Pariah

To state that one is being stalked by someone one was accused of killing two decades ago is odd. To turn up dead anyway is flat out bizarre. "Pariah" is the story of Sheriff Kurt Muller as he investigates the conundrum of Nicole Bauer and her relationship with Rocky Rhodes - a man who died twenty years earlier. Nicole claims Rocky is after her despite this impossibility and soon turns up dead; the rap is placed on Kurt. To clear his own name, he has to dig to the bottom of this enigma. "Pariah" is an intriguing mystery-thriller all the way through, and a top pick for community library collections.

Thomas Zigal's books evoke the wild beauty of the Colorado Rockies while gently mocking the glitz and artifice of Aspen's weathy elite. His characters are well-rounded, the plots are articulate and interesting, and his writing is lively and articulate (high praise from a voracious reader who bemoans the grammar faux pas of so many of today's popular writers).

Tom Zigal has written real joy ride of a mystery novel with Pariah (the third installment in the Kurt Muller series). He has crafted a tightly woven story that includes aging hippies, rock groupies turned yuppies, greedy developers, burned-out rock n' rollers, conniving politicians, ghosts of rock stars past, New Age Buddhists and Aspen social climbers in a plot that has more twists than the mountain roads that he describes. Zigal has a real feel for Aspen and the surrounding country. This book is a lot of fun to read

Politically ambitious Ben Smerlas heats up his campaign to remove Kurt Muller from being Aspen's sheriff because he knows that this is a perfect stepping stone to a House seat. A desperate Kurt Muller agrees to do almost anything to abort the politically motivated voter recall. Knowing how close the vote is and encouraged by his attorney, Kurt attends a charity benefit in which society's ladies are bidding on a date with him. Wealthy recluse Nicole Bauer bids ten thousand dollars to gain the evening with Kurt.Nicole informs Kurt that she is the recipient of death threats that she insists comes from former rock star Rocky Rhodes, who died two decades ago. Nicole was the prime suspect in Rocky's death, but she beat the rap. The next day, Nicole is lying dead at the bottom of the nearby cliff eerily as Rocky did twenty years ago.. In spite of the negative publicity associated with Nicole, Kurt begins to investigate her death. He soon finds a link between Rocky,s band and many of the elite of Aspen. However, his new-found knowledge places more than a job in jeopardy as an unknown assailant wants to add the sheriff to the death list.PARIAH is a very entertaining police procedural that will leave readers feeling a Rocky Mountain high. The story line intermingles Kurt,s personal problems with a well-designed investigation that requires the sheriff to work it. A sprinkling of jocularity makes the characters seem more human even as it eases the growing tension. The myriad of suspects all contains viable motives and means as the plot twists and turns with every new discovery. With novels like this one, Thomas Zigel will gain many zealous fans.Harriet Klausner