I roll over and sit straight up, startling my dog Wink from what was probably a very satisfying dream chasing rabbits. I’d forgotten the alarm on my phone, set to play Dolly’s 9-5. I’d also forgotten that I turned it to the level someone like me (Wanda Duff, pastor, activist, and hearing aid cover fashionista, at your service) can hear it.

I don’t usually need “a Dolly”. I’m a morning person, and if I’m not awake by 5, it’s because there’s been a pastoral emergency and I’m still up. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen often, but two nights ago, my friend Luke Fairchild called to say he was picking up a body, and could I please come sit with the family?

I said, “yes.” Did it matter that I had just gotten back from a bad date? No (and only partially because Luke is funny and charming and easy on the eyes – a definite step up from my usual dinner companions). All that matters is that I offer a little comfort when some family’s life is falling apart.

What? Did you hear that undignified snort? That’s my friend Rye (well, Vice Principal Prudence Rye is what is says on her office door, but no one calls her Prudence, or Pru, or Priddy. . .at least not more than once). She’s the person I set an alarm for this morning.

Remember the body? He was the father of one of her students, and the girl has gone AWOL. I was the last one to see Leslie Pond that night, in her dad’s room at Fair Havens. Rye is tasked with handling the Pond family (Principal Mendoza has an Olympic medal in speed-delegating). Of course, neither of us expected the family to have three mothers to contend with. . .

It’s a lot on too little sleep. That’s why Rye and I are heading to Harvey’s, the local bakery, before school. Nothing like a pastry rush with a side of caffeine to jumpstart this investigation.

Oh, sorry – Rye says this is definitely not an investigation (did I mention her father’s the former sheriff?), and that we are just doing our due diligence, a professional duty, as it were. “Are you. . .” yes, she sure is. She’s laughing at the word “duty.” That woman spends too much time with sophomores.

If you’ll excuse me, Wink has found his leash and is reminding me that dog walks wait for nothing – not dawn, not even a possible murder.

Death at Fair Havens, A Rev and Rye Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: April 2022
Purchase Link

Wanda Duff is an unconventional New England clergywoman, addicted to chicken wings, high-octane ice cream, and saying yes to anyone in need of a prayer, even the folks her town might think don’t deserve one.

When parishioner Niels Pond dies unexpectedly at the Fair Havens assisted living facility, Wanda’s duty to minister to his family is beset by her suspicions about the circumstances of his abrupt passing. Wanda finds an unexpected co-detective in high school vice principal Prudence Rye, who fled town on graduation night a decade ago and returned only recently.

Rye puts her job on the line to investigate the mourning Ponds with the surprisingly edgy Wanda. As they expose difficult family truths and uncover a dangerous operation operating out of Fair Havens, Rye and Wanda discover curiosity has an unanticipated cost.

Comfortably gossipy, with a fresh take on the characters and ethos cozy mystery fans will love, Maria Mankin and Maren C. Tirabassi’s Death at Fair Havens launches a series that celebrates intergenerational women’s friendship and the power of inclusion, curiosity, and love.

Meet the authors
Maren C. Tirabassi’s forty years’ experience in mainline ministry shape Wanda Duff’s professional life (but not her personality). Tirabassi is a former Poet Laureate of the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and has published poetry and short stories in fifteen anthologies, as well as twenty nonfiction titles. Maria Mankin, Maren’s daughter, has written five nonfiction books and a thriller, Circ (Pigeon Park Press). Rye’s dilemmas are influenced by Mankin’s ten years in education as a teacher and administrator. She holds a degree in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College.

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