“What the hell!” I shouted through the citrus-scented night air, through the echo of dying sirens, car doors closing and boots clumping on pavement. Everyone stared at me–a wild-eyed woman in braids, smudged with paint and clutching a striped turkey feather. Pippi Longstocking all grown up.
FAUX FINISHED
When she hears a distant scream, Bridget O’Brien, a faux painter with her own company in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is all alone after dark, marbleizing in the Magnolia Blossom Country Club ballroom. Panicking, and against her better judgment, she roams the building before finally discovering a body in the men’s locker room.
Bridget neglected her family as she dealt with personal demons. But when her estranged teenage daughter confesses to the murder, Bridget finally gets her priorities. She charges into a wacky, reckless investigation to clear her daughter’s name. But is the child really innocent? Dodging police, as she is a suspect too, Bridget blitzes through clues and suspects, managing to stay on the right side of the law…just.
Despite family secrets frustrating her efforts, and bonding and redemption with loved ones almost out of reach, Bridget targets the killer amid the March Madness of a UNC-Duke basketball game. The teams battle. The crowds erupt. Is Bridget in over her head?
Despite murder and ensuing mayhem, the book’s humorous vein is reminiscent of Janet Evanovich’s madcap bounty hunter series or Carl Hiaasen’s zany satires.
Will be available at CLASS Publishing, select indie publishers and Amazon.
Ruby stopped to read the alligator warning sign nailed onto the wooden railings. A plump alligator was pictured at the top. Alligators May Live Here. Be Gator Safe: Warning: It Is Unlawful to Feed Alligators. Feeding, Harassing or the Unlawful Killing or Taking of Alligators May Result in Substantial Fines and/or Jail Time.
PEACE, LOVE, and CRIME: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s
Below is a short discussion of “Under the Boardwalk,” one of 22 short stories in this mystery anthology.
Mary Lizzie receives an unexpected visit from her former stepmother, Ruby. Just a gentle visit. Just to tie up a few loose ends before Ruby sashays into the sunset after the “accidental” death of her husband, Mary Lizzie’s father.
Mary Lizzie has no plan, but she is a closet opportunist. And if the opportunity presents itself? Well, Mary Lizzie can handle it just fine.
Available at Untreed Reads, select indie publishers and online retailers.
Dawn Dixon 