Ranch Park: A Will Nickerson Mystery
R. L. Anderson’s first novel tells the story of Will Nickerson, who gets more than he had bargained for when he volunteered to drive the hayride wagon at Dakota Ranch Park. A murder is committed at the North Dakota theme park, and Will finds himself thrust into the role of amateur detective. Together with a…
R. L. Anderson’s first novel tells the story of Will Nickerson, who gets more than he had bargained for when he volunteered to drive the hayride wagon at Dakota Ranch Park. A murder is committed at the North Dakota theme park, and Will finds himself thrust into the role of amateur detective. Together with a beautiful summer camp counselor, Jenine Mescall, he seeks to find out just whodunit. Ranch Park is a light but yet complex mystery, packed with intriguing subplots, surprises, a shock now and then, an occasional touch of humor, plus a light ‘n playful romance, all set against the sweeping backdrop of the prairies and Badlands of a state that is truly one of America’s best-kept secrets.
” Great first novel. This story is a well crafted mystery and worth reading. I personally know the author and can attest to his experience at a simular venue to the one used in this novel. Descriptions were a little wordy at times, but I was kept guessing who done it until almost the very end. “
Five Star Review on Amazon By LovesRagdollCats
About the Author
MY CHRISTMASTIME MYSTERY, LET’S MAKE IT MERRY CHRISTMAS IS ON SALE, ALL E-BOOK EDITIONS OF THIS LIGHT ‘N BREEZY TEAR-FREE TALE OF CHRISTMAS IN NORTH DAKOTA 99c THRU EASTER. IF YOU LOVE CHRISTMAS ANY TIME OF THE YEAR, THIS READ IS FOR YOU!
I was born and currently reside in northeast Ohio. I am a self-employed small businessman, operating an office equipment dealership and I’m also a sheep shearer and I’ve owned a North Dakota cattle ranch, which inspired the setting for my first novel, Ranch Park. I’m currently searching for another ranch where I can open an agritourism operation, perhaps a bit smaller in scale than the one described in the novel! I’ve traveled extensively in the American west, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and I’ve visited six European countries. Other interests include photography, foreign language studies, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, gardening, gourmet cooking and writing mystery novels with rural settings. And now I’ve got a ghost story, too, as a little “extra”. I am single, which I guess has its pros and cons–but to look on the bright side of things it gives me lots of time to write my novels and correspond by email, social media and snail mail with friends around the world. I’ve always enjoyed writing, even as a child, and wrote short stories for extra credit in high school English classes. At that time I was into sci fi, but I have since made the switch to mysteries. I was a psychology major in college (Baldwin-Wallace University), and although I didn’t go into that field as a career, the knowledge of psych is a perfect background for developing suspects and their motives in murder mysteries. The advent of e-books has opened up a new world for me, providing a way to get published without the hassles of trying to do it the old fashioned way. And now with Amazon’s CreateSpace I can also offer my books in paperback, again without the hassles of dealing with publishers and collecting rejection slips. I’ve had so many people tell me they’d like to read my books–but much prefer to read a ‘real book’ rather then a screen on an e-device, so when this option became available to me, I jumped at the opportunity. Kindle books are great and I have had many many more sales on Kindle than on any other platform–but I’m sure any author would agree that it makes you feel so much more like a REAL author when you can have a real book that you can hold in your hand and read in the traditional way. CreateSpace is awesome and I recommend very highly it to any author, especially if you’re allergic to rejection slips, as I am, and want to go the self publishing route.
Ranch Park, It’s A Place For Trees, Viking It Is, Let’s Make It Merry Christmas and What’s Up In Wyoming are the first five installments in a series of light and entertaining, surprise-packed whodunits, which I call the Will Nickerson Mysteries Series. My main character, Will Nickerson, is a lot like me–after all many authors’ first works are a bit autobiographical–so why not? Many authors are in love with their hometowns and write about local settings; however I find it much more fun to write about places where I’ve had great vacations that offer a welcome getaway from the everyday environment of home. For me writing a novel set in North Dakota, Wyoming or Pennsylvania, for example, is the next best thing to going on a vacation to these places. I write about places that I am intimately familiar with, but different from my hometown. You might say writing a novel set in a location other than home territory is a kind of virtual vacation. My fourth novel, Let’s Make It Merry Christmas has a North Dakota setting, but it’s a bit a bit different from the others, as it is Christmas related and much lighter than the others. I guarantee that it is not a tear jerker as many Christmas stories are. The fifth installment in the series, What’s Up In Wyoming, was published in 2014 and takes the reader to Wyoming for more suspense packed mystery with Will and the gang. And as a bonus, perhaps we see a bit of a rivalry brewing in the romance department, between Will’s two favorite ladies, Jenine and Laurel! A sixth installment is in the works, which will take the reader to Montana’s famous Big Sky Country. Look for it in 2016.
NEW! Published in 2015. My first horror/paranormal suspense story, Mrs. Treaster’s Bed & Breakfast is now available in paperback for 8.99 and on Kindle for 2.99 It is an exciting new venture for me, trying my hand at a different genre, although I am still busy at work on the Will Nickerson Mysteries as well. If you’re a fan of spooky old houses, ghosts and things that go bump in the night, Mrs. Treaster’s Bed & Breakfast has got it for you! Come to Belfry, Pennsylvania. Spend a night at the B&B. If you dare.
Check out my Facebook page: facebook.com/rl411anderson to see photos depicting the settings for my novels and other places that have given me inspiration. Like my Facebook page and follow on Twitter, too @AuthorRollie.