What's Sporting About Murder?

According to my American Heritage Talking Dictionary, a sport is "An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively." Doesn't quite fit the current discussion, but one of it's synonyms is "distraction." The slaying in A Sporting Murder is definitely distracting to Greg and Jill McKenzie as they pursue an investigation into reports of something kinky about an effort to bring an NBA basketball team to Nashville.

As you'll note here, I now have a cover for the book, also a release date: October 15, 2010. The story takes place around Christmas, and it'll be out just in time for the gift-buying season. I wouldn't say it's a Christmas story but a story with a tie-in to Christmas. Matter of fact, it winds up on Christmas Day.

This is the fifth book in the Greg McKenzie Series and, like most of the others, takes place around the Nashville area. Besides a group of businessmen intent on bringing an NBA team to town, it includes a rival group of Nashville Predators NHL hockey fans dedicated to thwarting their efforts.

One interesting feature of the new book is a character modeled after information provided by a former cop, who told me how the city's crime was divided up several years ago by four kingpins who each ruled a specific territory. They were involved in illegal gambling, such as Vegas-type machines.

This is my second novel that includes a character named after a real individual. The first time I chose someone in a contest. This time a friend insisted I use him as a bad guy. You'll have to read the book to find out if he's the bad guy. He has a rather unusual name, which gave me some ideas on how to use him. Louie Aregis, besides being a character in the book, is owner and chief instructor of Aregis Taekwondo in Goodlettsville, a Nashville suburb. Our grandson, Justin Jones, now nearly thirteen, received his probationary black belt there last year.

With a new book coming out, it means I'll have to revise my website. That will take a little thought, so it may be delayed a bit. However, I should soon have the opening chapters of A Sporting Murder available for viewing.

This will be my third release by Night Shadows Press.