How do you solve a murder when you don't even know the identity of the victim? That's exactly what faces the police in Opening Day. Following a close brush with death as an NYPD homicide detective, Matt Davis takes early retirement, and accepts what appears to be a cushy position as Chief of Police of a three-man department in a small, rural Upstate New York village. While out fishing on his favorite stream on the opening day of trout season, Matt stumbles across the murdered remains of a body, barely recognizable as a human being, killed approximately six months earlier. With no real physical evidence-no clothing, no identification, and no clues-it's up to Matt to not only identify the murderer, but to find the identity of the victim. Woven throughout the story, are examinations into the pasts of three possible victims, all moving inexorably toward their unknown destinies. But, in the end, it's the revelation of the unlikely killer's identity that will shock this tight-knit community to its very core, and leave the reader begging for more. Opening Day is the second in the Matt Davis Mystery Series, and picks up where As the Twig is Bent left off.
The Story Behind This Book
I spent 10 years as a fly fishing guide in the Catskill Mountains of New York. I wanted to write a murder mystery set in those environs, and so I did. It allows me to mix the business of police work with the hobby that I enjoy so much. I'm hopeful this potpourri of ingredients will enable the book to appeal to a broad spectrum of the readership.
