Monday, April 15, 2013

Talking About My New Mystery


My mystery, Murder a la Christie, a Malice Domestic finalist, is coming out in a few months. Forty-eight-year-old Lexie is an English professor at a Long Island university. She’s beautiful and brainy, but has no smarts when it comes to men. Her first husband left her twenty-six years ago, when she was pregnant. It irks her that her ex, an absentee father during the years she raised Jesse, now enjoys a good relationship with their son, probably because they’re both musicians living in California. Three years ago, Lexie married a colleague who turned out to be a nutcase. When she told him she was leaving him, he burned down her house with himself inside. Now she's homeless, so to speak, and short on funds.

Lexie's best friend, Rosie, asks her to lead the Golden Age of Mystery book club she has created. The first meeting, a discussion of Agatha Christie novels, is held in Rosie and Hal’s mansion in the upscale village of Old Cadfield. Lexie muses that she could have lived the elegant life--if she hadn’t broken up with Hal when they were in college. If only she hadn't found him boring.

Before the meeting, Lexie overhears Sylvia, an old friend of hers, arguing with a neighbor. “Write that book if you dare, but you won’t live to see it in print!” Gerda tells Sylvia. An hour later, Sylvia is dead.

Lexie agrees to house sit Sylvia’s Old Cadfield home for the duration of the summer. While she appreciates her lovely surroundings and enjoys having a private pool at her disposal, she doesn’t feel  comfortable with the Old Cadfield crowd. As she investigates Sylvia’s death and gets to know the book club members better, Lexie learns that money doesn’t necessarily make for happiness. Each member harbors a secret. The murderer strikes again, and Lexie begins to feel she’s living an Old Cadfield version of Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians.

Lexie is drawn to two very appealing, sexy men: the renown architect who built Sylvia’s home and the homicide detective in charge of the murder investigation. Will she make the "right" choice this time?

And then an "accident" occurs, and Lexie barely escapes with her life. The murderer is losing control. Lexie employs Poirot’s power of deduction and Miss Marple’s cleverness to find the murderer before he/she kills again.

14 comments:

Patricia Gligor's Writers Forum said...

Marilyn,
What a great idea for a mystery! I'm putting it on my TBR list right now.

Marilyn Levinson said...

Thanks, Patricia. I'll let you know when the book is out. L&L Dreamspell is publishing it.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Marilyn,

It sounds like a wonderful cozy.
Congrats on the new novel!

Mary Ricksen said...

Sounds terrific!

Marilyn Levinson said...

Jacqueline and Mary,
Thank you both so much. I do enjoy writing this series because it gives me a chance to write about some of my favorite authors' books, and to solve a mystery.

~Sia McKye~ said...

Man, this lady has had some nasty luck! Wow. Her life sounds like it's about to get very interesting. :-)

Donna Coe-Velleman said...

Sounds like a winner, Marilyn!

Palmaltas said...

Cannot wait to read it, Marilyn! So glad it will come out soon.

Linda R said...

Marilyn, this cozy sounds terrific--exactly what I like to read! It's now on my TBR list.

Deborah Hall Kinley said...

Love the premise, Marilyn and congrats on being a finalist! I'm looking forward to reading it.

Marilyn Levinson said...

Sia, Donna, Pat, Linda, and Deborah,
Glad you stopped by.

Evelyn Cullet said...

Love the title, love the premise. Can't wait to read it.

Anonymous said...

Allways Love , love again and love allways with you :)

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Jana Richards said...

Your new book sounds like great fun. Best of luck with it!