Every morning, I wake up with the sun and sit diligently down at my typewriter to start writing my next thriller novel. There’s something about the rays filtering through the branches of the rural Washington forest surrounding my grandfather’s cabin, all that fresh air and—

Okay, fine. I get up late. Too late most of the time, the coffee my teenaged daughter brewed for me long since gone cold. I drink it anyway, because beggars can’t be choosers and also because I’m garbage in the kitchen. Like, actual garbage. Gertrude does all the cooking for us, which is a good thing because the only thing I’m cut out for is writing about murder.

And that, for the record, I’m excellent at. My bestselling series is all about a rough-edged, rogue detective named Gabriel Gonzales who does whatever he wants in the name of justice. He’s everything I think a good “book cop” should be: gruff and surly, dedicated to his job and fond of freshly baked treats. In fact, he’s a lot like the local sheriff in my tiny town of Winthrop, Washington. Some might even say he’s too much like the local sheriff, right down to his sleek black hair and cleft palate scar.

The similarities weren’t on purpose, I swear. I hadn’t even met Sheriff Victor Boyd until long after I’d invented the fictional detective that would catapult me into fame. But the two lawmen are almost exact facsimiles of each other. . .except for one tiny thing. My fictional detective will do anything in the name of fighting evil. Sheriff Boyd, on the other hand, is as by the book as it comes. Any time I try asking one little question about murder or if he wants any help chasing the Bigfoot that stalks the woods in these parts, he acts like I’m singlehandedly trying to rewrite the U.S. legal code.

Which, for the record, I’m not. All I’m trying to do is gather a little bit of material for my next book. See, I’m on a tight deadline and the words aren’t flowing as well as they used to. I may not have been the one to put a dead body in the pond outside my cabin, but there’s no way I’m letting it go to waste. Not when there’s so much intrigue and excellent source material headed my way.

Besides, I’m not alone in this journey of mine. In addition to my daughter, who’s turning out to be really good at this solving-a-murder thing, I’ve recruited the help of the local bookmobile librarian. Together, we make a crime-fighting trio that’s likely to turn this town on its head. . .and, with any luck, catapult my next book right to the top of the New York Times bestseller list.

Just as soon as I finish this cold coffee, of course. And maybe nose around town for a few hours. And stop by the sheriff’s office to check on one tiny thing. After all, hands-on research is a thriller writer’s best friend. . .

Buried in a Good Book, A By the Book Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: May 2022
Purchase Link

Don’t miss the first book in a brand-new gripping and hilarious bookish cozy mystery series by author Tamara Berry! Put your sleuthing hat on—Buried in a Good Book features: A thriller writer who knows way more than anyone should about death and dismemberment.

Bestselling thriller writer Tess Harrow is almost at the end of her rope when she arrives with her teenage daughter at her grandfather’s rustic cabin in the woods. She hopes this will be a time for them to heal and bond after Tess’s recent divorce, but they’ve barely made it through the door when an explosion shakes the cabin. Suddenly it’s raining fish guts and. . .is that a human arm?

Tess was hardly convincing Gertie that a summer without Wi-Fi and running water would be an adventure. Now she’s thrust into a murder investigation, neighbors are saying they’ve spotted Bigfoot in the woods near her cabin, and the local sheriff is the spitting image of her character Detective Gabriel Gonzales―something he’s less than thrilled about. With so much more than her daughter’s summer plans at stake, it’s up to Tess to solve this case before anyone else gets hurt.

About the author
Tamara Berry is the author of the Eleanor Wilde cozy mystery series and, as Lucy Gilmore, the Forever Home contemporary romance series. Also a freelance writer and editor, she has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a serious penchant for Nancy Drew novels. She lives in Bigfoot country (a.k.a. Eastern Washington) with her family and their menagerie. Find her online at tamaraberry.com.

All comments are welcomed.