Mysteries

Pinot Noir by Lorraine Evanoff

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

Louise Moscow hops from one undercover assignment to another, aided by both a curiosity about how the world works and a determination to make it work for her. Equal parts scholar and sensualist, she will find out the answer but enjoy herself while doing so. One moment she’s deploying her brand of “forensic accounting” to uncover some obscure financial information that may blow up the case; the next she’s swooning over the complex “barnyard smells” of a particular Burgundy. Evanoff is clearly besotted with French history and effectively blends it with her heroine’s struggles against uncooperative witnesses, a mysterious vine disease, a gun-wielding monk, and a secret society. Moscow glides through it all with a James Bondian flair. Able to handle a high-powered speedboat, an ex-lover, or a ginger-haired villain with equal ease, this international spy is a protagonist you’ll want to follow.

Targeted Age Group:: 15 and up

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Before I even began writing PINOT NOIR, I had already decided to make Book Two a fictionalized version of the real-life ‘bankers grave’ scandal, the un-solved murder of billionaire Edmund J. Safra. My mother suggested the title during an event associated with my first novel, FOLIAGE. It stuck with me, and I began my research of Pinot Noir wine, which pointed to the Burgundy region of France. What shocked me was the real-life crimes of the region I discovered, which were linked to high level public officials leading all the way to the capital of the European Union, Brussels, Belgium.

The Gourmet Gangster: Mysteries & Menus by The Family by Marcia Rosen & Jory Rosen

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

My son Jory and I had a great time collaborating on this book. I wrote the mysteries and he provided the recipes. Together we created some murderous titles for the recipes and decided which types of food would best fit the various mystery stories.
Some of my stories were influenced by being a gangster’s daughter.
Really. My father was a gangster.
He was a bookie, owned a gambling ‘place’ and when he was ready to move on, he and his partner opened a restaurant and bar at the heart of Main Street in Buffalo, New York.
The book is a series of short mysteries all taking place in a restaurant called Manhattan Shadow. The character, Zero the Bookie is fashioned after my father. He also appears in my Senior Sleuths Mystery Series along with Dick and Dora Zimmerman, reminiscent of the Thin Man characters.
Level Best Books, our publisher, suggested putting the recipes before each story.
And so we did, with titles such as: “Chicken Piccata Caper,” “The Sacrificial Lamb,” “The Quiche (Kiss) of Death.” Near the end we added, “A Deadly Delicious Dessert.” Donuts!

Targeted Age Group:: All adults

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My love of writing, especially mysteries and my sons love of cooking inspired us to work together to write this unique and fun book.
These are some of Jory’s thoughts concerning his love of cooking: “Some of my earliest memories about my grandfather includes making donuts with him. I remember his kindness, patience, and love for the process as well as the end result. It gave me a lifetime passion for cooking. It did, of course, also have the effect of creating a lifetime love affair with donuts (come on, they are nature’s perfect food). I have three kids (2 girls, 9 and 7, and a boy 3): my grandfather would have adored them. What I cook allows my children to get know my grandfather, and for him to live on through every bite of the cuisine he created. I hope these recipes inspire good memories and experiences in others, too.”
As for me, when I considered mysteries stories for the book I thought about places familiar to me.
The story “He’s A Dead Duck,” was a reminder of a duck pond we lived near on Long Island, years ago. I loved the idea of creating a story beginning with a duck recipe.
“The Chicken Piccata Caper” was the easiest. It reminds me of family. I always ask Jory to make his delicious recipe for me when I visit his family.

Featured Book: Deadly Investment by Jill Paterson

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

It was an accepted fact that Beatrice Maybrick, owner and operator of the Maybrick Literary Agency, accidentally fell to her death. Or did she? Esme Timmons thought not, her suspicions fuelled by a letter she received from Beatrice following the tragic incident. Faced with this dilemma, Esme takes steps to find the killer.

Meanwhile, Detective Chief Inspector Alistair Fitzjohn commences his investigation into the suspicious death of entrepreneur, Preston Alexander. With robbery ruled out as the motive, Fitzjohn is drawn to Preston’s investment portfolio and the Maybrick Literary Agency.

Finding an antiquated establishment where uncertainty prevails following the demise of its owner, Beatrice Maybrick, Fitzjohn asks himself two questions. Why did the high flying investor, Preston Alexander, invest in such a business, and did it lead to his death?

Buy Deadly Investment Here

Jill Paterson’s Website
Follow Jill Paterson on Facebook
Follow Jill Paterson on Twitter
Jill Paterson’s GoodReads Profile

Sherlock Holmes – The Golden Years by Kim H Krisco

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

“I need more Sherlock Holmes!”

If that’s your cry, you’ll be pleased to learn that there five totally new adventures coming this fall in the book Sherlock Holmes – The Golden Years, by Kim Krisco.

These five tales take place after Holmes and Watson believe they have gone into retirement. This new action-packed, historically accurate series of stories clearly show that some of their most remarkable and dangerous adventures await them.

The saga begins with The Bonnie Bag of Bones that lead the infamous duo on a not-so-merry chase into the mythical mountains of Scotland.

Curse of the Black Feather continues the adventure in which Holmes teams up with the Irregulars, and a gypsy matriarch, to expose a diabolical “baby-farming” enterprise.

Maestro of Mysteries begins with a summons to Mycroft’s office and ends with a deadly chase in Undertown, far beneath the streets of London.

The Cure that Kills sees Holmes and Watson in hot pursuit of the diabolical Ciarán Malastier, racing across America, and pitting them against the largest detective organization in the world.

In the final story, The Kongo Nkis Spirit Train, Holmes and Watson travel to the Dark Continent to derail a “spirit train” that ensnares people’s spirit, and enslaves their bodies.

In the end, this wonderful new chronicle sheds new light on greatest mystery of all, Sherlock Holmes himself.

Targeted Age Group:: 12 to 112

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I read mostly non-fiction most of my life. So, I suppose it was natural that, when I turned to writing for a living, I initially wrote non-fiction. Then, something happened when I moved into the isolated Rocky Mountains, I began reading fiction almost exclusively — all kinds: science fiction, fantasy, action adventure, etc. I thought about writing fiction for a long time before I actually sat down to my laptop. I suppose, this is because I instinctively knew that fiction is harder to write than non-fiction. Of course, before writing Sherlock Holmes – The Golden Years, I read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and more than that, I read everything that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote . . . and he wrote a lot! It was a “warm-up” before the “race.”

To hone my writing skills I wrote my first Holmes pastiche — The Bonnie bag of Bones (which appears in this collection). I shared it with some fellow authors and they encouraged me to publish it. When I look ed around for a publisher I immediately found the world’s largest publisher of Holmes pastiches and the like — MX Publishing in London. I submitted a query letter, followed by my story and . . . now I am published!