A mature thriller…cunning. It'll keep
you sleepless!
A note to readers about Tender Prey....
The Pacific Northwest is notorious for its share of serial killers,
most notably Ted Bundy, the Hillside Strangler, Robert Lee Yates
and the Green River Killer, so placing the characters in Washington
came easy. This was among my first of many novel manuscripts,
tapped out with my trusty two-fingered style each night and on
the weekends while working 50 hours a week at my criminal justice
career, so the sights and sounds of the great city of Seattle
were familiar.
The psyche of serial killers has always been something the public
wants to understand and although these crimes are unsettling,
they can also be a reminder that evil often disguises itself as
charm. Disturbing yet fascinating, you might begin to question
what could possibly motivate the bizarre acts you learn about
others.
You'll want to root for Murphy. Life has thrown him a curve.
But that's not difficult because he's vulnerable, tries to maintain
his sanity with a dark sense of humor, and yet has the courage
to seek insight into his killer's profile by delving into the
mind of another incarcerated killer, John Lee West.
I hope this one keeps you guessing. I appreciate your comments.
If I am unable to get back to you quickly, it's either because
I'm writing another book or have gone fishing.
Regards,
Ray Morris
Why You Should Care
Hate crimes remain a festering and horrifying problem in the
United States. Although there are significant laws on the books
to deter hate crimes and protect their victims, significant gaps
remain. A compelling issue is how far should society go to bring
justice to hate crime victims, particularly when there is a risk
of causing other victims.
Crispness and laconic dialogue characterize Morris' writing style.
He believes fictional storytelling around difficult issues can
often increase understanding of them; he has seen the vulgarities
of racial hatred through his own eyes. Through his powerful mainstream
novel he prompts a deeper and renewed interest toward the sensibilities
of justice and civil rights while entertaining readers with a
damn good mystery!
Don't Make the Blackbirds Cry
"In his uneasy mind it was like a lead ball, always with
him. He knew the time had finally come to write an end to the
story that only he knew…the truth about the three little
girls' deaths."
While a fourteen-year-old living in the racially tense south,
Cory Sonnet witnesses five men brutally rape and murder three
teenage girls, one white and two black. He recognizes one of the
culprits as the sheriff's son, but too terrified to tell, he keeps
the appalling crime to himself. That secret comes back to haunt
him twenty years later when he unexpectedly learns the remains
of one of the men had been found in an abandoned well. Tormented
by his prolonged silence, he returns to his boyhood town as a
respected journalist, buys the defunct newspaper to reveal the
killers' identities, and disclose the truth behind the unsolved
murders.
His heroic resolve to close the cold case is not met with eager
ears. Corrupt politics interfere when he discovers one of the
evildoers has become the town's sheriff, and the Ku Klux Klan
reacts with violent retaliation. Amid boiling racial tensions,
being stalked, and jolted by a jagged romantic plot twist, Sonnet's
determination to bring justice to the three girls murders becomes
a personal battle simply to stay alive.
