Kidnapping, Murder and Rebels of Chiapas Propel The Fifth Codex, Published by Outskirts Press

Laredo, TX, October 06, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Outskirts Press, Inc. has published The Fifth Codex by John Scherber. The author's most recent book to date is a 5.5 x 8.5 paperback in the mystery and detective fiction category and is available worldwide on book retailer websites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The webpage at www.outskirtspress.com/thefifthcodex was launched simultaneously with the book's publication.

It's a routine job for painter Paul Zacher, now getting a reputation for his abilities as a detective. Simply facilitate the authentication and transfer of what could be a genuine Mayan book (codex) from the 1500s. Only four others are known.

But when the book's inflammatory message proves to be at the core of a three way struggle among the Mexican government, the rebels of Chiapas and a private collector with deep pockets, the conflict escalates. Kidnapping follows murder as the three forces compete for possession until Zacher commits what looks to everyone like an act of cold blooded execution.

The survival of the Zacher Agency and Paul himself are gravely in doubt in this, the second of the Murder in Mexico mystery series. The first is Twenty Centavos.

340 pages in length, The Fifth Codex is being aggressively promoted to appropriate markets with a focus on the mystery and detective fiction category. With U.S. wholesale distribution through Ingram and Baker & Taylor, and pervasive online availability through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and elsewhere, The Fifth Codex meets consumer demand through both retail and library markets with a suggested retail price of $17.95.

Additionally, The Fifth Codex can be ordered by retailers or wholesalers for the maximum trade discount price set by the author in quantities of ten or more from the Outskirts Press Direct bookstore at www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore.

ISBN: 9781432758080

Format: 5.5 x 8.5 paperback cream

SRP: $17.95

For more information or to contact the author, visit www.outskirtspress.com/thefifthcodex.

About the author

John Scherber, a Minnesota native, has been a theater critic, film critic, cabinet maker, portrait painter, landscape painter, stock broker, editor, stock market trader and house restorer. He is, by some accounts, a renaissance man, by others, a rolling stone.

He began writing the Murder in Mexico series on a painting trip to Taos. There are eight mysteries set in San Miguel de Allende, an old colonial town in the central highlands which was at the heart of the 1810 War of Independence.

After many visits, he and his wife Kristine took up permanent residence in San Miguel in 2007. Rounding out their household is their adopted bilingual Mexican street dog, Brownie. John is also the author of San Miguel de Allende; A Place in the Heart, a nonfiction account of the expatriate experience, and Twenty Centavos.

Visit his website at sanmiguelallendebooks.com

About Outskirts Press, Inc.

Outskirts Press, Inc. offers full-service, custom self-publishing and book marketing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press represents the future of book publishing, today.

###