Scalping the Red Rocks

Derek Mason Mystery #2

by Greg Lilly

Something's askew in the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona. The town's inhabitants are divided by urban growth. Some entrepreneurs try to make a quick buck by selling out the very aspect of the town that drew them: the awe-inspiring views and natural beauty. Spirited, passionate, and a bit mettlesome, Derek Mason helps his aunt Ruby find her place in the New Age haven, but instead they discover her real estate agent scalped in an empty condo. The crafty real estate agent had intended to sell off part of the pristine landscape, to scalp the land to the highest bidder, but someone scalped him first. Derek meets Myra and Topher, best friends with a shared secret from Devil's Bridge; Kimbo Blue, a former child star from Hollywood with a eunuch-ness that defies his adult persona; Clarity Received, the New Age girlfriend of the victim; and Tricia, the diva ex-wife. Along with a troupe of paranoid art gallery owners, gossipy sales clerks, sexy day workers, and a Jeep-driving Yavapai-Apache, the quirky characters of the resort town hamper Derek's attempts to expose the killer. Small town secrets, shady deals, and serial arsonists threaten to throw Derek off the trail. The destructive power of greed materializes in the idyllic setting, and Derek struggles to keep his sense of self-value over the immediate gratification of self-indulgence. Temptation from his past jeopardizes his future, unless he can tame his libido and focus. Or will he lose his head too?

Genres: M M Romance, Audiobook, LGBT, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery

234 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 2010

About the author

Greg Lilly grew up in Bristol, Virginia then lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. The rich storytelling tradition of the South captivated him and he began writing. He first turned to creating short stories after plot lines and characters emerged from the technical manuals he wrote for a large family-owned corporation. His first novel, Fingering the Family Jewels – a Derek Mason Mystery, grew from those Charlotte experiences.

To escape the city and find a slower pace, he relocated to Sedona, Arizona for several years. During that time, his novels Devil's Bridge and Under a Copper Moon chronicled adventures of the high desert—present and past.

Scalping the Red Rocks is the next novel in the Derek Mason Mystery series and unites the Derek Mason characters with the lead characters of Devil's Bridge.

Greg’s non-fiction book is Sunsets & Semicolons – a Field Guide to the Writer’s Life. In the book, he shares his experiences and techniques – things that worked, not in academia or in New York City, but in the real world of freelancing and query letters and book signings. He has presented workshops and served on panels at the College of William & Mary's Christopher Wren Association, the Virginia Festival of the Book, the Virginia Writers Club, the World Bank in Washington D.C., Malice Domestic, Bouchercon, and the Sedona Arts Center in Sedona, Arizona. The kernel of the book came from requests for his workshop handouts and notes.

His latest novel, Stray, follows a son searching for his womanizer father who left almost 30 years before, a daughter grasping for her distant mother, and the shadows cast on them by the Lost Colony of Roanoke and Virginia’s witch trials.

Greg is a freelance writer, magazine editor, as well as a former Arts & Culture commissioner for the City of Sedona, Arizona, for the Williamsburg Area Arts Commission, and for the Abingdon Arts Commission. He serves on the Virginia Commission for the Arts’ Advisory Panel. Today, he writes and lives in the historic town of Abingdon in Southwestern Virginia.

His next book is a historical True Crime from Arcadia Publishing's The History Press scheduled for release in the summer of 2024.

Reviews

[Damian Serbu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lilly has once again produced a captivating mystery with engaging characters. I love the twist of combining characters from two different novels!

[Neet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Derek Mason mysteries. We meet our intrepid hero and armature detective in Sedona, AZ assisting his Aunt Ruby in finding a condo.At one such search, Derek finds the body of their realtor who has been scalped and posed in the condo's bathroom.The realtor seems to have had his hands in many pockets and wasn't well liked by Sedona natives. The only ones that seem to mourn him is his strident ex-wife and his flighty, new-age girlfriend. Derek meets Myra Greer and Topher at the wake for the realtor. Derek finds and instant attraction to Tooher,who still seems scared to start any relationship after his bad relationship with Alec. Myra & Topher want to investigate what the dead. Realtor was doing when mutual friend Hawk is question about his murder.That's where Derek comes in with his mad computer skills. The cast of characters are many, and each might have a motive for murder. This is a fun read that will have you guessing till the end. I highly recommend this book and sered.

[Chi Dubinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Derek Mason accompanies his elderly aunt Ruby to Sedona, Arizona, to shop for retirement condos. But instead of getting a tour of the property, they discover the real estate agent dead, and scalped. They’ve stepped right in the middle of a land dispute involving developers, New Age practitioners, and the Native Americans.

[Nanci Arvizu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Greg Lilly is going to be joining me on Page Readers to talk about his book on Wednesday June 23rd at 1pm Pacific. Join us!

[D.L. Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story, and the descriptions of the desert. Always happy to read about Aunt Ruby.