Elizabeth Russell is new to the mystery scene and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Beth.

What is your name?
Elizabeth (Beth) Russell

How old are you?
That depends. My body is 48, but my brain is 25.

What is your profession?
I’m a historical researcher and genealogist. I’ve loved history forever, and genealogy just came along as a natural arm of that. I am hired by top-tier authors to do their historical research, check out settings, and sometimes search family trees.

Do you have a significant other?
I did. His name was Richard, and I met him in college. Unlike me—an only child—he was the youngest of six and joined the army to be able to pay for grad school down the road. But he was killed in the First Gulf War—December 15, 1990. No one else has come into my life like Richard. I’ve dated off-and-on, but they didn’t value the work I did or feel it was as important as theirs. Something about an intelligent woman threatened them. Recently, however, I may have met someone who proves the exception to the rule. We’ll see.

What is his name and profession?
This recent person is Kyle Warner. He’s a detective in the small town of Sweet Iron, Illinois. A widower, he moved from the St. Louis area a few years ago because it held too many memories. I met him when he came to investigate a burglary at the Tippitt house where I’m staying. Since we’ve spent some time together, I’ve discovered a few facts about him: he is an amazing jazz pianist, likes history like me, and works on a classic car in his spare time. He’s quite an interesting person, but since I don’t plan to stay in Sweet Iron, I’m not sure I see a future here. I’m torn in two directions: whether to get to know him better or keep my distance because I’m leaving soon to go back to my home in Long Island.

Any children?
No. I was an only child, and my parents literally had no pasts. Ironically, I’ve never been able to trace their families.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
No. I’m not sure why. My parents kept me close to home in the small upstate town of Spring Harbor, New York. My father, Robert, whom I admired, was a lawyer of strong moral values, and I compare him in my mind to Atticus Finch. From him I think I inherited my sense of justice and righting wrongs. My mother, Laurel Russell, ended up raising me because my father died in a one-car accident on a snowy road when I was 14. It was terrifying, and I sensed that loss for years after his death. My anxious mother did her best to raise me, but in my later college years she began showing signs of dementia, and a huge lump of my father’s life insurance went to cover her medical expenses. It was just my mother and me. I always felt my parents had kept something from me about the past—some big secret—because one morning my mother’s mind wandered, and she talked about things that made no sense, like my eyes. Unlike my parents’ eyes, mine are green with gold flecks. Where did they come from?

Who is your best friend?
Gabrielle Martinez. Gabby and I both work in New York City, and meet often for racquetball and lunch. She’s my best friend—we met in graduate school—and now that I’m in the Midwest checking out this situation, I talk to her often on the phone. She’s married to handsome, perfect Anthony, and they have two teenagers. Currently, it’s Christmas Break, and they’re in Florida while she encouraged me to come to Illinois and check out this weird story about my family.

What weird story?
I encountered an investigator in the New York City Public Library who said he had tracked me down for an attorney who represents the Tippitt family in a small town in Illinois called Sweet Iron. At first, I was uneasy and thought this was a scam. I know no one in Illinois and certainly not a family named Tippitt. But Gabby convinced me to check it out, and the attorney was providing airfare and a bed-and-breakfast reservation, so it wasn’t going to cost me anything. Now I’m here checking it out.

What town do you live in?
Currently, I’m in the small town of Sweet Iron, Illinois, population 15,000. At least they have a Starbucks. Usually I live in a condo in Sea Cliff, Long Island. I commute into the city to do my research at the Rose Room of the New York City Public Library. But after what I’m discovering here in Illinois, I may not be heading back there any time soon.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
Right now I’m staying in the Tippitt mansion in Sweet Iron. It’s a Queen Anne Tudor, which I love—just think of the history—but I’m rolling around in this huge place by myself. In New York, I have a condo that is so tiny compared to Tippitt House. But it has been home for many years as I worked my way up in the research business.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
The living room, for sure. It has a lovely, cavernous fireplace, and since I’m in Illinois in January, it’s cozy and warm.

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
I love any kind of seafood, but especially tilapia, lobster, clams, scallops, or red snapper. My favorite dessert is easy: anything with chocolate—the darker, the better!

Favorite hobby?
Genealogy. I use that in my work, of course, but I love to spend my time tracking down details about mysteries in families over generations. I can lose myself for hours tracking down a stray great-great-grandparent. It probably goes back to my love of history—people and their lives ARE history.

Favorite color?
Slate blue

Favorite author?
Doris Kearns Goodwin. Love her historical books.

Favorite vacation spot?
Paris, of course.

Movies or Broadway?
Both. Living in New York City, I’m not far from Broadway, so I’ve seen many spectacular productions there, often with my friend, Gabby. But I love old movies too, the black-and-white ones. I used to love to curl up with my dad on the sofa and watch his favorite old movies.

Are you a morning or a night person?
A night person. I must drag myself out of bed in the morning, even if I’m doing research on a topic I love. After my first cup of coffee, I put on a happy face and get to work. At night, I love to watch old movies or read books with a glass of good wine, often till the wee hours.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
That depends on the context. When it comes to crime, I’m an amateur. My profession, however, is hunting down details from history, so in that sense, I’m a professional.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
My latest partner-in-crime is Molly Grayson, a hilarious woman who is the head librarian at McClendan College. She seems to love a good mystery as much as I do, and I can see—depending on how long I stay in Sweet Iron—that we might become good friends and fellow-sleuths.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Here in Sweet Iron, a typical day involves total confusion. I’ve met with an OCD lawyer who is a germaphobe, and he believes my parents aren’t really my parents. He’s spun me a crazy story about my mom being from the wealthy Tippitt family, my father languishing in prison, my past a total lie, and my future possibly filled with a financial legacy I can hardly imagine. It all hinges on a DNA test. See what I mean? Total confusion.

You can read about Beth in A Death at Tippitt Pond, the first book in the NEW “Sweet Iron” traditional mystery series, released June 15, 2019.

Secrets long buried surround the murder of teenage Melanie Tippitt. The daughter of a wealthy family in a small town, her lifeless body was found floating in Tippitt Pond in the summer of 1971. Six people were there that day, and one was convicted of her murder. Case closed.

Now, forty-five years later, Beth Russell, a freelance researcher and genealogist, is brought to the town by a lawyer who believes Russell is the daughter of Melanie Tippitt and long-lost heir to the Tippitt fortune. Soon Beth finds herself surrounded by people who want her gone as soon as possible, people with a great deal to lose. The more they push, the more determined Beth is to discover the truth. With the help of a handsome detective, Beth vows to uncover what happened that day at Tippitt Pond.

The ghostly presence of Melanie Tippitt, a stranger watching from the woods, and the discovery of secrets in Tippitt House make for a suspense-filled investigation where Beth discovers . . . A DEATH AT TIPPITT POND changed everything.

Purchase Link
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About the author
Susan Van Kirk lives at the center of the universe—the Midwest—and writes during the ridiculously cold, snowy, icy winters. Why leave the house and break something? Her Endurance Mysteries—Three May Keep a Secret, The Locket: From the Casebook of TJ Sweeney, Marry in Haste, and Death Takes No Bribes—are humorous cozies about a retired school teacher in the small town of Endurance who finds herself in the middle of murders. Her new series about Beth Russell combines history and mystery in her debut, A Death at Tippitt Pond. Van Kirk taught for 44 years in high school and college, raised three children, and is blissfully retired.

You can find out about her books at susanvankirk.com.

All comments are welcomed.