Grace Adair sits down for a question-and-answer session with dru’s book musings so that we can learn more about her. Let’s get to know Grace.
What is your full name?
Grace Anne MacInnes Adair
How old are you?
41
What is your profession?
Full-time suburban mom, part-time defense attorney, contract editor/fact-checker. (And consecrated assassin, but we don’t talk about that!)
If you have a significant other, what is their name and profession?
My husband, Michael Adair, is the defense lawyer you call when you’re really in trouble in New Haven County, Connecticut. Bonus: he looks a bit like the guy on Outlander and even wears a kilt for formal occasions. Mostly makes up for his total cluelessness about my life. Mostly.
Do you have any children?
Daniel, age six, his dad’s mini-me.
Who is your best friend?
My two parent buddies: Corinna Grant, the town librarian, and Brian Stein, who runs the hardware store with his centenarian great-uncle, Old Man Loquat.
Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
Scotchie, a giant blonde mutt. And – a very recent addition! – a tortie cat named Nolo.
What town do you live in?
Alcott, Connecticut, a small suburban community just up the coast from New Haven.
What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
Classic split-level ranch.
Do you have any hobbies?
Swing dancing with my husband. (I figure poisoning evil men who’ve evaded human justice probably doesn’t count as a hobby!)
If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
On the Side of the Angels — my sisterhood of lady poisoners is consecrated to the Archangel Gabriel.
Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Professional poisoner, amateur sleuth. Sometimes my friends and husband get involved in solving crimes – and complicate everything, because they don’t, and can’t, know about my secret life.
MURDER ON THE SEA OTTER EXPRESS
Series Name: A Gracie “The Hit Mom” Mystery, Book 3
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: February 2026
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
In the third installment of the Grace “the Hit Mom” Mysteries, a field trip to the New Haven Aquarium ends in disaster when a creepy chaperone falls to his death in the beluga whale tank…when Grace was the one who was supposed to kill him.
Per usual, Grace Adair is juggling it all—being a full-time mom, part-time lawyer, freelance editor, divinely-contracted assassin—and now, school chaperone.
Her son’s field trip to the local aquarium takes a dive when Eric Egan, a district curriculum administrator, is unceremoniously thrown off the aquarium’s Sea Otter Express into the beluga whale tank. Nobody’s especially upset to see the creep’s body sleeping with the fishes, but Grace is in trouble because Egan was supposed to be her next hit—and she sure wouldn’t have killed him in front of a bunch of first graders.
Now, Grace will have to solve the murder, settle decades-old grudges, and keep her own secrets—all while taking care of her family…and serving as flower girl at her handler Madge’s wedding. As the tasks pile up, Grace isn’t sure if she’ll live to see it all done.
About the author
Nikki Knight is the pen name of Kathleen Marple Kalb, an Author/Anchor/Mom…not in that order. A Regional Edward R. Murrow Award-winning weekend anchor at New York’s 1010 WINS Radio, she’s the author of eleven novels, including the Grace the Hit Mom series, and dozens of short stories, under both names. Her work’s been short-listed for National Excellence in Storytelling (NEST), Derringer, and Black Orchid Novella Awards. She’s served as Vice President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society and the New York/Tri-State Sisters in Crime Chapter, and is currently on the National Board of Sisters in Crime. She and her family live in a Connecticut house owned by a large calico cat.
It downloaded on Tuesday. I’m reading it now and loving it!
Thank you — so glad you’re enjoying it!
This is a new series for me. Can’t wait to start reading.
Thank you! Grace is a lot of fun!
Thank you, Dru Ann, for introducing Grace to your readers!
I enjoyed reading about your character and series and think I will have to read the Grace Adair books. Her name caught my eye in a major way because my oldest daughter’s name is Adair.
Thank you! You probably know why I chose that last name for Grace, then. The motto of the Scottish Clan Adair is “Loyal Unto Death,” which perfectly describes her husband Michael. (The clan plaid is a fun red-and-green, too!)