on the brink of implosion mean tough times for Fitz. When Alicia is kidnapped from her hotel room while prosecuting a high-profile murder trial, the search for her uncovers an ugly subculture of hate that Fitz needs to infiltrate in order to save his wife. What he learns along the way could also save his marriage. This is the sixth in Debra Gaskill's award-winning mystery series.