HISTORICAL FICTION
Murder & Matrimony in the Castello
When an Italian bride witnesses an accidental death three days before her Christmas Eve wedding, can she ferret out if the victim fell by accident or by design before her Castle of Love wedding turns into happily-never-after?
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Padua, Italy 1897. Upon arriving at her fiancé’s ancestral home, Renata Bombonatti witnesses a man falling from the castle’s tower to his death. But suspicion is cast when the body vanishes. Add to that, her fiancé Placido has gone missing, her parents are in a bind, and a police officer takes a shine to her. However, Renata, a secret fan of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, pines for her first case, as unladylike as that is for the future Contessa Pelicani.
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On the cusp of her marriage and her first Christmas with her in-laws, the bride-wanna-be-sleuth teams up with the police to expose the villain—all while encountering threats, obstacles, and an unexpected love interest along the way.
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Time is running out for romance, suspects are piling up, and the castle is in an uproar. Will Renata succeed in her sleuthing before her wedding and Christmas go off the rails?
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AllAuthor did an in-depth interview with me on my new book, my writing, and other good things. Click the image to read it!
Slain Over Spumoni
Violetta Pelicani, massage therapist in Grado, Italy shortly after WWI, meets a young man at almost the same instant she learns her favorite uncle is dead. Suspicion of murder arises, and the two work together to prevent Vi from being accused. Though she has helped her uncle run his gelateria, she expects to gain nothing from his death, but she has already gained an admirer in John.
John Baxter is in Grado to assist his brother’s travel home from a military hospital. John, or Gianni, as Vi calls him, is immediately smitten with Vi and wants to help her, while enjoying her company and her gelateria’s gelato, but will sleuthing get in the way of sampling the famous spumoni?
Watch my interview with Lynette Morgan, KWPZ radio host from Bellingham, WA, on 2022 National Spumoni Day talking about my new 1920s romantic mystery book! Learn about the inspiration behind the story, how I got here, and what I'm writing next.
Reviews:
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" . . . an engaging historical mystery that will make you want to run to the nearest gelateria—but not before finishing the book!" ~Marty Wingate, USA Today bestselling author of mystery novels and historical fiction
"A massage therapist heroine with a hidden past, an intriguing American who bears shocking news, and a body in a sand bath—not to mention a secret family gelato recipe! Delizioso!" ~Traci Andrighetti, USA Today bestselling mystery author
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"Delight in vivid scenes of old Italy, but beware of a killer on the loose!" ~Wendy Kendall, author of Cherry Shakes in the Park and Kat Out of the Bag
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"Some of us savor a novella as if it were rare Italian gelato, but “Slain Over Spumoni” invites us to devour it with gusto. Skillfully crafted and enjoyable from start to finish." ~Jo Deniau, author of Stiff Hearts
