Man Becomes Unwittingly Involved in Murder Mystery in New Novel

Author Jeff O'Donnell publishes his first novel this year, titled "Murder in the Neighborhood" (published by Trafford Publishing). The book tells of one man's encounter with another man and his young daughter that leads to a mystery in need of resolution.

The book's protagonist, Bill, lives in solitude. One drizzly, cold morning, just as he settles into his easy chair, Bill hears a banging on his front door.

After he jumps and hurries to the door, he discovers a young man, accompanied by a girl huddled under the man's arm, pleading to use Bill's phone for an emergency call. As he invites the two strangers in from the rain, he hears the young man mutter a few shocking words: "I think my wife has been murdered."

An excerpt from "Murder in the Neighborhood":

"I then reached over, got my coffee cup, which was still warm to the touch, and held it as I ask the young man, 'What's the matter? Do you need help?' As I looked at the young man, it seemed like I had seen him before; I was trying to think, Where do I know this guy from? It was then he said, 'You don't know me, but I live down the street from you, two houses down and on the left side of the street.' I then pretended to say, 'Oh yeah, I know, I've seen you outside before, I know who you are, what's wrong?'"

"Murder in the Neighborhood"
By Jeff O'Donnell
Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 138 pages | ISBN 9781490743561
E-Book | 138 pages | ISBN 9781490743554
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Jeff O'Donnell was born in Oakland, California, in 1943. He was first married in 1964 and had three daughters. The marriage lasted 17 years and when his wife left to go her own way, he suddenly became a single dad. Then his daughter, Erin, died in 1992 due to a self-inflicted gunshot. Erin suffered from bipolar disorder and was in and out of the hospital from the time she was 18 years old. He stayed single for more than 10 years until meeting and marrying his second wife, who had two young boys of her own. Shortly thereafter, his young wife started to slur her speech and take many falls on stairs and even carpets. She was later diagnosed with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. She was given three to five years to live, but she lasted seven. After her death, O'Donnell felt lost. He found solace in writing and began his first book, "Murder in the Neighborhood."

Trafford Publishing, an Author Solutions, LLC, author services imprint, was the first publisher in the world to offer an "on-demand publishing service," and has led the independent publishing revolution since its establishment in 1995. Trafford was also one of the earliest publishers to utilize the Internet for selling books. More than 10,000 authors from over 120 countries have utilized Trafford's experience for self publishing their books. For more information about Trafford Publishing, or to publish your book today, call 1-888-232-4444 or visit trafford.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.