Herbert L. Smith

The Eggstone Murders: a Starfire Mystery Herbert L. Smith

It's 1952, and Jerry Snowland is leaving Chicago to lose himself in the folds of the Loess Hills in Southwest Iowa. He's headed for the little county town called Hillville, where he will start a new life as Guy LeFevre; a little devious, a little arrogant, and a well-disguised embezzler. But that makes no difference, he is really a decent guy beneath all that, and he plans to live a quiet life in the country for many years to come. That was his plan, but reality intervenes, and Guy becomes a detective, quite by accident, and helps solve a couple of murder cases in the process. An inept sheriff, a likable young man named Caleb Starfire, and a variety of zany characters populate the story of Hillville and Eggstone Farms, where the murders take place. To add to the fun, Hunky Ham's Pig Palace seems to be everybody's favorite spot for lunch as well as other, less wholesome activities. Few places around town offer such exotica, and clients travel to Hunky's from all over the area, especially after hours. But Hillville is mostly wholesome; a picture of 1952 as though time has been forgotten, and a ride through southwest Iowa on a summer day, storms and all.