Save the Last Dance for Me

by Ed Gorman

Sam McCain (4)

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With the nation's eye on Black River Falls, McCain chases a snake handler's killer Fundamentalist preacher John Muldaur isn't afraid of snakes-he uses them every week in his services-but he's convinced that the Pope is trying to kill him. Iowa lawyer Sam McCain, the poorest attorney in a thriving town, listens patiently to the self-declared reverend's outlandish theories about being targeted by a papal hit squad, and agrees to investigate the matter simply to get Muldaur out of his office. show more But that night at a wild religious service, McCain sees Muldaur proven right. The holy man is killed by poison-not from one of his rattlesnakes, but from a Pepsi bottle laced with strychnine. On the campaign trail for president, Vice President Nixon is on his way to town to make a speech, and McCain is asked to find Muldaur's killer before the national media arrives. What he finds is a conspiracy just as improbable as the Catholic hit men-but far more deadly. show less

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1 review
Decent story, so-so mystery.
I enjoy his era, his politics and the smart talk. The "mysteries" such as they are seem to pile on suspects till they pick one - maybe that's just me. I certainly enjoy the books and have no intention to stop reading them.

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236+ Works 8,768 Members
Edward Joseph Gorman was born on November 2, 1941 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He attended Coe College, but didn't graduate. Before becoming a full-time author, he worked for 23 years in advertising, public relations, and politics. His first novel, Rough Cut, was published in 1984. In 1985, he founded Mystery Scene Magazine and was the executive editor show more until 2002. He wrote crime fiction, horror fiction, and western fiction under his own name and several pseudonyms. Using the pseudonym Daniel Ransom, he wrote horror and science fiction books including Daddy's Little Girl, The Babysitter, Nightmare Child, The Fugitive Stars, and Zone Soldiers. Using the pseudonym Richard Driscoll, he and Kevin D. Randle co-wrote the Star Precinct trilogy. Under his own name, he wrote crime and mystery books including Wolf Moon, The First Lady, the Sam McCain Mystery series, the Robert Payne Mystery series, the Jack Dwyer Mystery series, and the Dev Conrad Mystery series. His novel The Poker Club was adapted into a movie in 2008. He also wrote The First Lady and Senatorial Privilege under the pseudonym E. J. Gorman. He edited many volumes of science fiction, horror, and crime. He received numerous awards including a Spur Award for Best Short Fiction for The Face in 1992, the Anthony Award for Best Critical Work for The Fine Art of Murder in 1994, and an International Horror Guild Award for Cages in 1995. He also received the Shamus Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the International Fiction Writers Award, and The Eye, the lifetime achievement award given out by the Private Eye Writers of America. He died after a long battle with cancer on October 14, 2016 at the age of 74. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Series

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Save the Last Dance for Me
Original publication date
2002-02-09
Important places
Black River Falls, Iowa, USA

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, Mystery
DDC/MDS
813.54Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English1900-19991945-1999
LCC
PS3557 .O759 .S28Language and LiteratureAmerican literatureAmerican literatureIndividual authors1961-
BISAC

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55
Popularity
553,969
Reviews
1
Rating
(3.81)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
9
ASINs
1