Robert Bailor

Murder in the Time of Covid Robert Bailor

During the COVID-19 pandemic Detectives Eddie Bunco and Theo Chadwick are assigned to investigate a gruesome ritualistic murder which turns out to have been perpetrated by a religious cult which is a hybrid of Christian and Zoroastrian beliefs. As they investigate the case, they also unearth a child sex trafficking operation which is directly related to the murder. The narrative intensifies as the detectives discover that they must bring both aspects of this case to a quick resolution if they desperately want to save current and potential victims. Along the way the detectives meet a number of memorable characters. On the one hand, there are Sgt. Maddie Buckold and Detective Gabriella Jackson whose courage and quick thinking are crucial to resolving the double case. On the other hand, there are Whitey Harrison, owner/manager of the Blue Moon Lounge, and the person known as "the final savior" who are closely involved in the sex trafficking and the ritualistic murders. In addition to the drama of a police investigation, the narrative lays bare deep meaning-of-life questions and serious emotional challenges that arise with police work in general. These questions and challenges trouble Detective Bunco who works at sorting them out with the help of his love interest, an altruistic nurse practitioner named Grace Champion. As their intimacy grows, they feel secure enough to share their thoughts and beliefs about good/evil, trustworthiness, and the reason to live. Murder in the Time of COVID is a narrative set in contemporary times with the background of a worldwide disease and the current controversy regarding the proper place of police officers in the community. This novel is much more than a detective story as it engages the reader in the question of whether humans are fatally flawed in character or really capable of attaining genuine nobility.