Books Written by Anthony J. Pucci
When the pandemic forces the cancelation of the senior prom, fear of missing out on one of the most memorable high school experiences leads to tragedy. Martha, the girl who had it all … brains, beauty, athletic ability … dies after a late-night party. Was it alcohol poisoning, or as amateur sleuth Michael Bishop suspects, something more sinister?
As the veteran teacher learns, Martha had a dark side. She left a trail of jilted boyfriends and jealous girlfriends that Bishop follows on his own as Lieutenant Sheehy serves a suspension. Although her family was of modest means, Martha drove a Lexus and wore expensive clothes and jewelry. How did a teenager make that kind of money?
Complicating matters, Luella “Lulu” Pitts, the young assistant principal, makes a startling discovery about her past; Bishop’s growing relationship with Marianne Sampson reaches a critical turning point; past administrators Sister Ann and Sister Pat, a.k.a. Mayhem and Meany, make a spectral return; and the beleaguered teacher receives a cryptic message about cheating that he struggles to decipher. Confronting deception with some deception of his own, Bishop, a lover of literature, confronts the killer in a scene that can best be described as poetic justice.
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Veteran English teacher/amateur sleuth Michael Bishop visits Ogunquit, Maine for a week’s vacation before the start of another school year. His hopes for relaxation are quickly dashed when he discovers the body of Amy Walsh, a former student, on the rocks below the scenic Marginal Way. After the authorities find his hat at the scene, he becomes a suspect in her death. Fearing the negative effects of a murder investigation on tourism, some influential community leaders pressure the police to dismiss the case as an accident. Bishop, however, isn’t convinced. As he begins to question her friends, business associates, and others, he discovers that behind the façade of this idyllic town is a trio of powerbrokers who seemingly will stop at nothing to maintain their wealth and power.In this fast-paced mystery, Bishop, battling some lapses in memory and troubled by reports of chaos at school, again confronts both the good and evil in human nature in his relentless pursuit of the truth.
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What starts out as a typical day in a small town in upstate New York quickly becomes fraught with fear and uncertainty. The body of Ralph Reitano, a prominent attorney is found in the contents of a dumpster on its way to the landfill. Michael Bishop, a veteran English teacher, is unexpectedly suspended when a female student accuses him of inappropriate sexual comments.When the attorney’s secretary Erin and her boyfriend Jake become suspects in the murder, she turns to Bishop, her former teacher and amateur sleuth, for help. As the investigation proceeds, he begins to realize that Reitano’s unethical behavior has given a number of others reason to want him dead. He also has two sons who stand to gain by the father’s death. One of them removes key evidence from his father’s office. When a second person is murdered, Bishop knows that he is in a race against time to end the cycle of violence.The administrative team of Sister Ann and Sister Pat, aka Mayhem and Meany, may have found a way to rid themselves of Bishop, their long-time nemesis, by capitalizing on the unproven allegations against him to force his resignation. The only chance to save his career and his reputation is a meeting with Sister Estelle, the Superior General. She entrusts him with a sealed envelope that contains explosive revelations. Will that be enough for Bishop to outmaneuver the despicable duo?Once again, Bishop confronts the evil within the human heart without losing his own faith in the basic goodness of man.
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In his long career as an English teacher at Holy Trinity High School, Michael Bishop felt that he was as good at reading people as he was at reading books. That all changes when he discovers the body of the school’s highly successful but universally disliked football coach, Albert Zappala. Even more disturbing is the news that the coach, whose net worth was in the millions, was murdered. Suddenly, everyone is a suspect, including students, colleagues, and even the Sisters who run the school. Bishop’s skill in reading people is put to the ultimate test. Like Captain Ahab searching for the answers in his pursuit of the white whale, Bishop searches into the dark past for the key that will unlock the mystery. Will the truth destroy his belief in the basic goodness of man?
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Michael Bishop, veteran English teacher at Holy Trinity High School and amateur sleuth, faces a baffling case as one of his colleagues wins a Mega Millions Jackpot and shortly thereafter dies in suspicious circumstances. Hampered by a memory that sometimes fails him, he doggedly pursues the truth regardless of where it leads. At the same time, twenty-two-year-old blonde bombshell Lulu Pitts is appointed assistant principal even though she clearly lacks experience and is unprepared for the job. Outraged that she didn’t get her old job back, Sister Pat, a.k.a. Sister Meany, sets out on a path of revenge. When a student brings a revealing photo of Lulu to school, Sister Pat pounces. Bishop has little choice but to tangle once more with his longtime nemesis and her cohort, Sister Ann, a.k.a. Mayhem. This fast-paced mystery features unexpected plot twists, some familiar characters, glimpses of life in upstate New York, and lessons learned about the human tendency to yield to our inner demons.
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The life of veteran English teacher Michael Bishop takes an unexpected turn when one of his students opens a trap door in the auditorium stage and discovers the body of a recently hired maintenance man. Bishop determines that what appears to be an accident is nothing short of coldblooded murder. Very little is known about the victim. Who could have wanted to kill him and why? In the dead man’s wallet is a piece of paper with “Avignon 1868” written on it. Is that the key to solving the mystery or is it a meaningless distraction? As Bishop searches for answers, Holy Trinity High School is rocked by a financial crisis. Two administrators, the autocratic Sister Ann and the venomous Sister Pat, plan to dismiss teachers as a cost-saving measure, and Bishop’s name is at the top of the list. The end of the school year is quickly approaching. Will Bishop be able to see through the masks that people wear to identify the killer and save his job at the same time?
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When star athlete, Nick Borelli, collapses during a game, everyone is shocked by his sudden death. A few weeks later, when toxicology reports reveal that he died of a lethal dose of caffeine, a murder investigation begins. Veteran teacher and amateur sleuth, Michael Bishop, decides to help the authorities in their search for the killer.
Not much is known about Borelli since he had only recently transferred to Holy Trinity High School from the prestigious Dunhill Academy. Why had he left? Who would want Borelli dead? Bishop must consider a number of suspects including Nick’s basketball coach, teammates, girlfriends, and even his own father.
Meanwhile, there is turmoil in the business office at the school. After a significant sum of money disappears, the business manager resigns rather than face charges. What really happened in that office? Shortly thereafter, a stranger arrives at the school as a substitute teacher for a couple of weeks, and Bishop suspects that he is hiding something.
Two of the administrators, Sister Ann and Sister Pat, a.k.a. Mayhem and Meany, are up to their usual devious antics. This time, did they go too far?
Bishop, who applies the lessons of literature to real life, struggles with the essential nature of mankind as he relentlessly pursues the truth.
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When an unexpected death occurs in the teachers’ lunchroom, the school’s maintenance man is the obvious suspect, but Michael Bishop has his doubts. He quickly realizes that several people had the opportunity and the motive to commit this heinous act, but who had the means? As the investigation unfolds, one of the administrators is struck down by a rare illness, and another is victimized by a stalker. Bishop must deal with rumors of a past affair with a former student whose daughter is the voluptuous assistant principal, Lulu Pitts. In his classroom, Bishop’s students discuss the moral ambiguities posed in their readings. Is murder ever justified? Facing perhaps his most challenging case, Bishop discovers the dark and devastating truth with unexpected and catastrophic consequences.
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Michael Bishop’s forty-ninth year of teaching is off to a good start until the body of one of his colleagues is found floating in a country club swimming pool. The victim was easily the most disliked teacher in the school, and when Ron Jennings, the principal and close friend of Bishop, emerges as the primary suspect, Bishop faces his most challenging case as an amateur detective.
In his personal life, Bishop is now in a relationship with a former student who happens to be the mother of the assistant principal, blonde bombshell Luella “Lulu” Pitts. Complicating matters, the Kate Upton lookalike is also on the list of suspects after a nasty and very public confrontation with the victim shortly before his murder.
As Bishop works to unravel the mystery, he becomes the victim of a series of increasingly aggressive of intimidation. Are the two situations unrelated, or is someone trying to interfere with the investigation?
To make matters worse, Bishop is troubled by some disturbing visions. Is he dreaming? Is he hallucinating? Have his occasional memory lapses progressed to something more debilitating?
Despite these obstacles, the veteran teacher relentlessly pursues the truth until all the pieces of the puzzle come together in a heart-stopping crescendo of discoveries.
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