Books with author Cortland FitzSimmons

Hal Harrison and his orchestra The Harmony Men were one of the hottest new bands in the country. Their two night stand at the Crystal Gardens in San Francisco was going to be the biggest thing to hit that city in years. But when threats turn into reality during the first show when a rival band-leader is killed on stage in front of the entire audience the band seems headed for disaster unless Hal can prove he’s innocent by finding the real killer aided by socialite Joan Paxton. Sudden Silence is a mystery in the tradition of the great 1930’s movies like The Thin Man, full of murder, music, and romance and punctuated with witty banter. The author, Cortland Fitzsimmons, wrote over a dozen mystery novels during the 30’s, a number of which were later turned into movies.

Sudden Silence, first published in 1938 and now available in an e-book format, is a ‘golden-age’ murder mystery centering on the on-stage death of a prominent big band-leader during a performance in San Francisco. Hal Harrison and his orchestra The Harmony Men were one of the hottest new bands in the country. Their two night stand at the Crystal Gardens in San Francisco was going to be the biggest thing to hit that city in years. But when threats turn into reality during the first show when a rival band-leader is killed on stage in front of the entire audience the band seems headed for disaster unless Hal can prove he’s innocent by finding the real killer aided by socialite Joan Paxton. Sudden Silence is a mystery in the tradition of the great 1930’s movies like The Thin Man, full of murder, music, and romance and punctuated with witty banter.Cortland Fitzsimmons (1893-1949) wrote mysteries, often featuring a sports-theme, some of which were made into movies. He also worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood.

Forced into retirement from lifelong service in the army, Colonel John Milner is faced with an uncertain schedule for the first time in his life. Does he pursue his lifelong dream of purchasing a quaint fishing cabin, or does he entertain the sudden unexpected opportunity of providing guidance to several children who have lost their fathers to the Iraq war? The colonel’s dilemma is answered, and he soon finds himself in the rolling foothills of the Tetons with access to prime fly-fishing along the Salt River. Wyoming suits the colonel as he settles into his newly found retirement. Together with his trusted army sergeant “Dutch” and ranch owner Mike, the three men begin the process of mentoring six boys who have lost their fathers during the war in Iraq. Days of riding like a cowboy, shooting, and fishing begin to take hold of the inhabitants of Cutthroat Ranch. However, dark storms lie in wait as unfinished business from the war finds its way home to the colonel. Two cultures previously thrown together in the chaos of war, then separated by oceans, are about to collide in the Star Valley of Wyoming. Destiny has come for the inhabitants of Cutthroat Ranch, and nothing is going to stop it.