In Duffy Brown’s newest cozy mystery, Murder, Mayhem and 4 of a Kind (the first in a new series called High Cotton Mysteries), readers are in for a hilarious treat. Think about the antics of Janet Evanonvich’s Stephanie Plum and Grandma Mazur characters, combined with the southern charm of Miranda James’ Southern Ladies Mystery series, and you have Duffy’s latest.
Having spent some time in Positano and the beautiful Amalfi Coast, I was excited to read this debut cozy mystery set there. The author did a wonderful job of immersing the reader in the location as well as the Italian lifestyle, focusing on food and family. There are quite a few Italian words sprinkled into the dialogue and narrative, which might annoy some readers. But I’ve studied Italian, and my husband is fluent, so I enjoyed the challenge. Most of the words and phrases are explained well enough in the context, and there’s a glossary in the back of the book (which I didn’t find until I’d finished).
What's your book genre of choice? Mine is cozy mysteries. My preference is a cozy that has a strong main character, a fun side kick, and possibly a pet involved. Sprinkle in some humor and I'm hooked.
Once they were the hottest '90s soap opera couple on television, merging their success as a singing duo into a real life marriage. But when Cindy Cooper and Jay Allan revealed the truth, as both came out of the closet, neither Hollywood nor middle-America were prepared to accept them. After divorcing but remaining best friends, Cindy went on to build an L.A. financial planning career and marry the woman who was the love of her life. Esther’s death led her to sell the business, move to Palm Springs, and join Jay in opening their dream memorabilia shop, appropriately called Hooray for Hollywood Movie Memorabilia.
In the humorous Accidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty.
While most writers produce work based on what they know, I find I begin there, and I grow with my characters. I’ve just published my fourth novel, The Sweet Pea Secret, and I’m just as excited as when I saw my first one in print. This novel is no different.
No matter what they call it: Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve, Samhain; no matter who they are: witches, ghosts, druids, talented or amateur, good or evil. These short stories are exciting and great entertainment. Like most short stories, these are little adventure snippets with your favorite characters from your favorite authors, and some totally new. Although background and character connections are not revisited like in full-length books, it’s not required for the fan’s and newbie’s enjoyment because a summary is provided to set up enough details to get you off to a good start.
