Sleuths & Settings
Three Different Sleuths, Three Distinct Personalities Sophie Vera Kimball (Phee), THE SOPHIE KIMBALL MYSTERIES – Phee is a divorced forty-something bookkeeper/accountant from Mankato, Minnesota, who finds herself embroiled in murder and mystery when she’s called upon by her mother in Sun City West, Arizona, to solve one mysterious death after another. Phee is the quintessential people pleaser whose organizational skills and deductive reasoning can put most seasoned detectives to shame. That is if she can get past her mother’s neurotic little Chiweenie dog who manages to pick up some clues of his own. (Amateur Sleuth) Norrie Ellington, THE WINE TRAIL MYSTERIES – Norrie is a twenty-something screenwriter living in Manhattan who winds up overseeing the family winery in New York’s Finger Lakes when her sister and entomologist brother-in-law go off to chase an elusive insect in Costa Rica. And while Norrie may be somewhat familiar with vineyard management and wine production, she’s a true amateur sleuth when it comes to solving the unexplained murders that crop up faster than grapes on a vine. Norrie is energetic, impulsive, and prone to jumping to conclusions, making her persona non grata with the local deputy sheriff. (Amateur Sleuth) Marcie Rayner, THE MARCIE RAYNER MYSTERIES – Marcie, a former crime statistician turned private investigator, is fast approaching thirty and isn’t looking back. She left her cheating ex-husband and started a new life working alongside her investigator boss in New Ulm, Minnesota. And while her mother worries that Marcie’s cat may be the only male in her life, Marcie is quite content prying into murders and uncovering secrets that may be best left undisclosed. Marcie is self-assured, competent, and always up for a challenge. (Detective) Three Different Locales, Three Distinct Venues for Murder Sun City West, Arizona, THE SOPHIE KIMBALL MYSTERIES. Sun City West is a senior retirement community about twenty miles northwest of Phoenix. When developer Del Webb built it in the late 1970s, he never envisioned it would be the J.C. Eaton’s fodder for murder. Penn Yan, New York, THE WINE TRAIL MYSTERIES. Penn Yan is located on Keuka Lake, a stone’s throw from Seneca Lake where Two Witches Winery, owned by the Ellington family, is situated. And while breathtaking vineyard views and fabulous wines attract tourists, no one ever thought the wine trail would be a playground for murder. New Ulm, Minnesota, THE MARCIE RAYNER MYSTERIES. New Ulm may be noted for its breweries and Oktoberfest, but as far as Marcie is concerned, it’s home-base for the investigations that take her all over the state. From the tiny hamlet of Biscay to the thriving Twin Cities, Marcie may be on the road, but it’s always nice to return to a town where contests, concerts, and festivals pop up with as much frequency as the murder cases that land on her desk. |
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