A Jewel of a Crime: A Venus Bixby Mysteryby Valerie Taylor
About A Jewel of a Crime
A Jewel of a Crime: A Venus Bixby Mystery Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series Setting - Set in Chatham Crossing, a fictional whaling town between Providence and Cape Cod Publisher: Aspetuck Publishing Publication date: June 2, 2026 Print length: 322 pages Paperback ISBN-13: 979-8986599564 / ASIN: B0GVPVMJBS DigitalISBN-13: 979-8986599571 /ASIN: B0GRCG64BR
With green streaks in her hair and “Rock the Shamrock” polish on her nails, Venus Bixby is ready to trade dance recitals for airplane tickets.
After selling her dance studio, she has a brand-new plan: travel the world and recover stolen art. But life deals Venus an unexpected card. When she pulls back a curtain in the studio and finds the new owner dead on the couch, her next adventure becomes a very public nightmare.
With Chatham Crossing’s whisper mill in overdrive, Venus is now a prime suspect (because of course she is). In the process of clearing her name, she discovers her late husband secretly bought an emerald ring—and now it’s missing.
As burglaries ripple through this charming town, Venus wonders if the studio owner’s death and the missing emerald are part of the same glittering crime spree.
Between gossiping neighbors, buried secrets, and one very inconvenient corpse, Venus will need sharp instincts—and maybe a touch of Irish luck—to solve the case before her passport dreams are grounded for good.
A Jewel of a Crime is book three in the Venus Bixby Mystery series. Expect cozy clues, small-town charm, amateur sleuthing, cats, and a mystery that keeps sparkling with surprises.
Valerie Taylor considers herself an “average Jane.” She might remind you of a reclusive neighbor who’s secretly writing her next novel. Unlike many of the writers she admires, she doesn’t hold a degree in literature. Instead, she credits her love of storytelling to a steady diet of classic comedy and suspense.
She’s the award-winning author of the romantic comedy trilogy What’s Not Said, What’s Not True, and What’s Not Lost, as well as of the first two books in the Venus Bixby cozy mystery series, A Whale of a Murder and Switched at Death. Her affinity for humor and whodunits was shaped early on by watching Carol Burnett, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, and The Twilight Zone.
When she’s not writing, Valerie enjoys oldies music, a passion sparked by hours growing up spent listening and dancing to Elvis Presley and The Beatles—and by proudly belonging to the Bobby Darin fan club.
Can attorney Quinton Bell hang on to his new life, as he hides in plain sight, in this lawyer-on-the-run suspense thriller?
Alive By Proxy takes readers on a heart-pounding ride through the life of a criminal defense attorney whose world was wiped out by the very client he tried to save. After faking his own death and stepping into the life of his deceased best friend, Quinton walks a razor-thin line every day to keep his past buried and his future intact.
When Houston Wildcatters linebacker Marcus Hale is charged with the brutal murder of his agent, the case detonates into a media firestorm. As the defense digs deeper, the murder case opens into something darker with buried secrets, dangerous leverage, and hidden lives that refuse to stay in the shadows.
As the courtroom battle intensifies, so does the danger beyond it. Unseen eyes track Quinton’s every move. Old ghosts stir. The identity that has kept Quinton alive begins to feel more fragile than ever.
Every witness, every revelation, and every step closer to the truth threatens to expose both Quinton and his client. Will Quinton find a way out, or will he forever be a target in a deadly game of cat and mouse?
Praise for the Proxy Legal Thriller Series:
"A riveting read that expertly teams courtroom drama and legal maneuvering with imminent danger, spine-tingling suspense, a touch of romance, and non-stop action. Talk about an adrenaline rush!" ~ Reedsy
"Can a woman write a thriller book that leaves you going, 'Wow, how did I ever miss this author before?' Yes, she can. Fist bumps and high fives to author, Manning Wolfe on this fantabulous thriller!" ~ Forgotten Winds
"I love the whole book! From beginning to end, it was a roller coaster ride! From New York to Texas, With incredible character development, and plot twists from beginning to end! Looking back, there were subtle clues, but not until the very end was there a resolution. I would highly recommend this book!" ~ Susan Riley, Amazon Customer
"Manning Wolfe just put herself on my list of must-read authors!" ~ John Ellsworth
Lightning slashed the Houston sky, illuminating the street for a fraction of a second before plunging it back into darkness. Rain hammered the pavement, pooling in gutters and rising fast. The bayous were already swollen, their muddy currents surging over the banks, consuming roads, homes, yards, everything in their path.
Daniel Price stood at his townhouse window, watching the water creep up his driveway. The power had gone out over an hour ago, leaving him in the dim glow of a flickering candle. A sharp knock at the door made him turn.
He wasn’t expecting anyone, especially at this hour and in this weather.
Another knock. Louder this time.
Urgent.
He unlatched the door and pulled it partially open.
A figure in a dark blue, rain-soaked poncho stood on the threshold.
“Jesus, you’re soaked,” Price said. “Get in here.”
The blade flashed in the candlelight.
Chapter 2
On the 610 Loop, Quinton Bell hustled into his office and dropped down behind his large wooden desk. He’d finished a hearing in the downtown courthouse and had hurried to get back to his office before rush hour hit.
The Law Office of Quinton Lamar Bell had only been open for about a year, and he was already turning away clients.
But Quinton Bell was not his real name.
It was Byron Douglas.
When Quinton opened his Houston office, he thought he was the only person alive who knew he had faked his own death in New York and stepped into the life of his dead best friend. He had taken the face, the name, and the future of Quinton Bell.
Now he lived each day alive by proxy, hiding in plain sight.
The phone rang.
Cassidy West was calling from jail.
Her client, Houston Wildcatters linebacker Marcus Hale, was being questioned for the murder of Daniel Price.
Chapter 3
Sheryl Benton sat in the dimly lit viewing room, her hands folded tightly in her lap. On the other side of the one-way glass, five men stood shoulder to shoulder in matching gray sweats.
Marcus Hale stood in slot number three.
Officer Gere’s voice was calm. “Take your time, Mrs. Benton. If you recognize anyone, just tell us.”
She leaned forward, uncertainty settling into her chest.
“Third from the left,” she finally whispered. “Maybe.”
That one word changed everything.
Behind her, Detective Clive Broussard stiffened.
And in the corner, Quinton Bell adjusted the cuffs of his tailored suit and watched the lineup begin to tilt toward disaster.
***
Excerpt from ALIVE BY PROXY by Manning Wolfe. Copyright 2026 by Manning Wolfe. Reproduced with permission from Manning Wolfe. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
MANNING WOLFE, an award-winning author and attorney residing in Austin, Texas, writes cinematic-style, smart, fast-paced thrillers and crime fiction. Manning was recently featured on Oxygen TV’s: Accident, Suicide, or Murder.
Manning's legal thriller series features Austin attorney Merit Bridges, including Dollar Signs, Music Notes, Green Fees, Chinese Wall, and Killer Weed.
Manning's new Proxy Legal Thriller Series features Houston attorney Quinton Bell and includes: Dead By Proxy, Hunted By Proxy, and Alive By Proxy.
Manning is co-author of Killer Set: Drop the Mic, and twelve additional Bullet Book Speed Reads.
As a graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law, Manning’s experience has given her a voyeur’s peek into some shady characters’ lives and a front-row seat to watch the good people who stand against them.
Quinton Bell defends a pro football player accused of
murdering his agent.
Alive by Proxy is the third book in veteran author
Manning Wolfe's riveting Proxy Legal Thriller series, and the suspense
in this one is killer! Houston Wildcatter lineman, Marcus Hale, accused of
murdering his agent one dark and stormy night, proclaims his innocence and
retains Quinton Bell to defend him. But Quinton's past is just about to catch
up with him, as someone who knows his true identity leaves him taunting notes
and souvenirs, which soon escalate to more deadly hints. Quinton must decide
whether to stay the course and do what he can for his famous client or cut and
run for his life once again.
In this latest case, Byron Douglas has settled into his new
persona as Quinton Bell, the identity and life of an old friend who died, and has built a thriving law practice with an eminently competent and dependable
staff and loyal colleagues. He's moved into his work-in-progress fixer-upper
home in Houston and regularly visits the Bell family home in Galveston, but he still
feels like he's being watched. He's not wrong. With his anxiety pinging off the
ceiling, he manages a thorough trial prep while convincing his client to come
clean about the awful secrets he's keeping.
The descriptions of Houston are vivid and transport the
reader to the humid, sauna-like city that is the largest in Texas. Quinton's
trips to Galveston and, later, through north Texas to the casino across the Red
River paint a picture of the state's size and the region's diversity. The long
nighttime drive from Oklahoma south back to Houston captured the reality of the
journey and the feelings of remote isolation and empty darkness.
The plot covers the defense's careful investigation of the
murder before trial and the suspense of the courtroom proceedings. The author underscores
the role of the defense attorney, regardless of the client's guilt or innocence.
The appearances by the individual who is watching Quinton are creepy and full
of tension. He so easily becomes invisible, able to quickly and quietly melt
away out of sight. The author does a wonderful job building suspense throughout
the story, and the scenes with the watcher had me on the edge of my seat.
I recommend ALIVE BY PROXY to readers of legal mysteries,
thrillers, and courtroom dramas.
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Perfect
for fans of Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince, this dark, queer reimagining of the
classic Wizard of Oz tale centers a slow-burn, sapphic enemies to lovers
romance in an electrifying portal fantasy.
Falling into a world of
magic and oppression, Kansas-born Thia joins three cursed companions in a quest
to free them and send herself home.
Orphaned from a young age,
Thia has spent her life trying to live up to her mother’s legacy as a doctor.
She’s on track to become a promising medical student, yet she feels like she
was meant for something else. The life she thought she knew comes crashing down
one stormy Kansas day when Thia inadvertently uncovers clues that reveal her
grandma has been lying to her: Her mother was never a doctor; she was a scholar
of the supernatural, and all she left behind was a strange mirror that Thia’s
grandma is convinced is dangerous.
Angry with her grandma for
her deception, Thia leaves in a rage and accidentally falls through the mirror,
killing a witch and crashing into a terrifying land ruled by the cruel and
powerful Mage King.
Joined
by a heartless girl, a cowardly academic, and a boy who cannot remember his
past, Thia seeks out the Mage King, the only man powerful enough to send her
home and grant her companions’ desires. In their quest, Thia discovers her
mother was a part of the rebellion to overthrow the Mage King, and she must
reckon with her mother’s real legacy. With each new truth revealed, it becomes
harder to ignore the undeniable connection between Thia and the cursed,
heartless girl, and even harder to decide where, in the end, Thia ultimately
belongs.
Victoria Carbol is a writer of
books and composer of cinematic pop and fantasy soundtracks. She also may or
may not be an actual cave troll. When not actively loathing sunlight, she can
be found creating fictional worlds full of monsters and magic and singing her
icy heart out.
A collective of mystery writers, known as the Society of Fibbers, has captivated thousands with their addictive podcast—catapulting each member into the limelight. But when one of their own is found dead under chilling circumstances, the remaining Fibbers realize their newfound fame may have painted a target on their backs.
Rebecca Stanchion, one of the group’s co-founders, is convinced her friend’s murder is a tragic case of domestic violence—until a sinister attempt on her own life shatters that theory and threatens her family. Meanwhile, Zach Hargrove, a fellow writer, becomes obsessed with the cryptic black cards left at both crime scenes. Each card seems to whisper a warning: the killer is watching.
Is this the work of a fan driven to madness, or has betrayal seeped into the heart of the Society itself? As an annual writers’ conference approaches, Zach and Rebecca race against time to unmask the killer before the Society of Fibbers’ headline appearance turns into a deadly final act.
Praise for Those Who Shall Die:
"Michael Bradley has done it again! Those Who Shall Die is a thrilling novel of mystery and suspense, a tense and twisty page-turner that will leave you desperate to learn who is killing mystery authors and why." ~ Lisa Malice, bestselling author of Lest She Forget, winner of the 2023 IBPA Best New Voice in Fiction award.
"A well-written, clever whodunit with crafty twists that will keep readers guessing." ~ Jennifer Sadera, award-winning author of I Know She Was There.
"... keeps the reader's head spinning as secrets emerge, friendships fail, alliances dissolve, and animosities rise to surface until the final betrayal is revealed. A page turner that plumbs the depths of ambition, betrayal, and murder." ~ Jane Kelly, Author of the Meg Daniels mysteries.
Those Who Shall Die Book Trailer:
Book Details:
Genre: Amateur Sleuths, Suspense Thrillers Published by: Initium Books Publication Date: July 7, 2026 Number of Pages: 388 ISBN: 9780986200243 (ISBN10: 0986200247) Book Links:Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub
Read an excerpt:
Chapter One
Zach Hargrove held the serrated hunting knife in a white-knuckled grip as he silently crept forward. No room for mistakes this time. This had to be silent, swift and deadly. Just one fierce thrust into the carotid artery. It would be messy, but she had to die.
Nellie sat—unmoving—in a black leather office chair, facing the third-floor windows that looked out over Old Mill Creek. If she was aware that he was behind her, she gave no sign. Her dark straggly hair hung over the back of the chair in tangled clumps. Zach couldn’t remember the last time he’d run a brush through it. She needed a wash too, but he’d given up on that long ago. Nellie had been exactly what he needed at first, but after so many years, she’d become more of a burden than a help. He hated having to move her heavy, awkward body from chair to chair, room to room. Caring for her had become arduous. No one would miss Nellie if he got rid of her . . .
With a frown, he shifted the knife back to his right hand and decided to continue with his original plan: one fast jab to the right side of the neck. Zach glanced at his prey. Nellie remained still, oblivious of what he was about to do. He inched forward, his gray Skechers silent on the plush beige carpet. His fingers tightened on the knife handle, and he drew his arm back. The muscles on his shoulder were taut, but his arm had a slight tremble. He had to get this right on the first try.
After two more cautious steps, he stood behind Nellie, staring down at a scalp of unkempt hair. Oh, how he hated that hair. With one barbaric swing, he brought his arm down, but the blow didn’t go quite as planned. The knife tip deflected off her head, tangled in a clump of hair, and plunged into Nellie’s shoulder.
“Damn it,” Zach shouted.
He stood for a moment, studying his handiwork. Nellie slumped forward, the knife standing tall in her shoulder.
He tried to withdraw the knife slowly, but the serrated blade caught on several threads and tore the seam in Nellie’s shoulder. Clumps of polyester stuffing—like giant cotton balls—tumbled out of the hole and fell to the floor. Zach let out a long sigh as he placed the knife on the nearby desk. Now he’d have to sew her up. He spun the office chair around and stared at Nellie. Her featureless face and black button eyes stared blankly back at him. Patches—both big and small—covered her arms, abdomen, head, and legs—scars of the many instances of his mistreatment.
“I’m glad you don’t hold a grudge,” he said.
Zach wrapped his arms around the life-size dummy and lifted her out of the chair, her canvas skin rough on his bare arms. A trail of white filling marked his steps as he manhandled her across the room and propped her up on the sofa.
Dropping into his desk chair, he reviewed the previous few paragraphs he’d written just before he attempted to kill Nellie. The murder scene “seemed” to flow, but he wasn’t satisfied with the way it turned out. His antagonist—the mysterious Mr. Price—had entered the home of Dallas Kincaid with the intention of killing Kincaid’s new girlfriend. But Zach had found the scene difficult to write. There was something about the logistics that bothered him, hence his attempt to “kill” Nellie, his long-time partner for acting out crime scenes. For her part, Nellie had endured a dozen or more stabbings, being thrown from windows, run over by cars, and even shot twice. And yet she never once complained.
Zach stood again, snatched a Bic pen from the desk, and paced around the room, pausing on occasion to glance out the windows that covered all four walls. The third floor of his house, his “Author’s Loft,” as he liked to call it, had a 360-degree view of the surrounding yard as well as the creek that flowed past the back of his property. The small Delaware town of Lewes hadn’t been his first choice of places to call home. But when he’d first toured the house three years ago, the bright openness of the room couldn’t have been more perfect for him. It satisfied his need for a place to write, and the room’s openness was preferred over the more confined spaces he’d seen in every other house he’d toured. He’d put an offer on the place immediately and moved in a month later.
“This will be the last Kincaid novel,” he’d told his agent, Mariah Maddison.
“Don’t be too hasty,” she’d said. “You might regret those words once the book is released.”
With a sigh, Zach slipped the Bic pen into his pants pocket, returned to his desk, and hovered his fingers over the keyboard of his laptop. He stared at the text on the screen, the words fading together into a jumble of pixels that made no more sense than when he’d read them a few minutes ago.
Pushing back from the desk, he growled, “Hell,” and stood, rounding the half wall that hid the stairs from view and descended into the house below.
In the kitchen, Zach grabbed a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale from the fridge, twisted the top off and took a long sip. A calendar—tacked to a nearby corkboard—was open to the month of June. A quick glance over the dates made his stomach churn. He had until mid-July to finish the first draft of the next Dallas Kincaid novel. That gave him six weeks. The manuscript was only thirty percent done. He sighed as he eyeballed the next few weeks. There was an upcoming recording session for the Society of Fibbers podcast. A book signing with Jasper Stone and Martina Vargas in Virginia. He flipped up the calendar page and looked over July. The week after Independence Day was blocked out for ThrillNYC in New York City. Damn, that only gives me five weeks to finish the book. His stomach twisted in knots as his anxiety rose.
Zach moved through the open dining room to the sliding glass door, stepped onto his back deck, and gazed out across the creek. The tide was out, and the muddy banks were exposed to the Tuesday afternoon sun. An eagle was perched in the tree that hung over the water. The lush cordgrass stood tall along the edges of the creek, outlining the maze of the twisting waterway. A gentle breeze rustled the tips of the grass. The faint aroma of marsh water punctuated each deep breath. So peaceful. So relaxing. He closed his eyes and listened to the tranquility around him. But it did little to subdue the angst within him. When was his next therapy appointment? Maybe it was time to try some of the meds his therapist had so often suggested.
From within the house, the shrill of his mobile phone interrupted the serenity of the moment. Moving back into the kitchen, he scooped up the phone from the counter where he’d left it.
The voice that greeted him was grave and somber. “Zach? It’s Rebecca. Something terrible has happened. Martina Vargas is dead.”
***
Excerpt from Those Who Shall Die by Michael Bradley. Copyright 2026 by Michael Bradley. Reproduced with permission from Michael Bradley. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Michael Bradley is an award-winning author from Delaware who started life as a radio disc jockey, working at stations in New Jersey and West Virginia. His time in radio provided him with a wealth of fond, enduring, and sometimes scandalous memories that he hopes to one day commit to paper.
After spending eight years “on-the-air,” he realized that he needed to get a real job. He has spent the next twenty or so years working in Information Technology. And yes, he has said “try turning it off and on again” more times than he wants to admit.
Never one to waste an experience, he used his familiarity with life on the radio for many of his suspense novels. His third novel, DEAD AIR (2020), won a Foreword INDIES Award and a IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award.
Those Who Shall Die is a new thriller by author
Michael Bradley and quickly proved to be an absolute page-turner as someone
stalks the five members of the mystery podcast, The Society of Fibbers. Secrets
come to light that even the closest friends don’t know about each other, and no
one knows who they can trust as they dodge a killer and uncomfortable questions
from the lead police detective and a local reporter.
What a great story! Told from multiple points of view,
readers get an inside seat to the thoughts and experiences of the mystery writers
as they try to figure out who is behind the attacks before they become the next
victim, while still meeting the looming deadlines for their next books and
attending book signings and author appearances. The suspense builds rapidly,
tempers flare, and relationships among the writing friends fray. I especially
liked the mysterious black calling cards with cryptic quotes left for each
target. There are secrets and plot twists that keep everyone on their toes. It
was difficult to know who to trust or why the five had been targeted initially.
I couldn’t put this book down, reading it in one absorbing evening!
I recommend THOSE WHO SHALL DIE to readers of mysteries and
thrillers.
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SYNOPSIS:
PI Bradshaw
receives a late night call from a client desperate to find her missing
daughter. The woman asks to meet him at a storage unit in upstate New York. The
woman hangs up before Bradshaw can inquire further. Woken by the jarring news,
Bradshaw decides to meet the frantic, mysterious woman pleading for his help.
Working as
a private investigator has its drawbacks. Bradshaw often receives prank calls
from clients with run-of-the-mill requests and chooses his cases wisely. But
there is something unusual and unnerving about this particular call. The
hopeless plea in the woman’s voice and the anonymity of her demand ignite a
maelstrom of questions.
While
Bradshaw decides whether the call is worth pursuing, a young dead girl from the
Other Side visits him, demanding attention and seeking help for the request he
just received. Who is this spirit? What does she want? And how is she linked to
the caller?
Thunder cleaved the sky, pulling me out of my
foggy dream.
In the glass, a flash of white light and a dash
of movement scurried past my periphery.
I shuddered at the pale flesh of a disfigured
face sneering at me.
I turned.
Nothing -- a line of locked unit doors.
Then footsteps, sprinting away, and a gaggle of
laughter from around the corner, along the corridor.
“Hello?” I yelled, chasing another phantom. My
legs felt like rubber bands as I dashed to the end of the long hall. I stopped
at the stairwell door, out of breath.
The sound footsteps seized. But intoxicating
laughter followed.
“Who’s there?” I yelled. “This isn’t funny.”
A mockery of demonic laughter filled the air and
cooled my skin.
I stepped back, drew a breath.
Behind me, one of the two elevators dinged. The
doors opened.
Curiosity consumed me.
I should not have turned around to the sound.
The lights went out when I did, plunging me into
complete darkness.
Up ahead, the exit signs flickered.
I reached into my coat pocket and gripped the
small bottle of mace I carried with me when working cases. My heart thrashed
behind my ribs, like a pack of hungry rats gnawing through the lining of
muscles, tendons, and intestines.
A coldness coiled in the space behind me. A
round of knuckles tapped against my head, and the sound of teeth clicked close
to my ear. I ran toward the elevator doors. They closed before I reached it.
I banged hard on the doors and pressed the down
button several times.
In the dim light of the corridor, I noticed
shadowy movement from something skittering across the wall, a chittering
screech of insectile legs rushing at me in the dark.
I raced a few feet to the left of the elevators
to the stairwell door.
Locked.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Thomas
Grant Bruso knew he wanted to be a writer at an early age. He has been a
voracious reader of genre fiction since childhood.
His
literary inspirations are Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Jim
Grimsley, Karin Fossum, and Joyce Carol Oates.
Bruso
loves animals, reading books, and writing fiction, and prefers Sudoku to
crossword puzzles.
In
another life, he was a freelance writer and wrote for magazines and newspapers.
In college, he won the Hermon H. Doh Sonnet Competition. Now, he writes and
publishes fiction and reviews books for his hometown newspaper, The
Press-Republican.
Epic Fantasy / Metaphysical Fiction / Fae Fantasy / Found Family
Publisher: Angelgate Entertainment
Publication Date: June 26, 2026
Page count: 523 pages
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SYNOPSIS:
Peter has spent his life hiding among humans.
A light fae raised at an elite academy, he thought his disguise was to protect his place in the human world. A betrayal and ominous nightmare cause sudden caution, but when a mystical creature he has never seen before warns he is in danger, Peter realizes he must flee. To maintain his cover, he creates a clone and sends him to his home in the mystical realm, then sets out to discover who is hunting him—and why.
CAPTURED. FORGOTTEN. FORGED.
Stolen fae young men face their final day before they become dragon food. Taken from their homes and imprisoned in a brutal mine, they have survived through secret training, strategy, inventive tech, and stubborn hope. They failed to escape before, with severe consequences.
A prophecy whispers that a girl will one day free them.
She doesn’t even know they exist.
At a Paris fashion show, Peter collides with a mysterious girl—and discovers she is his twin sister. Together they possess a dangerous power, and those who control the realms will do anything to claim it. Or destroy it.
PILLYWIGGIN Awakening is a contemporary epic fantasy that weaves dark mystery, military strategy, and technology into a world where power is never given—only built. For fans of Lord of the Rings and Fourth Wing.
This is no tale of a magical savior.
This is the story of stray kids who grow into warriors—and become their own heroes.
Valerie Taylor considers herself an “average Jane.” She might remind you of a reclusive neighbor who’s secretly writing her next novel. Unlike many of the writers she admires, she doesn’t hold a degree in literature. Instead, she credits her love of storytelling to a steady diet of classic comedy and suspense.
