It's #RIAuthor Month - Meet Rick Marchetti
Memphis Blues pitcher Del Fontenot is nearing the end of a brilliant career and this, his 20th Major League season, is shaping up to be a fitting finale for the tall righty; he’s in the Top 5 among National League pitchers in several categories, including wins, strikeouts, and earned run average. He’s also enjoying the largesse of Memphis’ opponents; each team is giving him a hero’s sendoff during the Blues’ final visit of the season. Everything is proceeding according to plan. And while Fontenot enjoys a much-deserved sendoff, veteran detective Dan McNulty is trying to discover who murdered a young woman named Precious Blake in Ohio. Because she was a drug user and part-time prostitute, her grieving mother feels as if the Harding, Ohio police have taken a hands-off approach to the case. But, once McNulty begins to look into the murder, he discovers that the reason for the department’s alleged lack of interest may point to something different altogether. Is it possible the killer is someone famous and the police are acting under orders to keep everything under wraps?
McNulty, who has proven popular with readers since he first appeared in the novel The River, sets his sights on discovering the truth behind Precious Blake’s murder. Along the way, he’ll discover that the reason the case hasn’t been solved just might be due to a cover-up rather than a lack of interest regarding the victim. Once McNulty realizes the case may be linked to a number of unsolved murders all across the country, all bets are off. Who murdered Precious Blake?
Rick Marchetti is a lifelong Rhode Islander who began writing in high school. After a few unfinished short stories, he turned to songwriting and to date has penned over 500 songs. His CD, Matters of the Heart, contains 16 of his tunes. Several years ago, he came across an unfinished story in a trunk in his attic. Reading it, he decided to try and complete it. That story, Dark Glasses, became the cornerstone of his first book release, the short story collection Dark Glasses and Other Tales. His next project was a novel, The River. One of the minor characters, Detective Dan McNulty, caught the attention of readers, many of whom urged Rick to feature him in another story. In Rick’s next novel, Iris, McNulty was one of 4 major characters and, once again, readers clamored for more. This led to the first “Dan McNulty Mystery,” titled Murder in the Valley.
To date, Rick has released 9 books: 4 novels, 3 short story collections, and 2 “just-for-fun” titles attributed to alter-ego Uncle Ricky and his pet peeves. Currently, besides Superstar, which is slated to be released in conjunction with Opening Day of the 2018 baseball season, Rick is also working on several new short stories for an as-yet-untitled collection. Visit him at his website and find him on Facebook and on Twitter.
Meet over 100 local authors on Saturday, December 2! The Fifth Annual RI Authors Expo