Scone Island: An Ike Schwartz Mystery

By Frederick Ramsay

Ike Schwartz and Ruth Harris had to delay a vacation in Las Vegas because at the last moment, Ruth was required to go to Scone Island, Maine to settle an estate. But that task is soon complicated by one, and then another suspicious death. First, a long term resident slips off a cliff. Was he pushed? Then the woman, who found the body, is, in turn, discovered on a foot path dead from an apparent heart attack, but also with a not easily explained head wound. Ruth finds herself briefly cast as a person of interest in the last death. When things seem to be slipping out of hand, Ike arrives just in time to witness the discovery of a third body—Simon Weiss.

Weiss had come to the island to purchase properties with an eye to turning it into a high-end resort. His tactics and personality so alienated the residents that it is no surprise his body is found under the community pier, with a very professionally placed bullet hole in his forehead. As his plans were allegedly financed by the New York mafia, it seems obvious who ordered the hit. This brings the FBI into play, to the distress of the local police.

With an array of suspects, motives, and even the island’s history to confound the investigation, Ike, with the aid of local Deputy Sheriff, Tom Stone, and the able, if quirky, assistance of Ruth, unravel these three deaths, but not without heavy costs to villains, residents, and their children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Release date: Aug 7, 2012
• ISBN: 9781615954100

Frederick Ramsay

Frederick Ramsay was raised on the east coast and attended graduate school in Chicago. He was a writer of mysteries set in Virginia, (the Ike Schwartz Mysteries) Botswana Mystery series, Jerusalem Mystery series and stand-alones (Impulse, Judas: The Gospel of Betrayal). He was a retired Episcopal Priest, Academic, and author.

Reviews for Scone Island

[cathyskye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was simple serendipity that led me to read books in two different series which used the exact same devise: letting a different character be the narrator instead of the main character of the series. In one case, it was very successfully done. In the case of Secrets, the results are less favorable.Sheriff Ike Schwartz is the heart and soul of this series, and I fell in love with him when I read the very first book, Artscape. I wanted more Ike when I picked up Secrets, and I have to admit that I spent most of the book looking forward to the few times he appeared. It's not that Blake Fisher is a weak character; he most definitely is not, and seeing things through his eyes as he becomes immersed in a murder investigation is interesting. It's also fascinating to see how he reacts to his banishment, and how his attitudes towards the church, the church hierarchy, the parishioners, and his own desires gradually begin to change. His metamorphosis is well and thoughtfully done.The mystery is also a strong one that took me a while to piece together, but I was never able to overcome the paucity of scenes in which Ike Schwartz appeared. As I turned the last page, I was left with the thought that shaking up the point of view was a good idea that should've been done a book or two further along in the series. Never fear though-- I'll be heading back for another visit with Ike. He's too good to ignore!