Neil McGaughey 
Major Works
- Otherwise Known as Murder: A Mystery Introducing Stokes Moran, Scribner, 1994.
- And Then There Were Ten : A Stokes Moran Mystery, Scribner, 1995.
- The Best Money Murder Can Buy : A Stokes Moran Mystery, Scribner, 1996.
- A Corpse by any Other Name : A Stokes Moran Mystery, 1997.
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Neil McGaughey : A Biography
By Steven Jones (SHS)
Neil McGaughey (pronounce McGoy) was born at King’s Daughters Hospital in Natchez, Mississippi,
on October 3, 1951. At birth he was placed in the Mississippi
Children’s Home Society. When he was six weeks old, McGaughey was
adopted by Noel and Lola McGaughey. (McGaughey interview 1).
McGaughey, who died on September 22, 1999, at forty-seven,
did not know who his biological parents were ; and although he
tried twice to discover his birth parents’ identity, he failed
(Pettus 3F). The cause of his death, Peyronies's disease (a
disease which collapses capillaries) may have been inherited from
his birth parents.
McGaughey grew up in Prentiss, Mississippi,
and graduated from Prentiss High School in 1969. After high
school he attended William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Mississippi,
and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1973. He had a double major in
English and history, with a minor in French. McGaughey never
married, but he claimed to have three “children," a
three-year-old Irish setter named CeeCee, a cockatiel named Pretty
Baby, and a ferret named Wee. He worked for a time at the
Department of Human Services.
Until his death,
McGaughey lived with his parents in Prentiss, Mississippi,
although he had lived for a time in Florida. (McGaughey 1). He came
home to be with his eighty-one year old father, who suffered a stroke
that paralyzed his left side (Pettus 3F) before his death.
 Neil McGaughey was an established author and, according to Gary Pettus of the Clarion-Ledger, "
a gracious book reviewer" who reviewed over 300 books, but who
would never review a book he didn't like because he believed that "The
idea is to make people want to read. If you write a bad review,
they won't buy books." He was a reviewer for the Clarion-Ledger in
the mid-80's, reviewing especially mystery novels. In 1993,
Scribner's called to say they would publish his first novel called Otherwise Known as Murder. Later, he wrote And Then There Were Ten, The Best Money Murder Can Buy, and A Corpse By Any Other Name. All four novels had a character named Stokes Moran, the pen name for Kyle Malachi. Moran was killed in the fourth novel.
McGaughey,
at the time of his death, was working on a new mystery series set
in Natchez-Under-the-Hill, on the banks of the Mississippi River
near his hometown.
McGaughey
received two awards: the Chair Award and the Edgar Committee for
Critical or Biographical Work. In addition, McGaughey was a
member of Mystery Writers of America (Shirly 32).
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The Best Money Murder Can Buy: An analysis of McGaughey’s Novel
by Steven Jones (SHS)
In the mystery novel, The Best Money Murder Can Buy,
written by Neil McGaughey, the author writes about a middle-aged man
who loses his newfound, identical twin brother to a brutal murder. The
main character, Kyle Malachi (a mystery book reviewer like
McGaughey), finds his twin brother, Derek Winslow, poisoned in a
hotel bathroom. Kyle uses the pen name Stokes Moran, and this
character appears in all of McGaughey's novels..Without knowing much
more than his brother’s name, Kyle intends to solve his brother's
murder. Kyle Malachi, in The Best Money Murder Can Buy, discovers that family, in any circumstance, is the most important facet of a person’s life.
Kyle’s motivation takes him through many ordeals so that he can find
Derek’s killer. Supported by his wife Lee, Kyle disguises himself
as Derek and travels halfway across the country to Kentucky.
Posing as Derek, Kyle finds himself in his brother’s apartment.
His identity is quickly revealed by his brother’s gay lover.
After telling Derek’s lover what had really happened to Derek, Lowell
decides to join up with Kyle to solve the murder. After intense
research, it is revealed that Derek (and Kyle) is heir to a
billion-dollar company. They continue to find information on his
family’s “missing” relatives. After many meetings the murderer is
revealed. Mentally and physically worn out, Kyle winds up inheriting
over a billion dollars, but responds that, “none of that matters right
now…I’m just glad to be home” (239).
According to one Publisher's Weekly
critic, "McGaughey is a reviewer of mysteries who—as this clever,
literate puzzler shows—has made a successful transition to writing
them.” I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys
reading. The novel kept me in suspense throughout the entire
reading. The quick-to-the-point and easy writing style of
McGaughey made reading his book very enjoyable.
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Related Websites
Reviews
for A Corpse by Any Other Name from Amazon.
Ole
Miss Writers page provides information about McGaughey.
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Bibliography
McGaughey, Neil. The Best Money Murder Can Buy. New York: New York,
Scribner, 1996.
McGaughey, Neil. The Best Money Murder Can Buy, at
http://www.bookwire.com/PW/Mystery/read. 9 December, 1996.
McGaughey, Neil. E-mail interview. 15 November 1997.
Pettus, Gary. “The Adoption Option.” Clarion-Ledger. 30 November, 1997: 1F, 3F.
Shirly, Aleda, et al., eds. “Neil McGaughey.” Mississippi Writers: and Literary Guide. University, Ms: The University of Mississippi, 1995:32.
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