Mississippi Vivian

When private eye Ted Stephens visits hot and humid Losgrove, Mississippi, in the summer of 1970, he's not there for the mint juleps. He's investigating an insurance scam for his employer in Houston. It should be a routine job. But what happens is far from routine, and Stephens finds himself involved in a mysterious death - and small-town secrets that everyone wants to keep under cover. Everyone's hiding something, from the lawyer representing some supposedly injured men to the waitress at the local café. Stephens can't be sure that even the local sheriff is being straight with him. Before long there's another death, and this time it's murder for sure. Stephens doesn't have any business getting involved. It's none of his business, even if it does appear connected to his case, and he'd prefer to stay out of things. An attempt on his own life, however, convinces him that he'd better find the killer before he winds up buried in the Mississippi soil along with all the town's secrets. This fast-paced historical mystery pits the wisecracking Stephens against a whole town full of oddball characters, especially a killer who wants to stop him before he brings all the town's secrets to light. Bill Crider is the author of more than fifty novels. He is the winner of the Anthony Award and has been nominated for both the Shamus and Edgar Awards. Clyde Wilson was a legendary Texas private eye. He worked with the famous and the infamous. One of his cases was the basis for two true-crime books and a made-for-TV movie. He passed away in October 2008.