The Sophocles Rule

It began with a simple coin toss, which led to a mystery, which led to the unthinkable.

The simple toss of a coin presents journalist Tony Harrington with a fascinating puzzle. And puzzles, he knows, can lead to good stories. As he searches for the origins of a particularly unusual quarter, others like it begin showing up around Orney, the small Midwestern city where he lives and works. He begins to suspect they are connected to a sixty-year-old mystery—an unsolved bank robbery and the brutal murder of its president.

As Tony digs deeper, he sparks a reaction from evil people determined to keep these secrets buried in the past. The results are two new murders and the disappearance of a teenage boy. The people of Orney react in fear and outrage, blaming Tony and the local newspaper, and putting the futures of both at risk.

With the help of a state investigator and a Hollywood actress, Tony charges ahead in the search for answers. The suspense escalates further when Tony’s boss offers refuge to an ex-girlfriend fleeing a violent, abusive husband. As these intertwined stories unfold, the danger grows, violence erupts, and Tony finds himself staring into the barrel of a killer’s gun.

Join Tony and his loyal friends and colleagues, as they race to find the missing boy, recover a fortune in stolen cash, stop a murderer from killing again, and once again prevent dark secrets from hiding in the past.

Joseph "Joe" LeValley credits his love of writing for every success in his life. He was a reporter-photographer for daily newspapers for seven years, covering crime/criminal justice as his primary beat. Subsequently, he served for more than 30 years as a healthcare executive. During that time, he and his team won four national awards for communications excellence. He began his latest career, as an author and public speaker, in 2018.

As a musician, Joe plays drums and guitar. He has performed with a number of groups and has written more than 40 songs. In 2016, he was inducted with the Mourning Glory Rock Band into the Iowa Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. A lifelong Iowan, Joe has a degree in journalism from Drake University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa. He and his wife Jane have six children and live in Dallas County, Iowa.