Murder at the Marina (A Kelly Jackson Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Lyrical Underground (April 2, 2019)
Print Length: ~200 Pages

Synopsis

She’s got to solve this—or her friends are sunk . . .

Kelly Jackson, manager of the Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast, is fond of the Doblinsky brothers, Ivan and Rudy, members of the Silver Sentinels, a crew of crime-solving senior citizens in their Northern California seaside hamlet. After she discovers a jewel-encrusted dagger—with what appears to be dried blood on the blade—on their fishing boat, they share their family history with Kelly, and she learns that the knife may be part of a set from their long-ago childhood in Russia. Its sudden reappearance is eerie, but the mystery grows much more serious when a body is found on the boat. The victim was staying at Kelly’s inn, in town for a Russian Heritage Festival, and some of the organizers were clearly harboring some bitterness. But the story behind this murder seems as layered as a nesting doll—and Kelly’s feeling completely at sea .

Guest Post

A Contribution to Our Lives

by Janet Finsilver

In my Kelly Jackson mystery series, all of my books have dogs with special abilities. Wait! Did you just say you’re not a dog person so you’re not going to finish reading this post? Have you ever bought a mattress? You might be wondering what dogs and mattresses have in common. Read on.

Not long ago a friend purchased a new mattress. She found herself itching after the first night and wondered if bed bugs might have arrived with her new addition to the bedroom. She knew companies often picked up and disposed of old mattresses when they were replaced by new ones. Had that happened during the delivery of hers? Concerned, she did some research and decided to hire a man and his team of terrier mixes that were trained to find bedbugs to check out the situation.

The man arrived and the two little dogs began to tear around the bedroom.  They searched but gave no signal of finding anything. Their owner took them outside and planted a scent to test them to see if they were off that day. Upon bringing them back in, they immediately went to what he had hidden. My friend could now “rest easy” knowing her house was free of bedbugs.

Dogs trained to find bedbugs? You bet. Termites as well. They are being used very successfully in England in old mansions. Without dogs, floors would need to be torn up to find these pests. The animals can locate exactly where they are which saves time and money on costly repairs.

In the second book in my series, Murder at the Mansion, I introduce Jack and Jill, two rescued beagles. They are trained to find bedbugs, termites, and by the end of the book, dry rot. Their owner drives them from one location to another in a motor home with a slogan on the side: “Bedbugs? Termites? If you’ve got ’em, they’ll find them. Get the four-legged pros on the job and have a restful sleep tonight.” Larger than life photos of the dogs are plastered on the side of the vehicle.

My first book, Murder in Redwood Cove, features Fred, a basset hound trained to detect cancer. Murder at the Fortuneteller’s Table has Princess, a feisty Chihuahua that is a retired hearing assistance dog. After she became hard of hearing, a black Chihuahua named Sargent took her place. The same book includes Jake, a Bernese Mountain dog trained to help people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Enter a Goldendoodle named Max in Murder at the Mushroom Festival. He’s a seizure-alert dog that also knows how to find mushrooms. My fifth book, Murder at the Marina, comes out April 2, 2019. In it a police bloodhound named Gus plays a role in helping to solve the crimes.

I’ve really enjoyed researching the contributions dogs make to our lives. My books aren’t dog books per se, but they do give me an opportunity to share some interesting information with my readers.

On another note, I’ll be sure to ask some questions about the delivery of my next mattress to ensure its cleanliness such as, “Will old ones be in the same vehicle? Has the carrier been used for mattresses that might have bugs?”

Hopefully, this information will help you with your next mattress purchase…and you’ll be interested in learning more about how dogs help us in our lives.

About the Author

Janet Finsilver is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Kelly Jackson mystery series. She worked in education for many years as a teacher, a program administrator, and a workshop presenter. Janet majored in English and earned a Master’s Degree in Education. She loves animals and has two dogs–Kylie and Ellie. Janet has ridden western style since she was a child and was a member of the National Ski Patrol. One of the highlights of her life was touching whales in the San Ignacio Lagoon. MURDER AT REDWOOD COVE, her debut mystery, was released on October 13, 2015. Her second book, MURDER AT THE MANSION, was released on June 7, 2016. Book 3, MURDER AT THE FORTUNE TELLER’S TABLE was released on March 14, 2017.

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