The Debut Thriller Novel by
Deborah J Ledford
Second Wind Publishing
Staccato
Three world-class pianists.
Two possible killers.
One dead woman.
Who is her murderer?
Who will be next?
When acclaimed pianist Nicholas Kalman discovers his lover’s dead body, he sets out alone to find her killer. During his journey, he meets an unwitting female accomplice who soon becomes determined to help Nicholas wield his retaliation. Following a parallel path for justice, Steven Hawk, the deputy of a sleepy Southern county, is assigned to the case. Pursuing the investigation, Hawk finds himself entangled in a world of vengeance, greed and manipulation.
Performed against the backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, Staccato transports readers to a behind-the-scenes glimpse of professional musicians, the psychological twists and turns of its characters, and in the end, retribution that crashes in a crescendo of notes played at the literary pace of a maestro’s staccato.
“Exciting, riveting, unforgettable characters. A touch noir, a bit gothic, full of captivating suspense. Staccato is a well-crafted psychological thriller that will keep you turning pages.” –Sam Barone, award-winning author of Dawn of Empire, Empire Rising
“Deborah J Ledford's thriller tears
through mountains and music with a steady rhythm in
perfect time with the maestro Alexander's music room
metronome. Nicholas finds a his lover's body in his
Porsche. Timothy perfects his Prokofiev to steal the
limelight. Sampte does what he's ordered to do. The
metronome ticks and the cane taps as the bodies pile up,
as Nicholas searches for a killer and runs for his life,
as Hawk investigates a grim case, as Alexander
orchestrates notes and lives, as readers turn
STACCATO's
pages, quickly, crisply, sharply throughout Ledford's
Toccata-like virtuoso performance.” –Malcolm
R. Campbell, 5 star review: “Knight of Words” Book
Reviews
“Staccato is a musical tempo, a beat, a rhythm. Ledford’s Staccato throbs with the tensions of two prodigies vying for their diabolic mentor’s approval. A gripping look at the resentments and ambitions at the highest level of musical competition—where envy, jealousy and cold ambition lead to murder. And murder. And murder.” –Virginia Nosky, award-winning author of Blue Turquoise White Shell, Kachina
Now Available:
Also available for order at your local independent bookstore. ISBN# 978-1-935171-17-1
Staccato is the first novel of the Steven Hawk/Inola Walela thriller trilogy.
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