When the Clock Strikes Dead a Jud Carson mystery by John M. Spafford A mysterious beauty, a missing letter worth a fortune, a dangerous master-mind and the murder of a fellow private eye combine to bring hard-boiled San Francisco detective Jud Carson with his toughest - and most dangerous - case, and readers with a breath-taking view into the seedy underworld of a two-fisted P.I. with a taste for bourbon, an eye for dames and a cool head in a gun fight. John M. Spafford brings readers the return of Jud Carson, first introduced in his novel, Dead Duck, in this novella that re-unites him with Stan the Chili Man, Lt. Martinelli, and, his first love, the city of San Francisco. Mr. Spafford is the author of: Sin in the Camp Reservoir Road Dead Duck & Gas Money The Legend of the Firedrake Dead Deutsch A career Air Force veteran, John M. Spafford's military career included world-wide missions while assigned to intelligence activities. Coupled with a storied career as a photo-journalist, this award-winning writer has developed an understanding of, and experience with, the very types of characters that he brings to life in his writing. He was recognized by the Southern Poverty Law Center and its Tolerance Foundation for his novel, Sin in the Camp as well as by several other groups working for broader acceptance of American diversity. As a member of a post-conviction forensics team he brings his analytic skills and formal education to bear on criminal case analysis. He is a member of the Southern Poverty Law Center Tolerance Foundation, International Brotherhood of Magicians and the American Society of Composers and Publishers. Mr. Spafford lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he teaches high school subjects in a maximum security facility of the Indiana Department of Corrections.