Micah Dunn Mysteries

The Maya Stone Murders (St. Martins, 1989)
ISBN: 0312026080

"...mysterious motives, international trickery, academic infighting, ancient archaeological riddles and enough second guessing to keep the most hard-to-please mystery lover engrossed from cover to cover." —Louisiana Life

"...a sympathetic hero, semi-exotic atmosphere, and fast-paced action keep the pages turning." —The Library Journal

"A delightful cast of supporting characters...[Shuman] will certainly find an appreciative audience among readers who like their murder served with a certain Louisiana tang." —Booklist

"A fast-paced mystery with several juicy murders and lots of New Orleans atmosphere and colorful characters, as well as an insider's understanding of Mayan archaeology. Shuman manages to keep the reader totally baffled until the denouement." —Baton Rouge Magazine

The Caesar Clue (St. Martins, 1990)
ISBN: 0312042752

When a mysterious young woman places an urgent call to Micah Dunn, the New Orleans private eye dutifully agrees to meet her incoming flight at the airport. Though a bit puzzled by Julia Morvant's cryptic telephone message, Dunn has no reason to suspect a case out of the ordinary--until his prospective client's plane is blown from the sky on its final approach to New Orleans International Airport. When the authorities confirm that foul play is responsible for the tragic explosion, Dunn knows that Julia Morvant must somehow be connected. But was she an unwitting accomplice to the heinous act or an innocent victim? Micah Dunn resolves to find out as much as he can about Julia Morvant--who she was, where she came from, and why she so desperately needed to meet him. He soon finds himself sniffing out a corrupt trail that winds from the dingiest alleys of New Orleans' underworld to much higher--and even more dangerous--places.

"The New Orleans background is fresh and interesting. Dunn is affable, gritty, and attractive..." —Kirkus Reviews

"This is the best yet. The reader feels Dunn's adrenaline flow increase with each close encounter...The Caesar Clue is excellent." —Baton Rouge Advocate

Deep Kill (St. Martins, 1991)
ISBN: 0517099071

An old friend in trouble draws New Orleans private eye Micah Dunn into a personal and professional dilemma. Calvin Autry, a garage owner and a drinking buddy of Micah's, is accused of molesting a young black boy. He vehemently denies the crime and hires Micah to check out all the people who have it in for him, to learn who might have paid the boy to bring the charge. A crooked business competitor, an affluent executive with strong business ties, and Cal's own landlord all have had run-ins with the plain-spoken mechanic. A local reverend with a political agenda further complicates the case. Micah's search takes him into the city and out to the desolate strips of Louisiana swamp late at night more than once, on either side of a gun.

But as he investigates, Micah discovers some troubling information about Cal's past that makes him wonder. When the boy turns up dead in a lonely levee, Cal disappears and Micah is left to clear the name of a friend who may or may not be innocent.

"Deep Kill is a dizzying whirl through New Orleans...an atmospheric tale of mayhem in the French Quarter...199 pages were not enough of Micah Dunn." —The Houston Post

"M. K. Shuman has delivered an exceptional story set in New Orleans...well-written, thought-provoking mystery...A tight, taut story of private eye Micah Dunn's search for the truth." —Mystery News

The Last Man to Die (St. Martins, 1992)
ISBN: 0312078587

An archaeological dig unearths the one-legged skeleton of a man who has been missing since 1949. Max Chantry had been an ardent reformer in his era, who fought hard to rid the New Orleans political system of the mob's machine. A veteran of the First World War, Chantry had run for District Attorney and remained uncorrupted. Most everyone then and now believes the idealist, who was missing one leg, was done in by his adversaries. When Micah Dunn begins to stir up what seems like ancient history, a pattern of violence more than four decades old reemerges. A young woman reputed to be a call girl and mysteriously connected to the case is murdered, and Micah becomes the next target.

"The Micah Dunn stories are among the more literate crime novels brewing in Louisiana...a cut above the ordinary." —The New Orleans Times-Picayune