CV Novelist Publishes New Murder Mystery Set by Lake Tahoe
Castro-Valley-born novelist Scott Lipanovich has just released his third in a series of four Jeff Taylor murder mysteries, “Sky Lake.” It’s set around Lake Tahoe and published by Encircle Publications, which specializes in murder mysteries.
The main character is an ex-basketball star player who lost half his hand, ending his plans to go to medical school. He becomes a detective, and the books put him in specific regions of California, one per book.
In Sky Lake, Jeff Taylor has gotten on with his life a bit. He’s married to his girlfriend, Karen, and they’ve moved to South Lake, where he’s started a medical practice. He did get back into and graduate medical school after all.
They move to South Lake Tahoe, where he starts up a medical practice. He hikes Mt. Tallac and afterward sees on his computer a headline that a star water skier, Brett, a friend with whom he’d been out of touch, had been found dead. He looks into it.
At Brett’s cabin in a secluded community, the title’s Sky Lake, he’s confronted by an armed man and quickly discovers the darker side of Tahoe’s beauty. Then, three more water skiers turn up dead.
Lipanovich has set each of his novels, including a planned fourth Jeff Taylor novel, in a different region of California and nearby states. His first, “The Lost Coast,” is set in southern Mendocino County. The second, “The Golden Ceiling,” is set in Sacramento and is dedicated to John Brosnan, his late great Castro Valley High School coach and longtime friend.
His upcoming fourth Jeff Taylor mystery novel, “Seeba’s Ghost,” is set in northwestern Sonoma County.
Lipanovich graduated from Castro Valley High School in 1973. He’d been captain of the football team, played varsity basketball for 2 years, and varsity baseball for 2. He won both of the school’s two athletic awards, the Olympian and the Herculean, sharing the latter with 2 others. He came back after graduation to work with Brosnan as an assistant coach for several years.
He worked in advertising briefly, then went on to Hollywood to write film and TV screenplays, articles, and a previous novel.
He recently helped establish the renowned Doyle Collection of Art at Santa Rose Junior College. He still maintains it and writes his novels despite officially retiring from college.
You can buy “Sky Lake” or other Jeff Taylor mysteries through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Target online (but not at stores, except for online pickup), local bookstores, or from Encircle Books at https://encirclepub.com/.