Popup Show Notes
On this episode we visit with six authors who visited our room during Malice Domestic.
Lynn McPherson, is a Canadian author. She is a cozy mystery writer and author of The Izzy
Walsh Mystery Series. Her books are fun, light-hearted whodunits. They pair well with a strong
coffee or a light chardonnay, and are a recommended way to spend a relaxing afternoon. She
also writes under the name Sydney Leigh. Her newest book, The Girls Dressed For Murder...
When Izzy gets a killer dress for her birthday, she isn’t expecting to accessorize it with murder...
It’s 1958 in the cozy coastal town of Twin Oaks and amateur sleuth Isabelle Walsh is armed with
a fresh perspective, two years after tragedy strikes. The first stop on her journey back to joy is
the best little dress shop in town—introduced to her by best friend and fashion fiend, Ava
Russell.
Izzy falls in love with the store and its style. So, when the boutique is marred by murder, Izzy
wants to help. But with more suspects to choose from than a spring collection, she isn’t sure
where to start. Can Izzy unravel the twisted truth or will she become the victim of a deadly
trend? Find out in the third book in the Izzy Walsh Mystery Series! Lynn's website is
Sydneyleighbooks.com
Olivia Blacke joined us to talk about her Record Shop Mysteries.
She is the author of the Record Shop Mysteries, beginning with Vinyl Resting Place, and
the Brooklyn Murder Mysteries (Killer Content and No Memes of Escape), finally found a way to
put her criminology degree to good use by writing quirky, unconventional, character-driven cozy
mysteries. Olivia is a little nerdy, a lot awkward, and just the right amount of weird. She is a
recovering ex-Texan who resides with her husband, Potassium, and Baileycakes, their roly-poly
rescue puggle. When not writing, reading, or spending way too much time on social media,
Olivia enjoys amigurumi crochet, scuba diving, collecting tattoos, watching hockey, and baking
dog cookies. She wants to be a unicorn when she grows up. Her website is oliviablacke.com
Desmond P. Ryan is a friend of the show from Canada. He is an ex-police detective and
wsrites the Mike O'Shea mysteries. One of the main characters in his books is Mike O'Shea's
motheer, Mary Margaret. She is a typical Irish woman who rules the household with an iron fist
and takes no prisoners. She so encompassed the Mike books that we (that's right WE)
suggested that she needed a series of her own. That brought Desmond to Malice this year. He
has a contract for both Mike O'Shea and Mary Margaret books. He can be found at the website
realdesmondryan.com
We then talked with Marilyn Levinson who writes under the name of Allison Brook. She has
the Haunted Library Mystery series; Allison Brook is a former Spanish teacher who grew up in
Brooklyn, New York, then Long Island, off the coast of New York. She has studied in Mexico and
Spain to become fluent in Spanish, and has written in the genres of mysteries, romantic
suspense, and young adult fiction. She can be found at Crooked Lane's website .
We then talked with Sue Anger, a delightful author. We talked about her book Last Known
Port. While growing up in Beaufort, North Carolina, she often heard rum-running stories from
the Prohibition era. Although fern bars, yachts, and supermarkets may have replaced the old
working-boat waterfront, the town still values its unique Southern history. Since she became a
freela nce writer in 2014, She's written short stories, essays, magazine articles, content, and
blogs.She is also a bona fide, dyed-in-the-wool fan of historical fiction and mysteries. She's also
a long-time member of Sisters in Crime and the Triangle Area Freelancers in Raleigh, North
Carolina.Her website is sueanger.com
Finally,...

As we wrap another Malice Domestic under our belts, we announce the winners of this year;s Agatha Awards:
Best Contemporary Novel
A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny (Minotaur)
Best Historical Novel
Because I Could Not Stop for Death, Amanda Flower (Berkley)
Best First Novel
Cheddar Off Dead, Korina Moss (St. Martin’s)
Best Short Story
"Beauty and the Beyotch," Barb Goffman (Sherlock Holmes Magazine, Feb. 2022)
Best Non-Fiction
Promophobia: Taking the Mystery Out of Promoting Crime Fiction, Diane Vallere
Ed. (Sisters in Crime)
Best Children/Young Adult Novel
Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade, Nancy Springer (Wednesday Books)
We sincerely congratulate each of the winners and also the nominees. We look forward to next year's Malice
We talked with Verena Rose, Chair of the Board of Directors of Malice Domestic. She is a fount of knowledge
about the history of Malice.
Verena is a short story writer, an editor and co-publisher at Level Best Books. She has been the chair of the
Board of Directors of Malice for 17 years.
TRIVIA
Last week's question was:
Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil spent how many weeks on the NY Times Best Seller list?
a. 52
b. 100
c. 150
d. 216
The answer is d. 216 weeks. John Berendt published Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in 1994 and it
became an overnight success; The book spent a record-breaking 216 weeks on the New York
Times bestseller list[2] — still, to this day, the longest standing best seller of the Times.
This week's question is:
Jeffrey Deaver was ahead of his time in 2001 when he?
a. He had characters in space
b. He had characters use social media
c. He had characters use small sized cell phones
d. He had characters cured of cancer
Tune in next week for the answer and to hear from some of the authors who attended Malice this year.

On this episode, we talked with our longest patron, Cynthia Surrisi. She has two books that
have just come out. She is a very successful middle school novel author.
The Bones of Birka: Unraveling the Mystery of A Female Viking Warrior.(Chicago Review
Press). When archaeologist Dr. Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson discovers that the bones
contained in the most significant Viking warrior grave ever opened are, in fact, female, she and
her team upend centuries of historically accepted conclusions and ignite a furious debate
around the reality of female Viking warriors and the role of gender in both ancient and modern
times.
In The Bones of Birka, author C. M. Surrisi introduces young readers to the events that led up to
this discovery and the impact it has had on scientists’ and historians’ views of gender roles in
ancient societies and today. This is the inside account of the Birka warrior grave Bj 581
archaeological endeavor, including all of the dreams, setbacks, frustrations, excitement, politics,
and personalities that went into this history-changing discovery.
Her other book is The Unofficial Lola Bay Fan Club (G.P. Putnam's Sons Publishers). Pop star
Lola Bay is everything to Iris and her best friend, Leeza. Her songs speak right to
their souls and they can’t wait to start a Lola Bay fan club when middle school starts. But then
mean girls take over the fan club and Leeza seems to be interested in other things.
Enter Dana. She’s bold and cool and not afraid to stand up for herself. Plus, she’s a massive
Lola Bay fan and knows how to get free merch online. She even has big ideas for getting them
to a concert.
When some of Dana’s ideas make Iris a little nervous, she pushes the feelings down—Dana
seems to know what she’s doing. Only as Dana’s plans get bigger and bigger, Iris feels worse
and worse. And then Dana crosses a line that causes trouble for Iris’s whole family.
How could someone who is supposed to be a friend do that? And, Iris wonders, how did I let
things go this far?
TRIVIA
Last week's question was:
What is author Laura Lippmans familyh connection to “The Wire?”
a. her brother
b. Her sister
c. Her cousin
d. Her husband
The answer is D. Her husband. Lippman is married to David Simon, another former Baltimore
Sun reporter, and creator and an executive producer of the HBO series The Wire.The character
Bunk is shown to be reading one of her books, In a Strange City, in episode eight of the first
season of The Wire. Lippman appeared in a scene in the first episode of the last season of The
Wire as a reporter working in the Baltimore Sun newsroom
This week's question is:
Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil spent how many weeks on the NY Times Best Seller
list?
a. 52
b. 100
c. 150
d. 216

PART 2 WWAR
:
Tracey reported on “Operation Blackbird: A Cold War Spy Novel” by Ellen Butler. Ellen appeared on
episode 19 in August of 2018 on her book “Isabella's Painting.”
October, 1952. The war is over, but for CIA officer Miriam Becker, memories of the horrors she witnessed
remain jagged in her mind. While vacationing in Argentina, recovering from a mission that nearly killed her,
she’s seeing more ghosts from the past than the sights.
When a longtime family friend and fellow operative, Jake Devlin, tracks her down, Miriam is forced to push
everything to the back of her mind for the next mission: help a highly prized and heavily guarded rocket
scientist defect from Soviet-controlled East Berlin—right out from under the KGB’s nose.
Well aware that one wrong move could spark World War III, Miriam, Jake, and the team plan their strategy to
the last detail. But when a betrayal brings everything crashing down, Jake’s quick thinking creates the
diversion to get Miriam out alive—but leaves him trapped behind the Iron Curtain.
Unsure of whom she can trust, Miriam must complete the mission by relying on contacts outside of the
agency, even though her heart longs to return to East Berlin to rescue the man who is the last link to her
troubled past ... before the KGB gets to him first.
Last but not least, Misty reported on Cathy Ace, one of our favorite authros, whose first appearance on the
podcast was on episode 27 for her book “The Corpse With The Silver Tongue.” She has appeared several
times since then.
Misty reported on “The Case of The Cursed Cottage: A WISE Enquiries Agent Mystery.” Henry
Twyst, eighteenth Duke of Chellingworth, is convinced his mother is losing her marbles. The dowager claims
to have seen a corpse on the dining-room floor, but all she has to prove it is a bloodied bobble hat.
A BODY IN THE DINING ROOM. A BEAUTIFUL OLD MANSION. FOUR LADIES WHO WILL SOLVE THE
MYSTERY.
Henry hires the women of the WISE Enquiries Agency. The duke wants the strange matter explained.
But the truth of what happened at the Chellingworth Estate, set in the rolling Welsh countryside near the
quaint village of Anwen by Wye, is more complex, dangerous, and deadly, than anyone could have foreseen .
. .
THE DETECTIVES
The WISE Enquiries Agency consists of Mavis, Annie, Carol and Christine. One is Welsh, one Irish, one
Scottish and one English, hence the name. Drawn together by chance – and a killer – the women of the WISE
Enquiries Agency turned their backs on their previous careers to work together to help others. Combining their
unique skills, and reveling in their differences, they’re doing their best to make the business succeed. But
being private investigators isn’t a bed of roses – there are bills to pay, clients to be managed, and dangers to
be faced. Can they manage to do it all, and survive?
We thank our listeners and especially our patrons who support what we do and look forward to five more
years of fun.
TRIVIA
Last week's question was:
P.D. James began her writing career while she worked where?
a. A school
b. a Law firm
c. a factory
d. a hospital
The answer is d. A hospital. She married Ernest Connor Bantry White (called "Connor"), an army doctor,
on 8 August 1941. They had two daughters, Clare and Jane. White returned from the Second World War
mentally ill and was institutionalised. With her daughters being mostly cared for by Connor's parents,James
studied hospital administration, and from 1949 to 1968 worked for a hospital board in London. She began
writing in the mid-1950s, using her maiden name ("My genes are James genes")
This week's question is:
What is author Laura Lippmans family connection to “The Wire?”
a. her brother
b. Her sister
c. Her cousin

5
th
Podiversary and
WWAR For April
Show Notes
We are celebrating our 5th
“Podiversary” this month and, as a subject, we have decided to return to year
one and revisit some of the authors from our very first year.
Kathy reported on Jana DeLeon who was featured on episode 8 for her book “Louisiana Longshot.”
Kathy found that she has 24 books in the series now and reported on “Flame and Fortune” the 22nd
book
in the series.
It’s New Year’s in Sinful, and the competition for the New Year’s Queen is heating up as the warring churches
go head-to-head. Fortune Redding is not the sequined dress kind of woman, but reluctantly agrees to partake
in the debacle so that Ida Belle and Gertie can best their nemesis, Celia, who’s put up former Sinful mean girl
RJ Rogers.
RJ and her friend Brock Benoit left plenty of devastation in their wake when they fled Sinful after high school.
So when they return and Brock is found dead, there’s no shortage of suspects. Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie
know all too well what it’s like to live under suspicion of a crime with no resolution. When good people become
the targets of gossip, they know they have to rush to unravel the tangled lives of RJ and Brock and expose a
killer before the wrong person’s reputation is ruined. Or worse—they’re arrested for a crime they didn’t
commit.
Ann then reported on “A White Hot Plan” by Michael H. Rubin. Mike appeared as our second author
we actually interviewed on episode 9 for his book “The Cottoncrest Curse.” Michael writes his books in
collaboration with his wife Ayan Rubin.
A group of alt-right terrorists decides that now is the time―and New Orleans is the place―to make an
explosive statement that will force the world to acknowledge the superiority of the white supremacist
movement. Disgraced former New Orleans homicide detective Starner Gautreaux is now a poorly paid
sheriff’s deputy relegated to writing his weekly quota of speeding tickets in a sleepy south Louisiana parish.
His mundane life is all-too-predictable until several unusual events cause him to suspect something is
seriously amiss. While the local coroner classifies the resulting deaths as accidental, Starner’s prior
experience leads him to believe that not only are they homicides, but also that they signal something far more
sinister. Taut action bubbles up from the swamps of Louisiana to the hidden haunts of underworld bosses,
from small-town life to urban grit, and from a high-speed highway shootout to a terrifying confrontation in the
heart of the French Quarter. White supremacists seek to impose their will on a city swamped with carefree
tourists, but Starner Gautreaux is determined not to let that happen.
We broke the episode into two parts due to the length and will broadcast part 2 tomorrow.

Jennifer Chow, Rob Osler and Harini Nagendra
Show Notes
On this episode we finish our interviews with nominees for the Agatha Awards which will be
given at Malice Domestic this year.
We first talked with Jennifer Chow who is nominated for her book “Death By Bubble Tea”
(Berkley) for Best Contemporary Novel.
When Yale Yee discovers her cousin Celine is visiting from Hong Kong, she is obliged to play
tour guide to a relative she hasn't seen in twenty years. Not only that, but her father thinks it's a
wonderful idea for them to bond by running a food stall together at the Eastwood Village Night
Market. Yale hasn't cooked in years, and she hardly considers Celine's career as a social media
influencer as adequate experience, but because she's just lost her job at her local bookstore,
she feels she has no choice.
Yale and Celine serve small dishes and refreshing drinks, and while business is slow, it
eventually picks up thanks to Celine's surprisingly useful marketing ideas. They're quite shocked
that their bubble tea, in particular, is a hit--literally--when one of their customers turns up dead.
Yale and Celine are prime suspects due to the gold flakes that Celine added to the sweet drink
as a garnish. Though the two cousins are polar opposites in every way, they must work together
to find out what really happened to the victim or the only thing they'll be serving is time.
We talked then with Rob Osler who is nominated for a Best First Novel for his book “Devil's
Chew Toy” (Level Best).
Seattle teacher and part-time blogger Hayden McCall wakes sporting one hell of a shiner, with
the police knocking at his door. It seems that his new crush, dancer Camilo Rodriguez, has
gone missing and they suspect foul play. What happened the night before? And where is
Camilo?
Determined to find answers, pint-sized, good-hearted Hayden seeks out two of Camilo’s friends
—Hollister and Burley—both lesbians and both fiercely devoted to their friend. From them,
Hayden learns that Camilo is a “Dreamer” whose parents had been deported years earlier, and
whose sister, Daniela, is presumed to have returned to Venezuela with them. Convinced that the
cops won’t take a brown boy’s disappearance seriously, the girls join Hayden’s hunt for Camilo.
The first clues turn up at Barkingham Palace, a pet store where Camilo had taken a part-time
job. The store’s owner, Della Rupert, claims ignorance, but Hayden knows something is up. And
then there’s Camilo’s ex-boyfriend, Ryan, who’s suddenly grown inexplicably wealthy. When
Hayden and Hollister follow Ryan to a secure airport warehouse, they make a shocking
connection between him and Della—and uncover the twisted scheme that’s made both of them
rich.
The trail of clues leads them to the grounds of a magnificent estate on an island in Puget
Sound, where they’ll finally learn the truth about Camilo’s disappearance—and the fate of his
family.
And Finally, we talked with Harini Nagendra who is nominated for a Best First Novel for her book
:The Bangladore Detective's Club” (Constable)
Solving crimes isn't easy.
Add a jealous mother-in-law and having to wear a flowing sari into the mix, and you've got a
problem.
When clever, headstrong Kaveri moves to Bangalore to marry doctor Ramu, she's resigned
herself to a quiet life.
But that all changes the night of the party at the Century Club, where she escapes to the garden
for some peace - and instead spots an uninvited guest in the shadows. Half an hour later, the
party turns into a murder scene.
When a vulnerable woman is connected to the crime, Kaveri becomes determined to save her
and launches a private investigation to find the killer, tracing his steps from an illustrious brothel
to an Englishman's mansion. She soon finds...

Nina Wachsman and Martin Edwards
Show Notes
We talked to two more of the Agatha Nominees for this episode.
First, we talked with Nina Wachsmann who is nominated for a Best First Novel for her book
The Gallery of Beauties (Level Best Books) In the city that invented the concept of the ‘Ghetto,’
it is surprising to learn that the Jews lived separately but not isolated from the culture around
them in the seventeenth century. Rabbis were not only leaders in the Jewish community, but
scholars, mathematicians, statesmen and playwrights who were well known and respected in
Venetian society and throughout Europe. The music, art and innovative foods which filled the
city, filtered into the Ghetto, finding its way into synagogues and homes.
In a salon-like discussion with trustee David Sable, Nina Wachsman will bring to life this unusual
city and its unusually modern Jews, from her research for her novel of historical suspense, The
Gallery of Beauties.
We then talked with Martin Edwards who is nominated for Best Non-Fiction for his book
The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators (Harper Collins)
In the first major history of crime fiction in 50 years, The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of
Mysteries and Their Creators traces the evolution of the genre from the 18th century to the
present, offering brand-new perspective on the world’s most popular form of fiction.
Author Martin Edwards is a multi-award-winning crime novelist, the president of the Detection
Club, archivist of the Crime Writers’ Association and series consultant to the British Library’s
highly successful series of crime classics, and therefore uniquely qualified to write this book. He
has been a widely respected genre commentator for more than 30 years, winning the CWA
Diamond Dagger for making a significant contribution to crime writing in 2020, when he also
compiled and published Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection
Club and the novel Mortmain Hall. His critically acclaimed The Golden Age of Murder (Collins
Crime Club, 2015) was a landmark study of detective fiction between the wars.
The Life of Crime is the result of a lifetime of reading and enjoying all types of crime fiction, old
and new, from around the world. In what will surely be regarded as his magnum opus, Martin
Edwards has thrown himself undaunted into the breadth and complexity of the genre to write an
authoritative—and enjoyable—study of its development and evolution. With crime fiction being
read more widely than ever around the world, and with individual authors increasingly the
subject of extensive academic study, his expert distillation of more than two centuries of
extraordinary books and authors—from the tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann to the novels of Patricia
Cornwell—into one coherent history is an extraordinary feat and makes for a compelling listen.
TRIVIA
Last week's question was:
Author Harlan Coben made a deal with whom in 2016 to adapt 14 of his novels into film?
a. Fox Entertainment
b. Paramout
c. Blue Sky Productions
d. Netflix
The answer is d. Netflix. In August 2018, Coben signed a multi-million-dollar five-year deal with
American company Netflix. Under the deal, 14 of Coben's novels would be developed into
original Netflix series or films, with him serving as executive producer on all projects.[30] The
first title released under the deal was The Stranger, based on his novel of the same name,
which premiered in January 2020.[31] In October 2022, it was announced that Netflix had re-
upped the deal for another four years, with the Myron Bolitar series now also available for
adaptation
This week's question is:
Which author used the following pseudonyms in their career. Deanna Dwyer, K....

Korina Moss and Fleur Bradley
Show Notes
The first thing we did on this episode is to announce that we have a new patron in Jan H. from
Illinois and we are thrilled. We also had a donation made to our tip jar on our website from Joan
Long. We are very appreciative of both.
Korina Moss is nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel for her book “Cheddar Off
Dead.”
Cheesemonger Willa Bauer is proving that sweet dreams are made of cheese. She’s opened
her very own French-inspired cheese shop, Curds & Whey, in the heart of the Sonoma Valley.
The small town of Yarrow Glen is Willa's fresh start, and she's determined to make it a success
– starting with a visit from the local food critic. What Willa didn’t know is that this guy never gives
a good review, and when he shows up nothing goes according to plan. She doesn’t think the
night can get any worse... until she finds the critic’s dead body, stabbed with one of her shop’s
cheese knives. Now a prime suspect, Willa has always believed life’s problems can be solved
with cheese, but she’s never tried to apply it to murder...
We then talked with Fleur Bradley who is nominated for An Agatha Award for Best Children or
Young Adult Novel for her book “Daybreak on Raven Island.”
Tori, Marvin, and Noah would rather be anywhere else than on the seventh grade class field trip
to Raven Island prison. Tori would rather be on the soccer field, but her bad grades have
benched her until further notice; Marvin would rather be at the first day of a film festival with his
best friend, Kevin; and Noah isn't looking forward to having to make small talk with his
classmates at this new school.
But when the three of them stumble upon a dead body in the woods, miss the last ferry back
home, and then have to spend the night on Raven Island, they find that they need each other
now more than ever. They must work together to uncover a killer, outrun a motley ghost-hunting
crew, and expose the age-old secrets of the island all before daybreak.
We thank both of these ladies and wish them good luck.
TRIVIA
Last Week's question was:
“High Tower Court” building had what influence on author Michael Connelly?
a. He thought it was haunted
b. He featured it in his book
c. He wanted to live there
d. He wanted it renamed
The answer is c. He wanted to live there.
After moving to Los Angeles, Connelly went to see High Tower Court where Raymond
Chandler's character Philip Marlowe had lived (in his 1942 novel The High Window), and Robert
Altman had used for his film The Long Goodbye(1973). Connelly got the manager of the
building to promise to phone him if the apartment ever became available. Ten years later, the
manager tracked Connelly down, and Connelly decided to rent the place. This apartment served
as a place to write for several years
This week's question is:
Author Harlan Coben made a deal with whom in 2016 to adapt 14 of his novels into film?
a. Fox Entertainment
b. Paramout
c. Blue Sky Productions
d. Netflix

Joan Long/M.A. Monin
Show notes
Our first episode dedicated to the nominees for Agatha Awards begins today. Our first nominee
is Joan Long who is nominated for Best First Novel for her book “The Finalist”
The Finalist (Level Best Books) Five authors, each with their own secrets, are chosen to
complete a deceased novelist's unfinished manuscript. For single mom Risa Marr, the
competition is the opportunity of a lifetime. At stake is a million dollars and a contract to continue
the famous novelist's bestselling thriller series.
Transported to the tropical paradise of Key Island, the finalists are cut off from the world and
given seven days to draft their best ending for the book. But when one of them turns up dead,
theories and accusations abound. Accident? Suicide? Or Murder? To what lengths will
competitors go to win? And who, if anyone, will leave the island alive?
We then chatted with M.A. (Mary) Monin who is nominated for Best First Novel for her book
“Death In The Aegean”
Death in the Aegean (An Intrepid Traveler Mystery) Level Best Books. When private banker
Stefanie Adams takes a much-needed vacation to the Greek isles, vowing to embrace
opportunities as they come, instead of finding romance and adventure she is suspected of
murdering a bride who accused her deceased father of artifact theft. Unfortunately, the
newlywed's accusation also ties Stefanie, a former archaeology student, to the robbery of a
newly discovered Minoan statue, the golden Akrotiri Snake Goddess.
With two high-profile crimes to solve, Greek police are under pressure, and both crimes lead
straight to Stefanie. To avoid Greek prison and maintain her career, Stefanie must identify which
of her fellow travelers is the real killer.
Between the light-fingered backpacker with an eye on the bride's jewelry, the travel blogger
whose career the dead woman ruined, a flirtatious German tourist who is after more than
romance, and the long-suffering bridegroom, Stefanie's task won't be easy. Everyone, it seems,
had a motive for wanting to see the last of Emma Keller.
We wish both of these lovely ladies good luck. We will have two more nominees on our podcast
next week so be sure and join us.
TRIVIA
Last week's question was:
Which author worked at a job and had to dress up as a tuxedo wearing yogurt?
a. Elly Griffiths
b. Sue Grafton
c. Louise Penny
d. Gillian Flynn
The answer is d. Gillian Flynn. Flynn attended Bishop Miege High School and graduated in
1989.. As a young woman, she worked odd jobs which required her to do things such as dress
up as a giant "yogurt cone who wore a tuxedo
This week's question is:
“High Tower Court” building had what influence on author Michael Connelly?
a. He thought it was haunted
b. He featured it in his book
c. He wanted to live there
d. He wanted it renamed
Tune in next week for the answer.

WWAR for March 2023
Show Notes
Part 1
The Agatha Awards are coming up at end end of April and our next few episodes will be interviews with
several of the nominees for this year's awards. Therfore, we decided to devote our March WWAR episodes to
books that have been nominated for awards this year.
Joan Long is nominated for an Agatha for Best First Novel for “The Finalist” (Level Best Books)
Five authors, each with their own secrets, are chosen to complete a deceased novelist's unfinished
manuscript. For single mom Risa Marr, the competition is the opportunity of a lifetime. At stake is a million
dollars and a contract to continue the famous novelist's bestselling thriller series.
Transported to the tropical paradise of Key Island, the finalists are cut off from the world and given seven days
to draft their best ending for the book. But when one of them turns up dead, theories and accusations abound.
Accident? Suicide? Or Murder? To what lengths will competitors go to win? And who, if anyone, will leave the
island alive?
Dr. Lucy Worsley is nominated for an Agatha for Best Non-Fiction for her book “Agatha Christie: An
Elusive Woman” (Pegasus Crime)
"Nobody in the world was more inadequate to act the heroine than I was."
Why did Agatha Christie spend her career pretending that she was "just" an ordinary housewife, when clearly
she wasn't? Her life is fascinating for its mysteries and its passions and, as Lucy Worsley says, "She was
thrillingly, scintillatingly modern." She went surfing in Hawaii, she loved fast cars, and she was intrigued by the
new science of psychology, which helped her through devastating mental illness.
So why—despite all the evidence to the contrary—did Agatha present herself as a retiring Edwardian lady of
leisure?
She was born in 1890 into a world that had its own rules about what women could and couldn't do. Lucy
Worsley's biography is not just of a massively, internationally successful writer. It's also the story of a person
who, despite the obstacles of class and gender, became an astonishingly successful working woman.
With access to personal letters and papers that have rarely been seen, Lucy Worsley's biography is both
authoritative and entertaining and makes us realize what an extraordinary pioneer Agatha Christie was—truly
a woman who wrote the twentieth century.
Part 2
Rob Osler is nominated for a Best First Novel for his book “The Devil's Chew Toy” (Crooked Lane Books)
Seattle teacher and part-time blogger Hayden McCall wakes sporting one hell of a shiner, with the police
knocking at his door. It seems that his new crush, dancer Camilo Rodriguez, has gone missing and they
suspect foul play. What happened the night before? And where is Camilo?
Determined to find answers, pint-sized, good-hearted Hayden seeks out two of Camilo’s friends—Hollister
and Burley—both lesbians and both fiercely devoted to their friend. From them, Hayden learns that Camilo is
a “Dreamer” whose parents had been deported years earlier, and whose sister, Daniela, is presumed to have
returned to Venezuela with them. Convinced that the cops won’t take a brown boy’s disappearance seriously,
the girls join Hayden’s hunt for Camilo.
The first clues turn up at Barkingham Palace, a pet store where Camilo had taken a part-time job. The store’s
owner, Della Rupert, claims ignorance, but Hayden knows something is up. And then there’s Camilo’s ex-
boyfriend, Ryan, who’s suddenly grown inexplicably wealthy. When Hayden and Hollister follow Ryan to a
secure airport warehouse, they make a shocking connection between him and Della—and uncover the twisted
scheme that’s made both of them rich.
The trail of clues leads them to the grounds of a magnificent estate on an island in Puget Sound, where they’ll
finally...