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The Devil's Elbow

by Lindell R. Church

287 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-0170; ISBN 1-55395-807-1; US$24.50, C$31.52, EUR20.50, £14.20

This book has both mystery and romance and describes the life of Mid-Westerner Lee Blake.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts or Table of Contents      catalogue info

About the Book This mystery novel tells the story of Lee Blake's life in the Mid-West. As the two are driving home for break, they are involved in a crash on the Devil's Elbow, a particularly treacherous curve of highway. Cathy is killed and Lee is convinced that he was driving when the accident occurred. Since he had been drinking at their going away party, he honestly could not remember whether he or his fiancé was driving. The sheriff is convinced of Lee's guilt and Lee is promptly charged with manslaughter. If convicted, Lee will be unable to practice law, even after his sentence is served. The balance of the novel involves Lee and his friends' amateur detective work in tracking down witnesses who could prove Cathy was driving. Their investigation also turns up a crooked sheriff, who has refused witnesses' testimony that would have vindicated Lee. Not only is the hero faced with the loss of his fiancé, he must deal with the existence of her identical twin and that twin's eagerness to pick up in Lee's life where her dead sister left off. Reviews "Lindell Church's book, The Devil's Elbow is an engrossing journey through a realistically presented moral dilemma. His story is told quickly and captivatingly with a clear and engaging style." Robert Griffith Writing Instructor Southwest Missouri State University. "Excellent debut - Church has written a real page turner." Rachel Dwiggins CPA "This is an outstanding book - It keeps the readers on their toes, wanting to read more to find out what was in store for the main character. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a very well told story." Sara Heath Critic

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About the Author The author is a lawyer, with a wide variety of experiences and clients for a Mid-Westerner living in a small city and relives some of his life through Lee Blake.

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Sample Excerpts or Table of Contents

Chapter One

When I heard the gates of the state penitentiary close behind me, I shivered. The horrible nightmare was over. I had my acquittal. This morning, the warden had called me into his office and told me.

"The judge says you are free," he told me with a smile. "All records of the arrest and sentence will be expunged." He motioned me into a chair and told the guard to take care of the gear issued to me when I had reported for my three-year sentence. On the desk was a package containing my personal effects. The warden pushed it toward me, then walked around to shake my hand.

"The least I can do, Mr. Blake, is see you to the front gate," he said.

I put on my watch, then stood up and slipped my wallet into my pocket. "I'm ready," I said. My voice sounded pretty shaky.

The warden rested his hand on my shoulder as he led me out into the hallway. We exchanged farewells at the front gate and I watched as he walked back inside. I stood there, looking at the closed gates, feeling numb. Then a feeling of lightness came over me, as if a great anvil had been removed from my back.

"Hey, Lee? I'm not going to wait all day out here."

I turned and saw Mike sitting in his car across the street, smiling. I ran over, hopped in on the passenger side, and shook his outstretched hand.

"Where to?" he asked. "How about something to drink or eat?"

I thought for a minute. "No. I just want to get home."

Mike looked over his shoulder then accelerated into the mainstream of traffic. I watched through the rear window as the penitentiary complex fell away into the distance.

We stopped for gas, then started the fortymile drive to the university. Mike tried to keep a conversation going for awhile, but I just couldn't pay attention to his small talk. Finally he said, "Hey, you with me?"

"Sorry, Mike." I sighed and leaned my head against the back of the seat. "It must be the warm sun that is making me sleepy." I just didn't feel like talking.

We finally arrived and Mike dropped me of at my apartment at Mrs. Robinson's, where I had lived the three years I was in law school. I had one large room with a bath and a kitchenette. The rent was $35 a month with utilities paid, and I considered the place home. Mrs. Robinson was a plump, grayhaired, motherly lady of about 60 who rented rooms in her home to students. She was a widow and I had grown very fond of her, especially after my mother's death. She understood the problems of the students and never tried to nose in on their business. She never said anything when I would slip a girl up to my room, but you could tell she knew what was up by the twinkle in her eye and the smile on her face the next time we ran into each other.

I mounted the outside steps that led to my apartment, opened the door and looked around. The room looked so lonely. I wanted to call Mike to come in, but as I turned around to do so, I heard him drive away.

Everything in the place looked the same, except for being dusty. I went in, sat down on the couch and closed my eyes for a moment, and then the sound of the refrigerator kicking on reached my ears. Wondering if there might be a coke left in it, I walked over and opened the door. To my surprise, there was. There was also some sandwiches, wrapped in waxed paper. Jo had been here. I thought how lucky I was to have such good friends. I rummaged around in the silverware drawer, found a church key and opened the coke. As I sipped it, I walked to my desk and pulled out the chair. My eyes settled on the picture of Cathy. I sat, staring at it, as my mind raced back to the horrible night of the accident when she died. Once again I felt her warm body in my arms while her last words were repeated over and over in my mind: "Lee, don't ever change. I love you."

Laying my head down on the desk, I pulled Cathy's picture in front of me and remembered the events of the last six months.

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Catalogue Information

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