Murder at Cleaver Stadium [Paperback]

It's amazing to find that so few people have heard of Douglas Lee Gibboney and this book, MURDER AT CLEAVER STADIUM. He and this book rank up there with the best of the contemporary suspense authors, yet he's a dark humorist as well.

To describe it as just a murder mystery does not do it justice, as this novel is also very funny in places where one would least expect it. It's one of those books that was obviously fun to write from the author's perspective - a book that's not only entertaining and witty, but one with many subtle twists and surprises.

This book is written in the first person, and on the first page the protagonist, James Peters, makes a confession. No, it's not what you would think - it's that he has never been a football fan. After some descriptions on the same page about football and a Ben State coach that will leave you laughing, this book takes off. The character descriptions are lively, real and often humorous. It will not only keep you guessing, but also just when you think you may have figured everything out, a new twist will throw you off track, and often laughing at the same time.

This is not a book that you want to pick up and open as a casual read, as after the first chapter it's difficult to put it down. Each chapter beings either a new twist of a hilarious description of a person or event that will leave you in stitches. To say that there are some surprises here is an understatement.

To add to all of this, James Peters has occasion to play the piano in the course of the plot, and of course the lyrics to the songs he plays are printed. What makes all of this even more interesting is that the author has just released a music CD entitled "Guitars, Girls & Motels." Rumor has it that some of the songs from the book are on this CD. If the music is anything like this book, then it's worth looking into.

If you have a significant other, don't try to read this book in bed. Your partner will not appreciate your waking them up repeatedly with your laughter, and you won't want to put it down. Read it because it's a good suspense novel; read it for the humor; read it because you want to find something that's refreshingly different. You won't be disappointed.

MURDER AT CLEAVER STADIUM is truly a winner, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

James Peters and his public relations firm partner, Woodrow Wilson (Woody) Cox are off on a "work" weekend of cocktail parties, college football and golf at Ben State University. After the first night of heavy drinking and arguing with his partner, James decides to skip the game (he hates football, anyway) and the golf (he doesn't play the game). He leaves Woody a message with the hotel switchboard and heads home. Come Monday morning, Woody doesn't show up for work. He's not at home and he's not at the hotel. He never checked out and his car and clothes are still there. Woody's disappearance becomes a police matter and it doesn't take them long to find his dead body. Who saw him alive, last...his partner, James Peters and now he's the number one suspect in Woody's murder. To make matters even worse, business is bad, James and his wife are separated, he wants her back and she now wants a divorce, a couple of tough guys are after him and he's not sure why and his new TV reporter girlfriend is demanding an exclusive on Woody's murder..... Douglas Lee Gibboney has written a funny, compelling, spectacular murder mystery that has it all. The writing is eloquent and crisp and Mr Gibboney has a great ear for witty and irreverent dialogue. The well paced plot and vivid scenes are full of twists, turns and surprises that keep you off balance and guessing to the very last page of the book. A book, I might add, that you'll have to finish in one sitting. Murder At Cleaver Stadium is a laugh-out-loud joy to read and it's too bad this book didn't get more press. Do yourself a favor and get hold of a copy. You won't be disappointed!

Douglas Lee Gibboney, noted Harrisburg lobbyist, has written a murder-detective novel that provides Harrisburg locals lots of inside chuckles. After all, there is absolutely no semblance between this book and reality. There is no such place as Ben State ("If God isn't a Ben State fan, why is the grass green?") with a Cleaver Stadium, or people shopping at a place called Dwarf Foods, or any possibility that a State Senator could be above suspicion. Further, there could never have been a State Senator who billed the state for dinner expenses for "monkey business" with an attractive woman.

So, we let these things that are totally the creation of the author's imagination take us into a world where a lobbyist is murdered. Which is totally beyond imagination: no one would ever want to murder a lobbyist. This, of course, despite the joke: what is the difference between being a lobbyist and being a criminal lawyer? A criminal lawyer knows at least some of his clients are innocent. But I digress.

The book takes us into that bizarre world of the State Senate, where we read of fictional Senators with toupees that could double as birds' nests. Although the author describes the Capitol as having "all the ambiance of a high class English brothel-everything you need for good lawmaking" and creates characters such as a woman who smokes cigarettes only after a romantic interlude, so it is joked she's down to a pack a day, an excellent murder mystery evolves.

Indeed, there are two possible murders. There are several suspects, including the lobbyist and a local bookie, with both working to prove they both are innocent, which keeps the reader guessing. Plus, the book asks that intriguing question: when two separate people confess to a murder, which is the killer or, indeed, could neither have been the killer?

There is a good mystery. Capitol insiders will enjoy looking for recognizable references. Most should enjoy this book.