Joseph Meigs Offers Trademark Satire, Mystery and Literary References in "Death Without Dignity"
CULLOWHEE, N.C., July 15, 2010 — Head to a Southern college campus and enter a world filled with paranoia, murder, literary intrigue and humor in Death Without Dignity (published by AuthorHouse), the lighthearted new mystery novel by Joseph Meigs
"I lived thirty-four years before coming upon someone freshly murdered." So begins Death Without Dignity. The narrator, Tyler Davidson, a young assistant professor at Northwest Georgia University, continues: "In fact, until September 3, 2009, I was never the first person to come upon ANYONE that had just died — from any cause."
Tyler has found the body of Hugh Disner, a colleague in the English department and Tyler's well-known nemesis. Following a recent administrative promotion, Disner seems determined to thwart Tyler's hopes for a promotion to associate professor. So when Tyler finds Disner's body in the men's bathroom of the academic building, a thousand thoughts begin to rapidly swirl through his mind. For one thing, couldn't the murderer be lurking around any corner? But what if Tyler himself becomes a suspect? After all, he was the one to find the body and his strained relationship with Disner isn't exactly a secret.
When Detective Smockley, who knows of the tension between Tyler and Disner, begins his investigation, Tyler just can't shake the feeling that he's the main suspect. Things become even more complicated when Tyler finds himself in a romantic relationship with Disner's widow, Breda. He finds himself stealing mysterious letters for her and Smockley discovers their relationship.
When Tyler finds out who wrote the letters and two more bodies are found, hilarity and intrigue ensue. Meigs makes good use of one-liners and introduces a cast of colorful supporting characters with names like Buford Cluttle, Dirkson Slidgendorf, Torrance Bwanger and Altoona Popson. Set against the academic background of Northwest Georgia University, Death Without Dignity will leave readers chuckling and guessing until the last page.
About the Author
Joseph Meigs attended the University of Florida on a basketball scholarship, where he received his bachelor's degree in English with minors in chemistry and biology and a Ph.D. in English. Meigs went on to teach literature and film studies at Western California University before retiring in 2005. For the past 30 years, he has been a photographer and watercolorist, currently serving as the resident artist for the Jackson County, N.C., Arts Association. Meigs is also the author of the novel Tenure Track.
AuthorHouse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit http://www.authorhouse.com.
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