Murphy's Ghost

Sometimes real sanity is found only in a mad house.

San Francisco, 1879. Georg Vintner, A.K.A the Driver, has returned after two years at sea only to discover that the woman he loves is still confined to a lunatic asylum. Only by rescuing her, can he discover if he wants a life with her. Only then can he learn the truth.

Wealthy investor, Nathan Foster Casco, must keep that woman locked away. She is Genevieve Sutliff, confessed murderer, and if she gets loose she will interfere with his schemes - or so he believes.

Driver finds himself deep in the middle of plot and intrigue, trying to unravel Casco's tangled web of lies, save the woman he loves, and gain true justice for Murphy - the slain stagecoach teamster. If he fails, everyone will lose.

And then there's the matter of the teamster's ghost...

You may read the tale now.

About the author: Following a previous life, he has turned his attention to telling stories about the Old West during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He has discovered there are thousands of untold stories to be found in old newspapers, magazines, and sometimes even history books. The stories he writes are mostly made-up fiction, but then so are a lot of history books. He has learned that what people most value are not the bare bone facts of the past, but the stories we tell about them. Steve (whose friends mostly refer to him as "Bart") derives his idea from listening to people, walking around old neighborhoods, and a lot of reading. As for his previous life, he had an undistinguished career in civil service. His first actual job was in the U.S. Army. Someday he may write a book titled "All I Need to Know I learned in the Army." He now lives in a rural part of northern California, where he likes to listen to folks and look at trees.