Death of a Jester

The police cannot decide if the clown sightings reported around Grambling pose a threat or are just a hoax. That is, until a young homeless boy is lured away from his parents in the dead of night. Malachi has been dreaming of the little boy he could not save in Afghanistan. He is pulled between the deep need to drink and drown his past and his desire to try and help save the little boy who was snatched from Tent City, under his nose. Then a man dressed in a clown's outfit is found bludgeoned to death. Brangian reports and watches in horror as the crime is connected to her property and members of her own family are once again suspects. Can Branigan and Malachi help to bring the truth to light before the little boy is harmed, and before the wrong person is convicted of murder...Review Quote"Deb Richardson-Moore knows well the worlds she writes about: Upstate South Carolina, the newsroom and the world inhabited by our homeless population. In this third novel in her series she once again weaves a suspenseful tale where these worlds intersect. As we get to know the main characters in greater depth, our understanding of the human condition also deepens. Death of a Jester is not just a good mystery; it's a wonderful story that leaves you sad to say goodbye to these 'flesh and blood' characters, but hopeful that book four in the series is just around the corner." - Sally Handley, president of the Upstate SC Chapter of Sisters in Crime and author of the Holly and Ivy Mystery series.Review Quote"Deb Richardson-Moore pulls off what the best mystery novelists do, and manages way more than most ever could. Her seamless, energetic writing rings with verisimilitude and sings with compassion. From the first page she pulls you into her story, introduces you to a raft of characters you absolutely have to know more about, makes you care about crucial issues like homelessness and the state of journalism, and compels you into a mystery you want to solve alongside her lovable people. This is Southern storytelling at its best, without the shopworn goofiness of Southern caricature. Those feats alone are the stuff of a bestselling mystery-writer rock star. Beyond all that, Deb serves as pastor of a ministry that would sap even the most superhuman of writers. Together, these are the rare ingredients Richardson-Moore magically blends into her hearty Branigan Powers stews of delightful, delicious, and, yes, nutritious entertainment." - John Jeter, author of Rockin' A Hard Place and The Plunder RoomReview Quote"Deb Richardson-Moore has done it again - given us a thrilling page-turner that will pull at your heartstrings. Not only did Death of a Jester make me bite off all my fingernails and feed my family cereal for dinner just so I could finish a couple more chapters, it also made me think about the homeless folks I sometimes encounter and consider the stories behind their stories. Thank you, Deb, for another mystery that lifts our hearts!" - Rebecca S Ramsey, author of The Holy Éclair: Signs and Wonders from an Accidental PilgrimageBiographical NoteDeb Richardson-Moore is a former national award-winning journalist, who became a pastor of the Triune Mercy Center in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. She is the author of the succesful Branigan Powers Mystery series. Deb is a popular speaker at book clubs, universities and colleges. She has also won numerous awards for her philanthropy and community involvement, including the 2014 Women Making History Award from the Greenville Cultural Exchange Center and the 2016 Public & Community Service Award from the Atlantic Institute. A graduate of Wake Forest University, Deb and her husband live in South Carolina.Branigan reports as clown sightings plague the town. Then a child is taken..."This is going to sound crazy. But there was a clown back there trying to lure a kid into the woods." The police cannot decide if the clown sightings in Grambling pose a threat or are just a hoax - until a young homeless boy is lured away from his parents in the dead of night. Malachi's past is haunting him: he is pulled between a desire to find the boy who was snatched from Tent City and a need to drown his memories of another little boy. But then in the midst of the kidnapping case, a murder occurs. Can reporter Branigan Powers and Malachi bring the truth to light before the little boy is harmed, and before the wrong person is convicted of murder?