Murder on the Mountaintop Leads the Way
When Dr. Jessica Shepard, an obsessive immunologist in career transition, is summoned by a mysterious correspondence from her former mentor, she’s intrigued. Brilliant microbiologist Dr. Kevin Grant wants to meet her atop Montreal’s famous Mount Royal. She has no way of suspecting that the proposed meeting will hurl her into a vortex of brutal murder, professional competitiveness, and medical malfeasance.
Jessica is introduced to a colorful cast of characters including an enigmatic hotel concierge, a wellness physician with a taste for luxury, and even a psychic. With the help of a determined Canadian narcotics detective, she goes undercover and embarks on an investigative journey that will lead her to the truth as well as to her own burgeoning self-discovery and emotional fulfillment.
Having to travel through the sophisticated Canadian city of Montreal and visit many of its landmarks, including the famous “Underground City,” Jessica uncovers the more dangerous side of Montreal’s seemingly placid locales to solve the mystery of Kevin Grant’s urgent summons. The question is, can this attractive immunologist use her scientifically honed didactic reasoning to solve the mystery before it’s too late?
Other Works
Murder at the Art Fair Raises the Stakes: A Jessica Shepard Mystery
When Dr. Jessica Shepard travels to Miami to attend an international art fair, she makes friends with a precocious child, Jonathan, and his family, as she looks to purchase some paintings. She’s also reacquainted with Alain Raynaud, Canadian narcotics detective, who has been asked to evaluate security at the art fair due to his prior work at art museums in Paris.
After Jonathan’s grandfather recognizes a painting left behind in Germany when his family fled before World War II, an unexpected death occurs. Jessica is drawn into the mystery, wondering if the death was suicide or murder. No one can be trusted as gallery owners, a lawyer, an elderly woman and even her caretaker are questioned.
It will take an art curator, a former gang member, a mathematician turned magician, as well as a good game of poker to help Jessica crack the case. She must use her analytical reasoning skills to help Raynaud and the authorities prove a murder has been committed and how it is connected to a questionable piece of art.
Murder at the Museum Paints a Picture: A Jessica Shepard Mystery
Immunologist Dr. Jessica Shepard travels to Paris at the urging of her friend, Tom Martine, an investigative journalist seeking information on French industrialist, Frédéric Averi. Tom is concerned that Averi’s quest for profits may be damaging those dependent on the accuracy of his genetic testing laboratory.
While there, Jessica also plans to reconnect with former admirer Canadian narcotics detective Alain Raynaud, in Paris visiting his teenage daughter, who happens to be interning at Averi’s private art museum. When a museum employee dies, Jessica and Alain must once again team up to solve the crime. Their journey takes them from Paris to a château in the Loire Valley and on to the diamond center of Antwerp.
Along the way, they cross paths with Averi but also a rare books seller, an analytical accountant, a Belgian diamond dealer and art connoisseur, and a seasoned French detective. Together, Jessica and Alain work to solve a mystery and unravel how all of these unique individuals around the world relate back to an unsolved murder.
Murder at the Castle Wakes Up the Dead
Immunologist Dr. Jessica Shepard finds herself in a coastal Irish village, staying at the Victorian hostelry, Castle Ryan. She’s been invited there to meet with a television producer and screenwriter. Jessica sparked their interest due to recent exploits that provided her with an unexpected new career—that of amateur detective of mysterious murders.
Jessica soon finds herself embroiled in local legend. A very rich man built Castle Ryan long ago for his wife who had literary aspirations. Before that woman could indulge her creativity through publication, she was found dead under suspicious circumstances. Fast-forward to the present, and a guest at Castle Ryan has been found murdered.
With possible ghost sightings hanging over her head, Jessica again enlists the help of her admirer and frequent partner in investigation, Canadian narcotics detective inspector Alain Raynaud. The case will take them from Castle Ryan to the exciting capital of Dublin and back. Along the way, they learn how the past and present converge to relate a modern murder to one of the past.