Rhys Bowen – Clare Broyles and the Molly Murphy Mysteries are featured at the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

Molly Murphy Mysteries - Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles





Wild Irish Rose

Molly Murphy Mysteries Book 18

Author: Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

AVAILABLE at Amazon
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New York, 1907: Now that she’s no longer a private detective—at least not officially—Molly Murphy Sullivan is looking forward to a time of settled tranquility with friends and family. Back in New York, where her own story began, Molly decides to accompany some friends to Ellis Island to help distribute clothing to those in need. This journey quickly stirs up memories for Molly. When you’re far from home and see people from your country, every face looks like a family member.

That evening Molly’s policeman husband, Daniel, is late returning home. He comes with a tale to tell: there was a murder on Ellis Island that day, and the main suspect is the spitting image of Molly. The circumstances are eerily similar to when Molly herself arrived on Ellis Island, and she can’t help but feel a sense of fate. Molly was meant to be there that day so that she can clear this woman’s name.





All That Is Hidden

Molly Murphy Mysteries Book 19

Author: Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

Pre-Order at Amazon


"Retired" detective and police captain's wife Molly Murphy Sullivan tangles with Tammany Hall in the next in Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles's New York Times bestselling historical mystery series.

New York, Autumn, 1907: Former private detective Molly Murphy Sullivan is happy with her place in the world. She and her policeman husband, Daniel, have built quite a life for themselves in Greenwich Village, in their modest-yet-beautiful-home in Patchin Place, filled with family, friends, and laughter. Molly and Daniel have a good marriage, a true partnership where they value each other’s opinions in all things.

So when he tells her they’re moving to a fancy home on Fifth Avenue—and that he’s running for the sheriff of New York—Molly is left reeling. Daniel begs Molly to trust him, but why would he run for sheriff on the Tammany ticket? A party known more for kickbacks and quid pro quo than anything else, it used to be everything Daniel despised. So what’s changed? And why didn’t he discuss it with her beforehand? Molly can’t help but wonder what Daniel’s got himself tangled up in… and whether he needs her help to get out.

In this next installment in this beloved series, All That Is Hidden, the incomparable Molly is drawn into the dangerous world of politics, forced to navigate through the webs of lies and deceit which are hidden behind a veil of vast wealth and grandeur.

Author: Rhys Bowen
Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Website: Rhys Bowen
Twitter: @RhysBowen
E-Mail: authorrhysbowen@gmail.com
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Author Description:
Rhys Bowen is the New York Times bestselling author of two historical mystery series as well as the #1Kindle bestseller In Farleigh Field, the international bestseller The Tuscan Child. and three other historical novels--including the newly released THE VENICE SKETCHBOOK. This story takes a young woman to Venice to discover her great aunt's secret life.

In Farleigh Field was nominated for the Edgar Award, won the Agatha award for best historical mystery as well as the MacAvity and Bruce Alexander Memorial Awards.

Rhys was born in Bath, England and educated at London University but now divides her time between California and Arizona. Her books have been nominated for every major mystery award and she has won twenty of them to date, including four Agathas.

She currently writes two historical mystery series, each very different in tone. The Molly Murphy mysteries feature an Irish immigrant woman in turn-of-the-century New York City. These books are multi-layered, complex stories with a strong sense of time and place and have won many awards including Agatha and Anthony. There are 17 books so far in this series plus three Kindle stories, The Amersham Rubies, Through the Window and The Face in the Mirror--a great way to introduce new readers to Molly's spunky personality.

Then there is Lady Georgie, Rhys's latest,and very popular, heroine. She's 35th in line to the throne of England, but she's flat broke and struggling to survive in the Great Depression. These books are lighter and funnier than Molly's adventures. They poke gentle fun at the British class system--about which Rhys knows a lot, having married into an upper class family rather like Georgie's, with cousins with silly nicknames, family ghosts and stately homes. The thirteenth book in the series, Love and Death Among the Cheetahs, was published August 2019. Two books in the series have won the Agatha award for best historical mystery.

The series received the Readers Choice Award for favorite mystery series and Rhys was nominated for career achievement. It was also voted one of Goodreads top 10 cozy mysteries. The books have been translated into many languages and brought Rhys fans from around the world.

Her most recent achievement has been the big World War 2 stand-alone novels, In Farleigh Field and The Tuscan Child as well as The Victory Garden, a novel of WWi and Above the Bay of Angels--a young woman becomes a chef for Queen Victoria. They have enjoyed impressive sales world-wide and brought Rhys many new readers.

As a child Rhys spent time with relatives in Wales. Those childhood experiences colored her first mystery series, about Constable Evans in the mountains of Snowdonia. 10 books including the Edgar nominee Evan's Gate. She has lived in Austria, Germany and Australia, but has called California her home for many years. She now escapes to her home in Arizona during those cold California winters. When she's not writing she loves to travel, sing, hike, paint and play the Celtic harp--and hear from her readers!

Author: Clare Broyles
Author Genre: Cozy Mysteries

Website: Clare Broyles
Twitter: @ClareBroyles
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Author Description:
Clare Broyles, who is Rhys Bowen's daughter, is a teacher and a musician. She has worked as a composer and arranger in the theater for both Arizona Theater Company and Childsplay and was nominated for an Arizone 'Zoni' theater award. Clare is married to a teacher, and they have three children.


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Ellen Mansoor Collier – Deco Dames, Demon Rum and Death is featured at the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

The Showcase is a special feature of the Author's Spotlight. It is designed to highlight Spotlight author's NEW releases and their soon to be released novels.

The HBS Author's Spotlight SHOWCASES Ellen Mansoor Collier's Book: Deco Dames, Demon Rum and Death plus the Jazz Age Mystery series.

Ellen is the author of a Jazz Age mystery series set in 1920s Galveston. She is a Houston-based freelance writer and editor.

Deco Dames, Demon Rum and Death

A Jazz Age Mystery #5

Author: Ellen Mansoor Collier


AVAILABLE
Amazon


When young Galveston Gazette society reporter Jazz Cross hears rumors of grave robbers at the Broadway Cemetery, she and photographer Nathan Blaine investigate, hoping to land a scoop. The newshawks witness meetings held by clandestine gangs and enlist the help of her beau, Prohibition Agent James Burton, who attempts to catch the elusive culprits red-handed.

Meanwhile, the supernatural craze takes Galveston by storm, and Jazz is assigned to profile the society set’s favorite fortune teller, Madame Farushka. Sightings of a ghost bride haunting the Hotel Galvez intrigue Jazz, who sets up a Ouija board reading and séance with the spiritualist. Did the bride-to-be drown herself—or was she murdered?

Luckily, Sammy Cook, her black-sheep half-brother, has escaped the Downtown Gang and now acts as the maître d’ for the Hollywood Dinner Club, owned by rival Beach Gang leaders. During a booze bust, the Downtown Gang's mob boss, Johnny Jack Nounes, is caught and Jazz worries: will Sammy be forced to testify against his former boss? Worse, when a mystery man turns up dead, Sammy is framed for murder and Jazz must solve both murders and help clear Sammy's name.

As the turf war between rival gangs rages on, Jazz relies on her wits and moxie to rescue her brother and her friends before the Downtown Gang exacts its revenge.

Author: Ellen Mansoor Collier

Author Genre: Cozy Mystery, Historical Fiction, Crime

E-Mail: decodame@flash.net
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Author Description:
Ellen Mansoor Collier is a Houston-based freelance writer and editor whose articles and essays have been published in several national magazines. She's interviewed Suze Orman, Nancy Brinker and many unsung heroines and heroes for various publications including: FAMILY CIRCLE, BIOGRAPHY, MODERN BRIDE, FIRST, GLAMOUR, COSMOPOLITAN, COUNTRY ACCENTS, NATION'S BUSINESS, PLAYGIRL, etc. Several of her short stories, both mystery and romance, have appeared in WOMAN'S WORLD. Set during Prohibition in 1920s Galveston, her Jazz Age mystery series was inspired by real-life rival gangs and historic events, but the plot and details were changed to protect the guilty as well as the author.

Formerly Collier has worked as a magazine editor, a substitute teacher, a community newspaper reporter and in advertising/marketing as well as public relations. During college, she once worked as the world's worst cocktail waitress, providing background for her speakeasy scenes. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Magazine Journalism, and served as president of WICI (Women in Communications, Inc.) and as an editor on UTmost, the UT Magazine, her senior year. FLAPPERS, FLASKS AND FOUL PLAY is the first novel in her Jazz Age mystery series, followed by BATHING BEAUTIES, BOOZE AND BULLETS, GOLD DIGGERS, GAMBLERS AND GUNS, VAMPS, VILLAINS AND VAUDEVILLE and DECO DAMES, DEMON RUM AND DEATH.

"When you grow up in Houston, Galveston becomes like a second home. I had no idea this sleepy beach town had such a wild and colorful past, and became fascinated by the legends and stories of the 1920s."




Author's Book List




Vamps, Villains and Vaudeville - A Jazz Age Mystery #4
America's Got Talent meets Lois Lane in this soft-boiled flapper caper. Young and ambitious society reporter Jazz Cross is in for a surprise when she attends a travelling vaudeville show with her beau, Prohibition Agent James Burton, and discovers that an old flame acts in the production. When an actor in the troupe disappears and later turns up dead behind her half-brother Sammy’s bar, he falls under suspicion and Jazz must prove his innocence.

Meanwhile jewel thieves are turning up all over town, stealing precious jewelry from the society set, baffling local police. Is the mob involved? After a rival actor is found strangled, cops blame her ex, Derek. While trying to clear his name—to Burton’s dismay—Jazz discovers the secrets behind the scenes. Worse, Sammy’s old nemesis wants payback and forces him into yet another illegal scheme. Can Jazz help solve the murders and locate the missing gems—so Sammy can escape the Downtown Gang for good?


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Gold-Diggers, Gamblers and Guns - A Jazz Age Mystery #3
Young society reporter Jasmine (Jazz) Cross longs to cover hard news in 1920s Galveston, but she's stuck between two clashing cultures: the world of gossip and glamour vs. gangsters and gamblers. During Prohibition, the Island was called the "Free State of Galveston" due to its lax laws and laissez faire attitude toward gambling, girls and bootlegging.

After Downtown Gang leader Johnny Jack Nounes is released from jail, all hell breaks loose: Prohibition Agent James Burton’s life is threatened and he must go into hiding for his own safety. But when he’s framed for murder, he and Jazz must work together to prove his innocence. Johnny Jack blames Jasmine’s half-brother Sammy Cook, owner of the Oasis speakeasy, for his arrest and forces him to work overtime in a variety of dangerous mob jobs as punishment.

When a bookie is murdered, Jazz looks for clues linking the two murders and delves deeper into the underworld of gambling: poker games, slot machines and horse-racing. Meanwhile, Jazz tries to keep both Burton and her brother safe, and alive, while they face off against a common enemy.


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BATHING BEAUTIES, BOOZE AND BULLETS - A Jazz Age Mystery #2
It’s 1927 in Galveston, Texas—the “Sin City of the Southwest.” Jasmine (“Jazz”) Cross is an ambitious 21-year-old society reporter for the Galveston Gazette who tries to be taken seriously by the good-old-boy staff, but the editors only assign her fluffy puff pieces, like writing profiles of bathing beauties. The last thing Jazz wants to do is compare make-up tips with ditzy dames competing in the Miss Universe contest, known as the “International Pageant of Pulchritude and Bathing Girl Revue.”

She’d rather help solve the murders of young prostitutes who turn up all over town, but city officials insist on burying the stories during Splash Day festivities. After Jazz gets to know the bathing beauties, she realizes there’s a lot more to them than just pretty faces and figures. Jazz becomes suspicious when she finds out the contest is also sponsored by the Maceos, aspiring Beach Gang leaders and co-owners of the Hollywood Dinner Club, where the girls will perform before the parade and pageant.

Worse, her half-brother Sammy Cook, owner of the Oasis, a speakeasy on a rival gang’s turf, asks her to call in a favor from handsome Prohibition Agent James Burton—an impossible request that could compromise both of their jobs and budding romance. While Agent Burton gives her the cold shoulder, she fends off advances from Colin Ferris, an attractive but dangerous gangster who threatens Sammy as well as Burton. In the end, she must risk it all to save her friends from a violent killer hell-bent on revenge. Inspired by actual events.


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Flappers, Flasks and Foul Play - A Jazz Age Mystery #1
"Boardwalk Empire" meets "Midnight in Paris" in this soft-boiled historical mystery, inspired by actual events. Rival gangs fight over booze and bars during Prohibition in 1920s Galveston: the "Sin City of the Southwest."

Jasmine Cross, a 21-year-old society reporter, feels caught between two clashing cultures: the seedy speakeasy underworld and the snooty social circles she covers in the Galveston Gazette. During a night out with her best friend, Jazz witnesses a bar fight at the Oasis--a speakeasy secretly owned by her black-sheep half-brother, Sammy Cook. But when a big-shot banker with a hidden past collapses there and later dies, she suspects foul play. Was it an accident or a mob hit?

Soon handsome young Prohibition Agent James Burton raids the Oasis, threatening to shut it down if Sammy doesn't talk. Suspicious, he pursues Jazz, but despite her mixed feelings she refuses to rat on Sammy. As turf wars escalate between two real-life rival gangs, Sammy is accused of murder. To find the killer, Jazz must risk her life and career, exposing the dark side of Galveston's glittering society.


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Post Created by: James Moushon
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Paige Terner – The Deadly Water Hazard is featured at the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

Today the HBS Author's Spotlight is showcasing a Cozy Mystery: The Deadly Water Hazard from the Joy of Writing Author’s Club.

This Mystery is Collaborative fiction. It is written by a group of authors who share creative control of a story.

Follow this blog for interviews with outstanding Authors, their profiles and book lists.

The Deadly Water Hazard
A Cactus of the Valley Mystery

AVAILABLE at Amazon 

In Cactus of the Valley things are not as peaceful as they seem. When a body is found in a submerged golf cart, is it an accident or is it murder?

With plenty of resident suspects, all with motives resulting from conflicts with the victim, the path to solving this mystery is full of twists and turns. And everyone has something to hide.

What do an angry grandma, a tormented golf partner, a chef with a past, and a secretive waitress have in common? And what about the browbeaten spouse?

Will the snoopy spinster’s sleuthing skills help or hinder the investigation as detective Peterson uncovers the clues? Will this once tranquil community play through this handicap and get out of the rough?

Author: Paige Terner
Author Genre: Cozy Mystery


Author Description:
Paige Terner is the pen name for a group of writers who meet weekly in a senior community very similar to Cactus of the Valley. Meetings usually consist of writing on an assigned topic, or in response to a challenge. Activities are varied, and the writers’ levels span the gamut from beginners to published authors with a wide range of interests. What they have in common is an interest in writing and the willingness to share their work with the rest of the group

One day someone had a brilliant idea for a long-term project: a group written mystery story. Easy, right? Outline a basic plot, insert characters, divide into sections, and assign one to each writer. Voila! In two or three months, put them together and out will pop a story. That’s what we thought! Three years later, it didn't exactly just pop out, but it did materialize as The Deadly Water Hazard, a story to be proud of. Here are our comments on the experience.

Working with this group of talented, creative writers was a delight. The project was a learning experience for everyone involved. We had fun making up scenes and dialogues and watching our characters come to life. We improved our writing skills. We learned to give and receive constructive criticism as we problem solved together. Above all, the group stayed committed to “getting ‘er done” without forsaking quality or wrecking relationships in the process.

Emerson said, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” Our writing group’s journey has been a wild ride and a wonderful gift. Without the guidance of our fearless leader and dedicated editing team, we would have been adrift. Writing is easy; editing is tough. Our Joy of Writing group members are the best editing team an aspiring writer could have. But I do have to add, arriving at our destination has been a joy.

Author: Judy A. Knox
Author Genre: Christian, Nonfiction, Memoir, Cozy Mystery

Website: Judy A. Knox
Twitter: @JudyAKnox
E-Mail: judy@judyaknox.com
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Amazon Author Profile and Book List


Author Description:
Judy Knox is a retired high school teacher who now teaches Christians how to enjoy a more vibrant walk with God by discovering His goodness in everyday life. Her books, devotionals, and blog posts encourage and inspire readers to find positive aspects to even those negative situations we all encounter from time to time. She always enjoyed writing, but began pursuing it seriously after her husband passed away in 2012.

Originally from the Midwest, Judy began escaping to Arizona for three winters before settling in as a year-round resident in 2017. Her son and daughter (both married) and six grandchildren still live in the Chicago area. She hopes that eventually they will relocate in a more southwesterly direction.

Although she would like more time with her family, she delights in the warm Arizona weather and her life in an active senior community. Social, educational, recreational, and musical opportunities about there, and she participates in a little of everything. As leader of their Joy of Writing Group, she spearheaded the group-written cozy mystery novella, The Deadly Water Hazard, published on Amazon under the pen name Paige Terner.

In addition to writing, she learned to play the cello at age 72 and performs occasionally with some smaller groups. A 2021 graduate of Charis Bible College, Phoenix, AZ, with an Associates Degree in Biblical Studies and a ministerial certificate, she teaches Bible study groups in her home, Future projects include a second devotional book similar to Dewdrops of Grace, many blog posts, and several new books that are in various stages of progress.

Author: Doreen Lechner
Author Genre: Cozy Mystery


Amazon Author Profile and Book List


Author Description:
Doreen grew up in West Branch, Iowa and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls with a BA and MA in Education. She taught Jr.High/High School Language Arts for eight years until she began teaching at the Community College for the rest of her career. Reading and Writing have always been a passion for her and joining the Joy of Writing group in Fountain of the Sun has been a highlight in her retirement. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, scrapbooking, card making, spending time with her critters, and family. She and her husband still farm in Iowa and winter in Arizona.

Emerson said, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” Our writing group’s journey has been a wild ride and a wonderful gift. Without the guidance of our fearless leader and dedicated editing team, we would have been adrift. Writing is easy; editing is tough. Our Joy of Writing group members are the best editing team an aspiring writer could have. But I do have to add, arriving at our destination has been a joy.

Author: Pam Crawford
Author Genre: Cozy Mystery

Website: Leia’s Adventures Ring of Change

Amazon Author Profile and Book List


Author Description:
Pam Crawford joined the Joy of Writing Club as it was putting the pieces of the book together. It was like creating a patch-work quilt but with too many pieces or the wrong sizes. She became one of the editors of The Deadly Water Hazard and is responsible for the title. Her entry won the book-naming contest in the community newspaper.

Pam is a retired attorney and lives in Bismarck, North Dakota with her husband Jay. A few years ago, they decided to spend winters in Mesa, Arizona where they settled into a condo at the Fountain of the Sun. Pam proceeded to write, capturing life experiences which she often reads to the writing club.

She wrote and published a children’s book in 2021 “Leia’s Adventures: Ring of Change.”

She had many adventures of her own: being a governess in New York City; working on an archeology dig at Fort Union near her hometown, Willison, North Dakota; going to college and learning to snow ski in the Seattle area (after one season on the bunny hill) and attending Law School in her 50’s after raising two boys. She says going back to school later in life was the best adventure so far because she found new passion and purpose. It also had been a life-time dream. Writing the book was the second dream come true.

Her sons want more Leia adventures so that may be in the works this year.

Author: Larry Meath
Author Genre: Cozy Mystery


Author Description:
Larry Meath is a retired educator and a graduate of Oregon State University with a degree in English. He received his MAT in English Education from Northern Arizona University which started his love for Arizona. Larry taught middle school English for 29 years before moving to the University of Alaska for another 12 years. His first book, Trustworthy Liars, is a memoir of fishing in Alaska with two lifelong friends. He now transitions between Alaskan summers and Arizona winters with his wife, Stephanie, and their two pets.

Writing a mystery by committee posed challenges, rewards, and gratitude. Gratitude goes to Judy for an incredible amount of work just to keep this project going. At times it seemed a bit like herding cats. Challenges were embedded in the gratitude.

Combining a dozen or so writers with varying styles and ideas necessitated a degree of humility, not to mention patience. But in the end I think we all felt rewarded with the product, not to mention our ability to see this through. If we had known from the outset how difficult it would be, I'm not sure we would have started it in the first place.


Author: Carol Redmore
Author Genre: Cozy Mystery


Author Description:
Working as a team to write The Deadly Water Hazard was invaluable; in addition, it was fun. It was a challenge when some in our group who are snowbirds returned to home states in the summers, making it hard to stay in rhythm. The arrival of Zoom this past year helped greatly, as we juggled characters and time lines and made many changes.

The camaraderie of working toward one goal was a great pleasure, and strong leadership from Judy kept us in line. I learned so much about writing techniques and editing. The experience was a treasure!

Author: Martha Jo Tisdale
Author Genre: Cozy Mystery


Author Description:
Grammie Jo would be proud to know Martha Jo followed in her footsteps making a name for herself by punching the keys on the ole typewriter found under a pile of bedding in the guest room closet. I can just hear her now: “Who’da thunk it?”

Besides taking care of a family of seven plus working a full-time job “building a power plant,” she managed to squeeze out time to put pen to paper fulfilling requirements for a seat in the front row of a group of writers called “Joy of Writing.”

Martha Jo loves to write. Poems come easily; segments of family history are varied and actually complement those of her brother. She dabbled in creative writing, just to see what would end up on the pages. Upon discovering her mother’s college scrapbook, she delighted in twinges experienced when her writings mimicked those of her mother’s.

She majored in business because her dad insisted she learn a skill she could “fall back on,” but minored in English, her first love. Being published in a book gave her the boost she needed to pursue her goals.

Martha Jo participates in Joy of Writing as time permits.

"My first question when someone suggested writing a murder mystery as a class project was, “Where do you start?” One Joy of Writing participant suggested we set the murder in a 55+ adult park, similar to ours.

Never having considered a novel, my first thought was that it would be simply a continuation of any story written for an assignment. I learned quickly that there would be a myriad of pieces that would need to be carefully put into place. Part of the challenge was learning that those various pieces were called “back stories,” “vignettes,” and something called a “denouement.” I learned that writing a murder mystery was far more complicated than I ever imagined. More than just a plot, there are characters to create.

As time went on and various parts of the mystery moved forward, my interest in participating intensified. It was reassuring to see more pieces of the puzzle being put out there to consider. Interestingly enough, the deletion of those extraneous words, which only “take up space,” was of interest to me. I especially like the word “camaraderie” when it applies to the Joy of Writing writers!"


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