It's Freebie Time Again

Starting at midnight tonight, Pacific Standard Time, my fourth Greg McKenzie mystery, The Marathon Murders, will be free to download for the Kindle until midnight Wednesday, February 27. You'll find it at this link.

Some people glance at the name and think the story involves marathon runners. A good look at the cover should take care of that. It shows a skeleton seated behind the wheel of a Marathon touring car from the early twentieth century. The book involves a 90-year-old cold case, the murder of the assistant treasurer of Marathon Motor Works, a company that built a popular line of automobiles in Nashville from 1910 to 1914.

Actually, the company took its name from an event at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. Its car models were given such names as Runner and Winner. An industrious entrepreneur bought the rundown, long-vacant plant and office buildings a few years ago and restored them to provide space for artists, photographers, musicians, and other small businesses. That's where I got the idea for my mystery.

In The Marathon Murders, a construction worker finds some old company records from 1914 hidden behind paneling in the wall of a former office. The envelope includes the name of the assistant treasurer, Sydney Liggett, and a note indicating he planned to turn it over to the District Attorney. The job foreman finds Liggett's grandson, age 84, in a local nursing home. He promises to bring over the papers, then disappears.

McKenzie Investigations, run by senior sleuths Greg (retired OSI agent) and Jill McKenzie, are hired to find the missing papers. What they encounter is a string of murders committed to keep the secret of the 1914 documents hidden. The chase takes them to a small rural county near Nashville where things get pretty tense.

The book gave me the opportunity to highlight the work of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which provides a vital investigative arm to law enforcement agencies outside the major cities. Midwest Book Review said: "This fourth installment of the Greg McKenzie Mysteries is proof positive the series remains strong and fresh and is a major contender in the mystery venue." If you're new to the Greg McKenzie series, this is an opportunity for a free look. Just click the link above (after midnight).