The end of Game of Thrones may be nowhere in sight, but for fans of The Beast of Barcroft, the first title in Bill Schweigart’s folklore-inspired trilogy starring a fictional Arlington hero, all the lingering questions can now be answered. The final book in the series, The Devil’s Colony, was released this summer. “I tie up all the loose ends,” promises the author, who lives in Barcroft.
Although most of the book is set in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, an early scene takes place at Luna Grill, the now-defunct Shirlington eatery. Schweigart chose the location for sentimental reasons. “That’s where I had my first date with my wife,” he says.
The trilogy was inspired by a real-life 1974 incident in which some two dozen pets were killed near the Four Mile Run trail. In reality, the killer beast turned out to be an escaped civet, an exotic wildcat. In his fictional world, however, Schweigart dreamed up a much scarier explanation for the mystery. www.penguinrandomhouse.com