MONROE — Monroe Mystery author, Bill Ross, has published his 11th fictional book in the Monroe Mystery Series, “The Spellbinding Tale of Fiona Brown.” 

The book is available for sale on Amazon and at the Monroe Area Chamber of Commerce. Ross is writing a series of mystery books lifting up our Swiss culture and life in Monroe and Green County for tourism. His hope is that these books reach a national audience that puts us on the map as a tourism destination. All the proceeds from the Chamber book sales go to the Chamber of Commerce for tourism.

As part of the fund-raising campaign for the Monroe Arts Center, for the first time, Ross has given the name of a real person he knows and respects to one of my fictional characters. Will Jean Ruda be infamous or famous? He’ll let the readers decide.

A brief synopsis: In the summer of 1977, the sudden death of an elderly man who lived alone died in his house from what appeared to be an accidental death. A week later another elderly victim was found dead under similar circumstances. Police Chief Brandon Johns and Det. Samantha Gates weren’t convinced these two deaths were accidental and considered them as suspicious. As they investigated these deaths, a third victim was found. 

Was there a serial killer on the loose and behind these murders? At the same time, the cold case of the murder of Fiona Brown in 1952 was reopened. Were the murders somehow connected even though they occurred 25 years apart? To muddy the waters, Fiona Brown was accused of being a witch and some of the Monroe citizens were convinced that her ghost was involved in these recent murders. A head scratcher for sure, hampering the police investigation. Will the police successfully navigate through all this ghost hysteria and solve the case?