The Stump Man

About the Book

Getting Jolane Ramsay to her dying sister's bedside is a mission of mercy for Ward Dundee up to the moment Jolane greets him with rifle fire. Her man Windol Riddup is missing and she isn't talking to strangers. Everyone in the South Jersey town knows Windol, a crackpot who is running for mayor, but nobody wants him found, including the police. A violent brush with hired killers convinces Dundee that something more sinister than the preservation of the town's good name led to Windol's disappearance. At the core of it lies a town secret that could ruin the careers of several prominent townsmen and that of a U.S. Senator. With the sister's death eminent, Dundee tries to stay a step ahead of the killers and free Windol in time to get Jolane to her sister's bedside.

About the Author

James Maloney, a retired teacher, taught creative writing for most of his thirty-four years in the classroom. He attended Trenton State College and Rutgers University. His writing has appeared in regional publications and the op-ed page of the New York Times. He resides with his wife Helen in Whiting, New Jersey, and his work reflects the multifaceted landscape of the region. Shadows on Smoke is his second Ward Dundee mystery. The ex-Marine turned PI made his first appearance in The Stump Man.