Saturday, April 6, 2019

How Can I Kill Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

by Edith Maxwell


Thank you so much, Annette, for having me over to Writers Who Kill. I will happily send a signed copy of Charity’s Burden, my newest historical Quaker Midwife Mystery, to one commenter here today. 

Writers who kill – hmm, so true. Charity’s Burden is my seventeenth published novel (in five series) but to date I have completed twenty-one mysteries plus a novella. How many ways have I killed people on the page? Note that some books have more than one victim.

·         Gun – 3
·         Some form of poison – 7
·         Knife or very sharp object – 7
·         Garrote – 2
·         Strangle – 2
·         Pitchfork – 1
·         Push resulting in fatal injury – 3

And those don’t even include the murder methods in my more than a dozen published short stories.

I guess it’s a tie between sharp objects and poisons! The killer uses a sharp object in Charity’s Burden, but we don’t discover the truth until the end of the book, so I’m not telling here, either.


I do love exploring poisons. I have three great reference books on my shelf, and also take careful notes every time Luci Zahray – otherwise known as The Poison Lady – speaks at a conference.
Luci "The Poison Lady" Zahay
Liquid nicotine, rosary peas, Tylenol and alcohol? I’ve used them all. Luci’s specialty is talking about commonly available toxins.
 
Rosary Peas
Notice that I don’t resort to firearms very often, and all three of those were in the first or second book in a series. It seems too easy, I suppose.

I hope you enjoy the latest adventures of Rose Carroll, midwife. Here’s the blurb:

The winter of 1889 is harsh in Amesbury, Massachusetts, but it doesn’t stop Quaker midwife Rose Carroll from making her rounds of her pregnant and postpartum mothers. But when Charity Skells dies from an apparent early miscarriage, Rose wonders about the copious amount of blood. She learns that Charity’s husband appears to be up to no good with a young woman. The woman’s mother, who goes by the mysterious name of Madame Restante, appears to offer illegal abortions and herbal birth control. A disgraced physician in town does the same. Charity’s cousin mistakenly thinks he will take control of his father’s estate, part of which was to go to Charity. Rose, who suspects Charity’s death was from an abortion either incompetently or maliciously performed, once again works with police detective Kevin Donovan to solve the case before another life is taken.
I’m excited Quaker Midwife Mystery #4 is out, and I am happy to announce the series is moving over to Beyond the Page Publishing with book five. Look for Judge Thee Not to release this fall! There will be at least two more in the series after that. My next Country Store mystery, Strangled Eggs and Ham (written as Maddie Day) comes out June 25.

Readers: What’s your favorite murder weapon – used in a novel, I mean! Writers, yours? I’m happy to answer questions, too, and I’ll give away a signed copy of Charity’s Burden to one lucky reader. (Leave a comment to enter!)


Edith Maxwell writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries, the Local Foods Mysteries, and award-winning short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she writes the Country Store Mysteries and the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries. Maxwell, with seventeen novels in print and four more completed, has been nominated for an Agatha Award six times. She lives north of Boston with her beau and two elderly cats, and gardens and cooks when she isn’t killing people on the page or wasting time on Facebook. Please find her at edithmaxwell.com, on Instagram, and at the Wicked Authors blog.



24 comments:

  1. I confess, the Poison Lady gives me sleepless nights every time I hear her talk!

    Oh, and welcome to Writers Who Kill, Edith!!!

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  2. Thanks! Luci is pretty scary, isn't she?

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  3. I haven't read the book that employed it, but a pitchfork is intriguing.

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  4. What an interesting topic! I've never thought about varying the methods/weapons, but of course it's important. I guess I got off to a unique start with traditional Scottish weapons. Must think about this. And the Poison Lady is amazing!

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  5. The Poison Lady is amazing. I write primarily current-day novels and most of my victims die from gun violence, although I have employed various blunt objects, knives, and even a heart attack (triggered by an explosion).

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  6. Glorious, that was in A Tine to Live, a Tine to Die, the first Local Foods Mystery!

    I'm off for a day with New England Sisters in Crime (it's our 25th birhtday), but will check back here later. Thanks for all the comments, gang.

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  7. I'm pretty intrigued with icicle stabbings that leave no trace of the weapon. Thanks for visiting Writers Who Kill and for your giveaway!

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  8. I was fasinated with the ingenious ways to murder someone that was discussed. I have never read this author but I will definitely look out for her books. Thank you for the giveaway.
    ring0_94@hotmail.com

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  9. I love Edith's books!

    I think my favorite murders are those that appear to be accidental or natural, but turn out to be malicious.

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  10. Would love to listen to a talk by Luci Zahray someday. I don't know that I have a favorite weapon. I do like how creative you authors can get when killing a character.

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  11. Poison is the first one I thought of. Especially when it’s hard to figure out what poison. Sometimes it looks like natural causes.

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  12. I think poison is an interesting way to murder someone in a story. Because it can appear to be from a natural plant or an accidental act and sometimes hard to prove it was a murder.

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  13. How nice to see you here, Edith! I love that you've kept track - I picture you carefully updating the number on a chalk board with every wonderful book you finish. I have your books so please don't enter me.
    Happy birthday, SINC NE!
    Luci is the best, isn't she?

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  14. Edith I'm working on the tenth book of my Catherine Jewell Series, and in this book I've used a gun to murder someone, but it's rare when I use a gun in any of my other books. I have used poison in some of my books. In my latest book I'm dealing with the opioid problem in the small town my book takes place in. Because my main character is a gardener who works at a large public garden there have been some murders through poisonous plants. Also strangling and smothering patients in a nursing home. In this latest book a young man is murdered with being knocked out and then killed with being shot up with an opioid. And another was murdered with an ax in a October Corn maze on a farm. I've read some of your earlier books and really enjoyed them. If you're going to Malice Domestic and your books are for sale there, I'll be buying them.

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  15. Hi Edith, welcome! Living in Florida where nearly every plant can do double duty as a death trap, poison is right up on the top of my list, and the prettier, the deadlier, or so it seems.

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  16. Thanks everyone! In reverse order:

    Gloria, I will absolutely be at Malice (Agatha nominated, so...).

    Thank you, Shari! The list is on a slip of paper I've already misplaced, so I have to recreate it with every new book. Note to self: start an online list...

    Exactly, Dianne!

    Donamae, that's the best part.

    Jana, Luci is a a treasure of knowledge - and also hilarious.

    Thank you, KM!

    Thanks, ring0_94. I hope you love them!

    I haven't used icicles yet, Celia - but thanks for the reminder. ;^)



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  17. For my first mystery novel, I'm using poison. (I mean, my fictional murderer is using poison, lol.) Haven't narrowed it down to what particular poison yet, but it needs to be from a plant growing in the Midwest. Does The Poison Lady have a website?

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  18. Without being specific, I love methods of murder that are odd and unusual and not the typical methods. Something that is hard to detect of throws off the experts would be awesome too. That way it makes you think, ponder and then rethink again and the end results may surprise even yourself. :)

    I can't wait for the opportunity to read more about Rose Carroll. Thank you for the chance to win a copy of "Charity’s Burden" which is definitely on my TBR list.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  19. Susan, I don't think Luci has a web site, but there are number of good books on botanical poisons.

    Kay - I love those methods, too!

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  20. And our winner is Anonymous! ring0_94@hotmail.com, please check your email. Congratulations!

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  21. Actually, Anonymous, that email address bounced back. Please write to me at edith@edithmaxwell.com. Thanks!

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  22. The "instrument" of death in my soon to be released first novel is a bee and a couple wasps. Will seek out your books. I couldn't think of anything more unique at the time. Thanks for the post, Edith. I am going to check out your books.

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  23. I left the previous comment. Didn't mean for it be anonymous. How much time do you spend writing per day to crank out so many books? Please contact me at glorywadewriter@gmail.com. Thank you,

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