Bitch Slap

Book Description
Journalist Mark Manning has been successfully running his family's newspaper, The Dumont Daily Register, for several years now, and he sits on the board of two local companies, Quatro Press and Ashton Mills. So when the respective CEOs of these companies discuss a merger, it is only natural that Manning be interested in the proceedings. What's more, Manning's lover Neil, an architect, is designing a new house for Ashton's CEO, Gillian Reece.

Reece is a business friend of Manning but not a friend to many else; she is generally considered overly aggressive and fastidious. When Manning assigns Glee Savage, the newspaper's society reporter, to cover Reece's new home, the subsequent meeting between the two does not end well: Savage huffs off in a fury but not before ferociously bitch slapping Reece in front of everyone. With Reece's cheek still smarting, more bad news comes as the accountant performing due diligence for the merger reports some very questionable items regarding Ashton's books.

It seems as though things couldn't go much worse for the unpleasant Reece. That is, until she is murdered. The discovery of her body is greeted with great surprise, but perhaps not much regret on the part of most who knew her. Still, with Manning's friend and employee Glee Savage as the obvious and primary suspect, he cannot resist wading in to this most unsound of business dealings.


From the Author
My seventh Mark Manning mystery, "Bitch Slap," marks the end of a series that has seen our hero grapple not only with unexplained death, but with a sequence of life-altering events -- coming out as a gay may, committing to his partner, flirting with infidelity, "inheriting" a child, then adjusting again to the empty nest. For this last installment, I wanted to up the stakes and challenge the security Manning has felt in his core beliefs and his self-image, which can sometimes be smug. The stage is set for this struggle in the book’s first line of dialogue. By the end of the novel, Manning learns the most important lesson of his life, and in doing so, he becomes more human -- if a bit less heroic. Seasoned mystery readers will discover that "Bitch Slap" is a most unconventional whodunit, with a plot that takes a neck-snapping turn at an unexpected moment. So fasten your seat belts, and enjoy the ride.

About the Author
Michael Craft is the author of eleven published novels. The previous three installments of his Mark Manning mystery series-Name Games, Boy Toy, and Hot Spot-were honored as national finalists for Lambda Literary Awards. Craft and his partner reside in Wisconsin, which is the setting for the Mark Manning novels. They have a second home in the Palm Springs area of California, which provides the backdrop for Craft's other series featuring theater director Claire Gray.



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Last seen in Hot Spot, Mark, owner of a family newspaper concern in small-town Wisconsin, is preparing for a business merger with a local paper company. Meanwhile, Gillian Reece, the manager of the paper firm for whom Mark's life partner designed a fabulous house, is feuding with her wealthy yoga-trained husband about funding an Eastern Studies center. Add to that a stolen fianc e and a disagreement with an eminent curtain designer, and the result is murder. Mark sorts through the suspects with a little help from sheriff/friend Doug. Craft's eighth Mark Manning mystery features his usual entertaining story lines and characters; series fans and readers of gay mysteries will enjoy. Craft lives in Kenosha, WI, and Palm Springs, CA. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.


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