Connect the Dots (Mah Jongg Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Bowker (February 2, 2019)
Paperback: 278 pages

Synopsis

How could a thirty-something man fall to his death from a fourth-floor balcony he knows is defective? That’s the question freelance writer Micki Demetrius is asked to answer by the man’s grieving mother, Clarissa White, who refuses to believe his death was an unfortunate accident. But when the authorities determine it was homicide, Micki is shut out of her investigative efforts.

Giving up is easier said than done for Micki. She can’t resist a mystery, and suspicious characters won’t leave Clarissa alone, from the woman claiming a stake in the victim’s life to a cagey character who wants his business. As the threat to Clarissa grows, Micki feels compelled to help her in spite of the danger.

Micki’s three mah jongg pals—Sydney Bonner, Marianne Putnam and Katrina, Kat, Faulkner—are drawn into the mystery, but the retirees have their own challenges. Syd and husband Trip do grandparent duty while their daughter deals with marital issues. Marianne “finds herself” by writing a one-act play. And Kat must decide how public to go with her growing friendship with the sheriff. Together, they must connect the dots in a nefarious web of greed, neglect, secrecy and murder.

 

Guest Post

Like a Warrior

Near the end of Connect the Dots, Micki Demetrius, my protagonist, is called a “warrior” by her friend. At first, Micki pooh-poohs the title, but after she considers, she accepts and takes pride in the appellation after helping her friend get her condo repaired and surviving an attempt on her life by a murderer.

The decision to use this allusion was a long time coming to me. I’ve always equated “warriors” with those who lead armies a la “Braveheart” and video game characters. I’m not a big fan of action flicks, especially all the exploding buildings, gun play and fist fights. I’ve always subscribed more to the idea of resolving issues in a more peaceful manner. Freelance journalists like Micki who stand up to intransigent builders and contractors fell outside that definition. But recent history has encouraged me to reconsider.

A couple years ago the trending topic was the success of the movie, “Wonder Woman,” in part because some seemed to think it was a new way of portraying women as strong, fearless individuals who could take care of themselves. It also prefaced the beginning of the Me, Too Movement later in the year. The box office numbers associated with this new trope encouraged Marvel to continue production of “Captain Marvel,” which premiered last month.

However, the concept wasn’t all that new. The original TV version of “Wonder Woman” back in the late 1970s also drew viewer attention. At least for a few years. So did “The Bionic Woman.” And let’s not forget “Xena: Warrior Princess.” The mention of “princess” reminds me of Princess Leia in the first Star Wars trilogy. Then there’s Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons from “Game of Thrones.”

I saw “Wonder Woman” by myself. Neither my husband nor my friends wanted to see it. Maybe that was for the best, because I sat in that theater mesmerized. Chalk part of that up to the pyrotechnics and incredible choreography of the battle scenes, but the other part was a new respect for the female warrior. That’s admitting a lot for me, but while I watched this fantastic film, it occurred to me that Diana Prince and her story wasn’t just about a woman with magic lassos who could fly through the air and stop bullets with golden bracelets.

To use Diana Prince, AKA Wonder Woman, as an example, warriors are strong of mind as well as physically. They are fearless, or at least they know how to overcome their fears, in facing their nemeses. Warriors are persistent; they face setbacks and return to fight again better prepared than before. Warriors are willing to go to battle for the things in which they believe, so it goes without saying they are loyal to a cause and their people.

In Connect the Dots, Micki personifies all the above qualities. She is doubly incensed for her friend who ended up with a new condo riddled with construction flaws which neither the developer nor the builder are willing to fix. Undaunted by their positions of power, she is willing to face them head on. She prepares to do battle with these “enemies” by employing her strength, her journalistic ability. When she can’t get answers or any positive reactions from those she engages, she doesn’t give up but instead expands her research to other involved parties. Her loyalty to her friend manifests itself throughout by helping her through a period of grief, finding her temporary lodging, helping her deal with an unwanted guest and supporting her legal efforts. So in the end, when the friend calls her a warrior, she’s exactly right.

About the Author

Barbara Barrett started reading mysteries when she was pregnant with her first child to keep her mind off things like her changing body and food cravings. When she’d devoured as many Agatha Christies as she could find, she branched out to English village cozies and Ellery Queen.

Later, to avoid a midlife crisis, she began writing fiction at night when she wasn’t at her day job as a human resources analyst for Iowa State Government. After releasing eleven full-length romance novels and one novella, she has returned to the cozy mystery genre, using one of her retirement pastimes, the game of mah jongg, as her inspiration. Not only has it been a great social outlet, but it has also helped keep her mind active when not writing.

Bamboozled, the second book in her “Mah Jongg Mystery” series, features four friends who play mah jongg together and share otherwise in each other’s lives. None of the four is based on an actual person. Each is an amalgamation of several mah jongg friends with a lot of Barbara’s imagination thrown in for good measure. The four will continue to appear in future books in the series.

Anticipating the day when she would write her first mystery, she has been a member of the Mystery/Romantic Suspense chapter of Romance Writers of America for over a decade. She credits them with helping her hone her craft.

Barbara is married to a man she met her senior year of college. They have two grown children and eight grandchildren.

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