MUSE MONDAY
Today's guest, Judy Penz Sheluk, asked a great question for The Hanged Man's Noose...what if?
As the author of two mystery series and four novels, I
shouldn’t have a favorite book, and yet, how can I not love the book that
started it all? The Hanged Man’s Noose,
the first in my Glass Dolphin Mystery series, is a cozy mystery, albeit without
any cats, crafts, or cookie recipes. Set in the fictional town of Lount’s
Landing, a town named after a real-life nineteenth-century Canadian politician
hanged for treason, the book’s title comes from the name of the local pub. The
premise—greedy developer comes to small town with plans to build a mega-box
store on historic Main Street, thereby threatening the livelihoods of the
independent shop owners—is one that resonates with many. I simply took the premise
and asked: “What if someone was willing to murder to stop it?”
Blurb: Freelance
writer Emily Garland is cash-strapped, newly single, and tired of reporting on
the same old condo stats. When she’s offered a lucrative assignment in the
village of Lount’s Landing, she decides to take a chance. All she has to do is
relocate and uncover the real story behind a proposed redevelopment plan. What
could possibly go wrong?
Plenty, as it turns out. Not everyone is happy with real
estate mogul Garrett Stonehaven’s plans to convert an old schoolhouse into a
mega-box store. At the top of the list is Arabella Carpenter, the outspoken
owner of The Glass Dolphin antiques shop, who will do just about anything to
preserve the integrity of the town’s historic Main Street.
But Arabella is not alone in her opposition. Before long, a
vocal dissenter dies. A few days later, another body is discovered. Though both
deaths are ruled accidental, Emily’s suspicions are aroused.
Putting her interview skills to the ultimate test, Emily
teams up with Arabella to discover the truth behind Stonehaven’s latest
scheme—before the murderer strikes again.
Excerpt: Arabella
Carpenter arrived at the Glass Dolphin to find a slender woman in a thin coat
shivering by the front door. Arabella had made similar wardrobe miscalculations
in November, a month where the prevailing Lount’s Landing winds could be as
unpredictable as an eBay auction.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, but we’re not open until
Saturday,” Arabella said, pointing to a sign in the window. Something was
vaguely familiar about the woman, though she couldn’t stick a pin in it. Early
thirties. Hazel eyes with a bit of a fleck. Dark brown hair tied into a
ponytail, a red knit beret sloped back from her forehead. She wears it well,
Arabella thought with a touch of envy. Her own attempts at beret wearing had
resulted in the rather unflattering look of a Victorian shower cap crossed with
a tea cozy.
Mind you, the Coach handbag Beret Girl carried was
definitely a knockoff. The single rows of Coach’s signature C’s, versus double,
the way the C’s didn’t quite line up at the center. It was a dead giveaway.
Arabella prided herself on her ability to spot the real from
the reproduction. The antiques world was full of fakes. But not the Glass
Dolphin. Within her walls, everything would be original, from the exposed beam
ceiling and the carefully restored pine plank floors to the merchandise she
sold.
Authenticity mattered.
The Hanged Man’s Noose is available in trade paperback at all
the usual suspects, in e-book on Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Google Play, and Apple
Books, and in audiobook format on Audible, Apple Books, and Amazon. Regularly
priced at $4.99 in e-book, Noose is
currently on sale for .99 until March 10th.
Buy Links:
Thanks so much for hosting me today, Brenda. I'm always happy to respond to questions from readers as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to have you. Some days we have comments and some days we don't!
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