The Art of Murder (A Hank Reed Mystery, Book 1)

"A fast-paced, fascinating mystery. Readers will find themselves rooting for Hank, as he struggles with murder and his own personal crisis, to save his beloved town and himself from imploding. Highly recommended."~Alice Duncan, author of Angel’s Flight

--Present Day - Long Island, New York, and New York City--

When syndicated romance columnist John Hunter is found dead from an apparent overdose, the townspeople of the sleepy hamlet of Eastpoint accept the outsider's death in stride, until Police Chief Hank Reed discovers a secret room filled with lewd paintings featuring local married women.

Now faced with a town full of suspects, Hank is investigating a crime no one wants solved when a second murder points to his own wife as prime suspect.

His marriage crumbling, the townspeople enraged, and a murderer willing to kill to protect everyone's dignity, Hank Reed is face-to-face with a crisis he may not survive.

". . . a novel with bizarre twists and turns that keeps you turning pages. His smooth writing style and use of humor makes for a great read!"~Judy Lucas, author of The Good Assassin

". . . tears apart small-town life on Long Island with murder and scandalous secrets that could destroy more than one resident. The shocking ending is anything but "small town"."~Michael Haskins, author of Chasin’ the Wind and Free Range Institution

The Hank Reed Mystery Series
The Art of Murder
Murder on the Rocks
Mental Case

Fred Lichtenberg is a native New Yorker who lives with his wife in Jupiter, Florida. He has one son. After spending a career as a Field Agent with the IRS, Lichtenberg changed gears from crunching numbers to creating fictitious villains and heroes. The Art of Murder, the first book in the Hank Reed Series, begins with the murder of an outside celebrity living in a small community on Long Island. Panic reigns when dirty little secrets are about to be exposed in this psychological suspense thriller. Lichtenberg has just completed his second book in the Hank Reed Series. Murder on the Rocks takes Hank Reed (now a Suffolk County Detective) from Paris to Newport, Rhode Island, Boston, and New York City in search of a missing person presumably involved in a whistleblower investigation. The problem is it’s not Hank’s case, and the ramifications can be deadly.

Lichtenberg also wrote several stand-alone novels: Double Trouble — Mistaken identity grips this thriller when an identical twin separated at birth enters a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the mob. Deadly Heat at The Cottages: Sex, Murder, and Mayhem — Lichtenberg changed gears once more to write a humorous South Florida story with a wacky host of characters all living in a retirement community, where people are literally dying to move in. Murder 1040: The Final Audit is an action-packed suspense thriller that plunges readers into the complex realm of one of America’s most shrouded government agencies. The murder of an IRS agent in the West Palm Beach, Florida office triggers a desperate scramble to protect dark secrets within the agency. When those in power shut down the murder investigation, one man risks everything to find the killer and resolve his own mysterious past. Lichtenberg uses his insider knowledge from over thirty years with the IRS to craft a brilliant page-turner filled with love, sex, greed, and a whole lot more.

After three published murder mysteries, Lichtenberg turned his attention to retirement. During his research, he discovered many people approaching or in retirement don’t have a plan. Though humorous, Retired: Now What, addresses many serious issues.

In addition to writing mystery novels, Fred has written short stories and a one-act play titled The Second Time Around … Again, about finding love in a nursing home, performed at the Lake Worth Playhouse.

Fred is an active member of the Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers