Tricia Miles is the sleuth in the “Booktown” mysteries. One of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions. So, let’s get to know Tricia.

What is your full name?
Patricia Miles.

How old are you?
In my forties.

What is your profession?
Bookseller

Do you have a significant other?
Well, sort of.

What is their name and profession?
Marshall Cambridge. He owns the Armchair Tourist.

Do you have any children?
No.

Do you have any siblings?
My older (by 5 years) sister, Angelica Miles.

Are your parents nearby?
No (thank goodness).

Who is your best friend?
My sister.

Do you have any pets?
A gray domestic long-haired cat named Miss Marple.

What town do you live in?
Stoneham, New Hampshire

Would you say you live in a small town or a big city?
Village.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I own a commercial building. The first floor houses my store, and the other two stories consist of my home.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
The reader’s nook in my master bedroom suite.

Favorite meal and dessert?
Hmm. That’s a tough question. Probably scallops. And dessert? Cake—not fussy on the kind (but it has to be a small piece).

Do you have any hobbies?
At one time, I repaired old books (new binding, etc.). These days, I just don’t have time.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Who has time for a vacation? But. . .I like to visit stately homes. (Think Biltmore and The Breakers.)

What music do you listen to?
New Age.

Do you have a favorite book?
Anything by Agatha Christie.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
My sister’s Sunday family dinners, when we all get to catch up with each other from the week before.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
** I am NOT a Jinx **.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Amateur. . .and my cohort in (solving) crime is usually my sister, Angelica.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I get up just about every morning and go for a walk (or on the treadmill if the weather is bad). I often take my sister’s dog, Sarge, with me. After that, I get ready for work at my bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue. My employees, Pixie Poe and Mr. Everett, show up just before opening so that we can share a cup of coffee and a cookie or two. Then the workday begins. As assistant manager, Pixie takes care of the more humdrum things, leaving me free to buy more stock, and sometimes head out to look for clues. In the evenings, I join my sister (or she joins me) for happy hour, where we talk about the events of the day and then have dinner. After that, I get to relax with a good book before I say goodnight to my cat and turn out the light. While it sounds a bit boring. . .I seem to find trouble on a regular basis. A few times (okay, maybe more than a few), I’ve found myself in danger. You have to expect an increase in crime when prosperity visits a formerly less-than-flourishing village. All-in-all, Stoneham is a very safe village.

That said. I always lock my doors and set my security system.

Handbook For Murder is the 14th book in the “Booktown” cozy mystery series, coming July 21, 2020.

Tricia Miles must swim against the tide to catch a killer when Haven’t Got A Clue’s assistant manager is accused of murder in the latest entry to Lorna Barrett’s New York Times bestselling Booktown series.

Haven’t Got A Clue bookshop owner Tricia Miles’s relationship is on the rocks. After a not-so-fun vacation with her on-again-off-again lover, Marshall Cambridge, Tricia’s hoping for smooth sailing back in Stoneham. Unfortunately Booktown greets her not with blue skies but with another body.

When Tricia’s assistant manager, Pixie, finds homeless vet Susan Morris’s body behind Haven’t Got A Clue, Pixie’s checkered past makes her the prime suspect. Tricia sets out to clear Pixie’s name armed with only an anchor insignia earring found at the scene of the crime.

As Tricia digs deeper she discovers Susan was involved in a scandal right before retiring from the Navy—but since nobody in the village knows Susan, even Tricia’s one lead is in danger of drying up. With family drama brewing in the background and all of Stoneham convinced her manager is a murderer, Tricia knows she has to get to the bottom of the case soon before Pixie’s life is sunk.

Purchase Link
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About the author
The immensely popular Booktown Mystery series is what put Lorna Barrett’s name on the New York Times Bestseller list, but it’s her talent — whether writing as Lorna, or L.L. Bartlett, or Lorraine Bartlett — that keeps her there. This multi-published, Agatha-nominated author pens the exciting Jeff Resnick Mysteries as well as the acclaimed Victoria Square Mystery series and has many short stories and novellas to her name(s).

Lorna lives in Rochester, NY with her husband and two cats, Poppy and Emma. Visit her website at lornabarrett.com.

All comments are welcomed.