Mystery at St. Andrews , livre ebook

Andrews UK - W.P. Lawler

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126 pages

English

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Doctor John Watson is visiting the village of St Andrews, Scotland, on a much-needed holiday. Still saddened by the loss of his good friend and companion, Sherlock Holmes, he seeks to put his life back in order. Believing that golf on the famous "Old Course" might be just the tonic that's required, he travels to the Kingdom of Fife and the Royal Hotel to test his remedy. While there, he meets a former adversary who can use his sage counsel. Willingly, he agrees to help in all ways possible, for as Holmes might have remarked with great gusto, "the game is afoot!"

Informations

Publié par	Andrews UK
Date de parution	19 décembre 2016
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781780924656
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0250€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Title Page
MYSTERY AT ST ANDREWS
by
W.P. Lawler

Publisher Information
First edition published in 2013 by MX Publishing
335 Princess Park Manor, Royal Drive,
London, N11 3GX
www.mxpublishing.co.uk
Digital edition converted and distributed in 2013 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
© Copyright 2013 W.P. Lawler
The right of W.P. Lawler to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998. All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this book, as of the date of publication, nothing herein should be construed as giving advice. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and not of MX Publishing.
Cover design by www.staunch.com

Dedication
Dedicated to My Friends, Family
&
The America I Love

Preface
Long a fan of the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, particularly the exploits of his world-famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, I decided to attempt a pastiche of my own as a tribute of sorts to that wonderful mystery writer. Having read all of Conan Doyle’s adventures of Holmes and Watson several times over, I thought I might attempt to emulate, certainly to a much lesser degree, his artful storytelling style.
Fully realizing the scope of what I was trying to accomplish, I had no delusions that my writing could ever favorably compare with his creative ability in writing such captivating tales. Rest assured, however, that every effort was made to do the best that I could.
As my friends and family know, I’m the type of person who likes to challenge myself. Whether it’s on the golf course trying to shoot a score, composing or learning a new piece of music, or even undertaking the task of writing a club history, I find I enjoy projects that require large amounts of time and many hours of effort.
For example, as a young lad, a friend introduced me to stamp collecting, a most curious hobby. While I primarily stuck to the outdoor sports, baseball, basketball, football, etc., there was something about stamp collecting that captured my interest. I vividly remember contacting stamp companies around the country to request free sets of stamps.
Naturally, along with the free ones, came other sets “on approval.” This was the way the companies promoted their products. Once you saw them, you had to have them.
With my small allowance, I had to learn to save in order to acquire “mint” sets, those unused stamps that were worth considerably more than used stamps. While this activity held my interest for a short time, I quickly found that every time I applied for the free stamps, the company sent more and more sets on approval that had to be purchased or returned. Sadly, I had to pay postage to return the packages and often it would be cheaper to just buy the entire selection.
This pursuit went on for a number of years until, I became occupied with other interests. To this day, however, I still have my collection, though I haven’t looked at it in years!
More recently, I have been blessed with time, having retired from teaching in 2001. Certainly, anyone who pursues an activity requiring large blocks of time must have the necessary interest, passion and patience to pursue any such time-intensive endeavor.
I wondered what I should write about this time? Silly fool, the best writers write about what they know. Maybe I’ll put together another book about golf. . . Well, at least I’ve played enough golf to know something about it. Also, I have documented evidence to that end, having compiled a brief history of my club, Fox Hill Country Club, in Exeter, Pennsylvania.
Not immodestly, I am also proud of two, self-published books, Rank Amateur, A Selection of Musings and Vague Recollections of a Passionate Golfer, and Rank Amateur II, The Saga Continues. While they haven’t exactly been flying off the bookstore shelves, I have had a great deal of enjoyment writing them. Both books are autobiographical accounts of my experiences playing the game, the interesting people and situations I’ve encountered. They chronicle my continued attempts to improve my play in tournaments for over 45 years.
Those books are collections of my travels around the eastern United States, competing in as many quality golfing events as I could fit into my summer golfing schedule. Many of these tournaments had qualifying criteria. Either you had demonstrated the skills prerequisite for an invitation, or you were provided with an opportunity to qualify for the events.
All of the tales in these two compilations are true, even though some may seem very difficult to believe. Those of you who play this great game know that strange things can happen on the golf course. These books are chock full of bizarre events. Still, most golfers will relate to them.
Many of the people whom I have met, have had lasting effects on me, and I have been truly blessed having gotten to know them. Some were more memorable and influential than others, and many were extremely talented individuals. Others, far from being tournament strong, left me greatly impressed when I had learned of their backgrounds. These golfers played for the sheer love of the sport, not for the success it could bring them.
When I write, I try to involve the reader in my adventures. My stories take them to courses where I’ve experienced some near misses in trying to qualify for major events. I describe the crazy bounces and bad breaks that far outnumbered the good ones. I also attempt to relate what it felt like when I finally qualified for a national event, the 2006 United States Senior Amateur Championship at Victoria National Golf Club.
The year 2006, as Sinatra sang it, was a “very good” year.
So, in addition to the challenge, beauty and addictive lure of golf, what other areas in my life have been able to hold my interests? Well, certainly my wonderful family and all of the great times we’ve shared together would make a most enjoyable read, at least for our family and friends. I continue to spend a great deal of time at the piano for I enjoy music.
My interests in music range from the progressive Bluegrass songs of New Grass Revival, Alison Brown, and Bela Fleck to the smooth jazz piano musical compositions of David Benoit. I have written over 25 musical compositions, all in various stages of completion, that crave my time and attention. But my own musical expressions are probably best appreciated by Bill Lawler, himself.
I’ve always loved to read, and while my areas of interest vary from political writings, golf books( by other writers of considerable skill), “how-to” books, and lately, the classics, I still love mysteries the most.
Hmmm....I know what I’ll do. I’ll write a golf mystery that combines what I know, or what I think I know about golf, and a great plot with fascinating characters to describe. Then, I’ll follow through to a striking conclusion that will have the readers truly shocked! Yep, that’s what I’m going to do. Well, that’s what I’m shooting for. It remains to be seen if we’ll accomplish that lofty goal.
I also want to thank my wife, Gloria, who continues to support and aid me in my efforts. A special thanks to my team of proofreaders who have been invaluable assets in my continued efforts at writing.
Hope you enjoy this, my latest endeavor.
Bill
N.B. There is a glossary in the book to decipher certain Scottish words and phrases. They may be coded with ***

Part I
The Range
May He Rest In Peace
My name is John Watson, actually it’s Doctor John Watson. For those among you who have read my compilations of the various adventures of Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the world’s foremost consulting detective, you know from following these tales that Holmes never wanted the prestige and notoriety that my humble accounts served to bring him. Still, he did admit, in his later years, that he was touched by my steadfast attention to detail in chronicling his many cases. I, for my part, was grateful for his approbation and continued my documentation of so many of his noteworthy successes.
Mind you, not all have been triumphs by any means. Yet, all have demonstrated his dogged determination to seek and interpret the most unfathomable clues as only his mind might serve to conjecture.
Many of you have been faithful followers of the exploits of this intriguingly brilliant and wonderfully eccentric criminal investigator. Indeed, quite a few complimentary missives have made their way to my door and for those kind words I am truly most appreciative.
Some readers, though, may be quite surprised to learn that there were many cases that I was not permitted to detail for fear of grave repercussions that might result from disclosing the particulars of certain investigations. Many of those adventures could have put national security at risk had they been revealed, so of course it made perfect sense to keep them out of the public eye.
Other accounts might have unnecessarily embarrassed innocent parties and since they would have served no other purpose, have also been omitted. In cases such as those, testimonies were never required to successfully prosecute the guilty, so Holmes and I agreed to protect identities. Hence, those ta