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24 January 2024

Recruiting Murder (A Brown & McNeil Murder Mystery Book 3) by Frank Lazarus @SilverDaggerBookTours #Murder #Mystery #Crime #Thriller #Suspense #RecruitingMurder

Can two Sleuths put these two puzzles together before college starts in September?

Recruiting Murder

A Brown & McNeil Murder Mystery Book 3

by Frank Lazarus

Genre: Murder Mystery, Crime Thriller

The third installment in the Brown and McNeil Mystery Series

Lenny Goldstein and his company, Future Stars, evaluate high school and collegiate basketball talent and sell their rankings to colleges and NBA teams.

From its humble beginnings in 1975, Future Stars had grown into a behemoth; with fifteen NBA teams and seventy-eight colleges paying subscriptions for his rankings.

Lenny is semi-retired these days, with his son and son-in-law running the business until he gets a call from an old buddy in Newport News, who wants him to come look at a high school kid, Lincoln Anderson, in Emporia, Virginia. He believes this Anderson kid has been overlooked by everyone, including Future Stars.

Concurrently, Lenny gets a call from an old buddy, the iconic coach of Duke University, to see what he knows about the college decision of Tyler Longenecker, Future Star’s #5 ranked high school senior from a premier prep school in the tony Boston suburbs. 

All seems to be going on script until graduation, when both Lincoln and Tyler are involved in a death and a roofie rape. Suddenly, Lenny’s getting calls about both kids.

Lincoln's family is related to James McNeil in Philly, and they call him for help. James and his buddy, Detective Vernon Brown of the Philly PD, jump into the car and head South on I-95.

Can the two Sleuths from The Murder Gambit and The Phenom put these two puzzles together before college starts in September?

Once again, Author Frank Lazarus has produced a gripping, suspenseful story that will keep you off Netflix for a day or two.

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Excerpts 

The Graduation Party of the Beaver Country Day School was being held at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachussetts. 

The dance had ended and Tyler Longenecker and Katie Reynolds walked off the floor together. Tyler was a highly recruited basketball player who had recently committed to Duke University in the Fall. 

Tyler asked, “How about going outside for some fresh air and a beer? I’ve got two tickets left.” “Sure!” 

They stopped by the bar and picked up two Samuel Adams, and Tyler led her outside. It was still mild outside, and on a clear night, the stars and half-moon were shining brightly. “Wow, what a gorgeous night,” he said; girls love that shit! 

The headed to the pool area, and Tyler knew the cabanas were unlocked. They could have some privacy there, at least for a bit. They entered and sat close to each other on a chaise lounge. Tyler raised his beer bottle and toasted, “To our futures, Katie.” 

Katie returned the toast, “To the Class of 2022!” 

Tyler reached in and gave her a peck on the cheek. But he pulled back only an inch or two, waiting for her to glimpse into his eyes. When she did, he looked into hers and slowly inched closer to her lips. Her mouth opened invitingly, and he accepted the invitation. Their tongues found each other and explored. Tyler’s arousal was now in full throttle, and it seemed that Katie was keeping pace. Her hand found its way down to his zipper, but without opening it, she gently massaged it as it continued its growth. “Oh, Katie, that feels so good; please don’t stop.” 

She couldn’t and wouldn’t! She started unbuckling his belt as he reached around and began unzipping her dress. By the time he had worked it down to her waist,Katie had slumped, and her body fell out of Tyler’s arms, collapsing onto the chaise lounge. 

Tyler froze for a minute, and then Nathan, Billy, and Sheldon entered the cabana. 

“She’s out cold,” Tyler said. “Those roofies are quick-acting. Guys, I’m still hard; I’m going first.”

Lincoln Anderson had just dropped off two work friends and was heading home on West End Boulevard in Emporia, Virginia. Lincoln had recently gone from an unknown basketball player to a full scholarship recruit to Richmond Commonwealth University, thanks to the discovery by Future Stars, LLC. 

BetweenTaylor and Greene Streets, he saw a bike lying on the road. A strange place for an abandoned bike, he thought. It was a narrow, one-way street, so Lincoln had to pull off onto the grass. He parked and got out. He walked towards the bike, and as he got within ten feet, he noticed a young girl lying in the drainage ditch. He ran over to her, knelt down, and gently pushed her to see if she was awake. There was no movement. 

He ran back to his car and dialed 9-1-1 on his cell phone. 

“This is 9-1-1; what is your emergency?” 

“Yes, I am on West End, and a girl has fallen off her bike, and she’s not moving. I think she needs an ambulance really bad.” 

“Where on West End?” 

“Right at Taylor and Greene.” 

“And your name, sir?” 

“Lincoln Anderson.” 

“OK, Mr.Anderson, please wait for the ambulance and police, and do not touch the girl.They should be there within five minutes.” 

She hung up. Lincoln thought he should call home; hopefully, his dad could come over. He dialed his dad’s cell. 

“What’s up, Lincoln?” 

“Hi,dad, can you get over to West End? I was driving home and saw a bike lying on the ground. When I went over to it, there was a girl lying in the ditch next to it. I called 9-1-1, and they are on their way, but I hope you

can get here.” 

“I’ll be right there, Lincoln. You did the right thing, but do not answer any questions until I get there. Do you hear me? Is there anyone else there? Other drivers pulled over?” 

“Not yet!” 

“I’m on my way.” 

Ten minutes later, a police car arrived, and Lincoln could hear the ambulance approaching behind them. Lincoln got out of the car and walked towards the girl. Two uniformed police officers jumped out of their car; one pulled his gun and said, “Halt right there, young man; put your hands up in the air?” 

The other officer walked to the girl’s body and placed his hand on her throat. Heturned and said, “She’s gone.” 

They both walked towards Lincoln and said, “Keep your hands in the air. We just need to search you; do you have a weapon?” 

“No, I don’t have any weapon; what am I a suspect? I just saw the girl’s bike and stopped to see if I could help.” 

The officer frisked Lincoln and then looked into his pockets. Out of his side pocket, he pulled out a small pouch that contained a white powdery substance.“What’s this?” 

“What do you mean? That’s not mine, whatever it is.” 

“Turn around, smart Alec. We are taking you into the station for questioning; turn around; cuff him, Buddy.” “Wait,what the hell is this? I ain’t done nothing.” 

The officer grabbed Lincoln and forcibly turned him around. Lincoln stumbled,falling to the ground. One officer kicked him in the butt, while the other pulled out a club and hit him several times on the shoulder.  

“Now, are you going to get in the car peacefully, or do we need more discipline?”

Just then, Lincoln’s father pulled up and jumped out of his car, “What’s going on here? Why is my son on the ground?” 

“Who are you?” 

“I’m Lincoln’s father, Dwight Anderson; who are you?” 

“I am Officer Jerome Abbott, and this is Officer Buddy Wilkins with the Emporia Police Department. Your son stumbled when we were putting the handcuffs on him.We are taking your son in for questioning about this young woman’s death and this substance we found on him,” showing the white pouch to Anderson. 

“Dad, whatever that is, it ain’t mine. This guy just reached into my pocket and pulled it out like it was a magic trick. And they have been kicking and clubbing me.” 

“Is this the way you treat all your suspects or only the Black kids? Lincoln let’s just go down the station and get this sorted out. Don’t say a word. Officers, I’ll follow you, but do not ask my son any questions until I arrive.”




The Phenom

A Brown & McNeil Murder Mystery Book 2


Even before he has played his first game in high school, it would seem nothing can stop Bo Campbell's meteoric rise to stardom in the basketball world. In Philadelphia, people are already comparing him to his Overbrook High School predecessor, Wilt Chamberlain.


But his dreams are suddenly shattered when he is arrested for the murder of his best friend, Sherman Claxton.

Detective Vernon Brown, and James McNeil, his friend and Bo's grandfather, search for the truth, but James goes rogue, and soon finds himself in the dangerous underbelly of the Philadelphia drug sub-culture, where the stakes are high and it's hard to tell who's friend and who's foe.

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The Murder Gambit

A Brown & McNeil Murder Mystery Book 1 

An unexplained death in a nursing home. A man falls from a balcony. A hit and run in the middle of a city street. An execution in a home. A woman collapses dead after a date.

Five murders. Five methods. Five police jurisdictions.

What's the connection?

Philadelphia-area detectives are under pressure to solve the murders, while dealing with their own issues.

Speeding like the lead car at Talladega towards a shocking conclusion, is The Murder Gambit a Shakespearean tragedy or a sinister reality?

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Frank Lazarus was born and raised in West Philadelphia and attended Overbrook High School, as you may have guessed from his writings.

After graduating high school, Frank spent two years in the U.S. Army during the VietNam War. After his service, he completed his 

Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at St. Joseph’s University, in Philadelphia.

He was in the Financial Services and Life Insurance industry for fifty-three years before he retired at the end of 2021.

Frank has three adult children and five grandchildren.

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 giveaway!

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2 comments:

  1. This sounds like a good mystery, thriller. I like the cover.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bridgett Wilbur29 January, 2024

    I would love to read your book and I just love your cover.

    ReplyDelete

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