John D. McDonald was one of the most groan worthy. He had his protagonist and a companion standing on the edge of a canyon in AZ. The companion was shot from the opposite side of the canyon, a distance of several hundred yards. Our hero naturally concluded that the shot could only have been fired from a .44 Magnum. Since the .44 Magnum was so rare he proceeded to comb the state for recent sales as a way to find the perpetrator.
