D. R. Bright

Murder Had an E Card D. R. Bright

A story about life's challenges on the home front during WWII. The setting is Pleasant Pines, Tennessee, a small ridge community. The leading character is a philosophic gravedigger and deputy, Zack Hayes. For two years, mysterious deaths have plagued the ridge. Bootleggers cast murder and mayhem into the frustrating mix of wartime shortages and disorder. The number of service banners continue to grow and residents turn to their radios for war news and the spirited strains of big band music. Daily rhetoric and idle gossip by loafers; and men too old for the draft, provide a comfort zone around the ornate stove in Frierson's Store. The end result of inbreeding is discovered when the law battles the Shelton hollow bootleggers. Federal agents arrive to investigate the possibility of enemy spies in the area. A tragic death leaves the grocer single and looking for a wife. A cobalt blue bottle becomes a major clue in the murders. Zack and the undertaker become fast friends during a death call experience in a snowstorm. There's a surprising conclusion to the murders and the place to share good news is Frierson's Store with men too old for the draft.