As I’ve already told my friend, Dru, my life as a retiree in English Village is a simple one. Like others in my small circle of friends, I volunteer at the library and play a weekly game of mahjong. We’re senior citizens now. Honestly, no one pays any attention to women with graying hair. We are nearly invisible in our tiny town – though we do try to keep up on the local events, and we’ve named ourselves the Mahjong Mavens. Isn’t that fun? I only took the assignment as a freelance reporter because I missed the action of my former life in the big city, where I spent years as a crime reporter tu ..read more

It’s so cold out today I’m longing for a hot flash. That’s often the case because I live in the town of Hallock, a Scandinavian-Lutheran farming community of fewer than 1,000 people in the Red River Valley of northwestern Minnesota. In other words, it’s usually too cold to get heartburn. I’ve lived outside of Hallock my entire life, just like my dad, dontcha know. My mother, on the other hand, immigrated from Sweden in the early 1950s, as a young women. She fell in love with all things American, particularly the stars of the silver screen. That’s why I was christened Doris Day Anderson when I ..read more

“You won’t believe what we’ve done with this old place, Avery,” Mark Hawkins’ deep voice boomed from the speaker on my cell phone. “The transformation is truly incredible.” “Everything you’ve ever wanted?” I asked, kicking my feet under the sparkling water in a swimming pool that was bigger than the New York City apartment where I’d grown up. “And then some,” Mark said. “Though I think it’ll really be complete once you get here.” I smiled. In all the years I had worked for Mark at Hawkins Tech, we’d managed to keep our relationship professional. But I didn’t work for Mark anymore. “I’m countin ..read more

Ugh, the thousandth hot flash of the day. Well, as my friend Hannah says, “There’s nothing sexier than a sweaty upper lip!” I try to keep that thought in mind as a mantra to help me keep the hot flashes in perspective. Humor is an essential element in any day for me. When my perimenopause symptoms first started years ago, moodiness was one of the biggest challenges. I didn’t recognize myself some days. It was humor that saved me then, too. I nicknamed my moody personality Grumpy Gal, or G.G. to my friends. It gave me a much-needed shift in perspective as well as a way to warn my friends about ..read more

Looking for something to read? Check out some of the new titles releasing during the week of April 14 – 20, 2024 with one debut series. I hope a few of these books take you to an exciting place. Have fun reading! APRIL 16 A Taste for Crime by Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliffe (Cozy Mystery) When a scathing review by a prominent food critic threatens to ruin the career of local celebrity chef Anton Parsley, he turns to Cooper and her Bible study group for help. Cooper’s boyfriend was once mentored by the beloved chef, and Cooper will do anything she can to support his struggling restaurant. But ..read more

Now it’s time to learn more about the authors we read. . .   Why do you write the genre that you write? While I read in all genres—in the mystery one everything from Noir to Cozies—I like Traditional Mysteries best and it felt like a good fit when I came to write the first novel. What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has? In the early books, Faith Fairchild’s husband the Reverend Thomas Fairchild, is a borderline Luddite referring to his fingers poised over his manual typewriter as his computer and when he finally gives in to cell phone ownership rejects most Apps! How did you ..read more

My name is Lou Shoemaker. To keep tuna in their bowls and the roof over the heads of my two cats, Sherlock and Watson, I had to learn to drive my deceased husband’s refuse disposal truck, the Pooper Scooper, when he was killed by a hit and run driver. This has led me into a number of back yards, sometimes exposing surprising situations my clients most likely would prefer to keep secret. Over time, I’ve become engaged to Deputy Nate Darling. He and Sheriff Peabody work diligently to curb the small town crime in our rural community. But, no one expected that our small town crime could escalate t ..read more

“CUT! That’s a wrap!” With a loud thunk, the Klieg lights dim and I pick my way over heavy cables by the remaining dim light and follow the cast and crew out the studio door, eyes blinking after the darkness inside. My name is Trudy Genova, RN, and my work as a medical consultant for a New York movie studio is over for this week. I feel like a puppy who’s found the gate left open, freedom beckoning, as I’m cut loose for a week’s vacation with my boyfriend, NYPD detective Ned O’Malley. This job is any nurse’s dream. I wear jeans to work, no one is puking on my shoes, and best of all, no one is ..read more

Maybe I read too many Sam Spade books when I was a teenager. I thought being a PI would be exciting. And it was, but not always in a good way. After an irate client tried to make my nondescript face “descript,” I applied for what I assumed would be a nice, safe position as a claims adjuster for an insurance company: Universal Heartland Liability and Casualty Assurance Company of America, Incorporated (the company with a heart ❤). Maybe I should have joined the army. At least they would have issued me a gun. My name is John Smith, and before you ask—yes, I’ve heard all the jokes. And it’s bette ..read more

The name’s Marlon Morrison–Detective Marlon Morrison to you– and you may have heard the stories about me around here in the Personal Crimes Unit. Some of it, maybe, is true: I am pretty tired of this job and I am looking forward to uneventfully riding out my final months before retirement. But some of the other rumors about me, well, are just a bad rap. I don’t see myself as a chronic complainer, nor all that difficult to get along with, and I don’t really think I’m the kind of guy who tries to shirk off his load on his colleagues. Let’s just say I don’t believe in wasted time or effort. “Pers ..read more