Female Sleuth h

The bloodied body of a knight lay in a dragon swing at a Florida Renaissance Fair. The police chief assigns the case to detectives Sara and Ryker. If they fail to solve it before the fair closes in nine days, he’ll lose the mayoral election to a drug lord. Contrary personalities are forced to work together for the first time. She’s a retired international endurance racer. He’s portly, unfit, and never ventured beyond a city. She hides his glazed donuts. He chides her solitude.

Setting plays a vital role. The village bustles with rennies and guests in Renaissance attire, shops, and stages. Everywhere the air is filled with audiences cheering, the music of dulcimers and violins, and the lingering aroma of spiced meats and sugary treats.

A list of suspects unfolds as DNA and tox screen reports come in plus an imprint of the dagger guard on the victim’s body to be matched. But after-hour gatherings are the most telling. In the jousting arena, knights battle for the vacated alpha dog spot. In the Scottish camp, their bevy and the strength of a crazed Viking vanquish the Knights Invincible in a humiliating tug-of-war. In the Roma camp, smoldering jealousy and infidelity ignite among the Viking’s wife, queen, a belly dancer, and fortune teller. Complex layers of deceit, power struggles, rivalry, and romantic intrigue intertwine the suspects in multiple twists and turns. When they all loathed the knight and have personal vendettas, Sara and Ryker can’t identify which one killed him.

Only two days until the fair ends and no convictions, Sara wonders if the motive began earlier. She checks which of the current rennies worked with the knights at other venues and makes a shocking discovery that turns the investigation upside down. The killer escapes forty minutes north to the Okefenokee Swamp. In hot pursuit, she grapples with gator-infested waters, swarms of mosquitos, and poisonous snakes. Two of the drug lord’s goons who threatened her every day to drop the case follow her in there.

Sara/Ryker Mysteries Book 1
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Targeted Age Group:: 18-90

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
In college, my favorite classes were cultural anthropology. I'm fascinated by the many ways we're are all the same yet different. I've traveled to 68 countries always taking note of the culture and mythologies.
Having worked at a Renaissance Fair one summer, I was intrigued by the nomadic rennie culture and wanted to explore it more. I did six different versions over time but was also caught up in work as a librarian and traveling. I finally decided the fair was a perfect setting for a mystery with so many unique personalities and scenarios. I kept many of my earlier the descriptions and characters but revised the plot.