A Murder, Well-Scripted by Tony Piazza

About the Book

LIGHTS, CAMERA, MURDER. LOGAN’S BACK!

This may be the most challenging of Logan’s cases. When former child star and America’s Sweetheart is kidnapped off the set of a Western film, a producer hires Logan to take on the case. However, complications soon arise, and he’s now not only searching for a kidnapper but a crazed murderer as well. The suspects are plentiful, and the twists daunting as he weaves his way through a mystery teeming with deceit, jealousy, and greed. It’s soon high noon for Logan as he faces the killer in a finale reminiscent of a classic Western showdown.

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Excerpt

I was just starting down the trail when I heard a female voice call out. It was coming from a location below to the right of the path. Near the same cliff’s edge where the camera had been mounted. The voice had said, “Over here!” So, I followed. However, on reaching the cliff, its source was not evident. This should have warned me, but I was slow and lost precious seconds before sensing a trap. I immediately went for my .45, but before it cleared its holster, someone rushed me from behind, and shoving hard caused me to lose my footing and roll over the edge. Falling, I started reaching out, desperately seeking something I could hold on to. Fortunately, some tree roots were protruding from the cliff’s face. They were hanging about four feet down from the rim. I caught hold of a handful of these that, for the moment, had jarringly arrested my fall.

Dangling 60 feet above the roadway, with enormous jagged rocks immediately below, I found myself swinging helplessly while frantically searching for a foothold to ease the strain on my already throbbing arms. At one point, my grip started to slip, causing my heart to leap. I gained another firm hold further down while cursing the sweat now forming on my palms. After taking a few seconds to steady my nerves, I again proceeded gingerly to explore the cliff wall with the toe of my shoe—probing for anything that could support my weight. Dirt and small rock trickled down with each attempt, but thankfully I encountered a solid ridge after a few tries. Carefully and with much effort, I pulled myself to the top of the rim and then rolled safely back onto the ledge. It took a couple of minutes before I caught my breath as I lay on my back, counting my blessings and gazing at the cloudless, blue sky. When I did recover, I ascertained that my attacker was nowhere in sight. However, I did locate where my aggressor had been concealed. Along the backside of the small ledge were several large, smooth sandstone rocks, and behind them, a long trench probably carved out by water. Hunched down there, the assailant would be virtually invisible from almost every angle except immediately behind. I decided to explore this area more thoroughly and had just begun to do so when surprisingly, I stumbled upon something unexpected— a wallet. And when examining its contents, located a California driver’s license belonging to one, Timothy Alan Jackson. It seems the effects supervisor had decided to make a dramatic reappearance— and unfortunately, at my expense!

About the Author

Tony Piazza is a Central Coast mystery writer, film historian, presenter, and veteran storyteller well-known for his passion for writing and movies. 

He is the author of seven mystery novels, “Anything Short of Murder,” “A Murder Amongst Angels,” “Murder is Such Sweet Revenge,” “The Curse of the Crimson Dragon," "Murder Will Out," "Murder in the Cards," and "A Murder, Well-Scripted," all available through Amazon. Piazza’s memoir, “Bullitt Points,” from SansTree, provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the classic Steve McQueen movie “Bullitt” and the involvement of the Piazza family in the production. He is also a contributing author in three anthologies: “The Best of the SLO NightWriters in Tolosa Press 2009-2013,” "Deadlines: Murder & Mayhem on the California Coast" Volume 2; and "Turning Tides- Volume 4," also numerous tales published in other periodicals.

Piazza regularly worked as an extra and stand-in on multiple Hollywood movies and television shows shot in San Francisco during the 1970s, including “Towering Inferno,” “High Anxiety,” “Magnum Force,” and “Streets of San Francisco.”

His inventory of stories reads like a Who’s Who of Hollywood from that era: Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Darren McGavin, Paul Newman, Karl Malden, Michael Douglas, Raymond Burr, Walter Matthau, Fred Astaire, Robert Vaughn, and Leslie Nielsen.

Piazza is a member of Mystery Writers of America, California Writer's Club, and SLO NightWriters.

Mr. Piazza has also done many interviews for television, radio, print, and electronic media.

All his novels are available as audiobooks, narrated by Broadway actor James Romick. They can be found on Amazon, Audible, and I-tunes websites.

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Giveaway

Two eCopies of the award-winning mystery Murder in the Cards

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