The Mystery in the Mausoleum

Author: Stephen Rocco

ISBN 978-1-63868-110-6 (softcover)

166 pages

Casey Conley, a one-legged detective, is charged with solving the most sensational crime to occur in the town of Ridgewood. Someone has stolen nine bodies from their final entombment in the Cemetery's Mausoleum. Casey's investigation lacerates wounds to his psyche, similar to the one his leg suffered in Iraq, where Casey was part of an Army Special Forces Unit. His dark emotions, which he thought he left in the desert, resurface as Casey's investigation deepens. He is consumed with why someone would take these bodies, as much as where they might be.

Casey's investigation points to a suspect who would not appear to be attracted to dead bodies. No, this predator abuses sad, living souls, unfortunate enough to be drawn into his evil orbit. One such victim, her life tragically ended by a bomb, has special significance for the amputee, this crime fueling his relentless passion to apprehend the predator.

A confession is not the only thing on Casey's mind when he finally confronts the accused. The detective needs to exorcise demons that have been resurrected by this strange crime. The accused, a perfect sociopath, recognizes this need. The two men's epic confrontation - a dance between good and evil - is a discourse on human pain. One suffers from survivor guilt so strong that he does not feel worthy to be among the living. The other, consumed with survival, discards victims when they no longer fulfill his needs.

Only one of these men will depart this desperate encounter intact.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephen Rocco is a third-generation funeral director in a funeral home outside of Boston. In addition to working as a funeral director over 40 years, he was a family mediator. He was an instructor at Mt Ida College for many years and Co-Director of its National Center For Death Education. Stephen and his wife, Lidia, have been blessed with four children and three grandchildren (and hopefully many more).