Maggie's Pleasure Palace: The Murder of Thelma Goodrich - Paperback

by Bill Shuey (Author)

At the heart of Maggie's Pleasure Palace is a love story with a murder mystery thrown in for good measure.

While delivering a prisoner, U.S. Marshal James Boutwell discovers the body of a young woman in an isolated part of Dallas County, Texas. He wraps the body in a blanket and takes her to Dallas.

The Dallas town marshal wants nothing to do with the murder, and the country sheriff doesn't want Boutwell sticking his nose in county business, so the U.S. Marshal gets the governor to appoint him to solve the mystery of the woman's death.

There are several suspects, but no clear-cut motive or evidence to connect anyone to the murder. Maggie, the brothel owner with a heart of gold, takes a liking to Boutwell and helps him sort through the suspects. Then there is another young woman killed in Fort Worth, which adds to the mystery.

Boutwell's investigation is put on hold while he and a lady friend travel to France to escort a husband and wife back to the States for him to appear before a Congressional inquiry. The marshal meets with assassin attempts while on the ship bound for America with the man he is charged to protect. Once Boutwell hands the witness off to other U.S. Marshals, the man is shot and presumably killed.

The mystery of the killer will keep the reader guessing until the last page of the book.