Killer Finds: An Antique Hunters Mystery
Publisher: Cozy Cat Press (March 31, 2016)
Paperback: 208 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1939816887
E-Book ASIN: B01EPDNWP2

Synopsis

Antique hunter Anne Hillstrom’s whirlwind shopping tour to Paris comes to a dead stop, as dead as the man sitting next to her on the plane. And to make matters worse, her identity has been stolen, leaving her to face her worst nightmare. She must sell all her precious antiques with the help of her business partner and co-blogger, CC Muller. Together, they open a pop-up antique store in the quaint suburb of Glen Ellyn Illinois. Their blog fans flock to the store looking to find that perfect treasure and so does a killer. When the Sweet Shop lady next door is found caramelized, the success of the pop-up sale turns bittersweet. Anne and CC dust off the clues, unraveling a centuries-old mystery that leads them to one conclusion. They must find the killer before the killer finds them.

Guest Post

Today we welcome author Vicki Vass to StoreyBook Reviews!  She’s here to share with us how she got into writing cozies.  Have at it Vicki!

It began with a pair of pants. My foray into cozy mystery writing began with a pair of flowered Capri pants. I had always dreamed of writing a novel but thought I would write a romance. Even though I had read cozy mysteries all my life, I never pictured writing them. Until my antique hunting friend came over, wearing her flowered pants.

It sparked the germ of an idea. An idea based on my weekly antique hunting, estate sale and flea market trips spent with my two best friends. Every Saturday for a year we would visit different areas and shop. It was a great way to find furniture and knickknacks for my new home. Along the way I developed my sense of style and found some great pieces, including a 19^th century mahogany bookcase, a walnut corner curio cabinet, a green slag hanging light and an Eastlake picture frame.

Our weekly trips provided the inspiration for the first Antique Hunter book, Murder by the Spoonful It started as a lark to see if I could write a cozy mystery. I pictured the characters in my head when I was writing, and it was one of those things that practically wrote itself. Before I knew it the first draft was completed. I shared it with my two friends to make sure they were comfortable because it draws on real-life experiences although they have never encountered a murder in real life, that I know of.

Then I worked on book two, Pickin’ Murder, which was literally written on my iPad mini as my husband drove through the Smoky Mountains. It actually chronicles our summer vacation last year and proved equally as fun to write.

I found that I loved creating the characters and building their world, a world similar to mine but one where the perfect antique find can change a life. Through it all, my heroines, Anne and CC, are strong and love each other despite facing personal and professional ordeals and continuously encountering trouble.

Throughout the books, I try to share my love of history, collecting antiques while making the characters likeable, relatable and believable in their world. I draw upon my own experiences as a reader. I’ve always enjoyed fast-paced books, preferring not be spend great deal of time on long paragraphs of prose instead relying on dialogue to carry the story forward. I think this has been honed by years of journalism training, about making sure every word counts due to space restrictions.

Keeping the books fresh has allowed me to continue my favorite hobby, shopping. Like me, my main character, Anne, as well as the real-life Anne is a shopper. She has never met a store where she could not find something or a garage sale she could drive away from. My budget does not always allow for the unlimited shopping that Anne is able to indulge in.

I dream of a day where it does. Where I can walk into a store and buy anything that catches my fancy, travel anywhere or simply be a lady of leisure. Until that time I plan to live vicariously through my character, Anne.

About the Author

With a passion for shopping and antiques, Vicki Vass turned in her reporter’s notebook to chronicle the adventures of Anne and CC, two antique hunters who use their skills to solve a murder case.

Vicki has written more than 1,400 stories for the Chicago Tribune as well as other commercial publications including Home & Away, the Lutheran and Woman’s World. Her science fiction novel, The Lexicon, draws on her experience in Sudan while writing about the ongoing civil war for World Relief.

She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, writer and musician Brian Tedeschi, son Tony, Australian shepherd Bandit, kittens Terra and Pixel, seven koi and Gary the turtle.

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