As the Crow Dies

A bookish police detective and his roller derby star partner investigate a quirky mystery involving superintelligent animals, military conspiracy ... and murder. When a body is found in the River Arts District of Asheville, North Carolina, the man on the case is police lieutenant Ira Segal, recently returned to semi-active status after being shot in the line of duty. Segal, who carries Elmore Leonard paperbacks as security blankets, isn't sure he's up to investigating a murder, and neither is his partner, military veteran and local roller derby star Sgt. Dinah "Dinosaur" Rudisill. Segal discovers that the victim worked for the mysterious start-up company Creatures 2.0, which trains animals to acquire uncanny capabilities. Creature 2.0's eccentric founder, Francis Elah, has gone missing, and no one can find him, not even Elah's top client, the Office of Naval Intelligence. As Segal and Rudisill investigate the murder and Elah's disappearance, they meet the bizarre animals Elah trained, including a raccoon who rolls cigarettes, pigeons who follow a priest to church, and a superintelligent crow who keeps bringing evidence to the detectives' attention. When the trail leads to a shadowy military contractor, more murders, and a threat to national security, Segal and Rudisill don't know who to trust and face a dangerous confrontation. Witty, engaging and fast-paced, As the Crow Dies is a mystery that veers from the norm in unexpectedly delightful ways.


Genre: Mystery

"No living author writes police procedurals that are sharper or funnier than Kenneth Butcher and As The Crow Dies serves up madcap mystery at its most gripping. He sets loose his two military-trained detectives in the foothills of Western North Carolina where they encounter would-be assassins, international intrigue and a menagerie of uniquely gifted animals. Who other than Butcher can introduce cigarette-rolling raccoons, lothario crows and alphabet-reciting mule deer into a murder investigation -- and never have readers doubt the truth of every word? As The Crow Dies proves as suspenseful as it is entertaining, Appalachia's rollicking rejoinder to Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade: A novel as brilliant and rare as the zany animals that populate its pages." - Jacob M Appel

"In As The Crow Dies, Ken Butcher creates an intriguing mystery that combines a fresh, charming detective duo, the free-spirited vibe of Asheville, NC, and an original plot following a trail of bodies in a race to prevent a crime of international consequence. As The Crow Dies takes readers on an exciting ride with more twists and turns than the mountain roads of its setting." - Mark de Castrique

"As the Crow Dies is a charming, vibrant mystery filled with intrigue that hooks the reader from page one. Kenneth Butcher tells a fascinating tale of murder, animal intelligence, and human foolishness in this wonderful novel that brings the city of Asheville to life. I love this book." - Christy English

"Kenneth Butcher's As the Crow Dies gives us a crackerjack mystery that begins, like all good murder mysteries, with the discovery of a body -- an apparent accident. But the plot then takes us into remarkable territory in which the fantastical becomes true and the detectives find themselves confronting a deadly conspiracy that spreads far beyond the picturesque mountain town of Asheville, N.C. Segal, the seasoned lead detective, is recovering from a gunshot wound. In a turnabout of the usual roles, it falls to his partner, Dinah Rudisill, to handle the rough stuff. One of the joys of this fast-paced mystery is watching their friendship develop, as Segal regains his old confidence and Rudisill sharpens her skills, rising to an extraordinary challenge. Both detectives live into the honorable tradition of restoring justice and meaning to a world often lacking in both, and doing so with style and humor. The perfect book to get a smart reader through the pandemic." - Philip Gerard

"Beginning with a body face down in the river, As the Crow Dies flies from one unexpected development to another. A pair of unlikely detectives work to find a missing scientist and keep up with a case that threatens their lives and their sanity. Animals with super powers, street musicians, the U.S. president and first lady, and a roller derby matchup all add to the novel's strength and quirkiness. Few authors can combine murder and humor as well as Kenneth Butcher." - Anne Hillerman