Murder in Copper: "This novel will appeal to many audiences with lots of action, some foreign intrigue, family-oriented lead characters, a revengeful parolee, and satisfying conclusion. I recommend it." - J.L. Greger, Science Traveler mystery series
First Amazon Reader Review:
Murder in Copper by Virgil Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars Plots woven as tight as a fine coiled willow basket Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I ordered an early copy from Amazon and thoroughly enjoyed the murder, substance abuse, stalking, and undercover police work (quite a number of plots woven throughout the pages). Virgil Alexander's first-hand knowledge of the subject matter, the history and the people brought back so many memories of the work we both did for multiple mining companies in the area, as well as the "team building visits" we made to the working and shut down mines. Although I now live far away from Virgil's beloved Globe-Miami, Thatcher, Safford etc. locales, his prose makes me feel as if I am just a few miles (pages) away from Bren, Al and Manny. -R. Shank
Murder in Copper by Virgil Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars Plots woven as tight as a fine coiled willow basket Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I ordered an early copy from Amazon and thoroughly enjoyed the murder, substance abuse, stalking, and undercover police work (quite a number of plots woven throughout the pages). Virgil Alexander's first-hand knowledge of the subject matter, the history and the people brought back so many memories of the work we both did for multiple mining companies in the area, as well as the "team building visits" we made to the working and shut down mines. Although I now live far away from Virgil's beloved Globe-Miami, Thatcher, Safford etc. locales, his prose makes me feel as if I am just a few miles (pages) away from Bren, Al and Manny. -R. Shank
"The Baleful Owl is an engrossing tale of archaeology and mayhem that plays out under the spectacular but unforgiving light of the American Southwest. Virgil Alexander's meticulous research creates a world that feels very real and very dangerous. A relatable cast of characters that includes The Baleful Owl itself draws the reader into a plot that explores some of America's oldest cultures and the criminals who hope to profit from them. Take a trip through Virgil Alexander's Arizona. You'll be glad you did!"
-Mary Anna Evans, author of the award winning Faye Longchamp archaeological mysteries
-Mary Anna Evans, author of the award winning Faye Longchamp archaeological mysteries
The Baleful Owl Article and Book Review, Arizona Silver Belt, August 19, 2015
READER REVIEWS OF THE BALEFUL OWL
Visit the Southwest & learn about artifact theft By J.L. Greger, Author
The Baleful Owl is like a Tony Hillerman novel-a loving rendition of people and places in the Southwest. Alexander accurately reports police procedures and demonstrates the seriousness of artifact theft, while he entertains you with interesting characters.
Alexander has another Southwestern Winner! By R. Shank
Virgil Alexander has added additional depth and dimension to his law officers from his previous two books and taken the reader into another case filled with suspense and colorful descriptions of the Southwest. He has added little side stories and incidents that make me feel like I was with Al and Bren; especially during the car vs. turkey incident. I can't wait until his next novel; I'm sure it will contain additional panoramas of the Southwest and more great stories about law enforcement and their intriguing cases.
The Wham Curse, Saints & Sinners, and now The Baleful Owl and have enjoyed them all By Lew
I have read all three of Virgil Alexander's books, The Wham Curse, Saints & Sinners and now The Baleful Owl and have enjoyed them all. The description of the land the History and the workings of the various law enforcement agencies is very interesting and entertaining.
I look forward with great expectation to his next book By Karen G. Crawford
Alexander's books have moved steadily forward in his writing skill, story-telling ability, and character development. I look forward with great expectation to his next book!
Good read, nice storyline, fun characters! By sheaman
Good read, especially if you are from Southern and Eastern Arizona. Nice storyline. Fun, familiar characters --- but read his other two books first to really know them.
Arizona's Best By David Davis
Virgil's books keep getting better and better. He has an incredible knowledge of the southwest and the people who live there. The reader can almost see the desert and mountains that are the focus of the story. Hopefully he will continue to write these stories.
Another fascinating, moving and suspenseful novel by Virgil Alexander! By Jay N Hoopes
I appreciate that it has a family and highly moral orientation. I loved the interactions with the characters that have spiritual, highly moral and committed marriage relationships. I was enlightened by the extensive marriage ceremony and all the other little traditions that were part of the vows in a small town Catholic Church. I liked his "touch" in putting Deputy Patricia Haley into not only a no-nonsense officer but also an attractive lady in her own right. I also liked his “touch” of connecting Patricia and her associate, Andy to their child years and then having them move into a new world engaging family and possible marriage in the future. Having lived in this area I could feel the scenery and visualize the settings of most all the places. I believe he does a great job of setting up the scenes and settings. To me, it was a wonderful visual and mentally engaging novel. The technical details used to put the convictions together were fascinating and fun to read. I like his book endings that put everything together in a good perspective better situations for the characters etc. and a great moral outcome. It was fun! It has no objectionable language or graphic scenes. It is highly recommend by me for good clean uplifting family entertainment. I believe a teenager would enjoy reading this and his other novels.
Virgil Alexander has another great book in his series By Jane Howell
Virgil Alexander has another great book in his series. First was The Wham Curse, then Saints and Sinners, and now The Baleful Owl. It might be my favorite and that's saying something! Love Deputy Sanchez and his cohorts figuring out who did what! Really insightful look into what goes on in police work in the Arizona I remember and love. Reminds me of Tony Hillerman and his books. Now I'll just have to wait till the next in the series!
I anxiously await your next book. Good job By Kent Johnson Olsen, author, Sarah's Summer Adventures Series
A nice mixture of fact, fiction and personal stories to solve the mystery. I anxiously await your next book.
Visit the Southwest & learn about artifact theft By J.L. Greger, Author
The Baleful Owl is like a Tony Hillerman novel-a loving rendition of people and places in the Southwest. Alexander accurately reports police procedures and demonstrates the seriousness of artifact theft, while he entertains you with interesting characters.
Alexander has another Southwestern Winner! By R. Shank
Virgil Alexander has added additional depth and dimension to his law officers from his previous two books and taken the reader into another case filled with suspense and colorful descriptions of the Southwest. He has added little side stories and incidents that make me feel like I was with Al and Bren; especially during the car vs. turkey incident. I can't wait until his next novel; I'm sure it will contain additional panoramas of the Southwest and more great stories about law enforcement and their intriguing cases.
The Wham Curse, Saints & Sinners, and now The Baleful Owl and have enjoyed them all By Lew
I have read all three of Virgil Alexander's books, The Wham Curse, Saints & Sinners and now The Baleful Owl and have enjoyed them all. The description of the land the History and the workings of the various law enforcement agencies is very interesting and entertaining.
I look forward with great expectation to his next book By Karen G. Crawford
Alexander's books have moved steadily forward in his writing skill, story-telling ability, and character development. I look forward with great expectation to his next book!
Good read, nice storyline, fun characters! By sheaman
Good read, especially if you are from Southern and Eastern Arizona. Nice storyline. Fun, familiar characters --- but read his other two books first to really know them.
Arizona's Best By David Davis
Virgil's books keep getting better and better. He has an incredible knowledge of the southwest and the people who live there. The reader can almost see the desert and mountains that are the focus of the story. Hopefully he will continue to write these stories.
Another fascinating, moving and suspenseful novel by Virgil Alexander! By Jay N Hoopes
I appreciate that it has a family and highly moral orientation. I loved the interactions with the characters that have spiritual, highly moral and committed marriage relationships. I was enlightened by the extensive marriage ceremony and all the other little traditions that were part of the vows in a small town Catholic Church. I liked his "touch" in putting Deputy Patricia Haley into not only a no-nonsense officer but also an attractive lady in her own right. I also liked his “touch” of connecting Patricia and her associate, Andy to their child years and then having them move into a new world engaging family and possible marriage in the future. Having lived in this area I could feel the scenery and visualize the settings of most all the places. I believe he does a great job of setting up the scenes and settings. To me, it was a wonderful visual and mentally engaging novel. The technical details used to put the convictions together were fascinating and fun to read. I like his book endings that put everything together in a good perspective better situations for the characters etc. and a great moral outcome. It was fun! It has no objectionable language or graphic scenes. It is highly recommend by me for good clean uplifting family entertainment. I believe a teenager would enjoy reading this and his other novels.
Virgil Alexander has another great book in his series By Jane Howell
Virgil Alexander has another great book in his series. First was The Wham Curse, then Saints and Sinners, and now The Baleful Owl. It might be my favorite and that's saying something! Love Deputy Sanchez and his cohorts figuring out who did what! Really insightful look into what goes on in police work in the Arizona I remember and love. Reminds me of Tony Hillerman and his books. Now I'll just have to wait till the next in the series!
I anxiously await your next book. Good job By Kent Johnson Olsen, author, Sarah's Summer Adventures Series
A nice mixture of fact, fiction and personal stories to solve the mystery. I anxiously await your next book.
Newspaper Review of Saints & Sinners (Arizona Silver Belt, Thursday, June 19, 2014
Here's what's being said about The Wham Curse:
"Just finished reading a really GOOD book - THE WHAM CURSE, by Virgil Alexander. It was so intriguing and interesting that I had trouble putting the book down. If you can find this book - I suggest you get it. It is really well done. Thanks Virgil, for the interesting journey...I really enjoyed the read". -From post on GK's Facebook wall.
"I Really enjoyed reading The Wham Curse!" You masterfully incorporated lots of history and beautiful scenery within a “who dunnit” story. I think your writing compares with Tony Hillerman; I enjoyed his stories about Navajos like Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Your Apache character Al working to solve a murder (Boy Begay) with the deputies while taking other cases really kept my interest focused. And having the Wham robbery as the central theme was great." RS via E-mail
"A solid plot cleverly tied between the historic and contemporary American Southwest. The characters are real, the dialog rings true. The intermingling of Apache Indian culture and lore is interesting and thoughtful. The setting is well described, not only does your mind see the country, but you are caught up in the author’s obvious love for the Southwest. Reminds me of Tony Hillerman in more ways than one. I am ready for another story by Mr. Alexander." RG on Barnes& Noble
"I had a hard time putting it down once I started reading. It is a fast moving crime drama that takes place near the San Carlos Indian Reservation in Arizona. Virgil Alexander is very knowledgeable about that part of AZ and included information about the rivers and canyons, and Apache Culture, that was interesting, and helped me picture how some of the historical events happened. I loved this book, it is a fast moving police drama, with a little romance. Deputy Allred works hard to improve relations between the Sheriff and pretty much everyone he deals with. Boy's Grandmother is a glowing example of forgiveness and listening to the spirit." MW on Amazon
"I just finished Virgil Alexander's book The Wham Curse today. I thoroughly enjoyed his vivid descriptions of the people and places of the Arizona I remembered. I could almost see the dry wash beds and sunsets and taste the green chili burros! And the workings of the various law enforcement agencies was right on the money. The willingness of these law enforcement officers to accept the spiritual gifts of a special woman helped bring about the solving of not only a modern murder, but a century-old robbery, and the ending of the Wham Curse." JH on Amazon
"This is an interesting book. The author has an incredible knowledge of south eastern Arizona. It is interesting, colorful and insightful. Care is given to describe the locations and to provide a believable insight into the mechanics of a small Arizona community. The author did a great job and this is a fun read. Hopefully others will follow." DD on Amazon
"The descriptions certainly ring true but they also make for a comfortable setting for a mystery. I was taken in and went along for an enjoyable ride. These are multidimensional characters I was happy to spend time with. The towns feel fully realized. We're given insight into inter agency protocols and religious, racial and political tensions but also how these competing ideas more often work and interact just fine. The area in question has plenty of Mormon settlements, Mexican immigrants, all manner of melting pot ingredients all adjacent to a large Apache reservation. The Wham Curse treats all of that in a way that's just a fun glimpse inside something that feels kind of unique." JW on Amazon
"I really enjoyed reading your book. You are an extremely good writer, and you’ve picked a story that suits you, and one that is, at the same time, interesting and very readable. Some of your descriptions of the land are so lyrical I could immediately visualize the location, even though I’ve not been there. This is something Hillerman does so well; and so do you." KC e-mail
"I would recommend The Wham Curse by Virgil Alexander to everyone, especially if you like reading authors like J.A. Jance.- "Primary Mary" Blog
Author Note: Tony Hillerman and J.A. Jance!? If only.... But it makes my heart flutter. VA on this page.
"I Really enjoyed reading The Wham Curse!" You masterfully incorporated lots of history and beautiful scenery within a “who dunnit” story. I think your writing compares with Tony Hillerman; I enjoyed his stories about Navajos like Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Your Apache character Al working to solve a murder (Boy Begay) with the deputies while taking other cases really kept my interest focused. And having the Wham robbery as the central theme was great." RS via E-mail
"A solid plot cleverly tied between the historic and contemporary American Southwest. The characters are real, the dialog rings true. The intermingling of Apache Indian culture and lore is interesting and thoughtful. The setting is well described, not only does your mind see the country, but you are caught up in the author’s obvious love for the Southwest. Reminds me of Tony Hillerman in more ways than one. I am ready for another story by Mr. Alexander." RG on Barnes& Noble
"I had a hard time putting it down once I started reading. It is a fast moving crime drama that takes place near the San Carlos Indian Reservation in Arizona. Virgil Alexander is very knowledgeable about that part of AZ and included information about the rivers and canyons, and Apache Culture, that was interesting, and helped me picture how some of the historical events happened. I loved this book, it is a fast moving police drama, with a little romance. Deputy Allred works hard to improve relations between the Sheriff and pretty much everyone he deals with. Boy's Grandmother is a glowing example of forgiveness and listening to the spirit." MW on Amazon
"I just finished Virgil Alexander's book The Wham Curse today. I thoroughly enjoyed his vivid descriptions of the people and places of the Arizona I remembered. I could almost see the dry wash beds and sunsets and taste the green chili burros! And the workings of the various law enforcement agencies was right on the money. The willingness of these law enforcement officers to accept the spiritual gifts of a special woman helped bring about the solving of not only a modern murder, but a century-old robbery, and the ending of the Wham Curse." JH on Amazon
"This is an interesting book. The author has an incredible knowledge of south eastern Arizona. It is interesting, colorful and insightful. Care is given to describe the locations and to provide a believable insight into the mechanics of a small Arizona community. The author did a great job and this is a fun read. Hopefully others will follow." DD on Amazon
"The descriptions certainly ring true but they also make for a comfortable setting for a mystery. I was taken in and went along for an enjoyable ride. These are multidimensional characters I was happy to spend time with. The towns feel fully realized. We're given insight into inter agency protocols and religious, racial and political tensions but also how these competing ideas more often work and interact just fine. The area in question has plenty of Mormon settlements, Mexican immigrants, all manner of melting pot ingredients all adjacent to a large Apache reservation. The Wham Curse treats all of that in a way that's just a fun glimpse inside something that feels kind of unique." JW on Amazon
"I really enjoyed reading your book. You are an extremely good writer, and you’ve picked a story that suits you, and one that is, at the same time, interesting and very readable. Some of your descriptions of the land are so lyrical I could immediately visualize the location, even though I’ve not been there. This is something Hillerman does so well; and so do you." KC e-mail
"I would recommend The Wham Curse by Virgil Alexander to everyone, especially if you like reading authors like J.A. Jance.- "Primary Mary" Blog
Author Note: Tony Hillerman and J.A. Jance!? If only.... But it makes my heart flutter. VA on this page.