The Beadle Files Graveyard Promises

Graveyard Promises is the first installment of The Beadle Files, a hardboiled suspense series set in the Roaring Twenties. Prohibition is the law of the land. Social and economic fluctuations are sweeping across the country, and organized crime has become a volatile influence—it is the era of gangland infighting for territory and control of the flow of liquor. The main character in the ensemble cast is LC Beadle, a World War I foreign correspondent who is now stateside in Durango, Colorado. Following a lead, the newspaperman gets caught up in a murder mystery that has conspiratorial undercurrents involving the Chicago rackets. Trouble or the threat of it is an ever-present reality leaping off the pages like an aggressive terrier. Schemes and plotlines jump from the Backdoor Vault to Triad Medical to Rooster’s Barnyard to Jewel’s Tea & Spice Emporium to the Kilkenny Social Club. The narrative entwines around the life and times of a legendary lawman and his family. Supernatural elements are woven into the fabric of story arcs as the age-old war between good and evil continues unabated. Despair is at odds with hope while hints of tragedy lurk in the shadows. The words of Yaz Lightfoot, a deeply spiritual Lakota Sioux man, serve as an overarching theme: “Justice demands the fidelity of principled men.”

Gypsy Curses, the sixth installment of The Beadle Files, begins in Buffalo where LC Beadle is investigating the mysterious disappearance of Bernadette Millier, a cabaret singer climbing the rungs of success. During the course of his digging and inquires, he discovers a bombshell secret about her manager Alfonso Kosteas, which the pair had conspired to keep hidden. The narrative weaves its way around organized crime circles populated by gangsters, including Stefano Galleo, an authoritative kingpin who is somewhat obsessed with Bernadette Millier. His fixation results in him pulling strings and manipulating events on her behalf. In Durango, Tatiyana Baglio, proprietor of Jewel’s Tea and Spice Emporium, is kept busy by those seeking an advantage in receiving a glimpse of the future, including Jack Whistler and a pair of veteran mobsters, Hacksaw Maddox and Jimmy Pachino. Josiah Grassley, along with Cynthia Sue Hopple and Megan Kitner, are on an urgent quest to recover a treasure entrusted to Josiah then stolen by a pair of ne’er-do-well flimflammers. The travelers form a bond and experience misadventures whilst being enlightened or entertained by a neverending commentary from Cynthia Sue telling longwinded stories gleaned from her past.

Broken Choices, the second installment of The Beadle Files, begins in the midst of bad omens on the high desert of New Mexico, then weaves its hard-edged suspense to the final page. For several members of the ensemble cast, both physical and supernatural threats lurk in the shadows as a dark man masquerading as a crazy-eyed scarecrow invades their consciousness. Storylines take the reader to Rooster's Barnyard on the southern outskirts of Denver, where murder precipitates a change in management; to the musty basement of a building where cans of gasoline and peculiar bundles are strategically placed by a man in black; to an unemployed nurse who is guilt-ridden and tormented by menacing nightmares; and to a seasoned policeman upchucking the contents of his stomach at a crime scene. Boss Hawkins, who has thoroughly exasperated Mandy Kilmer, is the catalyst for trauma that strikes close to home. Criminal powerbrokers initiate a scheme to neutralize, or quite possibly terminate, the Pinkerton man's crusade against them. Lifelong allies come alongside Hawkins, which puts into motion preparations that culminate in dramatic violence. In the aftermath, LC Beadle utters thoughts that tie the soul-testing adversity into a thorny Gordian knot: "Killing someone is a broken choice, but these circumstances were precarious at best. There was no other way for the quandary to be resolved."

Cryptic Lessons, the seventh installment of The Beadle Files, opens with LC Beadle receiving a telephone call about a crime scene in South Fork where ominous words were written in blood on the wall of a barn. State and federal investigators are drawn to the site while being hampered by a nasty snowstorm. The narrative takes meandering turns from South Fork to Buffalo to Chicago to Durango. Clyde and Patsy Lobato, ne’er-do-well con artists, continue their shameful shenanigans, much to the dismay of Josiah Grassley and company; Cynthia Sue Hopple is in her usual excitable state that comes complete with tirades and rambling commentary on happenings. In Durango, Father Francis Lynch receives a visit from a mysterious woman who, for reasons unbeknownst to him rattles his sensibilities. Truth is, Sophia Jenkins possesses a secret that has the potential to turn his world upside down—it’s a complicated situation that could create insurmountable problems. The priest perseveres forward, even as Jack Whistler threatens to employ blackmail tactics. Meanwhile, in Buffalo, Mags Vitali and Eddy Olenski continue their partnership in shady endeavors. Near the end of the novel, Jack Whistler dispatches Cody Fralick to Buffalo with orders for him to connect with Magdalene Vitali and Eddy Olenski. Jack also informs him that he may be in Buffalo for a year or more.

Risky Chances, the eighth installment of The Beadle Files, opens with LC Beadle in Buffalo meeting with a supposed informant, but soon enough determines that he’s been snookered. A pair of ruffians warn him that Cody Fralick will very shortly be greeted by the Grim Reaper, then they proceed to beat the journalist until he is smothered into unconsciousness. The narrative is crisp and fast-paced, set mostly in Buffalo, New York—there are twists and turns that take the reader on a train trip from Colorado to the Queen City. A pair of mysterious female characters bring vivid memories from the past that in different ways rattle both Avis Lahay and Tatiyana Baglio. Meanwhile Jack Whistler continues to be the sly and crafty master of information, even as he is visited by shadowy wheelers and dealers. Ziggy Alder and Sara Mulder continue their adventurous escapades on the trail to Creede, where he hopes to find a kinsman’s grave, as well as yearns to meet anyone who knew him who could tell some Uncle Whitey stories. Ziggy chatters constantly, regaling Sara with tall tales from his past, which are so entertaining that she seems to always want to hear another one.

Mystic Sketches, the fourth installment of The Beadle Files, begins during a sweltering August heatwave in Chicago. A body is fished out of Lake Michigan. Detective Joe Bower, combating the bile of heartburn, is on the scene. LC Beadle is dispatched to investigate. His initial inquiries put him on an evidently uncomplicated trail, but soon there are serpentine twists and turns that keep his instincts alert and on edge. Sonny Trego joins the inquiry and follows clues to Revelations Church, which is led by Sister Beulah, a strong-willed matriarch who has an iron-fisted hold on her flock—he gets into deep trouble with her. Beadle does a follow-up visit, and immediately discerns that the theology is a skewed interpretation of Scripture based on the proclamation on the sign: “Where God Almighty Makes His Plans and Purposes Known.” Tanya Larue, an innocent devotee referred to as the Chosen One, is caught in a web of convoluted doctrines, but in a courageous act of defiance she escapes with Sonny Trego. On the organized crime front, the Irish mob takes a hit with the sudden death of one of its pivotal leaders. Was it natural causes or the treachery of a sanctioned hit? Either way there are questions to be answered and options to explore. LC Beadle also reconnects with an old friend—his shock at meeting Sylvia Bower at the Chicago Mission momentarily rendered him speechless. Her story of hope and redemption thrills him, and the bonds of their relationship are quickly reconstructed.

Idiot Dreams, the fifth installment of The Beadle Files, begins in the midst of a mysterious encounter in the fog. LC Beadle is on a quest for information from an informant who warns him of secrets and danger whilst wondering what he’s doing in Tennessee. As the multidimensional story unfolds, many characters chance upon mystery or warnings of danger whilst asleep. Emma Rafferty and Tatiyana Baglio are concerned that Sonny Trego is out of his depth; much pessimism surrounds an early conversation between the pianist and the gypsy. Meanwhile, Sonny is busily running hither and yon chasing leads for stories to advance his career while his relationship with Bonnie Heckert becomes more serious. However, unbeknownst to either of them, fate has intentions to play a cruel trick. In the meantime, at WT Ranch near Wagon Wheel Gap in Colorado, CJ Beadle is pregnant and having dream encounters with a curious spider monkey named Abner. There seems to be no way for her to escape his unwanted advances, inquisitive nature, or his unflinching and relentless warning: Danger, danger, danger for LC.

Outlaw Secrets, the third installment of The Beadle Files, finds LC Beadle embroiled in an investigation of the criminal underworld in Chicago. The intrigues begin at a construction site on the northside where the journalist is to meet with an informant but gets a surprise that is the beginning of a trail of destruction and murder as a hardboiled enforcer goes on a rampage. Meanwhile in Durango, tension develops between CJ Fralick and Katey Rae Wyant, but for Sonny Trego everything is Jake. He's advancing his newspaper career, making plans for the future, and carrying on a long-distance relationship with a college girl. In a remote box canyon north of the city, Yaz Lightfoot is on a spiritual quest as he awaits the arrival of his wife. He chops wood, reminisces, is visited by a nightmare, prays, meditates, and in all his contemplations, a thriving sense of hopeful anticipation swells in his heart. Near Wagon Wheel Gap, Mandy Kilmer experiences a great disappointment. In the throes of a meltdown, she gets encouragement from Bethsuelo Weitzel that steels her resolve. With the help of her family she schemes and makes plans to seize and take hold of the bright and hopeful future she's dreamt about since schoolgirl days. In the midst of the violence and maneuvering in Chicago, Jack Whistler, the master of information and proprietor of the Backdoor Vault, tosses out a throwaway remark that defines the web of conspiracy: "I've got a thousand rumors, which one do you want to hear?"