I’ve dreamed of writing British historical mysteries for as long as I can remember. Finally, my first book, Murder at Wickfield Lodge, has been published. It’s a dream come true. My publisher even arranged for a book tour. Sadly, that’s where the dream ended, and the nightmare began.

Episodes of Jessica Fletcher touring the country on book tours in Murder, She Wrote didn’t prepare me for the exhaustion of traveling to bookstores, sitting at a table with a fake smile on my face while I tried to make eye contact with bookstore patrons who were determined not to make eye contact with me. Still, my book was out in the world and there were people who genuinely enjoyed reading it. I was exhausted, but thrilled.

There was only one last stop on my tour. A last-minute withdrawal allowed my publicist, Larissa Addo to snag a spot for me at the prestigious North Harbor Book Festival. I wanted to decline, but the festival was notable. Besides, North Harbor was my hometown, so I didn’t have far to travel. It was just one more event and then I could go back to running my bookstore, writing my next historical cozy, and spending time with my fiancé. After all, I still had a wedding to plan. My publicist even managed to get me on a panel with the featured guest, internationally bestselling author, Judith Hunter. Maybe I could even convince her to do a signing at my bookstore. My patrons would love it and it wasn’t likely that someone with her success would ever make it to North Harbor, Michigan again. So, it could be a win-win, and I agreed to do it.

I was ill-prepared for the caliber of authors attending the North Harbor Book Festival. This was an entirely different world from the cozy mystery mini-conferences and book events I’d previously attended. Mingling with authors writing important books intended to save the environment, the rainforest, or the Amur Leopard, sent my impostor syndrome into hyperdrive. Cozy mysteries aren’t taken seriously within the crime fiction community let alone the high-browed literary fiction and nonfiction communities. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I didn’t belong here. The placement of my author table was a testament to that fact. Strategically placed in between the Men’s Restroom and the fire escape, and hidden behind a large fake palm tree was my author’s table. This event couldn’t end fast enough for me.

Still, I’m at a book festival and I try to make the best of it. It doesn’t take long before I realize that there is a storm brewing between several of the other authors. Accusations and threats disrupt the festival. When Judith Hunter’s former lover and publicist, Clark Cunningham, is murdered after drinking champagne intended for Judith, several questions arise. Was Clark Cunningham the intended victim? Or was the killer really after Judith Hunter? If so, would the killer try again?

If I felt out of place among the literary elite, Detective Pitt is even more out of his depth. Realizing that as an invited author, I have an inside track to get information, Detective Pitt enlists me to get the dirt and report back. With the help of my grandmother, Nana Jo, and the other ladies from Shady Acres Retirement Village, we set out to prevent another murder and figure out Whodunit.

Giveaway: Have you ever attended a book festival? If so, did you enjoy it? Leave a comment below for your chance to win a Kindle or paper copy of Murder On Tour, U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends November 30, 2023. Good luck everyone!

Murder on Tour, A Mystery Bookshop Mystery Book #9
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: November 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Bookstore owner and Michigander Samantha Washington is thrilled to see her debut historical mystery finally on the shelves, but a killer seems determined to steal away the spotlight . . .

While Sam wraps up her first whirlwind book tour, Nana Jo has kept Market Street Mysteries running smoothly. The last stop is a prestigious book festival in Sam’s hometown of North Harbor, Michigan. But not everyone thinks the guest of honor, bestselling author Judith Hunter, deserves stellar reviews. Sam witnesses nasty arguments between Judith and two different authors—who accuse her of plagiarism and sabotage . . .

When a publicist is poisoned during a cocktail reception, Sam wonders if the killer missed the intended target. It’s a twist that echoes the plot of Sam’s mystery, Murder at Wickfield Lodge. But fact can be stranger—and deadlier—than fiction. How much collateral damage is the killer willing to risk? With feisty Nana Jo and the girls from Shady Acres Retirement Village lending a hand, Sam tries to solve the case before the festival delivers another fatality . . .

Other books in the Mystery Bookshop Mysteries by V. M. Burns
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
Bookclubbed To Death

About the author
About the author Valerie (V.M.) Burns is an Agatha, Anthony, and Edgar Award-nominated author. In addition to the Baker Street Mystery, she is also the author of the Mystery Bookshop, Dog Club, RJ Franklin, and the upcoming Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery series writing as Kallie E. Benjamin. 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.

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