Played to Death: A Scott Drayco Mystery

Named Best Mystery in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and a Shamus Award finalist for Best Indie P.I. Novel

Simmering resentment in a small coastal town. A missing manuscript. A dark family secret.

Scott Drayco isn't a typical detective: a former concert pianist with synesthesia, he turned to law enforcement when a violent attack put an end to his music career.

After Drayco inherits a rundown Opera House in a Virginia seaside town following a particularly brutal case, he just wants to arrange a quick sale for the unwanted "gift" while nursing his battered soul in a peaceful setting near the shore.

Those hopes are shattered when a dead body turns up on the Opera House stage, a mysterious "G" carved into the man's chest. With himself a suspect in the murder, Drayco digs into very old and very dangerous secrets to solve the crime and clear his name.

But first...Drayco must dodge a wary Sheriff, hostility over coastal development, and the seductive wife of a town councilman—before the tensions explode into more violence and he becomes the next victim.

EDITORIAL REVIEWS:

"Lawson's protagonist is greatly compelling." - Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize

"Worth putting on your reading list." - The Library Journal

"The storyline here is nicely structured, and creatively ties together two murder mysteries, which occurred decades apart. The small town setting is ideal, the lead character engaging, and the supporting cast interesting and diverse. Overall, a solid start to this series." - Omnimystery News

"Lawson uses the gothic features of the abandoned Opera House to great effect, creating an atmospheric background for the crimes and the solving of them, all of it accompanied with music that's almost like another character. The pace never sagged and it kept me enthralled." - Long & Short Reviews