After my late husband, Leon, died, I started spending a lot more time with my grandmother, Nana Jo, and her friends from Shady Acres Retirement Village. A day with Nana Jo and The Girls often involves a trip to the Four Feathers Casino. I’m the designated driver and typically drop everyone at the door and park. So, let’s meet The Girls.
In her late sixties, Ruby Mae Stevenson is the youngest of Nana Jo’s friends. Ruby Mae is a Black woman who was born in Alabama and has a lovely southern drawl. She loves to knit and with nine children and an army of grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and extended family, knitting comes in handy. Her extensive family connections can always get us moved to the front of any restaurant waitlist. Everywhere we go, she finds someone she knows, which comes in handy when we’re investigating. For some reason, people like talking to Ruby Mae.
Dorothy Clark, Nana Jo’s closest friend, is a couple of inches shy of six feet, weighs just under three-hundred pounds, sings like an angel, and has a black-belt in akido. Dorothy loves to play blackjack in the high limit room, or can be found singing in one of the casino lounges. Dorothy’s a helpless flirt, and men are attracted to her and spill their guts willingly. If her melodic voice doesn’t loosen their tongues, Dorothy isn’t above flipping them over her shoulder and forcing them to talk.
Irma Starczewski, who’s in her eighties is the oldest of Nana Jo’s friends. Irma’s not much more than five feet tall, even with her four-inch hooker heels and beehive hairdo, and barely weighs one hundred pounds dripping wet. Irma swears like a sailor, drinks like a fish, and flirts like a vaudeville vamp. At least, that’s what Nana Jo says. Irma likes to spend the majority of her time at the casino picking up men in one of the many bars. She likes to have fun, but is great at using her assets to get useful information in her own unique manner.
The girls are great sleuths. Because of their ages, most people don’t see them as a threat and are willing to share information with them that they would never share with the police. With the aid of The Girls and my pistol packing, sharpshooting, martial arts trained grandmother, I’ve been able to get information and solve murders that have left our local police stumped. A night with The Girls can be exhausting, but it’s also informative and tons of fun.
Bookclubbed to Death, A Mystery Bookshop Mystery #8
Genre: Cozy
Release: December 2022
Purchase Link
When the bookshop she owns becomes a crime scene, mystery writer Samantha Washington discovers there is such a thing as bad publicity . . .
After the local library in North Harbor, Michigan, is flooded in a storm, Sam offers her bookstore as a new venue for the Mystery Mavens Book Club. Unfortunately, she immediately runs afoul of the club leader, Delia Marshall, a book reviewer who can make or break careers—something Sam can ill afford with her debut historical mystery soon to be published.
But the next morning, Sam opens her shop to find the unpleasant woman dead on the floor, bashed with a heavy—apparently lethal—tome: the Complete Works of Agatha Christie. While Sam is busy writing her latest British historical mystery in which the queen mother is suspected in the murder of a London Times correspondent, a pair of ambitious cops suspect Sam of the real-life crime. When she gathers Nano Jo and their friends from the Shady Acres Retirement Village to review the case, they discover every one of the Mavens had a motive. With her novel about to hit the stores, Sam must find out who clubbed Delia before a judge throws the book at her . . .
You can read more about Samantha Washington in the other Mystery Bookshop Mysteries.
- The Plot Is Murder
- Read Herring Hunt
- The Novel Art Of Murder
- Wed, Read, And Dead
- Bookmarked For Murder
- A Tourist’s Guide To Murder
- Killer Words
About the author
Valerie (V.M.) Burns is an Agatha Anthony, and Edgar Award-nominated author. She is the author of the Mystery Bookshop, Dog Club, RJ Franklin, and Baker Street Mystery series. Valerie is a member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America, and Dog Writers of America. She is also an adjunct professor in the Writing Popular Fiction Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. Born and raised in northwestern Indiana, Valerie now lives in Northern Georgia with her two poodles.
Readers can keep up with new releases by following her on social media – her website at vmburns.com, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Bookbub.
GIVEAWAY: How do you like to unwind and have fun? Leave a comment below with your answer for your chance to win a Kindle or paperback copy of Bookclubbed To Death. One entry per person and the giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only. Giveaway ends December 30, 2022. Good luck everyone!
All comments are welcomed.
I am a huge fan of VM Burns and looking forward to this new one.
Maren, thank you. Good luck!
I unwind by getting comfortable in my chair by the window with a warm blanket and a good book. It’s a good way to unwind.
I like to unwind by reading books, of course! Especially cozy mysteries and V.M. Burns is one of my favorite authors. Looking forward to this book!
Mary Ellen, Thank you so much. Good luck in the giveaway!
The way I unwind depends on the time of the year. It ranges from hot chocolate and a good book to music and all those tempting seed catalogs that have just started to arrive.
Relaxing for me sitting quietly and have glass of ice tea with a good book to read. As for having fun I like to visit place I have never been.
Lois, sitting quietly with a glass of tea and a good book sounds like a perfect place to relax. Good luck!
Congratulations on another book! It sounds really good. I like to spend time with my two best friends. They can get me laughing so hard that all the stress just melts away.
Time with friends sounds like a great way to relax. Laughing is definitely good for you. “A merry heart doeth good, like a medicine.” Good luck!
I like to unwind by reading a good book or listening to music.
Anita, those are two of my favorite ways to relax, too.
I enjoy the varied ages of the cast and, of course, the dogs! Fun series.
Diane, thank you so much. I’m glad you enjoyed the book and especially, Baby!
Relaxing for me involves a combination of reading, walking, and crafts. Thanks for the chance.
Leeza, I love that list. Thanks for sharing. Good luck!
I enjoyed this intro. Entertaining and delightful. I read and relax with a mug of tea and soothing background music.
Anne, I’m glad you enjoyed the intro. I think we enjoy the same things. Nothing like a cup of earl grey and a good book. Good luck!
Wonderful book. Unwinding means being surrounded by a quiet environment, sipping tea and enjoying a captivating novel.
Ruth, I’m glad you enjoyed the book. I love all of those, too. Best of luck!
I watch TV, read, or color. I have a cat. I enjoy coffee and play games on my phone or tablet. I like fill-in puzzles and easy crosswords.
When I want to relax and unwind, I’m either working a jigsaw puzzle or coloring. I’ve been coloring since I was a kid and kept it up into adulthood long before coloring became a fad a few years ago. Coloring is fun, relaxing, and a way to explore other creativity.
That’s awesome. I haven’t gotten into (or back into) coloring, but I do love looking at the amazing art that is created. Puzzles are fun, too. I used to have some mystery puzzles that I thoroughly enjoyed. It might be time to dig one of those out. Good luck!
To relax, I love to sit on the patio with a cup of coffee and a cozy mystery (with thrillers interspersed here and there), surrounded by our 5 wonderful dogs!
Ellen, I think coffee on the patio with a mystery sounds fantastic. Surrounded by dogs takes it over the top. Thanks for sharing and best of luck!
I like to unwind by reading books, knitting/crocheting, and cuddling with my cat. Thank you for this chance!
Peggy, those all sound great, especially the cuddling with the cat part. Good luck!
Reading cozy mysteries and embroidering are my favorites. Both are relaxing and enjoyable.
Barbara, I admire anyone who can embroider. I’ve tried, but my efforts were less than stellar. However, the reading cozies part is something that I thoroughly enjoy. Good luck!
I unwind by sitting in my lounger with a good BOOK! Paper please. I broke my tablet because of it falling off my chest when I fell asleep. Books don’t break (usually) just bend.
I love books too, but got I do love my kindle, too. However, I agree that books don’t break! Good luck!
I mostly unwind by reading. I also garden and watch TV. I love this series and would love to win the newest book.
Sally, thank you so much. It truly warms my heart to learn that people enjoy the series. Best of luck!
I unwind by drinking a cup of hot tea with lemon, a cozy throw and a good book.
Deborah, all of that just sounds fantastic. I would just need a couple of poodles to snuggle with and I’d be in heaven. Good luck!
Love the cover with the stars over the dog’s head!
Thanks, Libby. I love the cover, too. The illustrator that Kensington uses for this series is awesome. Good luck!
Love to read or knit. Prefer paper because I drop things.
Debra, I used to knit and I enjoyed it. I might need to give it a try again (whenever I find time to relax). Good luck!
I like to unwind by reading a good book or watching TV.
Diana, both of those are excellent ways to relax. Thanks for sharing. Good luck!
I just came across your series thanks to “The Wickeds” and their post! I’m eager to dive in to this bookshop cozy series! Favorite way of unwinding – a cup of coffee, one of my cats on my lap, and a great cozy mystery to read!
I read, knit, and watch NFL football. I can knit and watch at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed the book set in faux-Benton Harbor – so much fun! May your New Year be Happy, Healthy, and Psorperous . . .
I enjoy reading in my recliner with a beverage and a cozy blanket on top of me!
Sounds like a fun read. I like to unwind with a good book to read and a cat on my lap. And maybe a glass of wine.
**** WINNER ****
Bookclubbed to Death is Maren
Congratulations!