Process of Elimination

About the Book

After eighteen years, Mark Tinker’s heart has gone out of teaching.  He has worked in the same Texas school district throughout his career, but recent events have led him to question his professional calling.  The school system is under the pall of scandal concerning the misappropriation of funds; also, administration officials refused to back Mark when he tried to fail a star athlete.  The day after Mark tenders his resignation, the body of a woman--Mark’s close friend and colleague--is found murdered behind a school dumpster.  Mark finds himself drawn into the investigation, though at first he ignores a strange note which appears in his school mailbox that will be a vital link to the killer.  When another tragedy occurs (a troubled student murders his family, then takes his own life), it seems as if the earlier crime might be solved.  But it is not long before the body count begins to grow again and Mark continues to work closely with the police.  An informal partner, his friend’s sister, Susan, joins Mark in his collaboration with the police.  Possible leads pull the investigative team in many directions:  are the deaths connected to the pervasive scandal; is the local branch of the KKK involved; who is the shadowy Elvis figure who seems to be present at the time each crime occurs?  Mark, despite the trauma of losing friends and students in this horrific crime spree, will tap into heretofore untried inner resources to find new meaning in his life as he also makes a romantic connection with Susan.

Process of Elimination is a multifaceted, suspenseful thriller with a touch of poetry.  Author William Rush adroitly manages the police procedural aspects of the story, while creating believable and complex psychological components that motivate the suspects and baffle the crimesolvers.  He is also cannily aware of the elaborate political structure of a small city public school system.  The result is an intricate puzzler that leads the investigative team down fascinating paths that keep the reader guessing through every twist and turn until the crimes are solved.

About the Author

WILLIAM RUSH, born in London to U.S. Foreign Service parents, graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in English. He began his teaching career overseas in the mid-1970s. Currently he is a high school English teacher in Cleveland, Texas, north of Houston. There he lives with his wife and three children.