“The setting, characters and dialogue are so realistic, you feel as though you have walked down the halls of James Madison Hospital and met the folks who work there… This is a book about working people who, when faced with a challenge, draw deep down on a reserve of strength and intelligence that…enables them to stay afloat amidst a rising tide comprised of social and economic waves of adversity.”

“A Union Communication Services Cornell Worker Institute Labor Book of the Week Selection….”Someone Has to Die… weaves together a labor struggle, a challenging medical diagnosis, and hospital intrigue inspired by real issues.”

“Lenny does it again! Another corpse. Another murderer. Another management’s cruel calamity of ignorance. But this time, add some incredible union organizing to cheer about. Then give Brother Moss and his friends a shot of decent bourbon for keeping us on the edge of a certain hospital death bed.”

“Someone Has to Die… is a real page-turner. It’s as good as any bestselling thriller but differs in that its plot takes place amid a union fighting for its healthcare workers’ pension and healthcare benefit funds… The story is told from the point of view of the workers as union activists who are forever being harassed, monitored both on camera and in person by constantly snooping security guards and have to use every trick in the book to get the truth out and fight for their rights… a very exciting story.”

“Sheard also shows how solidarity among front-line workers is particularly crucial in a modern corporate hospital, since managers and administrators live in a whole different world. They’re handsomely rewarded for containing costs, which translates into constant attacks on wages and benefits. Sheard illustrates how to resist these pressures, weaving lessons on organizing strategy into the story.”

“We see Lenny Moss’ world in this book, and it is a connected world. Workers protect each other, workers protect their patients, and even the lowest in the order of things are vital to the system, right down to custodians like Lenny Moss.”

“If the book accomplishes nothing else, it generates interest in and respect for these too often overlooked workers who hold menial jobs that require resourcefulness, ingenuity, and commitment just to survive and function with integrity.”

“No wonder we are fascinated with crime stories, they mirror our common experience. Capitalism is high crime disguised as church doctrine. Conspiracy is evident though the evidence is concealed. Hence, our fascination with the detective genre. We are in dire need of Timothy Sheard’s scrutiny — a detective who peers through a socialist eye glass… You can bet the blacklisted Dashiel Hammet would have Sheard on his nightstand.”

“[Lenny’s] not shy about workers’ rights and continually in management’s eye as a trouble-maker. And along the way, he solves a murder or two.”

“The best part of this mystery series is that it is grounded in the working class. Lenny cannot solve mysteries without the collective efforts of clerks, lab techs, and clinicians.”

“If you like mysteries involving labor problems, this well-designed trade paperback should be quite enjoyable, as Sheard idealistically examines what can really happen when working people unite in solidarity.”

“Another wonderful amateur detective story featuring the activities of Lenny Moss, the union steward, and his fellow, behind-the-scene, hospital workers. Not only must he work to save the union’s benefits and pension fund, but also solve a puzzling dead. Another great great by Sheard.”

“...The author knows the working environment of a hospital and the workers, and has very convincingly caught their voices, in a rich and urban-hospital-typical mix of ethnicities, ages, and job classifications. Several sub-plots develop. Interwoven with the main mystery, the subplots also kept me interested. Will the Infectious Disease doctor succeed, John Henry-like, in beating the computer-program diagnostic protocol? What will the autopsy on the dead patient reveal? Will the fired nurse lose custody of her daughter to her creepy ex-husband? Meanwhile, will the Croesus Group, new for-profit owners of the hospital, succeed in stealing the union pension and benefit fund? The workers figure out a counterattack and set it in motion. Will it work? In addition to being a just-plain-good murder mystery tale, this is one of the rare books that locates itself in the rank and file workforce, blue and white collar. As they keep the hospital running, as they cope with inept and greedy management, as they rally around co-workers in need, I recognize their voices from my own manufacturing days.”

“I’ve followed Tim Sheard’s fearless union steward and amateur detective Lenny Moss since almost the beginning of the series — and this is one of the best! The mystery takes you into the inner workings of a turbulent New York Hospital and creates a page-turner that pits Lenny and the dedicated staff against a new, ruthless administration. Teamwork, brilliant sleuthing and justice prevail. A great read!”

“I love Lenny Moss mysteries! Tim Sheard is a wonderful writer who puts us deep into the realities of a big city hospital. He also helps us understand, and respect, the service workers who are the heart and soul of these hospitals. Keep writing, Tim!”