Book synopses
Lowcountry Boil – a Mac Burns Novel
Mac Burns is a retired police detective from Atlanta who settles down in Bluffton, South Carolina and hopes to enjoy a “ho hum” life in that sleepy southern town. He is divorced and not particularly interested in a new relationship.
Then he meets Shelby. She is many years his junior, but seemingly as interested in him as he ended up being in her. He also meets his next-door neighbor, a disbarred attorney named Percy who proves to be at very least a reliable drinking buddy.
When an old acquaintance from his days in Atlanta shows up in his adopted town, his hopes of a “ho hum’ existence are quickly dashed. Mac discovers that the instincts he cultivated as a big city cop haven’t faded as he reluctantly but purposefully dives into the task of solving a mystery that will take him from Charleston to New Orleans and even back to Atlanta. Nothing could prepare him for the ultimate outcome.
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Porch Rocker
When asked by a neighbor to gather information about a fading rock star who had been accused of murder, Mac couldn’t resist getting involved, asking some questions, and reviewing the evidence. Couldn’t hurt.
Charles “Deacon” Martin had been arrested and charged with negligent homicide of his fiance. The singer had no recollection of the incident and was so distraught that he hadn’t mounted much of a defense. Mac had a hunch something was amiss.
Porch Rocker is a classic “who done it” that takes Mac Burns, Shelby, and his neighbor Percy (a disbarred attorney) from Bluffton to Atlanta, and then to Birmingham in search of the truth.
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Southern Crossed
Mac’s dislike of the gated communities cropping up on Hilton Head Island and even in Bluffton was obvious to his friends, Richard Percival (Percy) and his college buddy and realtor Dan Wheeler. They’d often heard their friend talk about the restrictions of homeowner’s associations and the boards that run them. He hated the incursion of planned developments that eat into the serenity of Old Town Bluffton.
When his younger lady friend, Shelby Crewe, pressed him to look into a situation with a widowed neighbor who was being taken advantage of by a developer, he reluctantly agreed to investigate. He had no idea of the layers of deceit and corruption that investigation would uncover. So much for retirement.
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BLUFF
Detective Mac Burns is fed up with the way the criminal world he’s fought so long to hold at bay has a way of leaving its tarnish on your soul. Now finally retired, he moves to the small town of Bluffton, South Carolina where he plans to spend his time in peace. Mac soon meets Shelby Crewe, who becomes his partner and companion and hopes to help him achieve his goals.
But Mac’s neighbor and drinking buddy, Richard “Percy” Percival, has other plans. A disgraced and disbarred attorney, Percy has a way of pulling Mac into . . . situations. The situations with the electric co-ops, for example. It’s happened more than once, and extortion is no joke.
Now, Percy and his lawyer friend Hortense Mendendo have a case for Mac, and Mac has to admit it’s pretty enthralling. As a ghost of a character named Bartholomew challenges all of Mac’s skills, it’s going to take some serious cunning to bring him down.
This thrilling mystery set in South Carolina brings a big-city detective to the small-town scene. Written by the talented Phil Perkins, the Mac Burns novels are enjoyed by fans of psychological mysteries by the likes of Stuart Woods and Carl Hiaasen. With plenty of twists, BLUFF will keep you guessing until the final, riveting page.
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Useful Stigma
In a small South Carolina town, a retired detective is pulled back into a world of crime when a missing person’s case leads him to a dangerous Harvard grad. As he confronts Charlotte Temperance, he must protect his friends and face the darkness he thought he left behind.
Mac Burns, once a big-city detective in Atlanta, believed he had escaped the shadows of his former life. However, retirement proves to be anything but peaceful. His neighbor Percy, a disbarred attorney with a checkered past, seeks Mac’s help to locate the missing daughter of a powerful senator. What begins as a straightforward case quickly spirals into a labyrinth of deception, orchestrated by Charlotte, a Harvard graduate with a ruthless agenda.
As Mac delves deeper into the investigation, he uncovers a chilling connection between Charlotte and the criminal activity he thought he had left behind. With the stakes rising, Mac is forced to navigate a treacherous landscape filled with danger. The lives of his friends, including the spirited Shelby and the enigmatic Percy, hang in the balance as he races against time to solve the mystery.