Old Scratch

The rich and powerful Senator Ken Lawson has just been reelected. Handsome and charming, his political agenda caters to his biggest donors—conservatives fighting bitterly against stubborn liberals who oppose free enterprise. His wife’s family has bankrolled his career and despite her tedium with him, they have dreams of even greater political glory for Ken. But those dreams are shattered when two bumbling criminals accidentally see him in bed with the beautiful wife of his largest donor on the afternoon she is murdered by a blow to the head with a shovel. They devise a comically amateurish blackmail scheme against him. Unfortunately, it backfires. Fearing for their lives, they go to the police. When Ken is arrested for Chelsea’s murder, he reluctantly admits to his affair with her, but denies he’s the killer, in spite of considerable evidence against him. Lawson’s murder trial has one shocking revelation after another, and justice is ultimately served in unsuspecting ways.

The tale is narrated by the devil, Old Scratch himself, who observes the colorful cast of characters with utter bemusement. He is happily amused at the behavior of these characters and how easily they are ensnared by the Seven Deadly Sins: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride.

With a wry and satisfying tale of murder and mystery, OLD SCRATCH is a rollicking good read that will keep the pages turning until the Devil ultimately gets his due.