Patrick Brown, former executive director of Getty House, has recently published a murder mystery, “Murdered Justice,” inspired by his former workplace and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Centered in fictional “Fairmont Square,” a gated community in the Mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles, “Murdered Justice” is the story of how investigative journalist Maggie Lyon, whose career has languished in the lifestyles section of a big-city newspaper, has been asked to cover an exclusive weekend gathering at a Hollywood mansion. During her stay, Maggie wakes up to discover that one of the guests, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Vittorio Scarpia, has died in the night. Maggie soon realizes that Scarpia has been murdered and begins her own investigation after authorities ignore the facts surrounding the mysterious death.
Brown told the Buzz he was inspired by the news of the death of former Supreme Court Justice Anton Scalia and the line “no Englishman would dream of dying in someone else’s home,” which is attributed to actress Maggie Smith’s character, Lady Violet Crawley, in the television series Downton Abbey.
“I’m not a conspiracy theorist but, I always wonder, now, what really happened here?” said Brown. “The character of Maggie immediately popped into my head. I could see her clearly and I just started writing. It made sense to set the story in LA because it reminded me of some of the eclectic gatherings at Getty House during the years I worked there.”
Brown said he also needed a to set the story in a gated neighborhood, because he wanted to make sure the house was inaccessible to most people…and he loved the idea of incorporating his former stomping grounds into his story.
Brown now lives outside Portland, Oregon, on seven acres with his husband, where he’s learned to chop down trees and thin their small forest.
“It’s very green here!” said Brown, adding his new life, “is all about the wardrobe. Who would have thought I’d be chopping down trees and wearing boots everyday after always wearing suits and ties?”
“Murdered Justice” is Brown’s third book. His first two books were self-published through Amazon.com, something Brown said was a great way for him to launch his literary career and helped him find the publisher for his current book…though he hopes everyone will buy his book at their local book store. Brown also writes a blog called “One More Thing to Read.”
“Murdered Justice” can also be ordered by Chevalier’s Books.
