One would think teaching would be a quiet profession. But not in Chicago, thinks high school teacher Tom Mason when he hears that one of his students has been accused of killing his girlfriend. As a friend of the boy's family, Tom is asked to help clear him, and the more he probes, the more it seems that something sinister is going on in the usually quiet suburbs of Chicago. With the aid of his lover Scoot Carpenter, a professional baseball player, the two set out to discover what really happened that night.
Mark Richard Zubro's second mystery for Tom and Scott is just as stunning as the first. Why Isn't Becky Twitchell Dead is a delicious satirical page-turner.
From Publishers Weekly
High school teacher Tom Mason (introduced in Simple Suburban Murder ) puts his life on the line to help a troubled student in Zubro's entertaining mystery. Learning that dumb but likable Jeff Trask has been arrested for the murder of his girl friend, Tom indulges the boy's desperate mother and questions a checkered group of faculty and students. Tom's lover, all-star baseball pitcher Scott Carpenter, plays a big role in the investigation, opening doors with his fame and helping fight off assailants. Not that ex-Marine Tom is unable to fend for himself, but the murders of other students he has questioned suggest that he might not survive his sleuthing without a partner. Those who seem particularly worried about this investigation include the grubby coach, the stuffy school superintendent, the "Big Man on Campus" and, most of all, Becky Twitchell, notorious among her peers for her irrational behavior, cruelty and drug pushing. Gradually, Tom and Scott realize that they are homing in on a drug kingpin, whose identity is elusive until the final pages. Tom and Scott are an engaging detective team, and their sleuthing is related in a lively style.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A Simple Suburban Murder deals with ugly Chicago scenes, but has sympathetic characters as well. Though you'll squirm at times, it's a gripping story." --Chicago Tribune
"Zubro deserves praise across the board. His characters are believable, the plotting is intricate and taut, the Chicagoland locations and personalities are very convincing. We look forward to future works by Mr. Zubro." --Gay Chicago Magazine
"Filled to overflowing with complicated themes and emotions, this novel by Mark Zubro is one of the braver mysteries I've read in years. I applaud Mr. Zubro's audacity, his ambition, and his talent. I think he deserves a medal." --Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger
"A real page-turner, the action never lets up. Writing an ingenious mix of the mysterious and the erotic, Zubro has a sharp command of local color and believable dialogue, and the parts fit like a bright lavender mosaic." --Lawrence Bommer, Windy City Times
"I didn't stop reading until well past dawn! Mark Zubro isn't just writing mystery here, but keen-eyed satire. Public school administrators, high school teachers, Chicago cops, gay bar owners, hustlers, and activitst-they all get done it, and the portrayals are wonderfully, deliciously wicked." --Darrell Yates Rist
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