Atrocity is the third book in the Mark Garrison mystery series. In this novel, Mark is drawn into a social and moral issue that sems to have no middle ground. As in Project 314 and The Cruise, author Bill Burgett has written a story that is certain to entertain mystery readers while challenging their life assumptions.
After dark, he rode for the last time to the doctor’s house. Lights were out in the kitchen and a light was shining in the front room on the first floor. The only car he could see through an open garage door was the Lexus. Wayne quietly tried to open the rear door to the house. It was locked at the handle, but there was no dead bolt. Careless, he thought. The door lock was one of the cheap models used by contractors and sold at do-it-yourself hardware stores. He slipped his credit card between the door and frame, easily disengaged the latch, twisted the handle and slipped into the dark kitchen. He stood quietly until his night vision kicked in. Dinner smells lingered, making his stomach growl. Pressing on his abdomen, he stopped the noise. The only other sounds were the hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of a television or radio. No light shone under a swinging door leading from the kitchen, so Wayne quietly pushed his way through into a formal dining room, his pistol leading the way. Next, he followed a hallway that ended at the front foyer. On the way to the foyer a doorway on the right led into the front room where lights and television were turned on. Assuming that the doctor was there, he crept to the edge of the doorway then peered around the corner. The room was empty. Just as he was turning back toward the foyer, his head was jerked back by an arm around his neck and he felt a sharp pain beneath his ear."This is a scalpel," a man’s voice said. "With one swipe I can sever your carotid. In thirty seconds you’ll lose consciousness and in several minutes you’ll bleed to death. Now, drop the gun or die." Instinctively, Wayne dropped the gun, and Shriver kicked it away from both men. The doctor was shorter and lighter than Wayne, but he maintained an iron-like grip on Wayne's head. With medical experience he was able to inflict enough pain and bleeding to hold Wayne's attention, but not cause deadly injury. "Walk slowly forward until I can reach the gun. One false move and I'll do what I said." Wayne detected fear in the doctor's voice, but did as he was told. Slowly, they glided over the wood floor. As they approached the gun, the doctor pivoted Wayne away from it and said, "Now, bend your knees and go to the floor." Again, Wayne complied, feeling the scalpel and the warm trickle of blood on his neck. Bending down he could see blood on his shirt and the floor.
Excerpt
In Atrocity Mark Garrison meets his toughest tests yet. Just when it seems that Mark and his wife, Judy, can finally look forward to a normal life in their beloved New Hampshire, tragedy strikes again.
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