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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Hunt for the Peggy C and Rescue Run by John Winn Miller

Book Descriptions and Elise’s Thoughts

The Hunt for The Peggy C and Rescue Run by John Winn Miller has life and death decisions that lead to daring escapes. The stories display how the hero, Captain Jake Rogers and the heroine, Miriam Maduro, have both courage and resilience. Both books’ plots show how the hunter and the hunted navigate their way through the war zones of the North Sea, the Atlantic, Europe, and the Mediterranean.

The Hunt for The Peggy C has Captain Jake Rogers of the aging tramp steamer, The Peggy C, smuggling contraband merchandise, for money. While in Amsterdam he is paid by Miriam’s father, Mr. Maduro, to smuggle to Gibraltar his most perilous cargo, a Jewish family of six: Uncle Levy, a rabbi; his three young children; and two sisters, Miriam and Truus. But things do not go as planned when a U-Boat commander forces the ship to be boarded by three of its crew members in search of contraband. Unfortunately, they see too much, and the Peggy C crew is forced to take them prisoner. Out for revenge for being humiliated, the U-boat commander Viktor Brauer doggedly pursues the ship hoping to torpedo it to smithereens.

The sequel, Rescue Run, has Captain Jake Rogers returning to the North Atlantic as commander of a US Liberty ship with many of his crew. Unfortunately, it breaks down and they end up in Ireland. While there, Rogers learns from Dutch sailors that the Nazis have arrested the father of Miriam Maduro and have deported him to a concentration camp. In the first book Miriam and Rogers have become lovers and realize they care for each other. Rogers and crew sneak back into Holland aboard a gun-running ship from neutral Ireland and contact a resistance group to help them get Maduro to safety. While in Holland they learn that Miriam is in grave danger in a Nazi prison and has been tortured. Determined to rescue her they once again ask a resistance group to help in a daring rescue attempt. This is where the cat and mouse games begin, as a Nazi bounty hunter is in hot pursuit to get the reward put on Miriam’s head. Now the heroes must navigate informants, imposters, gangsters, and double agents to escape to safety by using disguises, fake documents, subterfuge, and guns.

These stories have nonstop adventure and intrigue that keep readers in a perpetual state of suspense. The nail-biting tension mixed with heartwarming moments makes for a page turner. A bonus are the true historical details about the war and the countries involved that lend to a powerful authenticity. If readers want to learn more about the characters at the end of the second book are additional reading materials, research notes, and blurbs about the historical figures and their fate.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

John Winn Miller: Years ago, I watched a bad TV adventure movie with my family. I knew I could write a better story. The next day I woke up from a dream and knew the first scene, the last scene, and the name of the ship. Because I had no personal experiences with U-boats, Merchants ships, or the settings in the plot, I took several years to do the research and get the facts straight.

EC: What was the role of Peggy C in the first book?

JWM: It is the name for the cargo ship. A Jewish family was rescued by the ship’s captain, Jake Rogers. The ship is chased by a Nazi U-boat. It is thirty years old but did well in the cat and mouse game with the U-boat. I wanted to use a slow ship to make it hard to get away. The ship was like a character in the story.

EC: What was real in the story?

JWM: The drug Pervitin was used to give the Nazis a jolt of energy and euphoria. It made them confident, courageous, and fearless. It helped people stay awake for several days. Hitler’s pirates are real. Pirates originated from the idea of Winston Churchill during WWI. The Nazis decided to use that idea in WWII. The more bizarre, the more I made sure it was real.

EC: There is a powerful quote in the book that can also be used today after October 7^th. Please explain

JWM: You are referring to, “You and your kind make evil leaders like Hitler possible and yet you pretend you are only fighting for country.” It was the typical defense of the Nazis; I was just following orders. There is no moral responsibility to stand up to evil whether soldiers in the German army or collaborators in the occupied countries, apart from Denmark.

EC: How would you describe the U-boat Commander Brauer?

JWM: He is based on three real U-boat captains. He is deranged and cruel. I took the worst traits of the worst U-boat captains. He is very much convinced of the righteousness of what he is doing. He is a war criminal and what he did is based on a true story. I based him on a real captain that had a troubled career. Brauer wanted revenge against Rogers after being humiliated.

EC: How would you describe the heroine, Miriam?

JWM: A reader, smart, impulsive, courageous, fighter, tough, optimist, and determined. She starts out to a damsel in distress but becomes a hero by the end of the story.

EC: Do you think Miriam changed in the second book after she was tortured by the Nazis?

JWM: Yes. She got a heavier heart, became more suspicious, not trusting, with feelings of gloom, anxiety, dread, and anger. She was a young medical student but now had to fight back and become tough to save her family. She grows more than anybody in these books. She realizes that those who told her not to fight back were wrong and thinks of them as fools, especially the Jewish Council in Amsterdam.

EC: How would you describe the hero, Rogers?

JWM: He is a cynic, loyal, a good navy man, clever, caring, with a bit of a temper. He is self-educated.

EC: What about the relationship?

JWM: Rogers and Miriam have a bond they share with the love of books. They care for each other but must navigate their differences because they come from entirely different cultures and religions.

EC: Why did you make a cat and mouse plot in both books?

JWM: I love the Bourne movies and realize that the tension is ratcheted up, especially as they get closer to each other in proximity. I enjoy the chase where they are trying to outrun and outsmart the enemy. Rogers realizes he is not as strong as the enemy, so he must use his brains to escape, many times getting ideas to think his way out from the books he read.

EC: Why the quote at the beginning of the second book, Rescue Run?

JWM: You mean this one, “To the brave heroes and heroines who gave their all, and often their lives, to defeat fascism’s heinous ideology of intolerance, racism, nationalism, and anti-Semitism.” There were soldiers and others who had the courage to stand up. Many of them are actual historical figures where I tried to remain true to who they were. For example, Miriam’s friend, Tineke Butcher, who hid them. She, her mother, and her grandmother, hid more than 100 Jewish refugees. The Gestapo raided her home eight times, arrested her nine times, and beat her; yet she never revealed any secrets. Even at great personal peril.

EC: Was the resistance leader, Miss 2000, real?

JWM: Yes. Very few did I make up. She was the only woman to create and lead a resistance movement during the war. She and her group sheltered more than 4,500 during the occupation, providing them with food, clothing, rations, and false identity papers, as I wrote about in the books. I hoped I highlighted her courage and her wanting to stand up for what was the right thing to do.

EC: What about Hitler’s bounty hunters like the character, Janssen?

JWM: I stumbled across this book, Hitler’s Bounty Hunters, about them and could not believe it. Janssen has no morals and no convictions. He was in it for the money and what made it more fun for him is that he did not like Jews. He has pure greed.

EC: What about your next book?

JWM: The title is Miriam in The Shadows and will be published March 2026. The plot has Miriam and Rogers sent to France on separate missions by the English Intelligence Agencies. There will be double crosses, double agents, and interjacencies that have dirty deals.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Amish Bride’s Secret and Uncovering Her Amish Past by Patrice Lewis

Book Descriptions and Elise’s Thoughts

The Amish Bride’s Secret and Uncovering Her Amish Past by Patrice Lewis both have female leads that appear to have deceived the male lead.

The Amish Bride’s Secret plot has Cara Lengacher needing to start over after a broken engagement and an out of wedlock pregnancy. She decides to accept Matthew Miller’s advertisement for a mail order bride and move to Montana. But she must navigate her pregnancy and hope it will not affect their relationship.

Uncovering Her Amish Past has Penelope Moore traveling to Pierce Montana to convince the B&B owner, Simon Troyer, to be a part of a franchise opportunity. She does not tell anyone in the community her real profession and passes for a traveling artist. Simon insists she meets his sister-in-law, Sarah, who appears to be the spitting image of her. They both start to investigate and realize they are twin sisters, separated at birth. Stunned by the similarities between herself and bed-and-breakfast owner Simon Troyer’s sister-in-law, the truth comes to light: she and Sarah were separated at birth. Soon Penelope is welcomed into the Amish community with open arms. And the more time she spends with the Amish bachelor Simon, the more she rethinks her life in the Englisch world. She feels pulled to this community, not just because Sarah is her sister, and the community welcomes her but also realizes she and Simon have feelings for each other. The problem is that they are from different worlds where Simon is baptized, and she is not. Readers will enjoy seeing how they will navigate their relationship.

Both books are touching stories of self-reflection, faith, family, and love. They are heartwarming stories that readers will not want to put down.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: What was your starting point for the story of The Amish Bride’s Secret?

Patrice Lewis: I wanted to give the male character, Matthew, a wife. The way I did it is to have a mail order bride, Cara.

EC: How would you describe Matthew?

PL: He is based on my husband. He is nice, kind, transparent, a good listener, extremely handy, always courteous, trustworthy, dependable, and helpful.

EC: How would you describe Cara?

PL: She has made some bad decisions, including getting pregnant out of wedlock. She has a harsh father who blames her. She is desperate to get out of her childhood home, so she accepted the offer. She feels trapped in a corner.

EC: What about the relationship?

PL: It is based on secrets. She deceived Matthew but did not betray him because she had every intention of fessing up to him before the wedding. They eventually fall in love with each other. She is grateful to him and wants to be a good wife to him but is hoping he will be the white knight to her. I put in this quote to explain his feelings, “He wanted to fall in love with her, but also to fall in like with her.” I thought this is the basis for a happy couple. My husband and I after 35 years of marriage are still each other’s best friends.

EC: What about your other book, Uncovering Her Amish Past?

PL: I have three brothers, no sisters. I have always been fascinated by twins. When I was 7 years old, I tried to convince my friends I was a twin. It was a flop. I did this because I longed for a sister. This was the genesis of the story.

EC: How would you describe Penelope?

PL: She is an introvert. She was desperate to pay off her bills and had no idea that the company she worked for was immoral. She is exuberant and envies Sarah.

EC: What about Sarah, the twin?

PL: She is Simon’s sister-in-law. She is quiet, sedate, calm, and has confidence. Penelope envies her because she feels a lack of belonging.

EC: How would you describe Simon?

PL: Introverted, independent, determined, lonely, and has baggage from his childhood. He is motivated to not fail and get his business going.

EC: How about the relationship?

PL: She was ethical and had no intention of deceiving Simon. Penelope realizes she and Simon can be a formidable team because his business weaknesses are her strength. Being from different worlds is a huge barrier. I did research into what it takes to convert to being Amish. She changes her mindset realizing to be successful she needs the approval of family members and community. She realizes she must put aside the worldly aspects that define success.

EC: You allowed readers to understand how Amish could use technology. Please explain.

PL: If it does not impact their daily life, they are OK with it, depending on the sects. The very strict have no modern conveniences ever and the liberal communities are more flexible. The idea is that they are competing in a modern world and to overcome the problem they must compromise to have a website and a telephone. However, if they are allowed to have a business phone, they cannot have it in their pocket all the time. The same with a website, to put out the product to a wider world, but not to have it daily.

EC: What was the role of the bishop in both books?

PL: He is the perpetual source of wisdom for the community. He is an older man. He and his wife are wise, discreet, trustworthy, helpful, and examples of the community. They do not breach people’s confidence. They have Amish people coming in from all over the US. The bishop’s job is to smooth over conflicting habits and traditions. His job is to blend everyone into the community and for it to be cohesive.

EC: Next book?

PL: The next book is titled An Amish Marriage Agreement, released in Fall 2025. The plot has a baby dumped on a single woman’s doorstep. She and a construction worker have a marriage of convenience. The woman’s sister comes back to the Amish community. The two sisters are very different and have led very different lives.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Rustler Mountain by Maisey Yates

Book Description

The citizens of historic Rustler Mountain, Oregon, have a history as colorful as the Wild West itself. Most can trace their lineage back to the original settlers, and many remain divided into two camps: outlaws, or lawmen. But none more legendary than the Wilders and the Talbots . . .

Every year, thousands of people come through Rustler for the rodeo, historic home tours, old-fashioned candy making demonstrations, sharpshooter shows—and to see the site of the 1800s shootout in which notorious outlaw Austin Wilder was killed by Sheriff Lee Talbot. Now Millie Talbot, the sheriff’s descendant, wants to bring back the town’s Gold Rush Days. But she needs the current Austin Wilder’s support to make her dream a reality. . .

The Wilders are rumored to be as true to their last name as their ancestors. Nonetheless, Austin is agreeable to helping Millie. But he wants something in return. Austin is working to clear his family name by writing the true history of his outlaw ancestors and Millie might just hold the key.

When Millie wrangles Austin into helping plan Gold Rush Days, he figures it’s a chance to get to the truth of the past. . . . But when sparks start to fly between this bad boy and good girl, will either of them come out of it unscathed?

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Elise’s Thoughts

Rustler Mountain by Maisey Yates is two stories in one novel. There is the modern western and it also takes readers back to the Wild West days.

The Wild West was known for its bank robbers, stage robbers and the shootouts as well as the Gold Rush. In the town today they still believe what was told to them about outlaws’ vs lawmen. The journal entries made by the ancestors of a fictional town show how it was the site of an 1800s shootout in which notorious outlaw Austin Wilder was killed by Sheriff Lee Talbot. Now Millie Talbot, the librarian, and the sheriff’s descendant, wants to bring back the town’s Gold Rush Days. Facing resistance, she approaches Austin Wilder who grew up being shunned because his family ancestors were the bank and stagecoach robbers of legend. When Millie asks for his help reviving the history events, he agrees but with the condition that she help him clear some of the false information regarding his family. He plans on doing this by writing a book about his family’s past and what really happened. He needs Millie to help him go through her family’s papers while he gives her access to his family’s belongings. As the two get to know each other, while working to get the facts straight about each other’s ancestors, they cannot ignore the explosive energy they have toward each other.

As usual, this book has the traditional Yates witty banter. The good girl/bad boy dynamic made for a wonderful story. The unraveling of the truth about the Talbot-Wilder feud adds to the story with an enticing mystery.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Was there really a Rustler Mountain?

Maisey Yates: I made it up, but it is very much rooted in the history of the area. I have a good idea where in the mountains it would be if it existed. I place it deliberately in a certain spot, a couple of miles from the real town, Copper Oregon.

EC: What was the role of the ancestor of Austin’s journal?

MY: I am a history nerd. It is important to understand that people in the past are not functionally different than we are now. Historical romance makes those people real. I was involved in the historical society, especially the gold rush town, which is like Rustler Mountain. The journal shows how the past echoes into the present day.

EC: How would you describe Millie?

MY: She is trapped by her own reputation. It is a good reputation, but in a toxic way. It is keeping her from responding back to those people who were awful to her. A lot of the story is how Millie found out how to express herself. I based her on my own thoughts of living in a small town and the way people get ideas about you based on what they heard, and the way they know you. She is timid, homely, passionate, a goody to shoes, vulnerable, and a people pleaser. Over the course of the book, she steps out of the people pleaser role, leading with her passion. Her nickname was Millie Mouse because that is the way other people saw her.

EC: How would you describe Austin?

MY: Like the Tim McGraw song, he was a bad boy but is now a good man. He has a strong sense of family. He has a lot of integrity. He is more grounded than Millie. I think Austin is a deep thinker, a book worm, and deeply misunderstood. I think he can be defiant and stubborn. He is less cocky than some of my other heroes.

EC: What about the relationship?

MY: They were both trapped by their reputations, good and bad. Neither one was necessarily the whole story of who they were. On the surface they appear to be opposites but are not. They both love books, have deep connections to the past, and are trying to figure out what that means in the present. I also think they both want to find someone who loves them for who they are. At first, she is jealous of him, he does not want a commitment which makes her feel rejected and humiliated. There is physical intimacy and now she makes him feel calm while he makes her feel passionate. At the deep core they offer each other what the other does not have.

EC: What about their family legacy?

MY: People are more complicated than what is perceived. Things are not as cut and dry as they appear. They are both people who did good and bad things. It challenged the truth of the past. Neither ancestor was a great guy. Yet, past Austin loved his wife and children and had a morality. Millie’s ancestor got an outlaw off the streets at any cost. Both are anti-heroes with their own moral compass. Their legacy was based on the person who told their story. They were both heroes in their own minds but villains to the other. Millie and Austin are living out more than just their reputations influenced by their past ancestors. She is not just a mousy librarian, and he is not just an outlaw.

EC: Next book?

MY: The end of this month there is a novella anthology coming out with Lori Foster titled The Two of Us with a focus on rescue dogs and how they brought together two “meant to be couples.” Out in April is The Outsider and in July The Rogue, both part of my “Four Corner Series.” There will be a woman’s fiction coming out in June. There is another anthology with Linda Lael Miller, a cowboy novella, titled Small Town Hero, out in July. Outlaw Lake, the sequel to this book, is out in September.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Silent as the Grave by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

SILENT AS THE GRAVE

Molly Murphy Mystery Book 21

Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

Minotaur Books

Book Description

With a newborn and two children, Molly Murphy Sullivan is tackling motherhood. Her husband, Daniel, is off to work in Washington as Easter break begins in New York. Her dear friend and writer, Ryan O’Hara, is shooting a movie, one of the first to involve a real plot and actors. He invites Molly and the children to visit the set and watch the excitement. When one of the actresses is fired, Molly’s adopted daughter, Bridie, is called to replace her in the scene. Turns out she’s a natural and is asked to star in the rest of the film. Molly is skeptical about leaving Bridie alone on set, but her great friends, Sid and Gus, offer to chaperone her.

The movie industry is still experimenting with ways to get the best shot, like pretending to tie Bridie to real train tracks. But soon, their special effects start to malfunction. After a few mishaps where no one is hurt, the special effects turn deadly. With rumors of a feud between studios, Molly believes these malfunctions are sabotage. She is invited to go undercover on set to investigate the burgeoning film war. Once again, Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles deliver an engaging mystery full of vibrant historical details and thrilling escapades featuring one of mystery’s most beloved sleuths.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Silent as the Grave by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles is a suspenseful historical novel. The book opens with a bang where the prologue immediately draws readers in.

Molly is contending with raising her young son, a 5-month-old infant, and her 14-year-old adopted daughter, Bridie. Her good friend Ryan O’Hara invites Molly and the children to watch the film he is making. After one of the actresses is fired, Molly’s adopted daughter, Bridie, is called to replace her in the scene. Turns out she’s a natural and is asked to star in the rest of the film. Molly is skeptical about leaving Bridie alone on set, but her great friends, Sid and Gus, offer to chaperone her.

There are mishaps on the set, including a fire in the editing room and Bridie’s near escape with death while filming a difficult stunt. Molly believes that the mishaps are not just coincidences, but sabotage. She accepts the invitation to find out what happened, especially since Bridie almost died.

This is an engaging mystery with a bonus that readers learn more about the budding movie industry.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: The idea for Hollywood like filmmaking?

Rhys Bowen: This is a non-Hollywood movie because all the movies were made in New York in the beginning. The character Molly lives just off 6^th Avenue and Greenwich Avenue, close to the Biograph Studios.

Clare Broyles: I had read some articles that the actual father of film disappeared suspiciously when he got on a train and never got off. He had been in an argument with Edison before that happened. There was an interesting intersection between the family of the father of film and Edison that included lawsuits and studio ownership.

EC: Do you agree Edison was not the nicest of people?

RB: He was a bully who used thugs, blackmail, and intimidation against his rivals.

CB: He did steal inventions from other people. He was good in getting patents in his own name. There is proof that there was another movie, a film made of children, before Edison supposedly invented a movie camera. This makes more of the backdrop for an interesting mystery.

EC: Was the scene with the body on the train tracks real?

RB: Clare is the brilliant researcher. In the early movies there were no stunt doubles, and the actors took enormous risks to get the perfect shot. When the Keystone Cops went around the bend in the moving truck as it swings around the corner, it was real. The train operator was never told there was a body on the tracks. People really did die.

EC: Why did you have Mary Pickford and DW Griffith in the story?

CB: She started in vaudeville, which is how we would locate the time frame. We started in April 1909 when she came to Biograph Studios, because that is when she started out in pictures. It also fit because of the practicality picture. Molly was a sleuth with a baby, and we wanted the baby to be old enough to be left with a nanny, at 5 months of age.

EC: How would you describe the differences between the Biograph Studio owners, Arthur and Harry Martin?

CB: They are based on real brothers where one brother was the studio head and the other had a junior position. The character brothers were purely fictional, that they were twins, dressed alike, and looked alike. Arthur is more volatile while Harry is more of a ladies’ man and controls the power. There was a jostling of power.

RB: It came about because of something that happened in my youth. I was staying in this Italian hotel where the owners had a charming son. The next day he was incredibly rude. Turns out they were twins. We thought it would be fun to be put in the book.

EC: Can you speak of the character Alice Mann?

RB: She is based on a real person, a French woman, Alice Guy. She is listed as a secretary or assistant, but she is the one who came up with a lot of the innovations for cinematography. She invented the fade in/fade out by putting a cigar box over the lens of the camera and slowly opening it and closing it. Women did not get the accolades. Even today, how many female directors are there, not many? Look at the current Oscars regarding editing, directing, and producing it was all men.

EC: Did you intentionally want to make the mystery surrounding all the “accidents?”

CB: There was a lamp falling, a fire, and the train scene. We had to figure out a way to get Molly involved in the mystery when she has a five-month-old baby. The accidents are a way to get her fully invested because someone has threatened her adopted daughter, Bridie’s life. The accidents happened to pull Molly in to solve the murder mystery.

RB: We did the prologue intentionally to grab the readers. We needed to have a lot of set up before something dramatic. It is a signal that said danger is coming.

EC: Next book(s)?

CB: In the next Molly book, we are moving closer to her achieving her goal of opening her own detective agency. The arc of the series has gone from her having a detective agency not in her own name, pretending to be a man, to stepping out in her own right for a Molly Murphy Detective Agency.

RB: The next Molly book has a working title, Vanished in the Crowd, coming out this time next year. It will be about women suffrage and scientists. She will be hired to find a woman, a scientist, who has vanished and what happened to her. Daniel, her husband, is coming around to more and more appreciates her skills.

RB: My historical novel comes out in August, titled Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure. It is about a middle-aged woman in England, the perfect wife, until at the age of fifty, her husband decides to get a divorce. She steals his Bentley and with three other women drives to the South of France. They forge a new female bond. I will also talk about how WWII is coming to France. She becomes part of a group helping Jewish men escape.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Blood Moon by Sandra Brown

Book Description

Detective John Bowie is one misstep away from being fired from the Auclair Police Department in coastal Louisiana. Recently divorced and slightly heavy-handed with his liquor, Bowie does all that he can to cope with the actions taken (or not taken) during the investigation of Crissy Mellin, a teenage girl who disappeared more than three years prior. But now, Crisis Point, a long-running true crime television series, is soon to air an episode documenting the unsolved Mellin case. Bowie has been instructed by his unscrupulous boss to keep to his grievances and criticisms over the mishandling of the investigation to himself.

Beth Collins, a senior producer on Crisis Point, knows what classifies as a great story and when there’s something more to be told. After working on the show for seven years, Collins is convinced that Crissy Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: They took place on the night of a blood moon. In a last-ditch effort to find out the truth, Beth enlists Detective Bowie to help her figure out what happened to Crissy and find the true culprit before he acts on the next blood moon—in four days’ time.

With their jobs and their lives at risk, Bowie and Collins band together to identify and capture a perpetrator, while fighting an irresistible spark between them that threatens to upend everything.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Blood Moon by Sandra Brown has her usual style. The plot is intense, dark, and raw, intertwined with a love story that includes sexual scenes, where the chemistry between the hero and heroine starts from the first page.

Readers will get to know John Bowie, an angry detective haunted by his failure not to solve the cold case disappearance of Crissy Mellin; Beth Collins, the producer of a true crime show, and Tom Barker, the corrupt boss of John.

Crisis Point, the true crime TV series, is going to air an episode documenting Crissy Mellin’s unsolved disappearance. Collins is convinced that Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: they took place on the night of a blood moon. Detective John Bowie has been instructed by his boss not to talk to Beth or anyone else about the crime he has determined solved and closed. Not listening, he meets Beth and listens to her theories, because he has never felt comfortable with the outcome of the case and didn’t agree with the resolution. They decide to work together realizing that in four days there will be another blood moon, which can mean another girl disappearing or being murdered. They race against the clock to find the antagonist and possibly save another girl, but in working together they also realize there is an attraction between them that cannot be denied.

This novel is intense, intriguing, and has a thrilling twist.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Did the plot or title come first?

Sandra Brown: I first came up with the title. Then I thought, what is a blood moon? The next one comes out March 13^th. They only occur every 3 and a half years. It is a strange phenomenon. My editor and I wanted a spring book, so this was perfect.

EC: How did you come up with a story centering on the title?

SB: I watched true crime shows and thought what a cool job it is to be a producer on one of these shows. This is the profession I gave to my heroine, Beth. I then came up with my hero, a reluctant police officer, John, who is haunted by a cold case.

EC: What is a blood moon since it plays such an intricate role in the story?

SB: It is an astrological anomaly every 3 and a half years. To understand, hold both your hands up. The sun is in your left hand. The moon is in your right hand. Right in the middle of them, in perfect alliance, is earth. The sun reflects light onto the moon. But the earth forms a perfect shadow on a full moon, totally covering the moon. The reason it turns an orangish red is that the sunlight is being filtered through the earth’s atmosphere. The bad guys wanted to make sacrifices to the moon goddess, Luna.

EC: What is numerology?

SB: It goes hand in hand with the blood moon regarding the cases concerning the disappearance of the girls. A person has a core number that guides a person’s decision making. Like an astrology sign. There are religious and cultural connotations.

EC: How would you describe John Bowie?

SB: He was a dedicated police officer and is haunted by the cold case. I wanted to write about his relationship with his teenage daughter and his brotherly-like friendship with Mitch. He is arrogant in a sarcastic and cynical way, intense, outspoken, sarcastic, edgy, stubborn, and cynical.

EC: What is the difference between John and Mitch?

SB: They could not be more different. John is very serious and contemplative. Mitch always cracks jokes. He is arrogant, humorous, a smart-aleck, loyal, and caring.

EC: How would you describe Beth?

SB: Determined, loyal, savvy, gutsy, ambitious, confident in her abilities, but feeling tenuous toward her career.

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Beth and John?

SB: They met their match in each other. They both got under each other’s skin and are frustrated with each other. The have chemistry from chapter one. He puts her totally out of her element. They both were obsessed with this case.

EC: What is the role of the Crissy Mellin case?

SB: Her disappearance messed up Detective John Bowie’s life. He became remorseful and regretful. He knew there was more to it but was forced to give in to his boss. This has eaten at him. He desired to get to the bottom of it and find answers. Beth is frustrated and impatient. She is not getting answers from John because he is not filling in the blanks.

EC: How would you describe the boss Lt. Thomas Barker?

SB: Incompetent, sadistic, arrogant, egotistical, and obnoxious. He knows John has his number and is superior to him.

EC: Next book?

SB: The next book will feature Mitch, the DEA officer who decides to change jobs and work with John. They are best friends. John and Beth will be in the next book as secondary characters. This story takes place two years after the end of Blood Moon and will be published spring of 2026.

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Two Weddings and a Murder by Alyssa Maxwell

Book Description

As Lady Phoebe and her betrothed say their vows of holy matrimony, a killer has vowed unholy vengeance on the town’s chief inspector . . .

June 1922: The blessed day has finally arrived. Phoebe Renshaw and Owen Seabright are to be wed, and lady’s maid Eva Huntford could not be more delighted for her lady’s happiness. But she is disturbed by one notable absence from the ceremony—her beau, Police Constable Miles Brannock. When Miles finally does appear, breathlessly running into the reception at Foxwood Hall, he brings grim news: he’s found Chief Inspector Isaac Perkins murdered, shot in his home in his favorite parlor chair with his own gun.

A policeman naturally makes enemies, especially those of questionable character. In charge of finding his former boss’s killer, Miles reviews the details of the crime scene. The murder weapon has been wiped clean and left on the table next to the remnants of the chief inspector’s breakfast: sausage pasty and coffee reeking of a bit of whiskey. No sign of forced entry. A seemingly peaceful scene—other than the bullet hole in the victim.

Before Miles can make much progress in his investigation, a Scotland Yard detective arrives in Little Barlow to take over the case—and promptly focuses his suspicions on the constable himself, who he reasons had motive and opportunity. Coming to their maid’s defense, Phoebe and Owen postpone their honeymoon to join Eva in clearing her beau’s good name and unmasking the identity of the true killer.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Two Weddings and A Murder by Alyssa Maxwell is a great historical cozy mystery. Readers will be sad to learn this is the last book in the series.

The book opens with the wedding of Phoebe Renshaw and Owen Seabright. Her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, is distraught and worried that her boyfriend, Police Constable Miles Brannock, is not in attendance. After he finally appears, he brings the bad news that Chief Inspector Isaac Perkins has been murdered, shot in his home in his favorite parlor chair with his own gun. Because of the conflict of interest, an outside detective has been brought in to investigate. A Scotland Yard detective, Mick Burridge, arrives in Little Barlow to take over the case. He promptly focuses his suspicions on the constable himself, who he reasons had motive and opportunity. Phoebe and Owen postpone their honeymoon to join Eva in clearing her beau’s good name and unmasking the identity of the true killer

This series goes out with a bang. Readers will be riveted to their seats as they turn the pages but will also be disappointed when coming to the last page knowing this will be the last book in the series.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Is there a difference between your two series?

Alyssa Maxwell: Yes! The period and settings are different. The “Newport Series” takes place in the Gilded Age in the United States, specifically Rhode Island, while this book takes place right after WWI in England. There is a whole different social dynamic going on.

EC: How did you get the idea for this series?

AM: Downton Abbey influenced me. My editor came up with the basic idea of Downton Abbey with a mystery twist. I loved the idea of being out in the country.

EC: What historical events do you emphasize?

AM: After WWI, class lines started to change a bit, and women started in the work force. Some of the old ways of the landlord and the servant, the very strict class boundary was changing.

EC: Why did you start out with a wedding and end with a wedding in this story?

AM: In the prior book, A Fashionable Fatality, Phoebe the main character was engaged. Because this is the last book in the series, I wanted to tie up her life and the other main character, Eva. A happy ending for the series and a happy beginning into the readers’ imagination.

EC: How did you get the idea for this story’s murder?

AM: Chief Inspector Perkins has been a thorn in Phoebe and Eva’s life throughout the series. He does not do his job well and does not appreciate their interference to solve the murders. I thought this would make a good victim and who better to be accused than his partner, the person who potentially will take his over his job, Constable Miles Brannock. It also raised the stakes for Phoebe and Eva to solve it because he is Eva’s future fiancé.

EC: How would you describe Phoebe?

AM: She is a modern young woman for that period. She is forward thinking, independent, but not devoid of tradition. She believes people should be valued by how they live their lives and not what they were born into. Phoebe is caring, impulsive, and analytical. She lost her mother at an early age and Eva has filled that gap.

EC: How would you describe Eva?

AM: She is more traditional than Phoebe. She is set in her ways but realizes she can aspire to more. Eva is an older woman. She is honorable, loyal, faithful, and dutiful. She sees Phoebe as more of a daughter.

EC: How would you describe Miles?

AM: He is fiercely loyal, steady, and dependable. He can look at different sides of the same issue.

EC: How would you describe Owen?

AM: He is very honorable. He is cavalier because he has been raised with wealth and privilege. He is adventurous. He is completely devoted to Phoebe and accepts her forward thinking ideas.

EC: What role did Detective Burridge play in the story?

AM: Burridge comes from Scotland Yard. He has tunnel vision, focused on getting a suspect, bringing him in, and proving he did it to close the case.

EC: What did the gypsies in the story represent?

AM: The social changes happening and people set outside of their comfort zones. They had to be adaptable and willing to change to survive. They were not respected, and they followed their own traditions. They were seen as wild, uncivilized, and unscrupulous. I did envision that they felt trapped behind walls, rules, and closed in. They did not want to be regimented.

EC: Can you explain the quote referring to motive, opportunity, and means?

AM: These make up a mystery. Opportunity would be when someone could catch the victim off guard. Means is how the victim is killed.

EC: Next book(s)?

AM: There will be another Newport mystery titled Murder at Arleigh coming out in August. It is based on the real couple Harry and Elizabeth Lehr. Everybody thought they were a love match, and they are not at all. Elizabeth thinks her husband is trying to kill her.

THANK YOU!!