William Florence Adds to the Hit Max Blake Mystery Series with EMERALD RIDGE

How do you go about fixing a problem that doesn’t want to be fixed?

Private detective Max Blake and his intrepid fiancée, Caeli Brown, battle this conundrum in a new addition to the series of mysteries by author William Florence. Caeli’s Uncle Jack, the Archbishop of Armagh in Northern Ireland, sent her a postcard, a prearranged signal that something has gone terribly wrong in his normally stoic world. Unable to contact her uncle, Caeli leaves Max behind and immediately takes off for Ireland with the help of Don Vincenzo Fierro, the alleged capo di tutti capi of the West Coast, intent on getting to the bottom of the mystery that has swallowed up the archbishop. Her first key discovery is that her uncle is missing and is somehow mixed up with a group of revolutionaries who are intent on restarting The Troubles, the centuries-old periods of violence between Ulster and the Irish Republic.

But Max, a former investigative reporter and college professor, isn’t one to stay at home and tend the garden while his wife-to-be is chasing down what appears to be her uncle’s captor’s. And when the two reunite on Irish soil, locating the archbishop is only the first step in a long and complicated series of events that will challenge the problem-solving duo as never before.

From The Book:

I didn’t expect to find Caeli when I finally made it home, and I wasn’t even surprised to see a hastily scribbled message that she left in the kitchen.

I quickly scanned the note without picking it up, thinking that it was something as innocuous as when she’d be back and an idea about what we might do for dinner.

I wasn’t expecting this:

Max,

I’m off to Ireland; had to contact Vinny to arrange a flight because my passport expired. I’ll try to call when I can, maybe sometime tomorrow. Knew I should have paid attention–knew something was coming. The postcard will tell you everything you need to know. Hang tight. Be good to the cats.
Love you.
Caeli
P.S. Please burn this note when you’ve read it. Burn the postcard, too.

Praise for William Florence and the Max Blake Mystery series:

“The books in the Max Blake Mystery series are as much about the crumbling world of newspapers, and the precarious state of higher education in America, as they are about the murders and events that the novels’ protagonists work so hard to solve in each new adventure. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more likable pair of detectives, as quirky and off-beat as they are effective at what they do to bring killers to justice.” –ELF Reviews

“Max Blake is back, and I have awaited his return with trembling anticipation. There could be no better news for those of us who love nothing better than a fast-paced, surprise-at-every-turn mystery. Author William Florence keeps the pace fast with unexpected twists at every turn. He’s also shaped the books around a character who’s as honorable as he is hardy, as courageous as he is colorful.” – Mike Connell, Co-founder, Abby Row LLC, Freelance writer/novelist

“This is the fifth in a series of Max Blake stories, and in my opinion is the best so far. There’s a level of detail that makes you want to look at a map to see where the locales described in the book really are, but they’re not so overly detailed as to be boring. This book can be picked up and read without reading the previous four, a bonus. Too often, authors repeat themselves as they move from book to book in an attempt to give the reader a sense of continuity. That does not occur with this book; there are brief mentions of previous episodes, but not page after page of re-hashing the background. The end came much too quickly for me, but the Post Script does an excellent job of wrapping everything together.” – Norm Jackson

“Florence has upped his craft once again. Definitely Five Stars, with some of the regular characters and some new ones as he weaves a tantalizing mystery that keeps you enthralled to the very end. I strongly recommend to any reader who loves mystery writing in it highest form.” – Dr. Marvin W. Jones, Ph.D

“Once again William Florence has written an amazing story. As with his previous books, this is another gripping tale. I had difficulty putting down my tablet while reading. It led to several late nights and loss of sleep. Bravo, Mr. Florence. Good stuff, indeed.” – reader Brad Bakke