The Call of the Wyldes

by Stephen M. Rathkopf

THE CALL OF THE WYLDES is a murder mystery which explores how far people might stray to protect what they have, recover what they've lost or obtain what they want. It is like "Succession" but with the murder of a key family member. The Wyldes are a New York family of wealth and distinction, with a father rumored to be the next Secretary of the Treasury, a beautiful, socially prominent mother and three adult children. But secrets and turmoil roil beneath the surface, and after she hires a personal assistant and their relationship deepens, a series of events are triggered which ultimately lead to the wife's murder. Everyone in her immediate sphere has a motive of one kind or another (greed, need, envy, revenge, love or hatred, to name a few) and the unfolding story will keep you guessing about the killer's identity until the end.

318 pages, Hardcover

Published August 5, 2020

About the author

Having been a senior partner for many years in a prominent Manhattan-based law firm, this still very busy attorney has managed to carve out time for a second successful career. His well-received first novel, “Law Firm Down: A Story of Greed, Envy, Sloth and Ego,” published in 2018 under the pseudonym Stephen Hollevy, was, for a period of time, an Amazon Kindle best seller e-book in its category. “The Call of the Wyldes” is the first of a series of mystery books that he is writing.

Reviews

[Rhoda Cutler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Call of the Wyldes by Stephen M. Rathkopf was a fun summer read. It is a delightful mystery in the style of Agatha Christie, but set in today's times. The book opens with the death of the matriarch of a super-rich family. The suspects are many (and perhaps even justified). I could easily see the book as a limited a TV series with many characters to keep the viewer entertained. The writer kept one guessing until the end as to the identity of the murderer. The author is a retired corporate attorney who has turned to writing in his retirement. Looking forward to more of his mysteries.