Scone Island

Ike Schwartz, Sheriff of Picketsville, Virginia, and Ruth Dennis, the President of a local university and Ike’s fiancée cannot find peace and quiet be at home after a trying year of academic and local politics. So, they elect to seek asylum on Scone Island, a rocky island four miles off the coast of Maine. Its lack of electricity, reliable water supply, and phone service guarantee their seclusion and peace. The fact there has been a suspicious accident resulting in the death of the mysterious Harmon Staley should not concern them at all. And it doesn’t until Ike’s past as a CIA agent rolls in on him like the area’s famous twelve foot tides. Two more murders involving former colleagues elsewhere in the country send Charlie Garland, Ike’s old friend from the Agency searching the files for a connection. Stonewalling by the CIA, conspiracies, real and imagined, end with Ike and Ruth facing an unknown but determined number of assassins alone on the island.As if that were not enough, Ruth’s mother decides to drop in on them just as the excitement begins. A late arrival by the Director of the CIA and Charlie only make things worse for Ruth who opts for Plan B—Las Vegas—in the hopes that she and Ike can finally get lost in the crowd. And good luck with that.Review"Fast pacing, plot twists, and multiple points of view keep the pages turning in this consistently entertaining series." — Booklist review by Sue O’Brien"The latest mystery-thriller for Ike (Rogue, 2011, etc.) provides all the fast-paced action and danger readers have come to expect"—Kirkus"Ramsey’s engaging eighth Ike Schwartz mystery...will amuse literary and history buffs" —Publishers Weekly2006 Publishers Weekly 100 Best Books for Impulse2008 Arizona Book Award, Religion and Spirituality for Judas2009 Arizona Book Award, Mystery and Suspense Finalist for Stranger RoomAbout the AuthorDr. Frederick Ramsay was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois-Westside Medical Campus. After a stint in the Army, he joined the faculty of the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, teaching Anatomy, Embryology and Histology; engaged in research and also served as an Associate Dean. During this time he also pursued studies in theology and in 1971 was ordained an Episcopal priest. He is the author of several scientific and general articles, tracts, theses, and co-author of The Baltimore Declaration. He is an accomplished public speaker and once hosted a television spot, Prognosis, on the evening news for WMAR-TV, Baltimore. He is also an iconographer with works displayed around the world. He lives in Surprise, Arizona with his wife and partner, Susan.