And the Beat Goes On by Martha Reed

Last month during a friend’s birthday jaunt I had great fun visiting the Big Apple and catching two Broadway shows. First up was Cabaret starring Adam Lambert, an American Idol TV star and a replacement frontman for the rock band Queen. The following evening we enjoyed Moulin Rouge featuring Culture Club pop star Boy George.

It had been years since I had visited New York City and both shows were spectacular. For Cabaret, the entire August Wilson Theater was transformed – entrance lobby and all – into a seedy Kit Kat Club pre-war Berlin setting. The Moulin Rouge set design at the Al Hirschfeld Theater included the iconic spinning windmill and the larger than life-sized blue elephant.

The storyline in both shows shared a similar and familiar plot: heartbreak, human foibles, and the pangs and consequences of love. Being a writer of course I needed to dissect both shows to see if I could learn something valuable to use in my own creative work.

From the incredible set designs I re-learned that setting is a key supporting player across all genres. Add a ‘wow’ factor like an enormous blue elephant and readers come into the story already knowing they’ll need to suspend their disbelief to be transported into an alternate reality and/or an alternate world view. The opposite is true for anyone seeking a comfort read. These readers crave a familiar setting they can easily recognize.

My second and bigger takeaway came when I realized that these stories were being told to me musically through spoken song lyrics versus being interpreted by the visually written word. This key difference challenged my brain. Instead of anticipating plot points, I found myself following the stories based on choreography and on each song’s up and down beats.

For the record I attended both shows already knowing their major characters and their overall plots. Spoiler alert: I recalled that both Cabaret and Moulin Rouge ended on downbeats. The Kit Kat Club gets shuttered due to Germany’s fascist march toward Hitler’s totalitarian rise to power. Moulin Rouge’s female lead Satine dies of consumption after confessing her true love, a genuinely historic trope found earlier in Alexandre Dumas’ Les Dames aux Camelias.

For me, the major insight came during Moulin Rouge’s encore. Boy George and the entire cast came onstage and after the standing ovation Boy George stepped out of character as Emcee Harold Ziegler. After encouraging the cast to ‘can-can,’ he broadly winked at the audience and started singing snippits from his Culture Club songbook. Responding to the inside joke, the audience went nuts. Theater patrons poured back out onto Broadway on a happy, positive, and upbeat note.

Which made me wonder: How have I been using up and down beat endings in my writing? Reviewing my mystery novels I determined that after each denouement and my final twist I’ve finished all of them upbeat – usually by sharing an enticing promise of the next book with even more alluring danger and exciting adventures to come. My shorter fiction endings are what surprised me: these seemed to be more neutral and final.

Which gave me a homework assignment: the next time I draft a short story I’m going to consider deliberately ending it upbeat (and without breaking character like Boy George did which may be writerly cheating). I’m curious to see what that change gets me.

How about you? Do you knowingly end your stories on an up or a down beat?   

Those Things That Come in Threes by Debra H. Goldstein

 

Those Things That Come in Threes by Debra H. Goldstein

As I’ve grown older, when I hear someone is ill or died, I brace myself because of the old superstition that things come in threes. Sadly, often they do. This month though, I’m cheering the rule of three because it is a multiple of good things.

On April 14, the short story anthology, Sleuths Just Wanna Have Fun: Private Eyes in the Materialistic Eighties, was released by Down & Out Books. I was thrilled that it contained my story, “Who Shot J.R.?” and that I’m in such wonderful company in terms of the included authors: Elizabeth Elwood, John M. Floyd, James A. Hearn, Richard Helms, Kathleen Marple Kalb, Tom Milani, Sandra Murphy, Laura Oles, Alan Orloff, William Dylan Powell, Mark Thielman, Joseph S. Walker, and Andrew Welsh-Huggins.

A day later, the print version of Anything But Murder: Larceny and

Lies was published. It is a compilation of the short stories being read on this season’s Mysteries to Die For podcasts hosted by TG and Jack Wolff. The book includes my holocaust related story “Opera Dinner Club.”  The same story, read aloud by Tina and accompanied by Jack’s music and his trying to guess whodunnit, became available on all different podcast sites on April 18.

I also was informed that I will be moderating the “Influencers in the Cozy Community” panel at Malice Domestic on April 25. Technically, this is a fourth good thing, but I’m rolling back my count to make this a first. I can’t wait to find out what the next two good April things will be. 

Do you ever hold to the rule of three for good or bad things?

“Off the Page” with Helen Morrisey by The Wren (Sarah E. Burr)

 

A Note from Sarah Burr: Today, I’m passing the blogging baton to Winnie Lark, the protagonist of my Book Blogger Mysteries series. Winnie is the mastermind behind What Spine is Yours, a renowned literary website often compared to Metacritic, but with a bookish twist. Operating under the pseudonym 'The Wren,' Winnie keeps her identity a secret while delivering engaging content to her readers. Her specialty? Interviewing authors through their characters. That’s precisely what’s on the agenda for today’s feature—enjoy!

Greetings, bookish friends! It’s your friendly, neighborhood book blogger, The Wren, here to introduce another captivating sleuth you won't want to miss: Helen Morrisey from the Chesapeake Bay Mysteries.

Helen, thank you so much for coming “off the page” with me. You’ve built a glowing reputation in the Maryland Realtor community. How did you first get interested in real estate? How did you then get started selling homes?

I entered the business in my hometown of Port Anne about twenty-five years ago after finishing my master's. I missed the mix of people, the shopkeepers, local crabbers, and new faces moving in. I missed sailing on the Chesapeake, spotting Bald Eagles and Blue Herons. So, I’m not sure if my Realtor reputation is glowing. Over the past few years, I’ve become mixed up in murder a little too frequently for some of my clients. In fact, in my latest mystery-solving quest, Villain in the Vineyard, my reputation takes a huge nosedive. Someone becomes intent upon ruining my reputation. They’ve taken to defacing clients’ houses using the words, “Your agent is a crook!” Now I find myself determined to solve a client’s murder while trying to salvage my livelihood.

Holy bookmarks, no wonder you’re getting involved in this case! I can’t wait to see who’s behind the vandalism. A disgruntled customer, perhaps? You deal with clients all day, every day, and I imagine some of them can be very opinionated. What’s your secret to dealing with people who try your patience?

LOL. I’m not sure if there’s a secret. I tend to speak up when I should be biting my tongue. Most clients are great to work with, and I enjoy helping them get through a complicated process without them suffering multiple meltdowns along the way. We often become good friends. But there are those, like the insufferable Mr. Rickel in Murder in the Master. I was counting the hours until his house settlement, so I could delete his name from my cell phone!

Oh, I remember Mr. Rickel from Book One—he’s quite the “character.” Other than Mr. Rickel, it’s great that you’ve become a confidante for your clients. Being patient is also an excellent skill for an amateur sleuth to have. How did you first decide to get involved in crime-solving, and how did you pick the literary sleuths included in your “Detection Club”?

Since I was in high school, I was often the person who jumped into the fray when another student was bullied. I’ve also been an avid mystery reader since Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. They probably gave me a false sense of confidence that I could defend the innocent. When a friend of mine was accused of killing a local builder, she begged me to help. I’m in a profession where I know a lot about people’s private lives. Their finances, their habits, their personal relationships, good and bad. Sometimes those bits and pieces can lead to solving a crime.

When my husband, Andy, died in an accident, my family’s life was shattered.  I needed to find my new path. I decided some of my favorite women sleuths could give me great advice. When I began solving cases, they became the perfect partners in a kind of Detection Club. They bring their special talents to my investigations.

Nancy Drew is my youngest member. She’s physically fit and totally unintimidated by her elders’ desire to keep her out of police business. On the opposite end, the elderly Jane Marple is wise. She’s my quiet observer. Jessica Fletcher is a smart businesswoman. She could make a great Realtor. She’s methodical and logical. She also likes to laugh. Then there’s Nora Charles, of the famous duo Nick and Nora of the 1930s. She’s got that high-society cache I sometimes emulate to unearth clues. Agatha Raisin was always a favorite detective of mine. She’s a sharp-tongued, gutsy woman living in the Cotswolds of England. She’s my age and no expert in male relationships. Unlike me, she likes to show off her legs in very high heels, which tend to impede her investigations.

What a fabulous group of kick-butt women to have in your corner! And with you at the helm, I’m sure all your investigations go swimmingly without any snafus, right, Helen? 😉

Unlike some amateur sleuths in the cozy mystery genre, you have a great working relationship with the lead investigator on the cases you get involved with. What makes Detective Joe McAlister so special? Why do you think he’s so open to your help?

Joe joined the county sheriff’s department after years heading a big city homicide division. He’s tough. We started off a bit adversarial. He slowly came around as he realized I wasn’t just a busybody. I could give him the inside scoop on local personalities. We work together fairly well, although we have our testy moments. Joe once told me that I find dead bodies like cats find mice. Given that I like cats, I decided to take his sarcasm as a compliment.

As you should!

You’ve mentioned your home of Port Anne. It sounds like a lovely place to visit, and it’s home to some unique and charming individuals. Who are some folks you recommend visitors get to know? Who should we steer clear of?

I can’t help being partial to my twins. They're in their early thirties and determined to talk me out of tracking down killers. Lizzie is as smart as she is theatrical, very stylish, and a great cook. Something I’ll never be. Bring me Sauvignon Blanc and Twizzlers. She’s got a bit of Nora Charles in her. Shawn, a district attorney, is always warning me, “You can’t fix everything, Mom.” Another habit I’m unlikely to break. He’s eager to keep my sleuthing tendencies out of his current romantic relationships. When I call a meeting to discuss a case, they’re my home team. My Assistant Extraordinaire is Tammi. She’s a combination of General Patreus and Mother Teresa, keeping our business humming. She’s also my best friend. As for those to steer clear of? You’ll just have to catch up on my crime-solving to find out.  I’m not about to spoil your fun. 

Sounds like you’ve got a great crew to help navigate the treacherous seas of your investigations! Other than having a solid support team, what advice do you have for newbie amateur sleuths?

I’ll pass on the sage advice of Jane Marple. She warned me that murder should never be taken lightly. She’s right. But solving mysteries is always exciting and a habit I’m not likely to break.

Wiser words were never spoken! Crime-solving is first and foremost about getting justice for victims, and it sounds like you have no plans to stop your pursuits, Helen. Thank you again for taking the time out of your Realtor life and coming “off the page” with me. Readers can look forward to your latest adventure, Villain in the Vineyard, available at your favorite bookish retailer on April 15, 2025.

To stay connected with Helen’s author, Judy L. Murray, head to her website: https://www.judylmurraymysteries.com.

Learn more about The Wren, Winnie, and the Book Blogger Mysteries at www.saraheburr.com.

The Seeds You Sow by Judy L Murray

As we see the first real signs of spring – Hallelujah! – I’m struck again how helpful loyal readers can be such an asset. One of our Writers Who Kill authors Lisa Malice posted a blog about clubs a few weeks ago. I’m going to piggyback on it with my latest example.

My fourth book in the Chesapeake Bay Mystery Series, Villain in the Vineyard, promises to have a special kind of celebration. One I certainly didn’t plan all on my own.

In mid-January, Girls Under Cover, a book club in my area, contacted me. This is a club of over thirty participants just a few miles outside my Chesapeake Bay village of North East, Maryland. Since the release of my first book in the series, Murder in the Master, they’ve supported my efforts with amazing enthusiasm. Each year, they invite me to attend one of their meetings as their book pick of the month. We always have a delightful evening in one of their homes.

This year, when they heard that my book was entitled Villain in the Vineyard, they suggested a launch party at a local vineyard here on the Elk River. The Elk River feeds into the Chesapeake at the very top of the bay. The Chesapeake is mammoth, a remarkable natural wonder and the largest estuary in the United States. Located in the Mid-Atlantic region, it begins where I live at the very top of Maryland and its eastern shore, extending south to Virginia. More than a hundred fifty rivers flow into the bay’s over sixty-four thousand miles and it covers parts of six states. Two hundred miles long, our bay eventually spills into the Atlantic Ocean. The word Chesapeake is derived from an Algonquian word referring to a village ‘at a big river’. Explorers in 1585 applied the name.

Longtime sailors, my husband and I moved to North East in 2007. I fell in love with its history and its native beauties. American Bald Eagles perch on the trees in front of our views of the water. Blue Heron and Tundra Swans arrive in the spring. To watch an eagle dip into the water and pluck fish for dinner fascinates me. It’s also one reason why I decided the Chesapeake was a perfect setting for a hometown sleuth-Realtor to tell her stories.

I digress. Girls Under Cover and I met at Blue Elk Vineyard in early March to plan my book talk. As we chatted with the owner of this gorgeous and historic location (I’ll post a link below if you are curious) they decided they would cover the room rental charge by selling tickets to club members and anyone else who wanted to attend. We liked the idea of using any ticket sales net proceeds towards a local charity. That’s when I suggested we support the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Program in our county. Dolly’s program coordinates the administration, the data base of children, and a Blue Ribbon Committee choosing the appropriate books and arranging whole-sale pricing. Communities cover the books and shipping. Any child between ages one and five who chooses to enroll receives high-quality, age-appropriate books mailed each month to their home free of charge. As an author it’s been a favorite charity of mine. For those children not fortunate enough to own their own books, this program has proven to be a huge influence in their development as lovers of reading. Tying in book fundraising to my book signing seemed a perfect alliance. The club loved the idea.

Our event is the evening of May 8th and so far we are approaching sixty tickets sold. Between appetizers provided by the club and flowers and dessert from me, we hope to clear about $10 per ticket toward our county Imagination Library Program.

Now a little message about my latest book, Villain in the Vineyard. Below I’ve included a phenomenal review from our very own Connie Berry. Thank you Connie for fitting this in around your already too busy schedule.

If you also have a story of how readers affected your life as an author, I’d love to here them in your comments. Judy L Murray

Here is Connie’s review: “When two of her clients are murdered, another lies in a coma, and properties she’s listed for sale are vandalized, real estate agent-turned-amateur sleuth Helen Morrisey faces the loss of the business she’s worked so hard to establish. This is personal, and to make matters worse, Tammi, Helen’s long-time Assistant Extraordinaire is moving out of town and Emma, the gorgeous FBI agent and ex-fiancée of Helen’s love, Detective Joe McAllister, shows up, looking to reignite the flame. Can Helen and her fictional detectives—Nancy Drew, Jessica Fletcher, Jane Marple, Agatha Raisin and Nora Charles—stop the perpetrators before her agency collapses or worse yet, another client is injured or killed? I’ve loved all Judy L. Murray’s Chesapeake Bay Mysteries, but I think this one may be my favorite. With a richly layered plot, a brilliant cast of characters, and an authentic feel for both policing and sleuthing, Villain in the Vineyard is a gem.” Connie Berry, USA Bestselling Author – The Kate Hamilton Mysteries

https://amzn.to/42yejBo

https://imaginationlibrary.com/about-us/

https://blueelkvineyard.com/

Manners by Nancy L. Eady

I go on breakfast “kicks” where I gladly eat the same thing for breakfast every day for months or years, until whatever fast food place discontinues the particular breakfast food I like or we move and the fast food place I have been going to is no longer near me. When you go to the same  drive-thru around the same time five days a week, you get to know the people serving you at the window. 

For example, when my daughter was little, we went through the same Burger King for three years, until we moved and changed school systems. Even now, Debra, the cashier who has worked the breakfast/lunch register there since 2005, recognizes me when I show up, even though it’s been years since we lived in the area. It’s a fun reunion these days when I’m in the area and go through the drive-thru at the right time. 

My current relationship is with a nearby Wendy’s. Someone new was working the window the other day, and when I pulled up, she asked me how I was.  I answered, “Fine. How are you?” This, to me, is just good manners. However, it does not seem to be standard operating procedure for many Wendy’s customers, because the young lady thanked me for asking, noting that most people just answer her question and don’t ask their own. Today, when I went through the  drive-thru, the same young lady rang up my order and it cost less than normal. Not wanting to cheat anyone, I asked her about it, and she told me she didn’t charge me for my drink. I thanked her, and then she added that I came through every day, I always was nice to her, and she appreciated it. That remark shook me; there’s no reason not to be polite to the person serving you at the fast food window. 

I have noticed a decline in basic manners over the years. I was taught that when someone says “Thank you,” the correct answer is “You’re welcome.” Now it’s one of the things I use to rank fast food places; it is the rare window where I receive a “You’re welcome.” Even the “thank you” is getting farther and fewer between. (For those of you who think I may have an over developed relationship with fast food, that is a blog post for another day!) 

Check-out clerks in stores and waiters in restaurants also are not overwhelmed with daily kindnesses. My husband and I make a point of remembering a server’s name and thanking them, by name, for the things they do for us; this small courtesy makes their faces light up. I feel good for brightening their day, but I feel sad to realize so few people do so. 

These courtesies matter because they convince people I am seeing them, not the uniform they are wearing or the service they are providing. Everyone wants to know that they matter, that they are recognized as a person, not just a position. When we see the position, not the person, we are disengaging the observation functions of our brain to lighten the mental effort a particular task involves. In doing so, we miss the chance to connect. 

In writing, however, encouraging people to see the position not the person might be helpful, especially when the writer is trying to conceal the identity of the killer. I’m interested to know what you think. 

And please, take the time to wish the next sales clerk, fast food server or other service person you encounter a good day. A little kindness can go a long way. 

Edits and Errors by Marilyn Levinson

The other day I received an email from a reader. I was pleased to learn that she'd started reading my Haunted Library series and was enjoying it. However, she also informed me that in one of the books she noticed three instances of a name change. Not good! I wrote back and said I was happy she was enjoying the series, and I apologized for the errors in the text.

How did these errors slip by and appear on the printed page? My books are carefully edited. I go over a manuscript three times before sending it to my editor. She goes over it, makes her comments and observations. I review the manuscript and make the necessary edits and additions. Then a copy editor combs through the manuscript, now in book format, editing and questioning. Once again, I go over the manuscript--sometimes twice--addressing these issues. These are put into the text,  and the manuscript is once again sent to me to read and make any final changes.

 Yes, my books are carefully edited. That said, the occasional error still may appear on the printed page despite the many eyes and read-throughs. There are a few reasons why this may occur. For one thing, our brains have a way of filling in a word that might have been omitted. Also, it is the unusual author or editor who can read through a manuscript of over 80,000 words in one sitting. Which is why he or she might not notice when a detail mentioned early on in the story is somewhat different when it's mentioned later on.

 Having just finished going through my copy editor's edits of Death on Dickens Island, I am grateful that she's caught some  name changes and has pointed out contradicting statements. But I also know that despite our very best efforts, there will be a few errors that will slip by. For these, I apologize in advance, and I promise to be even more vigilant as I write and eventually edit the next book in my new series.

 

Killer Questions - If You Could Be Any Character?

Killer Questions – If You Could Be Any Character?

Writers use their imaginations to create characters that they hope will be memorable. That said, sometimes, authors envy what other writers have created. Today, we explore what character in a novel or short story each of our bloggers would want to be for a day and why. 

Heather Weidner - I would love to be Nancy Drew. She has been my favorite sleuth for years, and it would be an adventure to solve some mysteries with Bess and George.

Martha Reed - I’d choose Zita “Double Z” Ztschesche from my short story “The Honor Thief” included in “This Time for Sure" the Anthony Award-winning Bouchercon 2021 anthology. I still get tickled by the the way Zita skates between justice and felony behavior. The story is available as a free read on my website: https://www.reedmenow.com/short-fiction

Connie Berry - I'd like to be my own Kate Hamilton because being her for a day might give me some great plot ideas.

Grace Topping - Definitely Maisie Dobbs of the international bestselling Maisie Dobbs mystery series. Maisie is a character that I would love to have in my life. She is relatable, wise, smart, and a whole bunch of other adjectives. I wish I could be more like her. A lot of other people agree, and as a result, someone created the Facebook page, What Would Maisie Do?

Paula G. Benson - Miss Melville, the art teacher who inadvertently becomes a hit woman with a conscience, in the series by Evelyn E. Smith. Miss Melville’s a lot like a Clint Eastwood character, a loner with a moral code who finds a “family” under unique circumstances. I loved her resilience.

Debra H. Goldstein – Miss Marple. I’ve reached that stage in my life that I’d like to be able to simply sit and figure everything out.

James M. Jackson - I would love to know what really goes on in the mind of Ruth Zardo of Three Pines (and Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series). I'm not sure a day would suffice, but it would certainly be interesting.

Sarah Burr - Bess Marvin—because that would mean getting to hang out with both Nancy Drew and George Fayne. I've always admired Bess for being the most realistic member of the group (and sensible about her safety), and I loved how much she enjoyed her food!

Annette Dashofy - I’m not sure about a specific character, but I’d love to spend the day in one of Walter Farley’s Black Stallion books. I lived in all of those when I was a kid.

Kait Carson - There are literary worlds I’d like to inhabit. Hong Kong as described in Clavell’s Nobel House and Taipan or India in any of M.M. Kaye’s books. In both cases, it’s the exotic that attracts. 

Lori Roberts Herbst - There are so many to choose from, but the mood I’m in right now leads me to Joyce Meadowcroft from the Thursday Murder Club books. I love her dry sense of humor and the workings of her brain. Plus, I’d love to have her tight-knit group of quirky friends.

Margaret Turkevich - Harriet Vane, Gaudy Night. I like the way she thinks.

Korina Moss - I’d be Hercule Poirot, because I want to know firsthand about those little grey cells…

Nancy Eady - Jo in Little Women.  I love that book, and she is my favorite character in it.  I love how strong and independent she is. 

Mary Dutta - Dorothea Brooke in Middlemarch. I’d ditch my dreadful, pedantic fiancé at the altar and go off to live the life I deserve.

Molly MacRae - Special Ops literary detective Thursday Next, first introduced in The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. Why? She literally jumps into books to solve mysteries, she can time travel, dodos and mammoths have been brought back, and she drives a cool car.

Shari Randall - I just reread The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, and I'd love to go on one of her adventures.

K.M. Rockwood - Lucy Pevensie in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

GREETING THE AGATHA-NOMINATED AUTHORS FOR BEST DEBUT NOVEL

by Paula Gail Benson

On Wednesday, April 9, we had a virtual visit with the authors nominated for the Agatha for Best Contemporary Novel. Today, we are pleased to welcome the debut novelists, whose work covers an amazing range of characters, cultures, and time periods. Here are the nominated books and their authors:

Jenny Adams

A DEADLY ENDEAVOR by Jenny Adams (After returning home to Chicago from California where she has spent years recovering from influenza, Edie Shippen discovers her childhood sweetheart is engaged to her twin sister and that young women are disappearing. Edie teams with the brother of a missing girl to investigate)

HOUNDS OF THE HOLLYWOOD BASKERVILLES by Elizabeth Crowens (Young private detectives Babs Norman and Guy Brandt try to solve the celebrity dognapping of Asta, the dog from The Thin Man series, in order to collect a large reward)

GHOSTS OF WAIKĪKĪ by Jennifer K. Morita (An out-of-work journalist and the homicide detective who broke her heart must find out who murdered the land developer for whom the journalist has been hired to ghostwrite an autobiography)

THREADS OF DECEPTION by Elle Jauffret (After a devastating accident, defense attorney Claire Fontaine seeks to return to working as a caterer in Southern California, only to find her client dead)

K.T. Nguyen

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID by K.T. Nguyen (A thriller where a first-generation Vietnamese American artist must confront nightmares of the past and the present)

Each of the debut authors was kind enough to answer the following question:

EACH OF YOUR PROTAGONISTS HAVE A SIGNIFICANT OBSTACLE TO OVERCOME. WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION TO WRITE THIS NOVEL AND IS IT THE FIRST OF A SERIES?

Many thanks to them for some fascinating insights into their craft!

JENNY ADAMS: The inspiration question is always a really tricky one for me to answer. Personally, I deal with chronic migraines and an anxiety disorder; when I was drafting the book that became A Deadly Endeavor, I wanted to write a main character who shared these challenges, and I knew I wanted to set it in Philadelphia. These two facts (and Edie in a dumbwaiter) are perhaps the only aspects of the book that remained unchanged between the first draft and published version; it initially was a YA paranormal romance, then an adult paranormal romance, and eventually morphed into an adult historical mystery over many, many revisions! Edie, as a character, appeared in my head like a freight train and really took over the story. Gilbert as a narrator was a later addition, and he morphed from medical student to doctor to coroner, and he was a much tougher character to write. I’m proud of the evolution of the book, even if it is so very different from the book I thought I was writing!

Edie and Gilbert, my protagonists, live in 1921 Philadelphia, and certainly have their share of challenges–in the opening chapters, you learn that Edie’s childhood beau is engaged to her twin sister, and Edie deals with anxiety and chronic migraine as a lingering side-effect of her brush with the 1918 influenza. She decides to reinvent herself as an independent young woman…despite the fact that across the city, young flappers are going missing. Gilbert, meanwhile, is a widowed single dad dealing with his own demons–in his case, shell shock from his time in World War One. He’s deeply devoted to his family, despite his internalized shame and reliance on morphine to keep his flashbacks at bay. When Gilbert’s sister goes missing, they find themselves working together to find her…before the killer terrorizing Philadelphia does.  A Deadly Endeavor is the first book in the Deadly Twenties Mysteries - the second book, A Poisonous Silence, releases on May 6!

Elizabeth Crowens

ELIZABETH CROWENS: Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles is the first of a series I have with Level Best Books. My protagonist, Babs Norman, a former actress-turned-private eye from the 40s, was based on my best friend. If she were still alive, she would’ve turned 102 this year. Among the many hats I’ve worn in the entertainment industry, at one point I was an independent consultant providing men’s and women’s vintage clothing and textiles to fashion designers in both the garment industry and for film, theater, and television. I had met my inspiration for “Babs” at a vintage clothing show many years ago. Her husband had just passed, and since I was one of the few dealers in New York who also had a significant inventory in menswear, she invited me to look at his wardrobe. To make a long story short, I ended up selling $10,000.00 worth of his clothing and mine to the wardrobe department for the Ridley Scott film American Gangster starring Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, and Josh Brolin. Babs and I became instant friends, but somehow we felt we were also kindred spirits.

Over our decade-long friendship, she shared the most interesting stories of her colorful life, and she expressed her interest in having me write her memoirs. I had to be honest and tell her that unless she was famous or notorious, memoirs were the hardest to sell. Then one day, the idea suddenly came to light. What kind of books did she read? Mysteries. What shows did she watch on TV? Law & Order, NCIS, Murder She Wrote, Turner Classic Movies, a mystery series on PBS, or an animal show on Animal Planet or NatGeo Wild.

So, I approached her with the idea of taking her stories and turning her into a fictional actress, frustrated with show business, and who became a PI. My friend was a former actress, but she never was a private eye, but she loved I was taking artistic license with the concept and gave me her blessing. Then I got her estate attorney, made it legal by drawing up the paperwork, and told her that’s how I’d memorialize her. I only wish she were still alive to know that my first book in that series, Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles, which she inspired, is up for the Best First Novel in the Agatha Awards.

ELLE JAUFRETT: My inspiration for this novel came from wanting to explore how people react differently to accents and speech impediments, and the stereotypes we carry about identity. My protagonist suffers from foreign accent syndrome, which causes others to mistake her for a French tourist rather than an American citizen. Through her journey, I wanted to examine deeper questions: Does an accent make you more or less American? How much of our identity is tied to the way we speak?

The story is about a former criminal attorney turned private chef who desperately needs to solve a murder to save her best friend's wedding to a soon-to-deploy Marine. She's invested heavily in catering this wedding, hoping it will launch her new culinary career, making the stakes both personal and professional. While she's racing against time to identify the killer and clear the crime scene (which happens to be the one-of-a-kind historic venue for both the murder and the wedding reception) of police tape, she's simultaneously struggling with her own internal battle—the frustration of constantly having to prove her American identity despite her French accent.

Yes, I'm excited to say this is the first in a series that will continue to follow our protagonist as she solves crimes while navigating the challenges of her unique condition. The second book in the series, Cosplayed to Death, comes out November 11, 2025.

Jennifer K. Morita

JENNIFER K. MORITA: I was originally inspired to write a mystery with an Asian American reporter many years ago when I was covering local government for a community newspaper. I was reading Jan Burke, Naomi Hirahara, and Sujata Massey at the time, and each of their characters had something that really spoke to me. Somehow Maya got into my head. It was years before I got serious about writing my book, and by then the newspaper industry had changed completely.  Ultimately, the downfall of newspapers became Maya’s obstacle and helped shape Ghosts of Waikiki.

I have several ideas for more Maya Wong books, so I’m hoping it will be a series.

K.T. NGUYEN: Like me, my protagonist Anh Le "Annie" Shaw experiences obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). After the death of her mother, the disturbing intrusive thoughts swirling around in Annie's brain begin to manifest themselves in real life. My personal struggle with OCD inspired the premise of You Know What You Did: "if thoughts could kill." 

BIOS:

JENNY ADAMS has always had an overactive imagination. She turned her love of books and stories into a career as a librarian and Agatha Award-nominated novelist. She holds degrees in Medieval Studies and Library Science from The Ohio State University and Drexel University. She has studied fiction at Johns Hopkins University and is an alumna of Blue Stoop’s 2019 YA Novel Intensive and the 2021 Tin House YA Workshop, and was a 2021 PitchWars Mentor. Jenny currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia with family, though her heart is always in the City of Brotherly Love. Her website is Jenny Adams – historical mystery author.

ELIZABETH CROWENS has worn many hats in the entertainment industry, contributed stories to Black Belt, Black Gate, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazines, Hell’s Heart, and the Bram Stoker-nominated A New York State of Fright, and has a popular Caption Contest on Facebook. Awards include: MWA-NY Chapter Leo B. Burstein Scholarship, NYFA grant, Eric Hoffer Award, Glimmer Train Honorable Mention, a Killer Nashville Claymore finalist, two Grand prize, and six First prize Chanticleer Awards. Crowens writes multi-genre alternate history/time travel and historical Hollywood mystery in Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles, nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel (mystery), and Bye Bye Blackbird, its sequel. Her website it www.elizabethcrowens.com

Elle Jauffret

ELLE JAUFFRET is a French-born American writer, former criminal attorney with the California Attorney General’s Office, US military spouse, Claymore Award finalist, and Agatha Award nominee. New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry described her debut novel, Threads of Deception, as “a powerful, complex, and compelling mystery,” and USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan called it “a smart and fresh new voice.” Elle is an active member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. She lives in Southern California with her family, along the coast of San Diego County, which serves as the backdrop for her Suddenly French Mystery series. You can find her at https://ellejauffret.com or on social media @ellejauffret.

Former newspaper reporter JENNIFER K. MORITA believes a good story is like good mochi - slightly sweet with a nice chew. Her debut mystery, Ghosts of Waikīkī, won the 2025 Left Coast Crime Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery and has been nominated for the Agatha Award for Best First Novel. It’s about an out-of-work journalist who reluctantly becomes the ghost writer for a controversial developer. When she stumbles into murder - and her ex - she discovers coming home to paradise can be murder. Jennifer is a writer for University Communications at Sacramento State. She lives in Sacramento with her husband and two teenage daughters. When she isn’t plotting murder mysteries or pushing Girl Scout cookies, she enjoys reading, experimenting with recipes, Zumba, and Hot Hula. You can reach Jennifer at www.jenniferkmorita.com.

K.T. NGUYEN is a former Glamour magazine editor. Her debut psychological thriller YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID has been nominated for Lefty and Agatha Awards. The Seattle Times called the novel "a swirly, tangled hair-raiser...as sinister as it is emotional." It was selected as a People Magazine Best Book of April 2024 and named a Best Mystery and Thriller Book of 2024 by Elle, Parade, and Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine. K.T. enjoys practicing Krav Maga, rooting for the Mets, and playing with her rescue terrier Alice. A graduate of Brown University, she lives just outside Washington, D.C. with her family. Her website is K.T. Nguyen Suspense Thriller Books.