Austin native R.

Sunday, April 15, 2001

Austin native R.D. Etzig has written a highly regarded book entitled "An Honorable Death."

Etzig attended Pacelli High School for 11 years before graduating from Lyle High School. He also is a graduate of Upper Iowa University at Fayette, Iowa.

He worked in a Hormel Foods Corp. office for five years before going to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.

He currently lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C., with his wife Melba.

"An Honorable Death" (Ingram Book Co., $14.95) tells the story of Paul Lucas, who murders and inherits the wealth of an elderly woman entrusted to his care.

Lucas is badly injured when a commercial airliner crashes into the Maryland countryside. Following extensive reconstructive surgery, he is unable to remember his past.

Later, while on a Caribbean cruise, Lucas falls in love and proposes to a spell-binding woman. But Lucas’ troubles are far from over.

A retired police detective hired by the murdered woman’s brother is closing in on him.

Meanwhile, the demented brother of a woman Lucas raped 20 years earlier has been released from prison. Having killed twice while in prison, the brother, Sean Dougherty, has grown to love the high he gets when he takes a human life.

Vowing to revenge the rape and subsequent suicide of his twin sister, Sean Dougherty begins his violent campaign to restore honor to the Dougherty family name.

Etzig’s debut effort captured rave reviews from book critics, including Merlin’s Power House Reviews, which raved, "Deep and clear, a web of concisely interwoven scenes that fold in upon themselves to create an ingenious plot."

Etzig visited Austin recently for a book-signing party at the Little Professor Bookstore, where "An Honorable Death" is available.

The book is also available at the Barnes & Noble store in Rochester or by checking the Web at www.bn.com.

Call Lee Bonorden at 434-2232 or e-mail him at lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com.