Someone kills a master artist in his studio. Lt. Segal and his partner, Walter, race to the River Arts District to investigate. Weapon of choice? Crossbow. Quirky, even for Asheville. A new cop, Dinah, arrives to assist. Smart, athletic and absolutely fearless, Segal is impressed and welcomes her to the team. Segal’s life gets complicated. The victim was the brother of North Carolina’s first lady. Segal can’t decide if she is sincere or devious, but he can’t deny a powerful attraction. A second murder is discovered. Different part of town, different weapon, but none-the-less related to the first. Possible serial killer? The investigation leads Segal’s team through more twists and turns than the mountain roads around the city. From fifteenth century art, to Romeo and Juliet, shady real estate deals to crooked politicians and amateur militia of gun-worshiping louts, will the team be able to crack this case before disaster at the Renaissance fair?

Someone kills a master artist in his studio. Lt. Segal and his partner, Walter, race to the River Arts District to investigate. Weapon of choice? Crossbow. Quirky, even for Asheville. A new cop, Dinah, arrives to assist. Smart, athletic and absolutely fearless, Segal is impressed and welcomes her to the team. Segal's life gets complicated. The victim was the brother of North Carolina's first lady. Segal can't decide if she is sincere or devious, but he can't deny a powerful attraction. A second murder is discovered. Different part of town, different weapon, but none-the-less related to the first. Possible serial killer? The investigation leads Segal's team through more twists and turns than the mountain roads around the city. From fifteenth century art, to Romeo and Juliet, shady real estate deals to crooked politicians and amateur militia of gun-worshiping louts, will the team be able to crack this case before disaster at the Renaissance fair?

AFTER A MURDER VICTIM IS DISCOVERED ON FOLLY BEACH, A RETIREE AND HIS MISFIT FRIENDS MUST FIND THE KILLER BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. After Chris Landrum survives the first hurricane to hit Folly Beach, South Carolina, during this century, he breathes what he is about to discover to be an overly optimistic sigh of relief. When the body of his acquaintance Lester Patterson is discovered with an arrow plunged straight through his heartChriss formerly peaceful retirement on the tiny barrier island suddenly goes from bad to worse. With the help of his remaining quirky acquaintances, Chris launches a relentless mission to stop an imperfect murderer who has already made one critical error in judgment. A weird boardinghouse and a country music bar are all that connect the victimsand now it is up to Chris to determine which one of his misfit friends is the killer and which one is vulnerable enough to be the next victim. Is it Country Cal, a washed-up musician; Harley McLowry, whose name matches his 99 Road King Classic; or songstress Heather Lee, whose friends think a half-dead hog carries a better tune than her? When Chris discovers the police chief is bent on running him off the island, he soon realizes there will be no shortage of roadblocks to finding a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing.

Includes, beginning Sept. 15, 1954 (and on the 15th of each month, Sept.-May) a special section: School library journal, ISSN 0000-0035, (called Junior libraries, 1954-May 1961). Also issued separately.