Book description
Waldo Templeton was, at best, a mediocre organist. He was also
careless, so his killer was able to follow him to the sanctuary of
Stonewall Jackson Memorial Church in Picketsville, VA, and dispatch him.
Then the Vicar's secretary follows Waldo to an early grave. The Vicar,
the Reverend Blake Fisher, sent to Picketsville when his ambition
overcame his common sense, had had enough trouble in Philadelphia. He
did not need a corpse behind his altar. He did not need his gun to be
stolen, and he definitely did not need the local police breathing down
his back as a suspect in a double murder. Aided by the computer wizardry
of his newest deputy, Sam (Samantha) Ryder and the country wisdom of
Billy Sutherlin, Sheriff Ike Schwartz must sort through false leads, the
unsolicited helpfulness of a politically connected parishioner and
missing counseling files belonging to Blake's predecessor. Then the
Vicar himself becomes the killer's third target…. Secrets is the sequel
to Ramsay's first novel, Artscape, featuring Sheriff Ike Schwartz.
Blake Fisher thought his troubles were behind him when he became Vicar
of Stonewall Jackson Memorial Episcopal Church. But only three months
into his ministry, Blake is involved in a murder. Waldo Templeton was a
mediocre church organist and a Peeping Tom living under a fictitious
name. The best you could say about him is that he died quickly. The
worst you could say is, he sure messed up the church sanctuary with his
blood. It's a perplexing murder, bound up as it is with some missing
church files. Sheriff Ike Schwartz can't make heads or tails out of the
FBI's interest in Templeton. It's no help to him when his deputy falls
for the handsome agent sent south by the Bureau to investigate the case.
Nor does it help when his ladylove, college President Ruth Harris,
forces Ike to face unresolved issues in his life. What Ike needs are
solid clues. In this instance, the only one able to provide those clues
is the new Vicar. Unfortunately, the Vicar has fallen in love with Mary,
the re-placement organist. He's also become the killer's next target.
Ramsay's second novel examines the apathy that causes basically good
people to allow evil to happen. Wrapped around a murder mystery is a
book about changes-changes in attitudes, relationships, and
spirituality-and the secrets that damage the fabric of society. This is
an entertaining yet thoughtful follow-up to Artscape, the first book
featuring Ike Schwartz and his cohorts in the Picketsville Sheriffs
Department. Dr. 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.
