Named Best Mystery in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Finalist for Shamus Award Best Indie P.I. Novel from the Private Eye Writers
Chosen as one of the first Self-E selections by The Library Journal
Former piano prodigy-turned FBI agent Scott Drayco is still suffering nightmares from his last case as a private consultant. To add insult to injury, he's bequeathed an unwanted and rundown Opera House in Cape Unity, a down-on-its-luck seaside village on Virginia's Eastern Shore where vacation homes once provided a playground for the rich. His hopes for a quick sale are dashed when a new client is found murdered in the Opera House, the letter “G” mockingly carved into his chest. Working with a wary Sheriff and his attractive Deputy, Drayco is pulled into a tangled scheme of jealousy and betrayal that reaches across the Atlantic into some of the darkest days of human history. But will he be able to untangle the web before the tensions in Cape Unity explode into more violence and he becomes the next victim?
"Lawson uses the gothic features of the abandoned Opera House to great effect, creating an atmospheric background for the crimes and the solving of them, all of it accompanied with music that’s almost like another character. The pace never sagged and it kept me enthralled."
"The storyline here is nicely structured, and creatively ties together two murder mysteries, which occurred decades apart. The small town setting is ideal, the lead character engaging, and the supporting cast interesting and diverse. Overall, a solid start to this series."
"Lawson’s book was so good, I read it twice from beginning to end...The citizens of Cape Unity are as diverse and multi-layered as any person living in the large cities, and Lawson portrayed them splendidly." -
