As an adjunct English professor, I’m used to having my schedule change from one semester to the next. But I’m not in the classroom for now and haven’t been for a few months.

My dad was diagnosed with late-onset muscular dystrophy and couldn’t run his board game shop Of Dice and Decks by himself anymore. I’d recently gotten divorced and, with little besides my job keeping me in Seattle, I resigned and returned home to Salt Lake City so I could help with the shop.

While I love board games and the community built around Dad’s shop, I struggle with the social side of running the shop. I’m much more comfortable with a book or my rescue dog Beans. But the wonderful thing about games is that they bring people together. It’s taken some trial and error, but I’m getting more comfortable chatting with customers and running game nights every day.

It also helps that I’ve grown fond of the florist next door, Ezra McCaslin. He has a knack for making people feel comfortable–safe, even. I certainly do, spending time in his shop, and not just because it smells like lavender. While I’m in no rush to get in a relationship so soon after my divorce, maybe someday… well, let’s just say I appreciate his company.

Now that I’ve been home for a few months, I’ve almost fully adjusted to my new routine. As of late, the only trouble I’ve had is with one customer: Clive Newton. He’s a rare game collector who keeps trying to sell me items he claims are valuable but with dubious authenticity. I have enough stress in my life without doing business with him, and I think he’s finally understood that.

I can’t shake the way that, when I’ve caught him off-guard, he gets this glint in his eyes… like there’s something sinister lurking behind his salesman persona. I hope I never find out what. And I hope–no, I’m sure–Dad and I can keep up with the rising rent in Salt Lake City without his help.

Board to Death, A Board Game Shop Mystery Book #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: August 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

The first in an ulta-charming new “quozy” mystery series starring Ben Rosencrantz, a queer 30-something English professor (and closet scifi fan) who’s returned to his hometown of Salt Lake City to run his family’s board game shop in the trendy Sugar House neighborhood – a community hotspot for players of all ages…and for killer collectors!

Back in his hometown of Sugar House running his family’s board game shop and café, Ben Rosencrantz just can’t seem to get his life to pass go, much less collect $200. Once he was a happily married English professor in Seattle. Now he’s a divorced caregiver, looking after his ill father and a Chihuahua named Beans while still figuring out the rules of retail management. At least the town has become more LGBTQ+ friendly than when Ben was a teenager—and that flower shop owner, Ezra McCaslin, enjoys flirting with him.

But despite his usual clientele of gamers, Ben is barely earning enough to keep the store running and stay on top of his father’s medical bills. Then a local toy and game collector named Clive offers him a winning strategy—to purchase a turn-of-the-twentieth-century edition of The Landlord’s Game, the realty and taxation game that inspired Monopoly, at a tenth of the rare edition’s true value. Suspicious of Clive’s shady, low-priced deal, Ben turns the offer down.

Then Clive turns up dead at the front door of Ben’s and a backpack full of $100 bills appears on his doorstep. Now Ben is the #1 suspect in Clive’s death, and unless he and Ezra can prove his innocence and find the real killer, he’ll go to jail for murder—and no amount of double dice rolls will set him free . . .

Meet the author
CJ Connor (he/they) is the author of queer romances and cozy mysteries, including the Board Game Shop Mystery series. Active in both the writing and LGBTQIA+ communities, they are a mentor for Author Mentor Match, an EBSCO NoveList advisor, and a member of the Utah League of Writers. They are also the co-leader of a LGBTQIA employee affinity group and a contributor for Book Riot. When they are not writing, CJ Connor can be found perusing art museums, listening to angsty folk music, stress knitting, and attending weekly gatherings for board game enthusiasts with their husband, an amateur board game designer. They live in the Salt Lake City area with their dog, Yoda. Visit CJ Connor online at CJConnorWrites.com.

All comments are welcomed.