The
Marathon Murders
A Greg McKenzie
Mystery
Chester
Campbell
Night Shadows Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-9799167-0-4 (0979916704)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9799167-0-0 (9780979916700)
Publication Date: February 2008
List Price: $26.95
Synopsis
(from
the publisher): Greg and Jill take on what appears to be a 90-year-old
murder case, dragging them into a present-day conspiracy filled with
chicanery in circles of power and chaos created by a frenzied killer.
It starts with a stash of yellowed records found during restoration of
the long-defunct Marathon Motor Works’ buildings in
Nashville. The documents vanish, and the construction foreman who had
them is murdered. The McKenzies’ clients, Col. Warren Jarvis
(who first appeared in Secret of the Scroll) and his girlfriend, Kelli
Kane, believe the records would shed light on the fate of her
great-great-grandfather. A Marathon officer who disappeared in 1914, he
was accused of embezzlement and later found dead. More murders occur,
appearing aimed at suppressing the secret behind the missing records.
It’s a tale of greed, misplaced pride, family loyalty, and
the unpredictable violence of an irrational mind.
Review:
Greg and Jill McKenzie's new business as a private investigation
service in Nashville unexpectedly gets a case involving a 90-year-old
embezzlement and murder in The
Marathon Murders, the 4th mystery in this series by
Chester Campbell.
Bored with retirement, Greg and Jill open a storefront in a suburban
mall offering their services as private investigators, most of their
business coming from local legal firms. One day, however, Colonel
Jarvis, Greg’s commanding officer in the Air Corps, brings
them a young woman, Kelli, who has a nearly century-old case to solve.
Her great grandfather, eighty-four year old Sydney Liggett, had called
Kelli and asked her to come to Nashville. Now in a nursing home, he had
received a call from Pierce Bradley, a foreman on a reconstruction job
of the old Marathon Motor Works, manufacturers of a popular touring
car, formerly owned by the Liggetts. Bradley had found a stash of
papers with the name of Sydney’s grandfather on them. He
thought Sydney would want them as with just a glance it looked as if
Arthur, Marathon’s assistant treasurer, had discovered
discrepancies totaling $200,000. Evidently Arthur was going to take the
papers to the District Attorney, but for some reason hid them behind
the paneling in his office where a member of the construction crew
found them. Arthur was found dead in an abandoned garage five years
later. Although the Liggetts lost Marathon Motors, and Sydney accused
of embezzlement, the family never believed it was true. Now, Bradley
has disappeared and so have the papers. Greg and Jill are hired not
only find Bradley and the papers, but to figure out what really
happened so long ago.
This intriguing mystery takes Greg and Jill into Nashville's high
society as the couple pursue their missing persons investigation that
ultimately leads to the murder of three other people who may, or may
not, be part of their case. Despite their relatively recent status as
professionals in the field, they make a terrific team as private
investigators.
The Marathon
Murders is a pleasure to read. The are a number of
interesting twists and turns, and deciphering the clues to the puzzle
presented to the McKenzies, and determining what is true and what
is fiction in the stories told to them, is a real thrill. Also the fact
that Marathon Motors was once a real company in Nashville, and had its
own somewhat mysterious financial difficulties resulting in its closing
in 1914, adds to the authenticity of the story.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Marathon Murders and to Chester Campbell for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
Secret of the
Scroll
Durban House (Trade Paperback), xdate1x
ISBN-10: 1-930754-24-8 (1930754248)
Designed to Kill
Durban House (Trade Paperback), xdate1x
ISBN-10: 1-930754-46-9 (1930754469)
Deadly Illusions
Durban House (Trade Paperback), xdate1x
ISBN-10: 1-930754-65-5 (1930754655)
The Marathon
Murders
Night Shadows Press (Hardcover), February 2008
ISBN-10: 0-9799167-0-4 (0979916704)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9799167-0-0 (9780979916700)
Omnimystery keywords for The Marathon Murders
...
Location(s) referenced: Nashville, Tennessee.