PRESS KIT
EVENTS
1 July 2024 - THE LITTLE GREEN MEN MURDERS to be published
PRESS RELEASE
Murder, Monoliths, and UFOs – Are Aliens Involved?
Jim Guthrie is back.
This time, Louisville’s
contemporary Philip Marlowe must rescue a documentary filmmaker who has been kidnapped at
the annual “Little Green Men Festival” in—wait for it—Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
Are aliens involved? What about that mysterious monolith that turned up the
night before the kidnapping on the festival grounds? And how does a
fifteen-year-old murder case that involved Guthrie’s current client tie in? THE
LITTLE GREEN MEN MURDERS, number two in the Guthrie series, is another fast-paced mystery novel with a complex story,
off-beat humor, and a vivid sense of place.
CONTACT THE AUTHOR
— www.RickNeumayer.com
— Facebook
— journeymanpate [at] gmail [dot] com
BIOGRAPHY
The Little Green Men Murders is Rick Neumayer’s third published novel following his debut with Journeyman in 2020 and Hotwalker (2021), and his second in the Jim Guthrie PI series. Rick has published short fiction in many literary magazines, and three of his full-length Broadway-style musical collaborations have been produced. A career teacher, he has had a wide variety of experiences, including working as a newspaper reporter, book reviewer, literary magazine editor, and singer in rock bands. He is a Louisville native and resident. A Male High grad, he has degrees from Spalding University (MFA), University of Louisville (MA), and Western Kentucky University (BA).
PRAISE for The Little Green Men Murders
“A finely written, propulsive novel that fans of contemporary mysteries are sure to enjoy.”
–Kirkus Reviews
“As he investigates, Jim learns about a strange and sometimes comical UFO subculture in which festival attendees dress up as “little green men” and spin numberless conspiracies about government coverups. Could Travis have angered one of these devoted believers by making a film about the person’s obsession with some strange monoliths that appeared in 2020?
“The situation becomes more complex when Jim and Jessamine attempt to track the ransom money and discover that one of the kidnappers has been murdered, leaving no information about Travis’ whereabouts. Jim and Jessamine now have to decide how much information to share with the police, who are less interested in finding Travis alive than in establishing links between the kidnapping and local drug dealers.
*
“A finely crafted mystery that is sure to delight fans of the genre. With its compelling characters, clever plot twists, suspense, humor, and unique setting, this captivating journey through rural Kentucky's UFO subculture novel is a must-read for anyone looking for thrills and entertainment.”
– Drema Drudge, author of the novels Kentucky Fried Woolf and Victorine
“The writing is sharp and engaging. Each chapter brims with unforeseen revelations. Kentucky’s rural landscape becomes a character, with its abandoned churches, dense forests, and mysterious religious sects adding depth and intrigue. Neumayer's approach to storytelling elevates this book beyond mere entertainment, showcasing it as a work of literary merit.”
*
“This ingenious
thriller will grab your interest and won’t let go until the last shot is
fired.”
– Bob Sachs,
author of 56 published short stories
“Much of the action centers around Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in the southwestern part of the state where Jessamine’s mother was raised and where the ‘Little Green Man Festival’ is underway. The annual event honors the appearance of aliens at a nearby farmhouse in the 1950s, and draws thousands of people—skeptics, curiosity seekers, true believers, and troublemakers. Against this background, a mysterious monolith appears, setting off a series of events culminating in murder, kidnapping, danger, and mayhem. Will Guthrie sort it out? And at what cost?
“Like Hotwalker, the first Jim Guthrie novel, author Rick Neumayer has his detective strip away layers of greed, fear, anger, and hatred in his attempt to gain control of a seemingly uncontrollable series of events. His primary task is to find Travis Tilford, Jessamine’s husband before his kidnappers kill him. It’s not clear whether he’ll succeed.”
SYNOPSIS - The Little Green Men Murders
While fishing on the Ohio River, cash-starved private eye Jim Guthrie receives a panicked phone call from Jessamine Barrett Tilford, who begs him to help find her kidnapped husband, Travis. Jessamine, the daughter of a Kentucky senator, had been attending a rural, UFO-themed festival with her filmmaker husband when he was snatched from a parking lot. (“Back in the 1950s, aliens in flying saucers supposedly visited a local farm. They’ve been celebrating it ever since.”) He’s now being held for $500,000 ransom. Having solved an earlier mystery for the Barretts, Guthrie takes the case but cautions the family that victims of kidnapping are rarely returned alive, even when the full ransom is paid. But there’s something odd and amateurish about these kidnappers, who take unnecessary chances and even negotiate over the ransom sum. As he investigates, Jim learns about a strange and sometimes comical UFO subculture in which festival attendees dress up as “little green men” and spin numberless conspiracies about government coverups. Could Travis have angered one of these devoted believers by making a film about the person’s obsession with some strange monoliths that appeared in 2020? The situation becomes more complex when Jim and Jessamine attempt to track the ransom money and discover that one of the kidnappers has been murdered, leaving no information about Travis’ whereabouts. Jim and Jessamine now have to decide how much information to share with the police, who are less interested in finding Travis alive than in establishing links between the kidnapping and local drug dealers.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Rick Neumayer
Paperback 237 pages
ISBN Paperback: 978-1-956615-33-3. ISBN Digital: 978-1-956615-34-0.
Publisher: Literary Wanderlust LLC, Denver, Colorado (July 1, 2024). https//www.LiteraryWanderlust.com
Printed in the United States of America
An Excerpt from The Little Green Men Murders
“What’s
your take on this monolith showing up here in Hopkinsville?” I asked, as
Bartholomew wrapped a white sheet around me.
“My
take? Well, I wonder if we’re being set up.”
I
wasn’t expecting this from him. “Darlene said she thinks it’s aliens.”
“Aliens.
Who knows?” Bartholomew doused a small white towel with hot tap water and
scented oil, then wrapped it around my face. “Now, that will soften your
whiskers and help you to enter a manly, Zen-like state.”
“A
Zen-like state. What exactly does that mean?” I asked.
“It
means a state of calm attentiveness where one’s actions are guided by intuition
rather than by conscious effort.”
“Intuition,
eh?” My intuition was telling me to run away, run away. But I ignored it.
“You’ll
become one with the shave, lost in the rhythm of the task at hand,” Bartholomew
said.
“All
that for the price of a shave? Sounds like a real bargain.”
He
smiled beatifically and began stropping a straight razor on a flexible strip of
leather hooked to a drawer for tension. I wondered if the Zen-like state
included the shrinking I suddenly felt in my scrotum.
FEATURES ANGLE - The Little Green Men Murders
TLGMM’s mix of mystery and science fiction could draw in readers of both popular genres. Unidentified Flying Objects continue to fascinate millions. Each August, aliens who allegedly visited the earth in the 1950s are celebrated in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, at the Little Green Man Days Festival, the setting for the novel.
On 27 June 2022, CNN reported that the U.S. intelligence community had released something remarkable—an unclassified report to Congress of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP aka UFO) after denying their existence for decades. Two years later (8 March 2024), CBS said another UAP sighting report was issued by the Defense Department's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, whose very existence is intriguing.
One week later (15 March 2024), a ‘Perfect Monolith’ reportedly appeared in Wales. This Welsh monolith is the only one to suddenly, almost magically appear since 2020, when monoliths (like those in “2001: A Space Odyssey) were popping up everywhere. Monoliths also feature prominently in the novel.
HOTWALKER
Praise for Hotwalker
“Want to sample the Kentucky Derby scene? Mount up with
author Rick Neumayer's splendid Jim Gutherie, P.I. mystery, Hotwalker. This riveting, action-packed novel
made me laugh out loud even as the suspense spurred me to read
on. Neumayer's characters and Louisville life along the Ohio River
seem amazingly real, and his witty, tough, carefully ethical detective someone
you'd like to know.
—Sena Jeter Naslund,
author of novels Sherlock in Love and Ahab's Wife
*
“Fast-paced, action-packed, and intricately plotted, Rick Neumayer’s Hotwalker is a winner straight out of the gate. If you like the Kentucky Derby, smart-mouth detectives, and plenty of fisticuffs and gunplay, this novel is a must read. The finely crafted story, vivid characters, and sharp dialog make Hotwalker one of the best detective novels I’ve read in years. In fact, it’s so good that I wish I’d written it.”
—Chris Helvey, Author of novels Afghan Love Potion and Flowers for Sergeant Schiller
*
SYNOPSIS - Hotwalker
Guatemalan groom Felipe Rojas’ body is found in a barn the morning after a fight over a poker game. Police are stymied due to the immigrants’ distrust. An incident in the opening scene involving racehorse owner Herb Alexander’s son results in Guthrie taking the case. With the help of his client, the murder victim’s hotwalker son Carlos, Guthrie begins interviewing persons of interest, including the three conspirators. Several violent encounters with Alexander occur during the investigation. To further sidetrack the detective, veterinarian Dr. Freya Hall seduces Guthrie. But later their mutual attraction becomes real. Guthrie proves robbery was not the murderer’s motive since the victim still had $2,000 in his pocket long afterward (a retired watchman stole the money). Guthrie tries to provoke the killer (assistant trainer Luke Ericson) into making a mistake by proclaiming in a racetrack tip sheet that he’s getting close to solving the murder. The sheet’s publisher, Wyatt Whitlow, has been secretly investigating race-fixing. Whitlow’s prevented from revealing his findings by Luke, who kills him and plants the murder weapon in a rival’s barn. Guthrie discovers a flash drive containing Whitlow’s findings--that PEDs are being used to darken the form of longshots to collect huge payouts. Guthrie learns that Felipe Rojas was the groom for Quicksilver, a longshot who won and dropped dead on the track. Guthrie hypothesizes that Luke and Freya killed the horse with an unintentionally fatal dose of their PED. The P.I. theorizes that the murdered groom must’ve had proof, which he used to blackmail the villains into bringing his family to the U.S.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Rick
Neumayer
Paperback 264 pages
ISBN
Print: 978-1-942856-87-0
ISBN
Digital:
Publisher:
Literary Wanderlust LLC, Denver, Colorado (October 1, 2021).
https//www.LiteraryWanderlust.com
Printed in the United States of America
An Excerpt from Hotwalker
I was having a drink on my dock on the Ohio River when the radio announcer’s voice was suddenly drowned out by an earsplitting noise.
I was thrilled that the Kentucky Derby was once again alive and well post-pandemic, but still hoped to avoid the hoopla surrounding it. While every TV and radio station in town blared about Derby Week events, from the hot air balloons to the Pegasus parade and the Great Steamboat Race, everything else got put on hold. It was unlikely that I would have any new clients. Every phone call or piece of mail addressed to Jim Guthrie, Private Investigator, was a past-due request.
“The twin spires rise from Churchill Downs like church
steeples, fitting since thoroughbred horse racing is a religion here this time
of year, with worshippers substituting bourbon for the sacramental wine and
betting windows for collection baskets. Some 160,000 spectators are expected to
line the fences at the racetrack to witness the most exciting two minutes in
sports.”
That’s when—startled by the whine of high-powered
engines—I glanced upriver to find a red speed boat with a white fiberglass hull
hurtling my way. It was bouncing high and slapping the waves hard while
throwing up a ten-foot rooster tail. Six miles upriver from the city of
Louisville where sailboats and fishermen dotted the channel was no place for a
muscle craft like this to zoom close to shore at sixty knots, especially not
while recklessly shifting directions and jumping its own wake. Only a grandstander
would do that. This one must’ve been showing off for the woman standing beside
him in a two-piece swimsuit.
When I waved him off, he veered to the right. But then
he veered back while letting go of the wheel, like a kid on a bicycle riding
with no hands. He must not have expected the torque that forced the boat to
swerve, pitching him out across the waves. Seconds later, he popped up unhurt
and swam for shore. But his passenger was not so lucky. As she flipped
overboard, she banged her head on the stern and became entangled with the tow
rope. Now she was being dragged feet-first underwater.
With no time to think, instinct took over. The
driverless boat was going around in circles, with each pass coming closer.
When it seemed within reach, I sprinted the length of the dock and leaped,
barely hurdled the watery gap, and landed on the foredeck with enough force to
carry me over the other side. Instead, I grabbed a railing and, almost
dislocating my shoulder, pulled myself up.
Once in the cockpit, I throttled back, bringing the
boat to a lurching halt amid a welter of white water. I went aft and pulled in
the rope towing the woman. When I got her into the boat, she wasn’t breathing.
I laid her out on the deck and tilted her head back, blowing harsh rhythmic
breaths into her mouth until she gagged and began spewing up copper-colored
water.
“You okay?” I said, realizing at once what a stupid question that was.
JOURNEYMAN
Praise for Journeyman
“Rick Neumayer's Journeyman tells a timeless tale of youth striving to define not only itself but the world it inhabits. Who lives and who dies and why? What new and old values to reject or embrace--and at what point in the journey? A journeyman in earlier lingo was a tradesman who was no longer an apprentice but not yet a master of his trade. This honest, funny, and heartbreaking novel delivers everything a reader could wish for in the way of action, characters who are convincing and engaging, and ideas worth pondering.”
—Sena Jeter Naslund, Author of Ahab's Wife and Sherlock in Love
*
“Two intrepid young men set out from Kentucky to retrace the westward peregrinations of Kerouac and Cassady, twenty years after the fact, with tragic results for one and life-changing consequences for the other. Journeyman is the survivor’s stirring, multi-layered account of their travels and travails, interwoven with recollections of the life he left behind. Rick Neumayer’s writing is direct and purposeful, and it propels us through these misadventures as though we were along for the ride.
—Ed McClanahan, author of The Natural Man and Famous People I Have Known
*
“Journeyman is an affecting and well-wrought story told against the backdrop of a war that shaped a generation of Americans. Rick Neumayer’s good-natured narrator hitchhikes with his friend across the United States during the sixties, and the friendship between these two young men is a lively, steady stream running throughout the book. Both are complex, vulnerable, imperfect human beings who make you ache with their youthful desire to find a meaningful direction in their lives and to create a better, more just world. If you lived through the Vietnam War era, you will recognize the deep truth of this novel; if you were not alive then, you will fathom the chaos and hope and heartbreak of those years and how they laid the foundation for the world we’re living now. This is a timely, generous book that deftly captures a powerful, heady, mind-bending time.
—Eleanor Morse, author of White Dog Fell From The Sky
“Rick Neumayer's Journeyman immerses the reader viscerally in the America of 1970-71, with a quixotic hitchhiking pilgrimage from Louisville to a San Francisco commune at its narrative center. It's a moving and provocative story of initiation during a time, not unlike our own, when the energy and possibilities of youth rub up against the complicated realities of a country divided by racial mistrust, generational misunderstanding, political fractiousness, and domestic and international instability.
—K. L. Cook, author of The Art of Disobedience and Marrying Kind
Synopsis
Journeyman is a coming-of-age novel about an idealistic, alienated young teacher looking for answers and experience during the turbulent aftermath of the 1960s. Pate Merwin begins his teaching career as a permanent substitute with troubled inner-city middle school students. He also falls in love with Deborah Johnson, an African American bank teller and single parent. When his relationship with Deborah and his teaching career founder, Pate agrees to hitchhike across the country with his friend Stan Hicks, a Navy vet who is now against the Vietnam War. In Denver, the two stay with Pate’s old schoolmate Matthew Duncan, an acting student, and his wife Rebecca, who is putting him through grad school. Domestic discord ends Pate’s visit with his friends. He and Stan resume hitchhiking on a southwest course to see cliff dwellings and sample magic mushrooms. During a fierce mountain storm, they are picked up by an older couple with a psychedelic camper. They are stunned to find Matthew is a fellow passenger.
Pate and Matthew rescue Stan, who has foolishly risked his life
out on The Great Sand Dunes. Then at Mesa Verde, Pate is smitten by a young Ute
woman named Johona, who believes in the spirit world. They sleep together in
the desert following a deeply spiritual and hallucinatory experience produced
by taking psilocybin. Stan is injured while climbing a cliff face in the dark.
Matthew reveals that he has been using Stan and Pate to model
for a hippie role in a soap opera and departs on his own for Hollywood. After hearing
Johona say her cousin is a shaman, Stan agrees to a healing ceremony at an
isolated cliff dwelling ruin in the desert.
Broken-hearted when his brief love affair with Johona ends, Pate presses on to San Francisco. In Haight-Ashbury, he and Stan meet Willow, a free-spirited macramé artist, who invites them to stay in her commune. Pate and Willow become an item until he grows disenchanted with free love. Discovering that Stan has bedded Willow, Pate beats him up. Stan claims he was trying to save Pate from loving someone who would never love him back. Unable to fit into the counterculture, Stan re-enlists. Pate paints the big Victorian communal house for beer money. Killed while hitchhiking, Stan’s dying words are that he loved Pate like a brother and hoped for his forgiveness. Crushed, Pate is ready to leave the commune. But he finishes painting the house and, in so doing, acknowledges human selfishness, blindness, and uncertainty in himself and others. Pate realizes that Stan has taught him a precious lesson—that human beings are all imperfect and in need of forgiveness.
FEATURES ANGLE
Based on a true but wholly fictionalized experience, Journeyman will
appeal to anyone who has ever wanted to hitchhike across the country or has had
an interest in the 1960s. It adds a missing piece to the literary portrait of
the U.S. during the Vietnam War viewed from half a century later. Its
protagonist probes the original American sin of white cruelty and injustice to
African Americans and Native Americans. The natural world, the highway, and San
Francisco as the promised place all figure in Pate’s quest for authenticity and
connection.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Rick Neumayer
Paperback 258 pages
ISBN-10: 0996012044
ISBN-13: 978-0996012041
Publisher: The Louisville Review Corp. and Fleur-de-Lis Press
(September 8,2020)
Available in paperback at The Louisville Review's
website (https://mailchi.mp/a2e74329364a/fleur-de-lis-press-announces-new-release-by-author-rick-neumayer), in-store and online at Carmichael’s, and
online at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and your local independent bookstore.
PHOTOS
