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When Senator J.A. Burnside is found dead in his penthouse, the police rule it a suicide. However, Detective Arch Williams isn't convinced, so he decides to dig deeper. Meanwhile, Tradd Mashburn, a young attorney, comes across a seemingly run-of-the-mill historic preservation lawsuit coupled with an amicus brief so passionately written that he must meet its author. Burnside's death and the lawsuit point to a conspiracy so grand and secretive it appears impossible to unravel. Tradd's and Arch's respective investigations bring them together unexpectedly, taking them across Virginia and deep into its culture. Together, they grapple with the reverberations of Southern history that linger in our modern times and attempt to uncover the truth behind Burnside's death and apparently benign lawsuit.
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"A fast-paced murder mystery with surprising twists and turns in its action-packed plot. Civil War fans will be intrigued by the Confederate heritage angle in this story that moves inexorably to a startling climax and satisfying anti-climax."
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James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
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"The author excels at descriptions of Virginia, its cities, its countryside, and its people...The Phoenix of Upperville is a promising debut with an ambitious plot, solid character developments, and many mysterious layers woven together to create an absorbing read."
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Claire Matturo, The Southern Literary Review
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"With his Virginia background, Moore constructs a gripping thriller that includes a dramatic love story and a sweeping tour of the state. If his next effort matches or exceeds the merit of his first...his authorial future shines brightly."
Jay Strafford, The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
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"In this first-class thriller, a senator’s apparent suicide kicks off a tale complete with scheming D.C. politicians, greedy developers, a black-sheep detective, an ambitious lawyer and a Virginia estate where the past, unlike the junior senator from Indiana, is not dead. Brad Moore nails it."
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Howard Owen, author of 21 novels, including the Hammett Prize-winning Oregon Hill. His latest is Monument.
Phoenix of Upperville
First Three Chapters Sample:
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