Housekeeper Phyllida Bright is quite in her element at Mallowan Hall, the charming English manor that she keeps in tip-top shape. By contrast, the bustling metropolis of London, where her famed employer Agatha Christie has temporarily relocated, leaves Phyllida a bit out of her depth. Not only must she grapple with a limited staff, but Phyllida also has to rein in a temperamental French cook who has the looks of Hercule Poirot, but none of the charm.
When a man named Archibald Allston is found dead in an armchair onstage at the Adelphia Theater, first impressions are that he died of natural causes. But the very next day, the unlucky actor playing Benvolio at the Belmont Theater is found with his head bashed in. And when a third victim turns up, this time with double-C initials, the fatal pattern is impossible to ignore.
With panic erupting among theater folk—a superstitious bunch at the best of times—Phyllida steps up to help with the investigation. The murderer’s M.O. may be easy to read, but can Phyllida uncover the killer’s identity before the final curtain falls on another victim?
MURDER TAKES THE STAGE (Phyllida Bright Mystery Book #4) by Colleen Cambridge is another wonderful addition to this addictive historical mystery series featuring Agatha Christie’s housekeeper, Phyllida Bright. I look forward to reading each new murder mystery and catching up with this memorable cast of characters. Each book can be read as a standalone mystery, but the characters continue to evolve so I have enjoyed and recommend reading them in order.
Phyllida Bright is the housekeeper of Mallowan Hall for her friend Agatha Christie, but Agatha and her husband are in London at the moment to see about a proposed production for one of her plays and she has asked Phyllida to follow to take care of their rented home in the city. Phyllida is anxious about being in London due to her past, which is still a mystery to everyone but Agatha and Phyllida.
Phyllida gets a call to come to the theater and discovers a dead actor on the stage. While it appears to be a death by natural causes, she can’t help being struck by the circumstances. The actor was Archie Allston asleep in an armchair at the Adelphia theater. The very next day, Trent Orkney who is playing Benvolio is found on a stage balcony with his head bashed in at the Belmont theater. When a third victim, Claudia Carmichael is catapulted from the catwalk at the Clapham theater, Phyllida is determined to uncover and stop the killer before they can murder their way through any more of the alphabet.
This is my favorite so far in the series. Besides the fun alliteration and the perfectly paced murder plot, this book finally reveals Phyllida’s secret and the reason she never likes to travel far from Mallowan Hall or be around law enforcement. This book also advances the budding attraction between Phyllida and Bradford, the Mallowan’s chauffeur, but we are still waiting for more of Bradford’s backstory which is only hinted at. Phyllida’s denouement was dramatically given on a theater stage and walked the cast of characters and the reader through all the possibilities, twists, and red herrings which led to the grand reveal of the killer. It was a surprise to me, and I love it when that is the case.
I highly recommend this historical crime mystery series! It is always a must-read for me.
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About the Author
Colleen Cambridge is the pen name for an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. From a young age, Colleen has loved reading mysteries and now she couldn’t be happier that she is able to write them.
Under several pseudonyms, she has written more than 36 books in a variety of genres and is always plotting her next murder—er, book.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for RIVER OF LIES (A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery Book #2) by James L’Etoile on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a Kingsumo giveaway. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Detective Emily Hunter must be the voice for the voiceless
The homeless camps spread throughout the city of Sacramento are a topic of heated debate among residents. They’re considered undesirable—a nuisance—an eyesore. But when the camps fall victim to a string of devastating arson attacks, Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Javier Medina, dive into the investigation and become acquainted with the real people whose lives have been destroyed.
The attacks only begin to draw attention when two of the victims are identified as the city’s former anti-homeless mayor and a camp social worker—but rather than strengthening the push for justice, the movement to completely abolish the camps intensifies.
The investigation becomes politically charged when Emily discovers who stands to gain from burning the homeless out of their shelters. She struggles to balance the high-stakes investigation with caring for her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother, whose condition is rapidly deteriorating. The investigation uncovers an unlikely suspect and a reluctant witness standing between Emily and the shocking truth. Can Emily overcome resistance and her personal obstacles to halt the attacks?
Genre: Police Procedural; Thriller Published by: Oceanview Publishing Publication Date: January 7, 2025 Number of Pages: 320 ISBN: 9781608095896 (ISBN10: 1608095894) Series: A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery, 2
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
RIVER OF LIES (A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery Book #2) by James L’Etoile is an intriguing, socially relevant, and twisted crime thriller/police procedural featuring a smart and determined female detective in Sacramento, California. This is the second book in the series which can easily be read as a standalone, but the first book, Face of Greed, is an excellent read that I highly recommend, also.
Homicide Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Detective Javier “Javi” Medina are given the politically charged case where homeless encampments are being torched by men in black when a dead man is discovered to have been killed, and it turns out to be the ex-mayor. When another body is discovered at the scene of the next arson and it is once again not a homeless victim, Emily and Javi are caught between investigating the deaths and the new mayor’s office working to abolish the camps and disbursing the homeless while eliminating the crime scenes.
Emily discovers a homeless mother, and her young daughter are somehow tied to the deaths, but with the political interference and threats, the potential profits involved in the elimination of the homeless camps, and the public perceptions of the homeless population, she and Javi must work fast to unravel the motives behind these murders to catch the killer.
Emily and Javi are a great pair of detectives with the perfect blend of smart investigative skills, empathy for victims, and care for each other as partners. Their personal lives are blended seamlessly into the story and add moments of levity to the otherwise serious situations. Besides her high stress job, Emily is also dealing with a mother who has Alzheimer’s and is deteriorating rapidly. The crime plotline is intricately written and realistic with many twists throughout this fast-paced story. When I think I know what is going on and I have a solution in mind, Mr. L’Etoile always has another surprise in store for me and what I think is the ending, is not. These books always need to be read to the very last word and I love that.
I highly recommend this tremendous crime thriller/police procedural from Mr. L’Etoile. If you haven’t picked up any of his books yet, you are missing out.
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Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE
It would be easy to float away in the darkness and let the current pull her under, too. She’d thought about it several times before—in her “dark times,” as her ex-husband used to call them.
Lisa’s life hadn’t turned out the way she’d hoped. Abusive parents, a failed marriage, the booze—so much booze—all swirled together to set her on this path. Losing her apartment finally put her out here. Now this. She thought she’d escaped, but running from her past hadn’t worked. The ghosts of years past had stripped everything away. Lisa had nothing left, not even hope.
The tug of the Sacramento River on her legs was temping, and the spring snow runoff numbed Lisa’s thighs as she waded out.
Lisa closed her eyes and pictured herself lying back and allowing the river to put an end to it.
“Momma?”
Lisa’s eyes shot open.
Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted the faint outline of her daughter standing on the riverbank. The eight-year-old wore a thin blue t-shirt with a unicorn on the front, a threadbare pair of jeans, holding a stuffed bunny with one ear missing. The girl’s face registered confusion.
“Baby, go on back to the tent,” Lisa said.
Lisa felt her daughter would be better off without her. The mother’s sins cast a damning shadow. But she couldn’t abandon Willow. Not like this. Lisa knew what it was like to be an orphan in an unfriendly world. The future of an eight-year-old alone in a homeless camp wasn’t the life Willow deserved.
“Momma, what are you doing?”
Lisa’s eyes welled. She didn’t need to tell her daughter the world was a hurtful place. She’d keep the secrets and not let her know there was nothing worth living for—for now.
“I’m coming, baby.”
Lisa turned and waded back toward the bank. Her daughter spent the last two years in one homeless camp or another. The tightly packed shelters made Lisa’s claustrophobia itch.
Lisa reached for her daughter and grabbed her, lifting the girl into a tight hug. Tears streamed down Lisa’s cheeks. Not because Lisa wanted to end her suffering. She’d considered that option before. The tears came from nearly making Willow an orphan and leaving the innocent girl behind in a homeless camp. Willow couldn’t fight off the predators who lurked in the darkness—like they did tonight.
From the river’s edge, the camp spread a quarter mile in either direction. There was never any official count because people came and went, died, were arrested, or simply disappeared from the camp. Lisa guessed there were over two hundred people living here in the city’s forgotten shadows.
It was time to move. When the camps get too big, bad things happen, and people talk.
Lights flickered from small campfires and lanterns throughout the settlement. Lisa thought they looked like fallen stars. She hugged Willow a little closer and followed the trail back into the camp.
She unzipped the fly on their tent and scooted inside. Their belongings—a change of clothes, a towel to share, and two children’s books lay on one end of the nylon dome tent. A pair of sleeping bags took up most of the space. Lisa knew they were lucky to have them—others didn’t.
“All right, sweetie, let’s get you settled in for the night.”
Willow wiggled into her sleeping bag with her stuffed rabbit. Lisa grabbed a book, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, one of her daughter’s favorites. The eight-year-old could recite most of the story by heart.
Lisa opened the book when a loud commotion erupted outside. It wasn’t uncommon in the camp. Fights over property, drugs, or imagined slights fed by drugs, alcohol, and glitchy mental health were a daily occurrence. Lisa learned the best thing to do was stay out of it and never get involved.
It sounded like the usual dust-up until the screams began.
“Stay here, Willow.”
Lisa crawled to the tent flap, zipped it open, and poked her head out.
Fire.
Flames erupted on the far side of the camp. It was always a risk in the cardboard condos and plastic tarp shelters along the riverbank. This was different. At least six structures were ablaze. People were running, backlit by the orange and yellow glow. The evening delta breeze fanned the flames, igniting another dozen tents.
The cheap nylon shelters went up like dried rice paper.
“Baby, get your shoes on.”
“What is it, Momma?”
“We need to—”
Lisa spotted two men in the chaos, both outlined by the flames behind them. They weren’t running. One set the next row of tents ablaze. The second man wielded a baseball bat and swung the aluminum cylinder at anyone who came near. A sickening tink sound echoed among the rows of tents when he bounced the bat off a man’s shoulder.
Lisa grabbed her daughter’s hand, pulling her from the tent. The girl’s eyes grew large when she spotted the fires.
Willow pulled away and ducked back into the tent.
“Willow Marie, don’t you pull away from me. Come here. We need to get away.”
Lisa felt the heat from the fire. It was spreading fast, and the flames jumped up into the trees within the camp.
Bending into the tent, Lisa found Willow gathering her stuffed animal and the books.
“Come now, we need to—”
Tink.
Lisa fell flat on the ground. The rounded end of the baseball bat shoved at her ribs. Dazed from a blow to the head, she didn’t move. Lisa registered a man’s boot stepping over her.
The flames grew closer.
Willow’s fear backed her into the far corner of the tent.
Lisa’s ragged voice called to her daughter. “Willow. Listen. I need—I need you to run. Hide. Go to the safe place—the rock where we hide things. Stay until I come for you.”
“I don’t want to go. I’m scared.”
“I know, baby. You have to be brave. Take Mr. Bunny and go, now.”
Willow clutched her stuffed animal, the book, and stepped through the tent flap.
“Momma, you have an owie.”
“I know, baby. I’ll be okay.”
It was a lie. Lisa knew she was far from okay. She could feel the pressure in her head building with each heartbeat.
“Go to the place we talked about, honey. Go quick.”
Willow’s eyes welled. She didn’t budge, frozen in fear before a scream from someone nearby broke her from the trance. Another row of tents went up in flames.
“Go.”
Willow hugged her bunny and trotted toward the river. Lisa lost sight of her through the smoke billowing through the camp.
She tried to get up and couldn’t move her legs. She crabbed forward using her arms, inching away from the burning camp.
Her tent flashed, and the flames consumed it in seconds. The melting fabric, plastic and nylon fibers fell on her. The molten material burned through her clothing and ate into the flesh on Lisa’s back.
The pain seared into her. Screams around her meant she wasn’t the only one. The two arsonists headed in the same direction Willow had fled.
“Stop them,” she cried. No one could hear over the chaos of the burning camp.
Lisa now wished the water had brought a calm end to everything. She didn’t expect this—the fire, searing flame, and torture. Part of her believed she deserved this fate for the pain she’d caused. Willow didn’t. The girl didn’t understand. Now, Lisa worried about what would happen to her sweet little girl. Mr. Bunny would not be enough.
The last thought before the flames ate at her pant legs. “I’ve failed you.”
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Author Bio
James L’Etoile uses his twenty-nine years behind bars as an influence in his award-winning novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and director of California’s state parole system. His novels have been shortlisted or awarded the Lefty, Anthony, Silver Falchion, and the Public Safety Writers Award. River of Lies is his most recent novel. Look for Sins of the Father and The Red List, coming soon. He is the host of Authors on the Air, served as a board member of his local Sister-in-Crime chapter, sits on the Mystery Writers of America national board, and serves as the Director of QueryFest at ThrillerFest for International Thriller Writers.
Christian Dior with his models at his fashion house, 30 avenue Montaigne in the 50’s. “New Look” is born. Paris, FRANCE – 50’s
Book Description
American expat Tabitha Knight has found a new life in postwar Paris, along with a delightful friend in aspiring chef Julia Child. Yet there are perils in peacetime too, as a killer infiltrates one of the city’s most famous fashion houses.
If there’s one art the French have mastered as well as fine cuisine, it’s haute couture. Tabitha and Julia are already accustomed to sampling the delights of the former. Now fashion is returning to the forefront in Paris, as the somber hues of wartime are replaced by vibrant colors and ultra-feminine silhouettes, influenced by Christian Dior’s “New Look.”
Tabitha and Julia join a friend for a private showing at an exclusive fashion atelier, Maison Lannet. The event goes well, but when Tabitha returns later that evening to search for a lost glove, she finds the lights still on—and the couturier dead, strangled by a length of lace. The shop manager suspects that a jealous rival—perhaps Dior himself—committed the crime. Tabitha dismisses that idea, but when another body is found, it’s apparent that someone is targeting employees of Maison Lannet.
Meanwhile, Tabitha’s Grand-père and Oncle Rafe are in the midst of their own design-related fracas, as they squabble over how to decorate their new restaurant. And there are strange break-ins at a nearby shoe store—but are the crimes related? It’s up to Tabitha to don her investigative hat and find answers before someone commits another fatal fashion faux pas.
A FASHIONABLY FRENCH MURDER (An American in Paris Mystery Book #3) by Colleen Cambridge once again returns the reader to post WWII Paris as experienced through the eyes of an inquisitive young American who continually happens upon dead bodies. Her best friend and neighbor is Julia Child who is attending classes to learn French cuisine. This addition to the series is another well-paced murder mystery which is easily read as a standalone historical mystery, but I have read this series in order of publication to follow the evolution of all the charming characters.
Tabitha Knight is helping one of Julia’s friends as a translator at an exclusive haute couture fashion house. When she realizes she lost a glove and goes back to retrieve it, she discovers the famed designer dead. On the same night, a fashion shoe store across the alley is broken into.
Inspector Merveille once again must deal with the inquisitive Tabitha who is asked to investigate the shoe store break-in. He knows she will not stop there and after a second murder at the fashion house, both are determined to bring the killer to justice.
I always enjoy Tabitha’s escapades and drool over the recipes Julia is teaching Tabatha to prepare or she is cooking for others. Tabitha is a wonderful protagonist and amateur sleuth even as she “accidently” stumbles over so many dead bodies. The relationship between her and Merveille is still up in the air and that makes it always interesting. In this book in the series, besides the food, the reader gets a glimpse into the workings of a Paris house of fashion after the war and the beginning of Dior’s reign at the top of Paris fashion scene.
Ms. Cambridge does an exceptional job of balancing all the interesting historical facts of postwar Paris life and atmosphere with the twists and red herrings of the murder mystery plot. She is able to intertwine everything together into an entertaining, intriguing, and satisfying historical mystery read.
I highly recommend this addition to the series, and I am looking forward to following Tabitha and Julia in future books.
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About the Author
Colleen Cambridge is the pen name for an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. From a young age, Colleen has loved reading mysteries and now she couldn’t be happier that she is able to write them.
Under several pseudonyms, she has written more than 36 books in a variety of genres and is always plotting her next murder—er, book.
Amish Candy shop owner and star of TV’s Bailey’s Amish Sweets, Bailey King has a lot to be excited about. She’s happily engaged to Aiden Brody, newly appointed county sheriff, and her candy factory is finally having its grand opening in Harvest, Ohio—just before Christmas! Bailey is ready to let the sweet celebrations begin . . .
With the help of local community organizer Margot Rawlings, Harvest will have a Candy Land themed Christmas on the village square—featuring Bailey’s recently perfected recipe for gingerbread men. When the big day comes, everything is going well—until bitter news arrives. One of Bailey’s Amish friends has been killed in an apparent accident just outside the candy factory. Aiden is promptly on the case—with more than a little input from Bailey . . .
Together, they soon learn that the victim was working for some powerful men in the county, and in doing so was spying on his own Amish community. Still, Bailey is determined to find the perpetrator. If she can’t cut out the killer from the rest of the suspects, her gingerbread men won’t be the only ones in danger of disappearing . . .
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Elise’s Thoughts
Gingerbread Danger by Amanda Flower does not disappoint with the loveable and quirky characters that are colorful and fun to read.
Bailey King is on top of the world. She has recently opened Swissmen Candyworks Factory as a counterpart to Swissmen Sweets, the candy store she helps her Amish grandmother run. She’s happily engaged to county sheriff Aiden Brody. And she’s the go-to sitter for her future mother-in-law’s pet pig, Jethro.
This Christmas season, local community organizer Margot Rawlings has decided to construct a huge Candy Land game on the village square that includes Bailey’s recently perfected recipe for gingerbread men. She asks one of Bailey’s Amish workers to put up a Candy Land piece on the roof of the factory. Unfortunately, Zeph, falls off the roof and dies. Aiden is promptly on the case and realizes that Zeph’s death was no accident, but a murder. Together, he and Bailey soon learn that the victim was working for some powerful men in the county, and in doing so was spying on his own Amish community. They work together to identify the killer. They are also trying to figure out who is responsible for breaking into Amish businesses and whether it’s related to the killing. Lida, his sister, is heartbroken when her father refuses to let her continue working for Bailey, because she wants to help solve Zeph’s murder and the family wants nothing to do with him.
This is a great holiday read because it blends suspense with some Christmas cheer.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
Amanda Flower: I knew the book would be set at Christmas time. One of the local libraries around here does a life-size Candyland game. Children loved to play it with their moms and dads. I made it for a whole village, while the real game is inside a building. I also want to put in gingerbread even though I do not like the taste, just the smell. Plus, I wanted to tie the plot to the new candy factory opening.
EC: How do you come up with the humor, like the opening of the book with Jethro the pig’s mischievous deeds?
AF: He is a rascal, especially in this book when he gets taffy all over him. Bailey has to pig-sit all the time. I also like to come up with sayings like ‘pigs in a blanket,’ after tucking him into Bailey’s parka. I tried to put in the humor to make the plot lighter and uplifting.
EC: Do you agree these plots are not just about murder?
AF: Yes. It is about these characters’ lives and how the community all supports each other. Even the grumpy character, Ruth Yoder.
EC: How would you describe Lida?
AF: Nervous, has anxiety, indecisive, sweet, caring, kind, and dedicated.
EC: In the story the Amish get robbed, can you explain?
AF: Amish are of the belief that they trust in G-d who will protect them and their businesses. Some Amish businesses do not have electricity so they could not have security cameras. Plus, since they do not have Internet, they could not look on their phones if there is trouble.
EC: How would you describe Zeph, the victim?
AF: A troublemaker, unreliable, easily distracted, and a free spirit. He was probably going to leave the Amish. He had one foot in the Amish and English worlds. This happens to Amish young people.
EC: What do you want to say about Bailey’s parents?
AF: They created stress for her. The dad was former Amish, and he felt uncomfortable because he was not a rule follower and never embraced his Amish roots. Now in coming back, he is reminded of all the reasons he wanted to leave. The mom was very opinionated and wants the wedding plans made already. Bailey and Aiden waited so long to get engaged. Now that they are engaged and everyone wants them to get married yesterday.
EC: Next books?
AF: Lida will appear in other books. There will be book 10 of the “Amish Candy Shop Mysteries series” but I am in negotiations to continue the series after that. Book 10 will be Aiden and Bailey’s wedding.
In February it is the third and final Emily Dickinson mystery. It is titled, I Died for Beauty. It will have the great freeze in New England in 1857. Emily and Willa, her maid, are solving a murder involving a house fire.
The second Katharine Wright mystery comes out in May. It is titled, Not They Who Soared. In 1904 Katharine went to the St. Louis World’s Fair and a murder was committed there.
The next Millie Matchmaker book is titled Newlyweds Can Be Knocked Off. It is coming out in November next year. Millie and her friend Lois travel to Pinecraft Florida, going on a girl’s trip to the Amish community there. They find a dead body on the beach. Jethro is in this book.
THANK YOU!!
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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.
When a body turns up in a larger-than-life candy bowl filled with peppermints on the town square, Holly White is horrified to learn her best friend Caroline is the main suspect. Everyone in town, including Mistletoe, Maine’s sheriff, saw Caroline fighting with the victim on the night of his death. Worse, a custom kitchen knife, engraved with Caroline’s initials was found with him.
Now, just ten days before Christmas, Holly’s up to her jingle bells in holiday shenanigans and in desperate need of a miracle. Juggling extra shifts at her family’s Christmas tree farm and making enough gingerbread jewelry to satisfy the crowd is already more than she can handle―and now she has to find time to clear her best friend of murder. Add in her budding relationship with the sheriff, and a personal stalker dressed as Santa Claus, and Holly’s ready to fly south until springtime.
But her Sherpa-lined mittens come off when Caroline is taken into custody. Can Holly wrap up the case in time for Christmas…even after she gains the true killer’s attention?
‘TWAS THE KNIFE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery Book #2) by Jacqueline Frost is the second book in this entertaining and amusing amateur sleuth cozy holiday mystery series. They are set each Christmas season in small-town Mistletoe, Maine featuring Holly White and her family and friends. This can easily be read as a standalone holiday mystery case to be solved, but Holly’s personal relationships continue to grow and evolve in each book, so I have enjoyed reading them in order.
Holly and her best friend Caroline have arrived in the town square to participate in the evening’s festivities. When the cover is pulled off a giant bowl of peppermints, everyone is shocked to discover a dead body inside. It is Caroline’s date from the night before who got too handsy. Caroline yelled at and humiliated him on-line and now he is dead with one of Caroline’s monogrammed knives in the bowl with him. Sheriff Evan Grey has no choice but to follow the evidence and arrest Caroline.
Holly knows her friend is innocent and she is willing to do anything to prove it, even as the killer has left notes threatening her against interfering. Holly is once again on the hunt for a killer. With the help of her friends and a mysterious, magical contractor, can Holly stop a killer before he eliminates her?
I thoroughly enjoy all the characters in this series. They are so much fun, and their relationships are believable. Holly is a great main character with just the right amount of inquisitiveness mixed with pluck and determination. Her group of friends is growing, and I cannot wait to be reunited with them all in future books. The cozy mystery was well paced and plotted throughout with not only Caroline as a suspect, but several others. The twists and surprises kept me guessing to the end.
I highly recommend this festive holiday cozy mystery! Both books in this series are worth reading and I am so glad I stumbled upon this series.
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About the Author
Jacqueline Frost is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three spunky children. Jacqueline is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime (SinC).
Algiers, North Africa, 1943. After her abusive German husband left her for dead and took their daughter with him behind enemy lines, Dottie Lincoln learned that it’s better to be a trained soldier rather than a victim. As a newly minted squad leader in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, she spends her days moving men and materials to the front and her nights attending mandatory dances to boost the morale of the men. Despite the grueling nature of her job, she has found a sanctuary amongst the women in the Army. When Ruth, a member of her squad, is murdered, she’s devastated and determined to get to the bottom of the murder.
Dottie’s company is the first group of American women assigned to a combat theater, and with Ruth’s death, the entire operation is being questioned. Determined to do everything she can to help win the war, bring justice to her friend, and hopefully reunite with her daughter, Dottie must rise to the occasion before the killer strikes again.
But when her past comes back to haunt her, Dottie must prove she’s not a German spy and put a stop to a deadly conspiracy that threatens the entire American war effort.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Murder In the Ranks by Kristi Jones is her debut mystery filled with spies, murder, and a touch of romance. It is also a historical novel that delves into the American Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) where women served in a combat zone in Algiers. Their duties were of the administrative nature, mainly typists, drivers, translators, and switchboard operators freeing up more men to fight. The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps was renamed from WAACs to WACs, without “auxiliary” in the name.
The plot features Dottie Lincoln, who decided to join the WAAC after her abusive German husband left her for dead and took their daughter with him behind enemy lines when he joined the Nazis. Dottie Lincoln learned that it’s better to be a trained soldier rather than a victim.
Risking her own reputation, as a WAAC squad leader in World War II she becomes an investigator when one of the women in her unit is found dead. WAAC Ruth Wentz is found sprawled on the pavement in a pool of her own blood. Army officers speculate the incident was a suicide, but Dottie believes Ruth was murdered. She convinces MP Captain Devlin to look at the evidence and investigate. Secrets, deception, black market, bribery and blackmail all prevail as the investigation proceeds including Dottie’s past that comes to haunt her.
This mystery has multiple suspects with lots of twists, keeping readers guessing to the very end. Those reading this debut novel will welcome more books in this series.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
Kristi Jones: I have always been interested in history and grew up as a military brat. I read Eisenhower’s Crusade in Europe where he mentioned a consignment of WACs assigned to his headquarters. I contacted the US Army Women’s Museum that had a lot of information about the 149th Post Headquarters. I did research in their archives in Virginia. I wanted to write a story about these women. I wrote my first murder mystery using these women as inspiration. Also, I was in Turkey for several years when my dad was stationed there. This helped me to write the setting of Algiers where the first women WACs were stationed.
EC: What was true?
KJ: The murder was pure fiction. But when the WACs arrived there, they were posted all over different sections. They were assigned to military police, they did office work, became drivers, and worked in signal communication. As in the book, there were officers that pushed back in having the women work in their offices, as well as officers inviting and helpful. The male soldiers in the book as in real-life reacted towards the WACs. Some saw them as dates and moral boosters. Some became jealous when the WAC women fraternized with the male British officers. Some saw the WACs as not lady-like. The women had to overcome this challenge of how the men responded to them.
EC: Do you think they broke the “glass ceiling”?
KJ: These women were pioneers, the first women stationed in a combat situation. They were considered a “test-tube company” because people wondered if they could withstand the rigors of being in a combat theatre, including under bombardment. As the war progressed, they proved themselves to do the job.
EC: How would you describe Dottie?
KJ: She is sometimes embarrassed. She speaks French and German so she can be useful to the allied cause. Dottie is protective, gutsy, and was abused. Her husband saw her as weak and vulnerable, beat and abandoned her. Her backstory is that her husband went to fight for the Nazis and took their daughter, Sophie. Throughout the series there will be the theme of a mouse to lion, where she must find her strength. She represents those real women who joined the WACs to find independence and to become a force to reckon with.
EC: What is the role of her daughter and her husband?
KJ: They were why she initially joined the military. Dottie struggles to believe in herself and needs to find her emotional and physical strength. In future books she wants to win the war to find her daughter.
EC: How would you describe Captain Devlin?
KJ: He is cocky with cop-like instincts and can be calm, caring.
EC: What about the other women WACs?
KJ: I wanted to give them each a different personality. Each of the characters were based on differences of women I researched.
Sue is calculating, sly, argumentative, troublesome, and likes to play games. There were WACs that did steal for the black-market. She is a scandal girl.
Ruth is the consummate solider, determined, serious, dependable, rational, and grounded.
Jeannie is scared, trusting, and sweet. Dottie does trust her.
Mary is the youngest, dramatic, selfish, childish, and acts princess-like. She is young and looking for adventure.
EC: What did you want readers to get out of the book?
KJ: This book quote, summarizes my feelings, “I hope Dottie’s story will illuminate their sacrifices, courage, and the critical role played in the combat theatres during World War II.” Plus, to inform people who did not know how severe the manpower shortage was in the services at that time. Recruiting these women would fill the non-combat roles to free the men to fight in combat.
EC: Next book?
KJ: Jeannie will be back and becomes Dottie’s side-kick character. It is tentatively titled A Map to Murder. After working with Military Police to solve the murder of her fellow soldier, in this book, Auxiliary Dottie Lincoln wanted to get a permanent assignment with Captain Devlin and the MPs. Instead, she is sent to work for Force 141, a top-secret planning headquarters just outside the city. She soon finds herself drawn into a web of secrecy, betrayals and murder, racing to root out a traitor before an innocent woman is hanged for a crime she did not commit.
THANK YOU!!
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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.
