Howard Bruce Weiner’s “The Caltrap Murders” is a Fascinating Blend of Thrilling Plot and Historical Connections
The Caltrap Murders is the first in a series of seventeen murder mysteries featuring Brad Davison. The book is filled with fascinating historical connections, witty and realistic dialogue, and detailed accounts of police investigation procedures.
San Diego CA – WEBWIRE – Monday, January 22, 2024
A surprising serial killer goes up against an atypical detective in the thrilling novel The Caltrap Murders.” Foreword Clarion Reviews (starred review)
Fast-paced crime thrillers such as Howard Bruce Weiners The Caltrap Murders: A Bradley Davison Mystery are a great way to lose oneself in a world of high stakes, especially when theres a serial killer on the loose. Apart from their page-turning plot, such a book has captivating characters, ranging from copycat killers with a grudge to psychopathic individuals living by their own rules, that tend to keep readers awake.
In The Caltrap Murders, a serial killer is terrorizing New York City with a series of brutal murders more apropos of the fourteenth century than the twentieth century. The serial killer has a signature method of killing: using caltraps, a medieval device for laming horses on a battlefield.
The New York Police Department seeks the help of Dr. Bradley Davison, an expert in medieval weaponry who teaches at Queens College. As a guest curator of the Arms of the Tower exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brad Davison collects and analyzes the clues to identify the killer. The investigation leads to an intense final battle, which takes place in the museums equestrian hall. Will Dr. Bradley catch the killer before another victim is found dead?
The Caltrap Murders is the first in a series of four murder mysteries featuring Brad Davison, his future wife Libby Karistos, Detective Lieutenant Mag Goldman, and his squad of NYPD homicide detectives. Each mystery brings to life the historical period of the Middle Ages with all its social, cultural, and military complexities.
The thrilling novel gathered positive responses from its readers. It is filled with fascinating historical connections, witty and realistic dialogue, and detailed accounts of police investigation procedures. Despite some minor points for improvement, book reviewers have praised Howard Bruce Weiners writing prowess.
A surprising serial killer goes up against an atypical detective in the thrilling novel Caltrap Murders. Foreword Clarion Reviews (starred review)
Howard Bruce Weiners The Caltrap Murders: A Bradley Davison Mystery is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Learn more about the author by visiting his website: https://designdomains.wixsite.com/howardbruceweiner.
Author
Dr. Howard Bruce Weiner is a retired Professor of Medieval Literature who taught for forty-eight years in New York City High Schools and at Touro University. He has a Ph.D. in Medieval Literature from St. Johns University of New York.
A classically trained musician, he spent most of his musical career as the leader of his seventeen-piece big band, which he toured with all over New York State. He also worked frequently with jazz trios and quartets and played in many clubs in the metropolitan area. He was also a Professor of Music History at City University of New York.
In his theatrical career, he directed/music directed and conducted forty-five musicals.
Dr. Weiner has written twenty-one novels, seventeen of which are Bradley Davison Mysteries. He is currently at work on his twenty-second novel. Dr. Weiner lives in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania with his wife, Carmela, his two Golden Retrievers, Summer and Zoey, and his cat, Pepper.
In a recent interview, Howard Shwiff, the co-founder of Shwiff, Levy & Polo, LLP, explained what he wished someone had told him before becoming a founder. Howard Shwiff: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before Becoming a Founder Define Your Boundaries The first thing Howard wished he knew is learning to say ‘No’ and defining his boundaries. He underscored the need for entrepreneurs to master the art of turning down requests. Entrepreneurs should avoid the temptation to try every idea they have. Not all ideas are good for business. It is critical to evaluate ideas thoroughly and only implement what seems viable for the future of the business. Understand the Business From Different Perspectives According to Howard Shwiff, entrepreneurs need to learn how every aspect of their business works. That’s a secret to running a business successfully. By understanding every process that contributes to the bottom line, the business owner will know how to handle a crisis in any unit of the business. Have a Reliable Team Howard wished he understood the significance of having a solid team before he founded his company. Business owners need to realize that they cannot handle every aspect of their business effectively. For their business to prosper, they must hire the right people to run various departments. A Solid Support System is Essential Howard could not emphasize enough the importance of entrepreneurs having a reliable support system on their side. Everyone needs someone to cheer them up when things get tough, and entrepreneurs are no exception. Howard pointed out that he couldn’t have achieved all he has today without his wife and business partner’s steadfast support. Never Give Up Howard Shwiff admitted that entrepreneurship could be challenging. There are times that he felt like quitting. He encountered numerous challenges in his entrepreneurship journey and thought of giving up. However, he was glad he didn’t give up. He later learned challenges are inevitable in entrepreneurship and business owners need to be resilient to achieve their goals. About Howard Shwiff Howard Shwiff is the co-founder of Shwiff, Levy, and Polo, San Francisco’s leading CPA tax and financial services firm. He founded the company with his wife, Elizabeth Shwiff. He has over 30 years of experience as a real estate investor, portfolio manager, and broker. He offers business-advisory and financial-management services to small and midsize businesses. Howard is also a passionate philanthropist, committed to giving back to the community. He is a former president of the American Technion Society, supporting the Technion-Israel University of Technology. Among America’s foremost painters in watercolor, Timothy J. Clark is known for his still lifes, architectural interiors and exteriors, and portraits in the tradition of John Singer Sargent. Indeed, in the words of Dr. Michael Brown, Associate Curator of Art at the San Diego Museum of Art, “The luminous watercolors of Timothy J. Clark are the successors to Sargent’s ethereal atmospheres of light, mist and color.” At the inspired invitation of the Howard University Gallery of Art Director, Dr. Lisa Farrington, Clark created new works especially for this one-man show at the historic HBCU in Washington, DC (alma mater of Vice President Kamala Harris)—namely portraits of the “family” of friends that he has gathered around him over the years. Among them are painters Gaye Ellington (grandaughter of Duke Ellington) and Faith Ringgold; musicians Jack McVea, Teddy Buckner, Art Davis, Michael White and others from the world of jazz. (Music, especially jazz, is love of Clark.) Created over the past year, this suite of stunning portraits shows both the final products and the creative processes of the artist archived by the inclusion of preparatory drawings. Intended for both the delectation of the public and for study by the students of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University, the Clark portrait suite will be on display from January 22 to March 7, 2022 in the University’s Gallery of Art in Childer’s Hall on the main campus. The exhibition is supported in part by a grant from the Art Bridges Foundation. The exhibition is accompanied by a color catalog. In the 21st century, when the art world is flush with inventive and unorthodox methods and media, the quiet classicism of Tim Clark’s watercolors emerges tranquil and poignant from the mayhem of the contemporary art scene. Each portrait reveals two things: the artist’s ability to see into his subjects, and the souls of the subjects themselves, revealed by the artist’s deft hand. The works in this exhibition are as much records of the artist’s sitters as they are records of his presence in their lives. Clark’s gaze is sagacious and unflinching and he has an unremitting passion to record the world as he sees it. In his words, “My art says that we are still here and the world doesn’t look so bad after all.” The Howard University Gallery of Art of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University dates from 1870 when it was known as the Historical Picture Gallery. It was officially established as the Howard University Gallery of Art in 1928 by action of the Board of Trustees to “make revolving exhibitions of contemporary arts and crafts available for visitation and study.” The Gallery formally opened on April 7, 1930 with a traveling exhibition of oil paintings, watercolors and drawings assembled and circulated by the College Art Association of America. After the success of this exhibition, a policy and program leading to the development of a permanent collection was adopted. James V. Herring, founder of the Department of Art, and James A. Porter, internationally renowned art historian and critic, were the earliest directors. Henry O. Tanner’s Return from the Crucifixion, an oil tempera painting, which is the last completed work of the artist, was one of the earliest acquisitions. This historic work is still a jewel of the collection. Since the initial acquisition, numerous purchases and gifts from friends and faculty of the University, private collectors, art foundations and various branches of the federal government have entered the permanent collection. The artifacts of Alain Locke, the esteemed philosopher, began the encyclopedic collection of African artifacts, while the Kress Foundation set up the collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings. Other significant contributions and acquisitions have included the Irving Gumbel Collection of European Prints from the 16th to the 19th centuries, the Patricia Walters Collection of African American art, the James A. Porter Collection, and the Lois Jones collection. January 22 to March 7, 2022Howard Shwiff Goes Over Five Things He Wishes He Knew Before Becoming A Founder
New Exhibition at Howard University; Family Reunion: Portraits by Timothy J. Clark
Image: Dr. Michael White, 2020, watercolor on laid paper, 24 ¼” x 18 ½” by Timothy J. Clark
Opening Reception: January 22, 2022
Presentations by Clark on Process & Materials: January 21-22, 2022
Contact: lisa.farrington@howard.edu, tel: (413) 659-6057
Howard University Gallery of Art
Lisa Farrington
(413) 659-6057
https://art.howard.edu/gallery-art
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