Books and Short Stories
Writing as B.C. MyerThe Lethal Shore
An Eden Pond Mystery
In February 1942, a fisherman finds a blood-soaked coat on an isolated Oregon beach not far from a secret U.S. Army defense project. But there’s no sign of its owner, Harry Pond, who had neither means nor reason to visit that beach. With war nerves wound tight in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, some locals think he fell prey to—or fell in with—collaborators laying the groundwork for Japanese incursions of the American mainland. The U.S. Army captain in charge of the investigation seems more interested in protecting his defense project than learning what happened to Harry.
Eden Pond, Harry’s twin sister, fears the worst. Childhood polio had left him with a chip on his shoulder and a desperate need to prove himself, no matter the consequences. She’s also worried about Harry’s best friend, Jonah Shibuya. The grandson of Japanese immigrants, he’s been in hiding for weeks as pressure ramps up on the government to address the “problem” of the west coast Japanese population.
With the official investigation going nowhere and Eden faced with growing hostility over her own fraught history with Jonah, she sets out to learn what happened to her missing brother and his friend. In the process, she risks the wrath of Army officials, a civilian militia with grand visions of repelling invasion, and an anxious community still coming to grips with life in a nation at war.
Check out maps of Tillamook Bay, the setting of The Lethal Shore.
Murder at the Shipyard
An Eden Pond Mystery
This novel is a work-in-progress.
In September 1942, the Oregon Shipbuilding Company goes all out to build a war-critical Liberty Ship in record time, ten days from laying the keel to launch. Caught up in patriotic fervor, new welder Eden Pond is eager to do her part. But when the truculent foreman of her work crew falls from a high catwalk on day one of the effort, evidence points to murder. The lead suspect is a young welding helper Eden has been teaching to read so he can enlist in the army.
Detectives on the case learn about the relationship, and turn their attention to her. Things heat up when they discover Eden had rebuffed amorous advances by the dead man, going so far as to threaten him if he didn’t keep his hands to himself. With the yard working round the clock to get the ship done in time, Eden must find out what really happened before the police decide they don’t need to look any further than the young female welder with an axe to grind.
B.C. Myer Short Stories
Waldo’s Gold
When a grave at the Pioneer Cemetery is robbed, Melisende Dulac sets out to track down the perpetrator and, in the process, solve a century-old mystery.
Christmas Spirit
On Christmas Eve, a mother is accused of drowning her child, and a shocking discovery forces Melisende Dulac to confront her own ghosts of Christmas past.
Hey Nineteen
During one of her first solo body removal jobs as an apprentice mortician, Melisende Dulac discovers an old man’s sad end may not have been all that natural.
Heat Death
In 1971, days before shipping out to Vietnam, a young Skin Kadash joins his best friend for a “so long to the world” blow-out at a cabin in the mountains, unaware they’re pawns in a murder plot.
Daisy and the Desperado
Skin Kadash is thrust into the middle of a decades-long feud between irascible neighbors.
Privacy Fence
In a darkly comic clash of neighbors over the height of a fence, the solution for one seems to be kidnapping . . . and possibly even murder.
The Missus
A brotherhood of cops, a boy accused of murder, and the broken-down detective who broke ranks to sort it all out.
Diaries of Misspent Youth
Three stories of youthful indiscretions: In “Yo, Karl,” a young man’s dark reputation controls his fate. In “The Soul of the Sea” a boy walks a beach full of wonder and despair. In “Best Served Cold,” a grim choice in the heat of the moment has lifelong consequences.
A Tall House
Desperate to see his sick mother who is quarantined upstairs in her room, a boy rebels against the overbearing housekeeper who has been keeping them apart. In the process, he discovers the grim secret behind his mother’s illness.
The Soul of the Sea
A short story originally written back in the 80s. It is currently included in the short story collection, Diaries of Misspent Youth.
The Last Ship
Skin Kadash travels to the Oregon Coast to recover from the events of Day One and finds himself embroiled in strange local doings.
Sunlight Nocturne
Skin Kadash spends the day with his neighbor and her little boy as police pursue home invaders in a dramatic citywide chase.
On the Road to Find Out
A semi-autobiographical story of a boy trying to find a place of his own in a life of constant motion and bursts of violence.
Puppy Love Noir
Three stories about the dark side of young love.
The Practical Christmas
When Mom takes up with a fixer-upper, two kids find out what life with an honest-to-goodness outlaw is really all about: the loot.
The Princess of Felony Flats
A mysterious dwarf makes a risky play for the statuesque consort of a drug kingpin in a hardboiled retelling of a classic fairy tale.
Coffee, Black
Skin Kadash investigates vandalism at a Portland coffee shop with the help of Ruby Jane, and finds more than he bargained for.
Slice of Pie
A cynical and overprotective son tries to save his mother from her own good nature, with violent results.
Kept Woman
Sometimes what we see in other people is only a dark reflection of ourselves.