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Writing is like a good barbecue sauce, if it ain't bold, it ain't worth doing.

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You are here: Home / Archives for crime fiction

crime fiction

Behind the story of Death on the Menu by Lucy Burdette

August 14, 2018 By Terry 2 Comments

 

Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib) is the author of the Key West Food Critic Mystery series. A former clinical psychologist, she’s published sixteen mysteries. Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. Her latest Key West Food Critic Mystery is Death on the Menu. 

Behind the story of Death on the Menu

“Over the course of the sixteen books I’ve written, I didn’t set out to highlight an issue as I wrote. However, I can’t think of one book where a theme or an important issue didn’t emerge during the process. The Key West Food Critic mysteries are obviously set in Key West. And luckily for me, Key West is full of conflict. Sitting as it does at the end of the string of tropical islands, it is a draw for tourists and homeless folks and rich folks and artists and musicians and everything in between. It also turned out to be a magnet for Cuban refugees who were trying to escape the political repression in their own country.

“Up until 2014, the ‘wet-foot dry-foot’ policy was in place in the US. This meant that refugees who landed with one foot on American soil were not turned back to Cuba. Unfortunately, it also put lives in danger because of the ramshackle crafts on which people attempted the 90 mile crossing between Havana and Key West. This conflict about immigration is woven throughout Death on the Menu. But understand, I did not set out to write a book about immigration–it’s just how the writing process works!”

Lucy said he idea for the book started with the Cuban boats and refugees that dominate the Key West news almost every week. “There is a display of these boats, called chugs, at the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden. They will break your heart. Also, my husband and I took a trip to Cuba in 2014 and learned more about that island’s history and its relationship with Key West and the United States. All of that led me to imagine that a fictional conference attempting to draw Havana and Key West into discussions could be a great backdrop for a murder mystery.”

Lucy on characters, contracts, and cops

“As a former clinical psychologist, the development of the characters is what interests me most about a mystery series,” Lucy said. “I don’t enjoy reading about a character who doesn’t change over the course of the series, and probably the part of the book that comes easily to me is imagining how Hayley is growing, along with the cast of characters around her. When people ask me if my books stand alone, I always say the mysteries themselves do stand alone. But if you have a strong interest in the characters’ relationships and development, better to start at the beginning.”

After Killer Takeout, the seventh book in the series, Penguin and Random House merged and terminated many of their cozy mystery authors’ contracts. Lucy said, “This was a business decision made after the merger and it affected a large number of cozy mystery writers. So I am thrilled to have this chance to extend the stories through Crooked Lane Books. This is the first time I’ll have a book out in both hardcover and audiobook formats. I’m so excited and very nervous about how it will go. All fingers and toes are crossed, hoping that you’ll love it…”

When Lucy was writing her golf mystery series, she spent her advance on playing in the professional-amateur tournament that the ladies professional golf Association holds before each major tournament. She said, “I got to play with two name pros—my husband caddied for me—and ask them all kinds of questions about life on the golf tour. It was truly a wonderful experience!

“But the most fun I’ve had with the Key West series has to be attending the citizens’ police academy sponsored by the Key West police department. We learned all kinds of tidbits about traffic stops, making arrests, how the SWAT team works, and more. And I went on a ride along with a lovely young officer toward the end of the classes. It was a night shift, and I think he was a little bit astonished when I told him I needed to be home, tucked in bed, by midnight….”

Learn more about Lucy Burdette at lucyburdette.com.

Filed Under: Author Interviews Tagged With: cozy mystery, crime fiction

Spotlight on S’More Murders by Maya Corrigan

August 9, 2018 By Terry 1 Comment

 

S’more Murders (A Five-Ingredient Mystery)
by Maya Corrigan

About the Book

S’more Murders (A Five-Ingredient Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Kensington (July 31, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1496709196
Digital ASIN: B0776HN51M

Managing a fitness club café and collaborating on a cookbook with her grandfather are Val Deniston’s usual specialties, but she’s about to set sail into nearby Chesapeake Bay—straight into a murder case . . .

Since catering themed events is a good way to make extra cash, Val agrees to board the Titanic—or at least cater a re-creation of the doomed journey on a yacht. The owner of the yacht, who collects memorabilia related to the disaster, wants Val to serve the last meal the Titanic passengers ate . . . while his guests play a murder-mystery game. But it is the final feast for one passenger who disappears from the ship. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Now Val has to reel in a killer before s’more murders go down . . .

Includes delicious five-ingredient recipes!

About the Author

Maya Corrigan blends her love of food and detective stories in her Five-Ingredient Mystery series set in a fictional historic town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The first book in the series, By Cook or by Crook, was published in 2014. It was followed by Scam Chowder in 2015, Final Fondue in 2016, and The Tell-Tale Tarte in 2017.

Before taking up a life of crime (on the page), she taught university courses in writing, detective fiction, American literature, and drama. She won the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Unpublished Mainstream Mystery / Suspense. Her short stories, written under the name of Mary Ann Corrigan, have been published in anthologies.

When not reading and writing, she enjoys theater, tennis, trivia, cooking, and crosswords. Her website features trivia about food and mysteries.

Author Links

WebPage: mayacorrigan.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maya-CorriganBooks/305167769636032

 

Purchase Links

Amazon – B&N   Kobo  Google Play   BookBub

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Filed Under: Books Tagged With: cozy mystery, crime fiction

Behind the story of Killer Reputation by Cassidy Salem

July 24, 2018 By Terry 4 Comments

Cassidy Salem says she’s always been an avid reader and is especially fond of mysteries. She loves to read so much that she spotlights a wide range of mysteries—from cozy to hard-boiled as well as sweet romance—on her blog. She also loves hearing from readers and feels it helps reinforce her motivation to write.

Where did that book come from?

Killer Reputation is the third book in her Adina Donati, Accidental Sleuth series, so Cassidy said she had a starting cast of sorts in the main character, her friends, and colleagues at the think tank.

“Looking back, I am not sure how I came up with the idea for this book. I am a pantser not a plotter, so I kind of started from a point in the main character’s life and went from there, asking myself questions along the way. First of all, who could I kill off this time and how/why would Adina be involved? After all, she’s not a detective or police officer. That settled (for the time being, anyway), I ask myself who might have a motive to kill the victim and develop the idea from there. I came up with several suspects and didn’t actually identify the culprit myself until the book was more than half written.”

Opposing views

Cassidy also said that in writing each of the books in the series, her goal has never been to make an argument or to promote a specific viewpoint — despite having set the series in our nation’s capital of Washington, D.C. “As the storyline takes form in my head and in my writing, politics and current events have had a way of rearing their heads, usually as plot factors. After all, plots and characters sometimes have a mind of their own and take us where they want to go. This has happened to some extent in all three books in the series, which touch on issues such as animal welfare, environmental protection, immigration, cybercrime and healthcare. In all cases, I have done my best to avoid pushing any agenda, instead letting Adina’s colleagues present opposing views, leaving her and the reader to draw their own conclusions.” 

After graduating from college, she spent a couple of years living and working as an administrative assistant in Washington D.C. “When I decided to try my hand at writing, I wanted to create a mystery series centered around a character that I could identify with, in a setting and job that would hopefully ring true. That said, no two think tanks are alike – they each have different objectives, political agendas, and organizational cultures. And, of course, the DIPPeR and the events depicted are strictly fictional.”

Red flag research

“Like many mystery writers, my browsing history would likely set off red flags among law enforcement agencies. Somewhere between deciding who to kill off and identifying the culprit, I have to decide on the method. For each idea that pops into my head, I need to fact check the feasibility. Would my killer be capable of killing the victim with the weapon I have in mind? How likely would the killer be to have access to said weapon? Crazy or enjoyable, maybe not. But definitely fascinating research.”

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Filed Under: Author Interviews Tagged With: cozy mystery, crime fiction, interview

Review of Killer Holiday by Amy Korman

November 1, 2017 By Terry 1 Comment

Killer Holiday by Amy NormanFrom the publisher

Tis the season for mayhem and mystery . . .

Kristin Clark and her offbeat crew of Bryn Mawr pals are ready for a festive holiday—one that involves sipping Blitzen’s Bourbons by a yule log, hot guys beneath the mistletoe, and a holiday cabaret starring ex-Mafia wife Sophie Shields. But this year, Saint Nick has something more dangerous in store.

A stranger dressed as Santa has Kristin’s friends on his naughty list. First, Sophie’s favorite handbag is blasted by a bullet. Then, Father Christmas shatters local golf-shop owner Chip Delaney’s car window with a 5-iron and leaves a threatening note demanding $50,000. When Chip goes missing, the stakes become deadly.

Much-hated Powerball winner Eula Morris is also back from a luxury cruise, more boastful than ever and toting a handsome new boyfriend (who looks oddly familiar), as well as a Samsonite filled with gold bars. When the suitcase is snatched, Eula implores Kristin and the gang to track it down.

Is Chip on the run, or was he kidnapped? And who stole Eula’s gold? The Killer WASPs and Kristin’s basset hound, Waffles, are on the case—before this white Christmas turns dark . . .

Review of Killer Holiday

Mayhem certainly describes Killer Holiday, which is more madcap caper with zany characters than a Christmas mystery. It was difficult for me to “suspend disbelief” during this story in which the characters always seemed capable of solving problems no matter how difficult. With that said, I read this book without knowledge of those that came before. It may well be that these Bryn Mawr pals have unlimited resources and can tackle any challenge thrown at them.

Want a way to disconnect from reality for the holiday season? This one’s got you covered. It also had some moments that made me chuckle out loud—and that’s no easy task.

FTC Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by its publisher.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: crime fiction, mystery

Behind the story of A Cajun Christmas Killing by Ellen Byron

October 5, 2017 By Terry 1 Comment

A Cajun Christmas Killing by Ellen ByronEllen Byron’s second novel in the Cajun Country Mysteries series won a Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery. Her debut book in the series was a USA Today Bestseller and was nominated for multiple awards. Her latest book in the series, A Cajun Christmas Killing, takes us to Louisiana for the holidays.

How A Cajun Christmas Killing began

Byron said A Cajun Christmas Killing grew out of the tradition in several parishes north of New Orleans called Bonfires on the Levee. “Participants build giant bonfires that they light on fire Christmas Eve amidst much partying and fanfare. There are many theories about the origin of this tradition, but now locals like to say that the bonfires exist to light the way up the Mississippi River for Papa Noel so he can find his way to all the Cajun children’s homes.

“I’ve always been fascinated by this uniquely Louisiana tradition and thought it would provide a great entrée into one of my Cajun Country Mystery books. I got to experience it myself with my family in 2015. A storm threatened to postpone the event, but luckily for us it went on, even under a gentle rain. I’ll never forget the sights, sounds and smells of that evening – all of which you’ll find in A Cajun Christmas Killing.”

Beneath a plot that moves quickly and offers up plenty of quirky characters, there’s actually a bit of what Byron likes to call stealth social commentary. “What I mean by this is that I’m very subtly addressing an issue. In this case, I actually address two issues: racism and anti-Semitism. Ione Savreau, a black co-worker and friend of my protagonist Maggie Crozat, is demoted as general manager of the historic site, Doucet Plantation. She’s replaced by Tannis Greer, who’s young, blonde and white. When a man is found murdered in the plantation’s manor house, Tannis immediately points a finger at Ione.

“As to addressing anti-Semitism, Emme Harmon, the widow of the murder victim, is an upscale native New Orleanian from a family with storied Southern genealogy. She’s in love with the victim’s brother, a practicing Jew, which horrifies her bigoted old-school mother and brother. I believe my readers will root for Ione’s vindication and Emme’s happiness. In doing so, they’ll be striking a blow against racism and anti-Semitism, possibly without even realizing it.”

A Cajun Christmas Killing by Ellen ByronBooks are best

Byron feels she’s had a wonderful career as a writer. She’s had plays published and produced, published hundreds of magazine articles in national publications, and has written many hours of television shows along with a TV writing partner. With all that success, she still feels books are best. “I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun than I’ve had writing mysteries and being accepted into this most generous community. And I’m eternally grateful to everyone who reads my books.”

Ellen Byron Contest Code: #CajunHoliday

In fact, Byron must enjoy writing books immensely because she wrote A Cajun Christmas Killing while working a full-time job writing animation for Nickelodeon and parenting a teenager. “I’d drive my daughter to school at 7 a.m. for a zero period class, come home and write for a couple of hours, go work a full day as a different kind of writer, then come home and work on the book some more. I’m not kidding when I say some of the craziest typos of my career were in that first draft. There were sentences that seemed to be written by a delirious person or someone on drugs.”

Differences between TV and books

While writing books is a very solitary profession, working on TV is not. And where there are coworkers, there are opportunities for a little fun. Byron recalled one opportunity from her last season on the sitcom Wings. “Our bosses sold a series starring Jenny McCarthy to NBC. Jenny was famous for being a Playboy Playmate of the Year, and a calendar featuring sexy shots of her came out around Christmas of that year.

“As a joke present for our bosses, twelve of us women who worked on the show took one of the calendars and had our faces superimposed over hers. For example, my face—glasses, brown hair, and all — replaced Jenny’s in a provocative pose on a bearskin rug. Our bosses and fellow writers thought this was hilarious. Then we went on the set, where we were greeted by winks and the occasional whistle from some crew members — who thought we’d actually posed for the sexy shots in the calendar!”

Learn more about Ellen Byron and A Cajun Christmas Killing at ellenbyron.com.

Book & a Latte Contest

What: This month, Ellen is giving away one of three books. The winner may choose a hardcover copy of Plantation Shudders (first in series), a softcover copy of Body on the Bayou (second in series), or an e-book copy of “A Cajun Christmas Killing.” I’m adding a $5.00 Starbucks gift card. One random entry will be chosen as winner. Winner will receive a book and a gift card.

How to enter: Choose one or more of the options below. Each option gives you an additional chance to win.

Who can enter: This contest is open to anyone over 18 years of age. (Only e-book will be sent out of continental US.)

Winners: Selected winners must claim prizes within 72 hours of notification. Verification of entries: All winning entries are subject to verification

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Filed Under: Author Interviews Tagged With: Award-winning Authors, crime fiction

Behind the story of Dark Signal with Shannon Baker

October 3, 2017 By Terry 1 Comment

Dark Signal by Shannon BakerShannon Baker spent twenty years in the Nebraska Sandhills, where cattle outnumber people by more than 50:1. She also moved seven times in less than ten years, from the Nebraska Sandhills, to Boulder, CO, Flagstaff, AZ, back to Boulder and did a short stint in southwestern Nebraska. In addition to the Kate Fox Mystery series, Baker is also the author of the Nora Abbott Mysteries. Here’s the story behind her latest Kate Fox Mystery, Dark Signal.

The control thread

“It seems there’s generally a thread running through all my books about women taking control of their own lives. I’ve had lots of mother/daughter relationships going on, and I’m not sure if that’s me working out my own therapy or just writing what I know. After all, I’m a daughter and a mother.”

Baker said readers shouldn’t worry about her books being all women’s lit. “I’ve got a husband/reader who keeps me from getting too squishy. Whenever I write what he calls a ‘kitchen scene’ he points it out to me, usually with his snoring. Kitchen scenes are those where I put characters in a static place and they have heartfelt talks. Tension, for sure, but no action. When my husband’s eyes start to droop and glaze over, I know I’ve got to bring out the big guns, knives, or some other lethal object.”

Baker said she hadn’t come across any western mysteries revolving around trains when she read Barbara Nickless’ Blood on the Tracks, which she called fabulously dark and twisty.

“I wanted to include the railroad because it is so much a part of the west,” Baker said. “Many small towns were established about ten miles apart because that’s the distance it took a train to need to take on more water. It was a bonus that my husband was a BNSF conductor for forty-two years.

“When I asked him how someone might be killed on a freight train, he didn’t hesitate. It was fascinating, and not a little unsettling, that he rattled off a method complete with the hardware I’d need, how to install the device, and exactly how to make it work.”

Shannon Baker - Dark Signal authorThe Nebraska Sandhills 

Baker said she always wanted to write about the Sandhills. “The people there are quirky and the way of life is vastly different from what most people are familiar with. I was really happy when Kate Fox popped into my head. She’s nothing like me. She’s smart and competent, able to deliver calves, put up hay, build a fence, and repair a tractor. I love hanging out with Kate because her take on her family and the folks around the Sandhills makes me laugh.”

After Stripped Bare released last year, Baker enjoyed seeing the reactions of people from the Sandhills town where she used to live. “They love trying to figure out who is who in the list of characters. The truth is that each of the characters is an amalgamation of two or three people, not all of them Sandhillers.”

When she started writing about the railroad, Baker thought the research would be easy since her husband is a retired railroad conductor. “Turns out,” Baker said, “he doesn’t like to talk about it. Maybe it’s like a war veteran. His standard line is, ‘It’s a do-nothing job and I do it better than anyone.’ I know that’s not true. He eventually coughed up the details I needed and added a few I hadn’t thought to ask. I think I’ve trained him well in the art of mystery writing because he’s getting pretty good at plot points.”

Double Trouble Contest Code: #TakingControl

And then there’s Jezebel’s influence

Jezebel is Baker’s two-year-old Weimaraner. She said, “Our standard joke is: you know black Labs, yellow Labs, chocolate Labs, and then there’s Jezebel, the Meth Lab. But she’s ours and we love her.”

As with any large dog, Jezebel requires exercise. “We try to give her a desert romp every morning. We’ll walk five miles and let her take off. She does 10-15 miles, I’m sure, always keeping us in sight. But one morning, I stayed home from the walk and my husband emailed me a horrible picture. Jezebel, who is convinced everyone loves her, barreled into a group of javelinas.”

Let’s put this in context — javelinas are native to the Americas and are not a pig. They look a lot like wild boars. And they stink. In fact, javelinas smell so bad they earned the nickname skunk pig. If you’re downwind, you can smell the herd coming.

Baker said, “Apparently, one of them went after Jezebel and jabbed her back thigh with his tusks. Jezebel didn’t seem all that affected, but I took her to the emergency vet. She ended up with surgery and stitches and drains and a lot of icky stuff. She’s all healed and hardly scarred.”

The real problem, according to Baker, is she’s not sure Jezebel learned her lesson. Too bad there aren’t any javelinas in Nebraska, that could make a great scene.

Learn more about Shannon Baker and Dark Signal on her website at shannon-baker.com.

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Filed Under: Author Interviews Tagged With: Award-winning Authors, crime fiction

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