The Fugitive King

University of North Carolina History Professor Simon Shaw doesn't spend all of his time in the classroom or grading term papers. In fact, he has been making headlines for his role in investigating murders that occurred over the last century. Various newspapers and magazines have even dubbed him a "forensic historian." Simon is just starting to warm up to this title when another mystery presents itself.

A forest ranger has discovered the remains of a young woman below the Blue Ridge Parkway in Boone, North Carolina. It's the corpse of Eva Potter, who had disappeared in 1958. A man she was dating, Roy Freedman, confessed to her murder. Now Freedman, serving a life term, claims his confession was false and wants Simon's help in dicovering the real killer.

Although Simon can't decide whether or not the man really is innocent, he reluctantly agrees. His inquiries take him to Boone, the mountain town where he grew up and where many of his relatives still live. Even if nothing comes of the trip, Simon sees it as opportunity to get away from the unrelenting heat of Raleigh and his current quarrel with his girlfriend Julia; Simon, deep in his research, had forgotten their date and left her stranded on his front steps. It will also give him the chance to catch up with his aunts and uncles and cousins.

An old map of Watauga County leads Simon to believe that the key to the solution of Eva's murder is hidden near the spot where she was killed. When a man who seemed to have some long-hidden information about the woman's disappearance is killed, Simon realizes that there is someone in Boone who will stop at nothing to keep him from learning the truth.

Sarah R. Shaber lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her family. Her first novel, Simon Said, was the 1996 St. Martin's Press/ Malice Domestic Contest winner for Best First traditional mystery.