Copyright © 2026 by the Quincannon Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
Dead Obligations by John Dandola
is the Fourteenth of the Tony Del Plato Novels
In January of 1945, Patty Drury begins her second semester at Belcrest College in Massachusetts and Tony Del Plato rents himself a nearby bungalow to save on hotel bills whenever he visits from out of state. Unexpectedly, through local contacts, Tony winds up being hired to locate a young woman who is the heir to a rather large estate. But after several puzzling episodes, it seems the young woman may wind up dead before she inherits anything.

While keeping up with her college studies and volleyball practices, Patty still proves to be a great deal of help with the case as the dynamic between herself and Tony begins to change.


Dead Obligations is 238 pages and, in a constant battle with always rising production costs, is priced at $18.95. Following the lead of so many other small  publishing houses, it is not available at Amazon.com. For easy and secure publisher-direct sales go to https://www.quincannongroup.com/DelPlatoMysteries.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


PRLog  (Press Release) — February 17, 2026 —  Dead Obligations by John Dandola is the fourteenth Tony Del Plato mystery novel set during the 1940's. Like its predecessors, this story is steeped in time period, locale, and character study. Communication relies on telephone booths and telegrams instead of cell phones. Wartime gas rationing is a consideration while physically tracking down clues. The series' protagonist, Tony Del Plato, remains his ever calm, collected, and very human self but his ward, Patty Drury, has now grown into womanhood which brings change within their relationship.

"I have always been a proponent of characters interacting realistically with one another," says Dandola. "Yes, the plot of a mystery may involve theft or murder—both with great intricacies—but it's how the characters evolve and react to one another which makes it all hang believably together.  Patty was introduced into this series as a tomboy in high school. Now she's in college and matured into a fashionable young lady. That's something to be explored."

The synopsis: