Who is Jeff McQuede?
Jeff McQuede, a modern-day sheriff, is a product of the Old
West. He was named for his relative,
frontier Sheriff Jeff McQuede, and embodies the qualities that had made him
famous. He often follows the old
westerner’s advice: when you think your right, it’s time to step back and take
another look. He also sometimes relies on his lucky paperweight filled with shifting sand to help him concentrate and find the right path. We’ve placed McQuede in
the fictional town of Durmont ,
in a rugged mountain area
Other Major and Reoccurring Characters
The woman McQuede loves, Loris Conner, is curator of the
museum in the nearby town of Black
Mountain Pass.
Loris isn’t as sold as McQuede on the rough and isolated high country,
and intent on her own career, she is thinking about taking the job Arden Reed
offers her in Washington D, C.
The major characters in the series include McQuede’s very
strong and opinionated Aunt Mattie Murdock,
the local villains, Frank Larsh, better known as Ruger, and his pal,
Sammy Ratone, Marty Stein, who owns the Shady Lane Motel, Nate Narcu, a
Shoshone who runs Nate’s Trading Post, and Professor Barry Dawson who sometimes
helps and sometimes hinders McQuede’s investigations.
And then, of course, there's McQuede's loyal companion, a dog named Psy (short for Psychotic), who he took in after the mutt was abandoned at a crime scene.
And then, of course, there's McQuede's loyal companion, a dog named Psy (short for Psychotic), who he took in after the mutt was abandoned at a crime scene.
The best way to become introduced to this series is through
the anthology, A Deal on a Handshake. These seven short stories present the
characters in action and McQuede’s manner of solving the crimes that occur in Coal County
The Books in the Series
In our five book series, the history and legends of the High
Country meet the universal problems of greed, obsessive love, and vengeance.
Book I: Murder in Black and White
We spend much time wandering through the mountains, checking out libraries, and talking to the local people. The first book in the series, which introduces the major characters, was inspired by a photo we found in a museum—beneath one face were the words never graduated.
On one of our trips through Shirley Basin, we became fascinated by the true story of a crew of workmen who found a small mummy in a cave. We began a careful research of the story and the mystery behind it. (see the 2/28/2015 post Whispers of the Stones: Book Two in the High Country Mystery Series and the Mysterious Pedro Mummy.)
Book III: Stealer of Horses
This novel grew from word of mouth. A local told us about a woman who had gone to a small bank to deposit a large sum of money—and both she and the money vanishes.
Judge Phil Grayson is found dead in his study surrounded by his
life-time collection of the Old West artifacts.
A hood taken from the collection was shoved over his face. Was this a simple robbery or a crime of
vengeance?
Blizzards abound in the High Country and danger is always present when they occur. This novel begins with such a storm where a body is found frozen to death in a wrecked car.
We are now working on a sixth novel, one that centers around another intriguing legend.
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