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False Shadows: Eight Scott Drayco Mystery Stories
Scott Drayco was a man who had everything going for him: handsome, brilliant, a talented classical pianist in the prime of his youth. After violence scarred him physically and emotionally, he turned to an FBI career and now freelances as a crime consultant, taking on cases other people often don't want to touch. From a suspected serial killer who plays mind games with Drayco, to murder and revenge at 20,000 feet, these eight stories of literary suspense delve into the darkest mysteries of the human soul.
In THE DEVIL TO PLAY, first published in "Static Movement," Drayco tries to prevent the theft of a rare violin that appears to be cursed;
In BLOOD ANTIPHON, a suspected serial killer plays mind games with Drayco, who learns the two men are connected in a most disturbing way;
In THE CLUE ROOM, Drayco receives a mysterious invitation from a woman who most people believed died years ago;
In the VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, originally published in "Midnight Screaming," betrayal leads to attempted murder-by-flash-flood in America's desert southwest;
In TERROR OF THE MIND BANDIT, a man with dementia thinks the staff at an assisted living home are trying to kill him, and Drayco begins to suspect there may be something to the man's claims;
In THE FINE ART OF JUSTICE, Drayco and the “world’s most diminutive attorney,” Benny Baskin, get more than they bargained for when they visit a reclusive violinist;
In THE TRADITION THIEF, originally published in "Rope and Wire," Drayco teams up with a Native American Sheriff to find the link between stolen artifacts and the suspicious death of a medicine man;
In OUT OF THE CLOUDS, Drayco discovers murder and revenge at 20,000 feet.
In THE DEVIL TO PLAY, first published in "Static Movement," Drayco tries to prevent the theft of a rare violin that appears to be cursed;
In BLOOD ANTIPHON, a suspected serial killer plays mind games with Drayco, who learns the two men are connected in a most disturbing way;
In THE CLUE ROOM, Drayco receives a mysterious invitation from a woman who most people believed died years ago;
In the VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, originally published in "Midnight Screaming," betrayal leads to attempted murder-by-flash-flood in America's desert southwest;
In TERROR OF THE MIND BANDIT, a man with dementia thinks the staff at an assisted living home are trying to kill him, and Drayco begins to suspect there may be something to the man's claims;
In THE FINE ART OF JUSTICE, Drayco and the “world’s most diminutive attorney,” Benny Baskin, get more than they bargained for when they visit a reclusive violinist;
In THE TRADITION THIEF, originally published in "Rope and Wire," Drayco teams up with a Native American Sheriff to find the link between stolen artifacts and the suspicious death of a medicine man;
In OUT OF THE CLOUDS, Drayco discovers murder and revenge at 20,000 feet.
89 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 26, 2012
6 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
B.V. Lawson
48 books201 followersThanks for visiting my profile! I'm an author of crime fiction, including the Scott Drayco mystery series, which has been honored by the American Independent Writers, Maryland Writers Association, named Best Mystery in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and been a finalist for the Shamus Awards, the Silver Falchion, the Daphne Awards, the Foreword Book Review Awards, and the Kindle Book Awards. Library Journal said of the series, "worth putting on your reading list," and I hope you'll think so, too.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 29, 2013
Eight short stories about Scott Drayco, classical pianist turned freelance crime consultant.
Each of the short stories has (if you excuse the pun) a musical undertone. Drayco had been a professional pianist of note, until he was attacked, wounded and could no longer play to such a high standard. Instead he turned to a career in the FBI before striking out on his own.
In the first story Drayco is called in to investigate a threat to steal a valuable Stradivarius from a museum. It opens with interest, Drayco and his companions suffering the immediate after effects of a smoke bomb. In the chaos the violin disappears, Drayco ultimately unmasks the thief.
In Blood Antiphon, the next short, Drayco receives a call to meet with a serial killer, Andrew Wyse, in prison. During the tale it’s revealed that it was Wyse’s son who’d injured Drayco, ending his musical career. Wyse blames Drayco for his son’s eventual death in prison. It’s an interesting approach, but ultimately the outcome is left hanging a little, maybe back story for a future novel?
In The Clue Room, Drayco is called to meet with the wife of a long deceased conductor who died in front of an audience of a thousand people. The wife reveals her husband was murdered and gives him an hour to determine who the killer was using only the clues in the room around him.
Overall the writing style is itself well structured and interesting, here’s an example:
The man’s overall appearance might be unexceptional, but his eyes were not. Looking into them was like shining a light into dark water and watching ordinary objects twisted into distorted, colorless shapes.
However, as I progressed I found myself not entirely engaged with the stories. A couple of them have similar premises (jealous spouses) and the perpetrator wasn’t always a challenge to determine – but I recognize these are short stories and do not necessarily provide the word count to spin a very tangled web. All in all a decent read.
**Originally reviewed for Books & Pals blog. May have received free review copy.**
Each of the short stories has (if you excuse the pun) a musical undertone. Drayco had been a professional pianist of note, until he was attacked, wounded and could no longer play to such a high standard. Instead he turned to a career in the FBI before striking out on his own.
In the first story Drayco is called in to investigate a threat to steal a valuable Stradivarius from a museum. It opens with interest, Drayco and his companions suffering the immediate after effects of a smoke bomb. In the chaos the violin disappears, Drayco ultimately unmasks the thief.
In Blood Antiphon, the next short, Drayco receives a call to meet with a serial killer, Andrew Wyse, in prison. During the tale it’s revealed that it was Wyse’s son who’d injured Drayco, ending his musical career. Wyse blames Drayco for his son’s eventual death in prison. It’s an interesting approach, but ultimately the outcome is left hanging a little, maybe back story for a future novel?
In The Clue Room, Drayco is called to meet with the wife of a long deceased conductor who died in front of an audience of a thousand people. The wife reveals her husband was murdered and gives him an hour to determine who the killer was using only the clues in the room around him.
Overall the writing style is itself well structured and interesting, here’s an example:
The man’s overall appearance might be unexceptional, but his eyes were not. Looking into them was like shining a light into dark water and watching ordinary objects twisted into distorted, colorless shapes.
However, as I progressed I found myself not entirely engaged with the stories. A couple of them have similar premises (jealous spouses) and the perpetrator wasn’t always a challenge to determine – but I recognize these are short stories and do not necessarily provide the word count to spin a very tangled web. All in all a decent read.
**Originally reviewed for Books & Pals blog. May have received free review copy.**
April 18, 2013
This book was reviewed by Lee Ashford for Readers' Favorite.
“False Shadows” by BV Lawson is a fine collection of eight short stories, three of which previously have been published. A common thread running through each of the stories is the main character, Private Investigator Scott Drayco. Drayco is unusual in that his life goal had been to become a concert pianist, until a botched car-jacking ruined one of his hands. After that forced a change in plans, he enlisted with the FBI, trading in his badge for a P.I. license when he grew tired of FBI work. Drayco is an adept investigator, solving his cases in a very Holmesian style, where logic and insight replace damning evidence and physical clues. Each of the stories in this collection is noteworthy, some more so than others, but all are good.
Lawson had sampled an eclectic variety of potential careers, until she found her niche in writing fiction. She is remarkably proficient at developing pragmatic and intriguing histories for the characters in each story, thereby adding an additional element of realism and authenticity to the whole. This proficiency undoubtedly results from her diverse background. She also has an aptitude for ending her stories with an unexpected twist. Her prodigious ability to merge each of these talents into a short story is nothing short of astonishing; it would ordinarily seem to require a much longer narrative for most authors to develop this much depth in their stories. “False Shadows” is a collection of short stories you will not want to miss. Each tale in the collection is worth the price of admission.
“False Shadows” by BV Lawson is a fine collection of eight short stories, three of which previously have been published. A common thread running through each of the stories is the main character, Private Investigator Scott Drayco. Drayco is unusual in that his life goal had been to become a concert pianist, until a botched car-jacking ruined one of his hands. After that forced a change in plans, he enlisted with the FBI, trading in his badge for a P.I. license when he grew tired of FBI work. Drayco is an adept investigator, solving his cases in a very Holmesian style, where logic and insight replace damning evidence and physical clues. Each of the stories in this collection is noteworthy, some more so than others, but all are good.
Lawson had sampled an eclectic variety of potential careers, until she found her niche in writing fiction. She is remarkably proficient at developing pragmatic and intriguing histories for the characters in each story, thereby adding an additional element of realism and authenticity to the whole. This proficiency undoubtedly results from her diverse background. She also has an aptitude for ending her stories with an unexpected twist. Her prodigious ability to merge each of these talents into a short story is nothing short of astonishing; it would ordinarily seem to require a much longer narrative for most authors to develop this much depth in their stories. “False Shadows” is a collection of short stories you will not want to miss. Each tale in the collection is worth the price of admission.
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