The Eye of the Virgin

Praise for The Eye of the Virgin…
[The Eye of the Virgin] has Ramsay’s trademark folksy touch, a well-rounded cast of characters, and brisk and believable dialogue, this time with an international scope. Ike Schwartz’s outings just keep getting better.

-Booklist

On the same evening a body is left in Picketsville’s urgent care clinic, a mysterious break-in occurs at the house of one of Callend University’s faculty. Sheriff Ike Schwartz thinks both events might be connected to The Virgin of Tenderness, an icon in the faculty member’s possession.
Then, what appears to be a microdot is found on the icon. In an era of sophisticated cyber-encrypted information transfer, the presence of this bit of CIA nostalgia brings in Ike’s friend Charlie Garland and the forces from Langley. Ike has no wish to engage with them or their problems. He has killers to apprehend-in spite of the meddling by government agencies. But there is more to these murders than meets the eye. A dead CIA agent and a rogue handler could trigger an international incident…. Dr. Frederick Ramsay received his doctorate from the University of Illinois and taught at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine. In 1971 he was ordained an Episcopal priest. He is also an iconographer whose works are displayed around the world. He lives in Surprise, Arizona, with his wife and partner, Susan. The Eye of the Virgin is sixth in his Ike Schwartz series. www.frederickramsay.com