Lewis Sinclair and the Gentlemen Cowboys

Lew Sinclair, the protagonist of Fick’s winning debut, and his band, the Gentlemen Cowboys, have high hopes for FallsFest, “one of the biggest country-music festivals in the world,” some distance from St. Paul, Minn. In particular, Lew is looking forward to adding his handprints to the festival’s StarWalk. Then Lew’s lady love, Ann-Dee Phillips, dumps him the day before the festival, and he has to bear the pain and carry on. Adding insult to injury, Archie Grant, the band’s oily business manager, has weaseled a singing slot at FallsFest for Ann-Dee right after Lew and the band play. The full extent of the betrayal becomes known with Archie’s onstage proposal to Ann-Dee in front of thousands. When Archie’s body is found face down in the wet cement of StarWalk, Lew is the number one suspect. With the help of the Gentlemen Cowboys and FallsFest’s staff, Lew discovers that neither Ann-Dee nor Archie was a paragon of virtue, and past misdeeds may be the motive for multiple murders. This country music mystery hits all the right notes. Readers will hope to hear more from the cowboy crooner and his band. (Apr.)