The Ladies’ Catskill: A Murder Mystery is a mix of memoir, crime fiction, historical narrative, journalism, and philosophical musings that begins with a middle-aged Special Education teacher dropping everything to head to the Catskills to become a horse trainer at the Monticello Raceway. During the transition from her old life to her new one, author and main character Sherry Skramstad travels to Canada to save a horse, is arrested for a murder she did not commit, tracks down the killer in order to clear her name, and all of it takes place against the backdrop of harness racing and life on the backstretch, which is the alleyway behind each track where many grooms and other horsemen and women find refuge from the rest of the world.
River Boat Books is a publisher of great literature and was founded in 1996 in St. Paul, MN on the banks of the Mississippi River. We chose the name to honor the indomitable, adventurous spirit of Mark Twain, whose presence lingers not only up and down the Mississippi, but across the landscape of American literature. Our titles reflect both the elegance of a bygone era and an unrelenting passionate commitment to breaking all boundaries and exploring new territory.