I was very pleased to feature on M.K. Graff’s mystery writing blog today.
If you like crime mysteries set in the Lake District can I recommend the author’s latest novel “The Scarlet Wench”.
Click on the link to see more and order a copy.
It is really great to find an American author who has taken England as a setting and has written with such affection for our landscapes.
In the third Nora Tierney Mystery set in England, American writer Nora awaits the arrival of a traveling theatre troupe who will stage Noel Coward’s play “Blithe Spirit” at Ramsey Lodge in the Lake District. With her son six months old, Nora must juggle parenting with helping her illustrator and friend Simon Ramsey run the lodge.
She’s also hoping to further her relationship with the only lodge guest not in the cast: Detective Inspector Declan Barnes, ostensibly there for a hiking trip. When a series of pranks and accidents escalate to murder during a flood that traps everyone, Nora realizes her child is in jeopardy and determines to help Declan unmask a killer.
Although contemporary in time period, the book is written in traditional English mystery style with a cast of characters and room layouts. Chapter epigrams are all lines from the play and the play’s plot influences the action. Coward’s estate has requested a copy of the book for their archives.
A mixture of amateur sleuth and police procedural, Graff won an award for Best British Cozy with the book that introduces Nora, THE BLUE VIRGIN.
British author Rebecca Tope says: “THE SCARLET WENCH has all the ingredients of a good read: atmospheric setting, intriguing characters, complex plot and excellent writing.”
Author P. M. Terrell has this to say about the book: “M. K. Graff does its again with another compelling and intriguing Nora Tierney classic. As always, the characters are multi faced the plot twists are unpredictable and the backdrop of Ramsey Lodge in Bowness-on-Windermere will make you want to hop a plane for the UK locale. THE SCARLET WENCH is another winner!”
Susan Sloate, bestselling author, says: “A lively cast of characters, an intriguing mystery and a heroine you have to love … M. K. Graff does it again with a new novel you can’t put down!”
And editor RJ Minnick compares the series to Agatha Christie, adding: “The beauty of Graff’s work has close ties to that of Christie’s books. It is all about relationships …There are the small vanities and large egos and bitter conflicts that must find their way into any book that deals with human conflict. It is the humanity that makes the books of both these authors work.”
Gaslight Crime 