Kenneth MacKay and Ph Libri

A sleepy little town in northern Maine is shocked into wakefulness by the mysterious death of a prominent citizen. Subsequent investigation peels back layers of this man's life to reveal a very different person who had friends with motives for his demise: a betrayed ladyfriend and her rival, a jealous creditor, greedy assistant and suspicions of fraud. Along the way, the reader is privy to a failing marriage, and the secret a doctor keeps from his wife. The detective in charge arrests the wrong man on prima facie evidence. He needs (and gets) help from an old friend, eventually solving the case.