Resting on what was left of the bench was something else, lighter in shade than the background, round, about the size of a cabbage. There were two large holes close together, a smaller pair below, then two rows of wedge-shaped objects. The pattern suddenly coalesced: in atavistic and chilling familiarity . . .

In a remote British Columbia lake, an ancient auto wreck is discovered. Inside are the half-century-old remains of a traveler long lost and long forgotten. While there are few clues to the identity of the corpse, the discovery sets in motion a singular chain of events that dramatically affects a small and disparate group of people, each unknown to the other, but connected by history to the dead driver. Old agonies, unresolved quarrels, and desperate, dangerous secrets come to light, leading to a strange and surprising conclusion.

Old Bones is the story of how a single circumstance can bring about huge changes in the lives of many people. “If we could only know,” observes one of the characters, “just how many lost souls are stashed beneath the earth, some likely as near as our neighbour’s yard, we would never sleep at night. Old Bones is the tale of what happens when some small-town stashing comes badly undone.

Ron Chudley is an accomplished screenwriter and playwright, and the author of four other novels of mystery and suspense: Scammed (2009), Stolen (2007), Dark Resurrection (2006) and Old Bones (2005). He lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest and knows intimately the landscape where the story unfolds. Act of Evil is the first mystery in the Hal Bannatyne Mystery series. Visit sites.google.com/site/ronchudley/.

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Old Bones

This murder mystery with a cold case file contains a plot with a chain of events each with their own dilemmas and consequences. Roy was caught in the act cheating on Trevor, his lover, a prominent government employee. In a fit of rage and jealousy, Trevor violently attacked the two, brutally beating them. Reacting in self-defense, Roy kills Trevor and buries him with the unusual weapon in the back yard. He flees and tries to build a new life, but the past continues to haunt him and his new relationship. At the same time a body is discovered hundreds of miles away, an accidental victim of a crime committed fifty years previously. A bizarre connection is made between the two events. Will Roy’s secret be revealed?

Previously, Ron Chudley was a scriptwriter for film, television, radio, and live drama. This is his second mystery novel.

Caution: Frequent use of vulgar language and several vivid descriptions of both cross- and same-gender sexual encounters.