Update

I'm happy to report that the new editions of my five Malone mysteries are now available in eBook format! If you enjoy Holiday-themed mysteries, here's the link:

http://tinyurl.com/8sd2cz4 

A serial killer on the west side of Cincinnati is attacking women in their homes, terrifying the residents of the normally peaceful, family-oriented neighborhood where Ann Malone Kern and her family live.

But Ann pushes those fears to the back of her mind as she struggles to deal with several personal issues. Her primary concern is her marriage which, like her neighborhood, is in jeopardy.

When a series of bizarre and frightening events take place and Ann receives both threatening notes and love poems, she feels like she's living in a world of mixed messages.

On Halloween night, a man forces his way into her apartment. Will Ann be the Westwood Strangler's next victim?

The Westwood Strangler is dead. Or so everyone believes.

Ann is busy preparing for her favorite holiday. She's especially looking forward to her sister's annual Christmas visit. But, several things threaten to ruin her festive mood.

The National Weather Service issues a severe winter storm warning for the Cincinnati area and Ann worries that her sister and her new boyfriend won't be able to make the drive from South Carolina.

After three women are murdered in their homes, the police announce their conviction that the Westwood Strangler is responsible.

When Ann hears the news, the sense of safety and security she's worked so hard to recapture shatters. 

As Ann starts her new business as an interior decorator, the temperatures have risen, tulips and daffodils are in bloom and there's a feeling of endless possibilities in the air. She has no idea that her her world is about to be turned upside down.

The day before Easter, Ann wakes up to discover that her young son is gone. Frantic, she searches the house and the yard but there's no sign of Davey. 

Desperate, she and her husband, David, call the police but their ongoing search continues to turn up no leads. It appears the little boy has disappeared into thin air.

Another child, Kelly Kramer, has been missing since December. Where are the children? And what, if anything, can Ann do to get her son back?

Ann feels like she's in Paradise as she digs her toes into the soft, white sand and gazes out at the ocean. She's looked forward to this vacation in South Carolina for a long time and all she wants to do now is bask in the sun, resting and relaxing.

But Ann's peaceful vacation is disrupted when she goes for a solitary walk on the beach the day after the Fourth of July and something shiny catches her eye. 

She's horrified when she discovers the body of a young woman with a gold locket twisted around her neck. And, she knows who the locket belongs to.

Ann feels an obligation to discover the identity of the killer and to see them brought to justice but, in the process, she places her own life in jeopardy.

Valentine's day is just around the corner and someone is stalking Marnie.

As an attorney, Marnie Malone has made enemies through the years and she's received her share of verbal threats. But no one has ever acted on them - until her last week at Cliburn & Reeves. However, in spite of the threatening phone calls, black rose on her desk and other ominous messages, Marnie refuses to be intimidated.

But when it becomes apparent that the stalker knows where she lives, Marnie becomes nervous and apprehensive. Sam is out of town on business and she's alone in the big, old farmhouse with strange noises in the attic, creaking floorboards and someone watching her from the woods.

The list of men who have grudges against her grows longer each day. Is the stalker someone from the past or one of the men on her list? And, how far will he go?

New Covers for the Malone Mysteries

In my post last week, I talked about my "journey" to self-publish the second editions of my Malone mysteries. The journey is far from over but, very soon, all five books will be available on amazon in eBook format. Unfortunately, due to some technical issues, the paperback versions are going to take a bit longer.
This week, I'm excited to share the new covers for my books with you.

 

 

 

I hope you'll visit my amazon author page and, if you haven't already done so, I hope you'll consider reading my series.

http://tinyurl.com/8sd2cz4

 

Wearin' the Green

Ann Malone Kern, the main character in the first four Malone mysteries, and her sister, Marnie, the protagonist in the fifth (and last) book are of Irish descent but, as far as I know, I don’t have a drop of Irish blood in my veins. (I’m Romanian, Greek and German.)

So why did I choose to write a series about an Irish family? To be honest, I’m not really sure. Maybe because the culture has always fascinated me and/or because the Irish played an important role in the history of Cincinnati, my hometown. Next to the Germans, they were the largest group of immigrants between 1840 and 1910.

Cincinnati was a major destination for immigrants from Ireland who left their homeland because, due to the potato blight and resulting famine in their country, they couldn’t pay their mortgages and they were starving. Many were poor, spoke English with a brogue and were Roman Catholic with large families. Some came with nothing more than a few pieces of clothing.

The city offered many opportunities for work on the riverfront, digging for the Miami and Erie Canal and on railroad construction. Although most had hoped to become farmers, with no money and desperate to feed their families, when they arrived in the Queen City, many Irish took jobs that were dangerous and unskilled with low pay. 

Through the years, the Irish have contributed greatly to our city’s growth and culture. During the Civil War, the Irish formed several militia units, which became the core of the Ohio 10^th Regiment. Later, many became policemen and firemen, some were prosperous in industry and others were active in politics.

Today, we have The Irish Heritage Center of Greater Cincinnati. The IHC was founded to promote the Irish Culture through the study of customs, dance, education, film, genealogy, history, language, lectures, literature, music, mythology, poetry, social interaction, song, sport, theater and the visual arts. And, of course, we have our annual St. Patrick's Day parade downtown.

So, whether you're Irish or not, be sure you're "wearin' the green" today and, if you're in the mood for a mystery, I hope you'll check out my series. (For a limited time, my publisher has reduced the price of all five eBooks to 99 cents each.)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!