The Sunriver Murders, the fifth book in Ted Haynes’ Northwest Murder Mystery series set in Central Oregon, will reach bookstores on June 18. Continuing characters from the previous books both help and hinder Deschutes County Sheriff’s Detective Carl Breuninger’s investigation into the violent death of seemingly solid resident of Sunriver, the highly popular resort community 17 miles south of Bend.
Leon Martinez, retired art teacher, paints a watercolor of the crime scene without realizing he will become entangled with the victim’s wife, her high-flying neighbor, a criminal conspiracy, and even possession of the murder weapon. A clue that Leon does not even realize he has will lead Detective Breuninger to a criminal who can identify the killer.
The book introduces us to a desperate businessman, a singer who has outlasted her career, an ex-con desperately trying to go straight, and a wise but reclusive multi-millionaire. Favorite characters from previous books reappear — Dan Martinez, the amateur athlete; Elizabeth, his mother and inveterate golfer; Sarah Chatham, Elizabeth’s childhood friend and wise adviser; and, of course, Detective Breuninger. The mix of characters, their motives and secrets, will keep readers guessing right up to the end.
The Sunriver Murders is the fifth book in the Northwest Murder Mysteries series, all set in Central Oregon. The first four books in the series, Suspects, The Mirror Pond Murders, The Mt. Bachelor Murders and Pole Pedal Murder received enthusiastic reviews from readers, bookstores, libraries and the press. Anyone who loves mysteries and the Pacific Northwest will thoroughly enjoy these stores.
Ted Haynes is an accomplished author of both history and fiction. In addition to the Northwest Murder Mystery series, books by Haynes set in Central Oregon include Vandervert – The Hundred Year History of a Central Oregon Ranch (nonfiction written with Grace Vandervert McNellis) and On the Road from Burns—Stories from Central Oregon (short stories).
The Sunriver Murders, distributed by Ingram, will be sold by local bookstores and will also be available to readers in paperback and eBook through Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites.
About The Sunriver Murders
by Ted Haynes (no spoilers)
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Detective Carl Breuninger, tough-looking but insightful, is called to a quiet road in the resort community of Sunriver to investigate the shotgun death of Geoffrey Pennstead, a supposedly wealthy private investor. Leon Martinez, retired art teacher, takes the opportunity to paint the colorful crime scene. He captures critical evidence that neither he nor Carl realizes he has.
The crime may have been witnessed or committed by Dylan Crabtree, a parolee from the State of Washington who will go back to prison if he’s found in Oregon. He manages to escape and return to Seattle, apparently undetected
Carl rushes to protect Pennstead’s younger wife, Dara, from the same person who may have shot Geoff.
Someone mysteriously drops on Dara’s doorstep the bag of cash Geoff was carrying when he was murdered. Unknown to Leon, she hides it in his golf bag for safekeeping.
An anti-social teenager, Tommy, retrieves a pistol from the crime scene before Carl arrives and uses it in a failed a mass shooting. Still frustrated, Tommy lights a forest fire that invades all of Sunriver.
In the midst of the fire, a well-dressed thug arrives to threaten Dara, her lover, and the family of Leon Martinez. Three more people are shot.
The characters visit the Cascade Lakes for a swim race and many locations in Sunriver: the airport, the Deschutes River, golf courses, the resort lodge, luxurious homes, and the rural Sunriver Mall.