Murder at Royale Court (A Cleo Mack Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Lyrical Underground (June 4, 2019)
Paperback: 228 pages
Synopsis
Harbor Village is a vivacious retirement paradise known for its beachy locale and active senior scene. But ever since murder moved in, the idyllic coastal community is becoming a little less lively . . .
With the first annual antique car show cruising into the tranquil bayside oasis of Fairhope, Alabama, there are bumpy roads ahead for Harbor Village director Cleo Mack. As an automobile-themed lecture series gets off to a rough start, she finds herself balancing one too many responsibilities—and dodging advances from a shady event sponsor. It’s enough to make Cleo feel twice her age. But the festivities reach a real dead end when she discovers a body at the Royale Court shopping center . . .
When an innocent man lands in the hot seat for murder, Harbor Village residents look to Cleo to crack the case. Aided by an eclectic group of energetic seniors, Cleo races to identify the true culprit from a growing list of harmless Sunday drivers—before a killer revs up for another hit and run!
This ebook includes an exclusive knitting pattern!
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Guest Post
Thank you for inviting me to write about the second Cleo Mack mystery, MURDER AT ROYALE COURT. I’m totally focused on cozy mysteries this week, after my first-ever visit to Malice Domestic, the conference held by Sisters In Crime for mystery lovers. The four-day conference takes place in Bethesda, Maryland, early in May, and you should go if you ever have a chance.
I met a lot of writers whose books I love to read, like Mary Marks and V.M. Burns, Allison Brook, and J.C. Kenney and Kate Young. And J.C. Eaton had come all the way from Arizona. There was one surprise I didn’t expect: many people are using pseudonyms. Kensington’s lovely publicists, Larissa and Michelle, were there, working like mad.
The fans were as nice as the writers. A midwife who trained in Scotland offered to help me get the details right if Cleo ever gets a new grandchild. And a chemist from Cape May offered to guide me through the world of poisons. I regret that I didn’t know him when I was writing the third Cleo Mack book.
Metro was just manageable with kind assistance from others (Thank you, Courtney!), and I had a charming driver for the return trip to DCA-Reagan. He told about his two favorite celebrity fares—Senator John McCain and the most gentlemanly Eddie Murphy.
But I can’t say that Malice was an unmitigated pleasure. The two-hour direct flight to Washington turned into 8 hours aboard the plane, but I did learn that keeping the window shade up and focusing on breathing kept claustrophobia at bay. And I did, eventually, manage to hoist myself up onto that absurdly tall stool, to be interviewed at the New Writers’ Breakfast. I realize now that I missed an opportunity to make a name for myself (remember that short woman who had to ask for a ladder?), but I got home with anonymity intact. And I’m already thinking about next year.
About the Author
Born and raised in Alabama, G. P. Gardner earned BS and MA degrees in Psychology from the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL) and an MBA from Jacksonville State University (Jacksonville, AL). She also attended the University of Georgia (Athens, GA), where she studied biopsychology and primatology. But her heart belongs to Talladega College—an HBCU and the first educational institution in Alabama to admit students without regard to race—where she taught business. Her writing life began with short stories, some of which were published in regional literary journals and some of which won prizes. She enjoys the classic mystery writers as well as contemporary whodunits but reads widely. She is a knitter and once owned a knit shop in Fairhope, AL. She studied mystery writing with Terry Cline, another Fairhope resident. Murder in Harbor Village is the first in her series about social worker Cleo Mack.
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