Paul Turner is a widowed father of two teenaged boys, one of whom has spina bifida, rapidly approaching middle age, and used to dealing gracefully with all the challenges these things entail. Turner, however, is slightly different from others in his situation - he's openly gay and a homicide detective for the Chicago Police Department. Despite everything, his personal and family life is relatively placid. Until right now.
This time, his life couldn't possibly get more complex and problematic: there's a Science Fiction and Media convention in Chicago this weekend - one of the world's largest such gathering - and his sons are both attending. In full costume. And Paul Turner, like any good father, is going with them. If the prospect of that weren't bad enough, one of the convention's guests - one of the field's most successful fantasy writers - is found murdered, mostly likely by the broadsword found rammed through the corpse's chest. In most circumstances, a broadsword would be a unique murder weapon, but this time there are hundreds of attendees carrying similar ones as part of their costumes. Including his own son.
That one gruesome murder is just the beginning - the dead bodies amidst the revelers are starting to pile up - and Turner must sort through a confusing array of suspects in short order if he's to find the killer in time.
From the Back Cover
"Edgy...tense storytelling...heart-wrenchingly realistic. The reader can't rip through the pages fast enough." - San Francisco Bay Times on One Dead Drag Queen
"Combing murder and microchips, rapid-fire patter zings across the pages in this latest Turner mystery, which showcases Zubro at the top of his form. Sure to please present fans and win new ones." - Booklist on Sex and Murder.com
"Are You Nuts? had me guessing until the very end...Tom is an appealing, witty character." -Mystery News
"A breathless, headlong hurtle through a complex maze of danger and deceit. A stellar accomplishment." - The Clarion-Ledger on An Echo of Death
"Zubro's greatest gift to the reader is the fluidity of pace and his flawless structure, which never loses balance. He also sprinkles the ride with lots of wit and self-deprecating camp humor...a truly enjoyable read." - Lambda Book Report on Rust on the Razor
"Pace and flawless structure continue to be the signatures of this author's cagey works." - Buffalo News on The Truth Can Get You Killed"
About the Author
Mark Richard Zubro is the author of numerous mysteries in both the Paul Turner Series, most recently Dead Egotistical Morons, and the Tom Mason/Scott Carpenter series. He is a junior high teacher and lives in Mokena, Illinois.