Peg

About the Book

Neil Blair, publisher of the Windy Hill Breeze, is killed when his car goes through the guard rail into the Boyer River as he is on his way out of town after splitting up with his wife, Peg. The accident is investigated by Windy Hill's police officer, Joe Petrocchi, who is led to suspect foul play. At the top of his suspect list is Neil's wife Peg, though Joe, because of a growing attraction toward her, is reluctant to believe the evidence or make the charge.

Neil and Peg's children, twins Tom and Janet, are divided in their loyalties to their parents. Janet, who feels her mother drove her father away, seems ready to suspect the worst. She is at the beginning of a shaky relationship with Randy Mendel, the druggist's son.  Tom, who is struggling with whether or not to play football, tends to support his mother who doesn't want him to play. Even so, he is led to go out for the game because of his father's pre-death expectations and the coach's need for more players.

Evidence uncovered reveals that Neil's mother Madelyn legally has a 49% interest in the paper at Neil's death, a factor of which Peg had been unaware. It puts a strain on the existing less-than-cordial relationship between Peg and Madelyn. Lance Templeton, publisher of the Beechtown paper, pursues his pre-existing intent to take over the Windy Hill Breeze.

Further investigation reveals a relationship between a local waittress, Berta Canfield, and Neil, which brings Vince Hausman, a local farmer who is Berta's regular boyfriend, into the suspect arena.

About the Author

Doris Bingham was raised in Nebraska. She was section editor at the Globe-Times, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for fourteen years and was co-owner of the Dunlap Reporter in Iowa. She works today at the News-Times in York, Nebraska. She is author of a paperback original published in 1981 called "Lovers and Liars."