Bitch Slap A Mark Manning Mystery

The unpleasant merger partner for Manning's family company turns up dead-with one of Mark's closest colleagues as the prime suspect Journalist Mark Manning has been successfully running his family's newspaper, The Dumont Daily Register, for several years. But now it's time to consider a friendly merger with a nearby paper company. Unfortunately, the manager of the company is an old, much hated rival of Glee Savage, the society reporter for the Daily Register, and a friendly meeting turns into a fracas when Savage slaps Manning's merger partner in front of everyone. Then due diligence uncovers some very questionable items regarding the paper company. So, the discovery of the manager's body is greeted with surprise, but perhaps not regret. Still, with Glee Savage as the obvious and primary suspect, Mark Manning and his lover Neil Waite can't resist wading into the investigation.

Michael Craft is the author of eleven published novels. The previous three installments of his Mark Manning mystery series-Name Games, Boy Toy, and Hot Spot-were honored as national finalists for Lambda Literary Awards. Craft and his partner reside in Wisconsin, which is the setting for the Mark Manning novels. They have a second home in the Palm Springs area of California, which provides the backdrop for Craft's other series featuring theater director Claire Gray.