River City Series #9: A River City novel
A young woman has been murdered in River City. Police Detective John Tower is assigned to the case but there are few clues to go on. As he digs deeper, he’s soon picking up hints that this murder may not be the killer’s first … or his last.
Virgil Kelley lives in the shadowy world of the criminal underground. He’s just arrived in River City with a single-minded mission: find his daughter’s killer and bury him.
In his search for a murderer, Tower uses his experience and training along with all the expertise of modern forensics.
In the hunt for his prey, Kelley uses intimidation and violence, tools which he wields with precision and anger.
Virgil Kelley and John Tower are on a collision course.
Somebody is going to die.
River City will never be the same.
Author’s Note: This was my first collaborative novel. Colin Conway and I decided to set it in the River City universe. The story is told in alternating first person chapters, first from Virgil Kelley’s point of view, then Detective John Tower’s. Colin wrote Kelley and I wrote Tower. It worked well. Later, though, when we wrote the Charlie-316 series, we took a different approach.
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Reviews:
“The story is as bleak and cold as a rainwashed murder scene…if you’re still in mourning for Robert B Parker, you might want to visit River City and see if that eases the grief a bit.”
— Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader Magazine
“Some Degree of Murder by Frank Zafiro and Colin Conway couldn’t have a better title…[it] entertainingly examines people, what human nature is, and just what people will do when they’re pushed right to the edge of a cliff, whether it’s anger, grief, greed, or simple survival. Once someone takes that final step over the edge, there’s no telling how far they’ll fall, and all their decisions are relative (a degree) of where they’re currently at.”
— Books N Beans review site
“What could be better than a new book by a crime fiction author from Spokane? How about a collaborative work by two local crime fiction authors?…the novel’s structure creates some interesting tension. Things that one narrator experiences help add important details to parts of the book told from the other narrator’s point of view. The reader sometimes knows things already that the narrator doesn’t, which may keep people on the edges of their seats during parts of the story…I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime fiction, strong plots and great dialogue. Even people who don’t normally read this type of story will find many things to love about Some Degree of Murder.”
— Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
“…a masterfully written account of River City crime, the intricacies of penetrating secret societies, and hidden relationships found along the way to solving crimes. So much raw emotion is exposed throughout the entire book, giving each reader an idea of what each character is feeling, from the victims to the families, the police officers and the suspects, the by-standers to the completely ignorant…Some Degree of Murder is a well-written story that is difficult to put down and keps you guessing from start to finish. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, another twist rounds the corner!”
— Rhiannon Leppert, from an Amazon.com review
The River City Series Continues in…
