Featured Author--Susan Van Kirk

Death Takes No Bribes: An Endurance Mystery 

Book Description:

In this third mystery set in the small Midwest town of Endurance, Illinois, retired teacher-turned-sleuth, Grace Kimball returns to her old high school to investigate the poisoning murder of Endurance High School Principal John Hardy. It is a painful journey for Grace because she must face the possibility that one of her former colleagues is a murderer. 

Endurance detective TJ Sweeney asks Grace, her former teacher and friend, to help navigate these treacherous waters when it becomes apparent that the murderer is a cold-blooded killer who will not hesitate to kill again. 

The two friends have no end of suspects. The chemistry teacher who designed a poison unit? A spurned lover or her betrayed husband? A soon-to-be wealthy widow? 

To top that off, the eccentric drama teacher at the high school is producing “Arsenic and Old Lace.” It isn’t exactly the best timing. 

Meanwhile, Grace’s boyfriend and editor of the Endurance Register, Jeff Maitlin, has disappeared on some mysterious errand from his past. Then, Grace gets devastating news. 

Death is stalking the halls of Endurance High School, and Grace Kimball and TJ Sweeney are only a few steps ahead.

My Five Star Review:

I enjoyed reading this well-written mystery about a high school principal who was killed at his school. The main character (like the author) was a retired teacher and the cast of characters are well-drawn. One of her best friends was a female detective who periodically has to remind her to stop trying to play detective and lets the cops find the killer. Many of the characters seem to have a motive in this whodunit, so the readers get to figure it out along with the main character. The conclusion was exciting, with the teacher being chased by the killer. Will she get out from the underground auditorium alive? You’ll have to read this cozy mystery to find out.

Amazon Purchase Link for this Mystery

Nancy Drew and James Bond

This is a funny story about a teenage sleuth who goes to London with her father and is delighted when she discovers that Daniel Craig (AKA James Bond) is staying at their hotel.  I was inspired to write this book by my love of Nancy Drew books and my love of London.  On vacation in London a few years back, James Bond actually was staying at the same hotel as my husband and I were.  At the time, the actor who played Bond was Pierce Brosnan.  Just like Nancy Keene in my story of The Stolen Mask, I was settling into our upper bedroom when I looked out the window and saw Agent 007 drinking champagne in the hotel's garden. I was as star-struck as any teenage school girl would be.

In this story, Nancy opens the door of her hotel room to retrieve the morning paper and is shocked when Daniel Craig opens the door next to hers to do the same thing.  He is only wearing a towel around his waist.  He sees her in her flannel nightgown and self-consciously looks down at his towel to make sure nothing's showing.  When he catches her looking in the same place, he winks at her and goes back into his room.  Nancy feels her first stirrings of passion and is pleased that she has an opportunity to come to his aid when someone steals his BAFTA award out of his room.

I am a total Anglophile and love all things British--its literature, music, history, and art. I love writing about places I've traveled to, so in this story, I have Nancy sight-seeing at some of my favorite destinations in and around London.  She goes on a Jane Austen pilgrimage, visits Buckingham Palace, shops at Harrods, and pays a visit to the Sherlock Holmes museum.  Nancy is very precocious and has read a lot, so when she tries to solve the case of the stolen mask, she channels Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and Rumpole of the Bailey.

This book is one of my favorite ones I've written and I hope my readers will like it, too.  So, come with Nancy Keene on a trip to London where she meets James Bond and even gets to walk the red carpet with him at the Oscars when she's back home   A bit of a stretch?  Of course, but a girl can't help but dream.

Here are links where you can purchase this cozy mystery for only 99 cents!!

Purchase at Amazon

Purchase at iTunes (Apple)

Purchase at Barnes and Noble

Purchase at Smashwords
Purchase at Google Play Books

Purchase at Kobo Books