Black Widow Murders ~ Paperback ~ Bob Moats

A man is found dead in his home, covered in what the coroner says were multiple bites of the Black Widow Spider. But was he attacked by the spiders or were they put on him with murder in mind? A killer is now stalking Texas Hold-em poker players competing in the big World Series of Poker Tournament at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. Jim Richards is asked to track down the killer by both the police and the widow of the murdered man. After an attempt on the life of a second poker player, it is clear they have a serial killer, but what is his motive? To change the balance of bets in the big million dollar poker tournament or does it go deeper into the online world of Twitter, where a woman stalks the players? Is she a poker groupie with murder in her heart or is she unwittingly aiding an overly zealous preacher who wants to damn all gambling to hell? All in a days work for Jim, Penny, Buck, Lynn and Deacon along with new partners in crime fighting, Lacey and Mac, as they track down the killer before the Dead Man's Hand is dealt.Author BiographyDetroit area resident, Bob Moats, has been writing short stories and plays for as long as he can remember. He has lost most of his original stories, typed or handwritten, in the numerous moves he has made from his hometown of Fraser, Michigan to Northern Michigan, to Las Vegas and back to Fraser, where he now lives. Moats became one of the causalities of unemployment in 2009, and had time on his hands to finally pursue a life long dream of writing a full blown crime novel. Thus was born the first book, "Classmate Murders." What followed was a series of books starting with "The Classmate Murders" which introduces the main character, Jim Richards, who has to admit he has become a senior citizen, reluctantly. Richards, one day, receives an email from a childhood sweetheart asking for his help, but by the time he reaches her, she has been murdered. His life turns around and he is pulled into numerous murders of women from his high school who he hasn't seen in forty years. Along with a friend of his, Buck, a big, mustached biker, they go off to track down the killer before he can get to one former classmate, Penny Wickens, a TV talk show host who Jim has just fallen for while protecting her. The killer is also murdering the women right out from under police protection, driving homicide detective Will Trapper crazy, and he slowly depends on Jim to help. There's humor, suspense, wild chases across suburban Detroit with cops, classic cars and motorcycle clubs; murder, mayhem, a good amount of romance and a twist ending.