Just in Time (A Dodie O’Dell Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Lyrical Underground (September 25, 2018)
Print Length 220 pages

Synopsis

FACE THE MUSIC

Business is humming at Dodie O’Dell’s Windjammer Restaurant, where she offers theme menus connected to the Etonville Little Theatre’s amateur productions. This June, the theatre is collaborating with the neighboring Creston Players to stage Bye Bye Birdie under the stars—their first musical! There’s a contest in the play to pick a fan to receive rock idol Conrad Birdie’s last kiss before he ships off for the Army, so Dodie plans a contest to pick the food for a pre-show picnic.

But before the show opens, Ruby, the rehearsal accompanist, is found dead in her car. Why would anyone murder the crusty old gal who loved to sneak a smoke and a nip between wisecracks? Once again, the resourceful restaurant manager must play the part of amateur sleuth, accompanied by Police Chief Bill Thompson, who also happens to be her beau. Confronted with a chorus of suspects, she’ll need to stay composed to catch the killer—or it’ll be bye bye Dodie…

Guest Post

Suzanne and I have something in common, we both cut our teeth on Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew!  I’m glad she could join us today and answer the question – why write mysteries.

People like to ask “why write mysteries?” Good question! There are three answers. First, I’ve been writing since grade school—essays, short stories, plays—and as I grew up, my interest in scribbling only grew stronger. At the same time, I’ve always been an avid reader and my genre of choice from a young age has been mysteries. I started with the Bobbsey Twins and segued to Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew.  As a pre-teen, I could bury my nose in one of these books and not come up for air until I was coaxed out of my detective story cocoon. I could so easily visualize the capers of these young private eyes and imagine myself in their midst, solving the mysteries right along with them.

So when I turned to novel-writing a decade ago—after moving through a screenwriting and playwriting period—it was only natural that I started with mystery stories. (I had a wonderful editor early on who steered me through the maze of genres until I chose to write cozy mysteries, a decision that suited me and my sense of humor.) And the Dodie O’Dell Mystery Series was born! With book number four, Just in Time, coming out in September, the characters of my books are happily established in small town Etonville, New Jersey. Dodie O’Dell, my protagonist, juggles her day job—managing the Windjammer restaurant—with her investigative activities: solving murders in Etonville and its environs. She also provides culinary and organizational support for the Etonville Little Theatre, next door neighbor of the Windjammer restaurant. Dodie is busy…

There’s a second reason I was drawn to writing mysteries. I’m a puzzle fan. I like crosswords, jigsaws, whatever requires one to fit pieces together, whether the pieces are words, bits of a picture, or clues to a murder. I am thrilled when I finish a particularly thorny crossword puzzle, or place the remaining fragments in a five hundred piece jigsaw. Or when I figure out “whodunit” in one of my favorite mysteries or thrillers. (Currently that would be any book in the Louise Penny Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series) I enjoy being kept in the dark while surrounded by a succession of clues and red herrings. I also enjoy keeping my own readers guessing. Just as I feel satisfied seeing how all of the intricate parts of the murder investigation come together, I want my readers to wonder about the guilty party, and maybe his or her motivation, until very nearly the end of the book.

In Just in Time, for example, Dodie once again finds herself ensnared in the back story of a murder victim while trying not to intrude too much on the actual investigation. Along the way, her detective work will take her out of town to Creston, New Jersey, the community next door to Etonville, as well as New York City, only a stone’s throw away. Interviewing folks, visiting the crime scene, making a few calls, avoiding Police Chief Bill Thompson’s—Dodie’s current beau—official investigation allow Dodie to rely on her instincts and collect evidence that is sometimes missed by the formal inquiry. She puts the pieces of the puzzle together just in time to nab the murderer.

Finally, writing mysteries requires a bit of unusual research…an activity I’ve always loved. For example, I find myself scouring the Internet, as well as more traditional sources, for quirky, unique, believable ways to kill off the victim. I’ve also enjoyed digging into electronics as tools for solving crimes: computers, cell phones, and the Internet are the territory of Dodie’s teenage tech guru, Pauli Palmieri. A digital forensics expert.

My interests have come together nicely—mysteries, puzzles, research—in this cozy series. See if you agree!

About the Author

Suzanne Trauth is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and a former university theatre professor. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Dramatists Guild. When she is not writing, Suzanne coaches actors and serves as a celebrant performing wedding ceremonies. She lives in Woodland Park, New Jersey.

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