Here's a Murder Mystery Based On Some True Events in Orange County, California

Some of the events in this murder mystery really happened. Orange County, California had grown at a rapid pace after the veterans returned home from WWII and built their own houses in this once-rural community best known for its fruit packing houses and orange, avocado, and walnut groves.  As time went by, everyone wanted to come for the mild weather, job opportunities, and relatively cheap housing. Soon, anti-development factions arose, and people protested the further expansion of the lands, especially in Santiago Canyon where the abbey was situated.  This melting pot of different races and religious beliefs led to religious prejudice that was especially apparent when the Catholic Church bought the Chrystal Cathedral and removed memorial stones that the former pastor had promised were permanent. Tempers were running high by the time this story opened and it seemed like several people had a grudge—but was it enough to kill?

Murder at the Abbey:

A Detective Santy Mystery 

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Writing Fiction About True Events

I live in Orange County, California and there is always a ready supply of current events to draw upon when writing my mysteries.  As a couple of examples: I knew a young woman who lived across the street from me who was later murdered by "The Bedroom Basher".  I also knew a teenage hood who liked to hang around with me who later turned into the notorious "Hammer-Murderer." Both of these characters show up in my writing (with their names changed, of course).

Murder at the Abbey: A Detective Santy Mystery takes place in Orange County and draws upon current events.  St. Michael's Abbey--where the priest in the book is murdered--is embroiled in a running battle with environmentalists and anti-development groups because the abbey has just purchased land to expand their facilities and environmentalists believe that if the abbey's plans go through, it will threaten the habitat of a endangered toad.  The Catholic Church got into further hot water when it purchased the famous "Crystal Cathedral" and removed some commemorative stones that donors had earlier purchased for their loved ones, with the reassurance from the former pastor that they'd always be there.  With so many people mad at the abbey and the church, it's easy to imagine that some unhinged person might resort to murder--perfect fodder for a mystery writer.

Murder at the Abbey: A Detective Santy Mystery

by Louise Hathaway

Only $2.99 at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Kobo, and Smashwords.

Available in paperback at Amazon.

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Murder at the Abbey

Murder at the Abbey: A Detective Santy Mystery

By Louise Hathaway

In this murder/mystery, the peaceful world of a monastery in Orange County, California is shaken apart when one of its priests is murdered. Who would want to kill him? Tempers have been running high in Silverado Canyon ever since the abbey purchased land to expand its property. Was the murderer an eco-terrorist who feared the expansion might cause the habitat destruction of an endangered toad? Or maybe was it the powerful anti-development lawyer who has fought tooth and nail to stop every construction project in the canyon? Maybe it was the owner of the motorcycle bar, Kline’s Corner, who got fed up with the priest’s complaints about the bar’s live music interrupting Mass and Vespers?

Detective Clarissa Santy is trying to solve the murder, while at the same time, she’s busy reintroducing her father to the world outside of prison, where he’s spent the past 30 years for a murder conviction. Between keeping him out of trouble, babysitting a Criminal Justice Intern from UCI, and dating again after losing her husband several years ago, her life has never seemed so complicated.

Available at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Kobo, and Smashwords. Read for free with subscription to Scribd or Oyster.  Also available in paperback at Amazon.

Murder at the Abbey: A Detective Santy Mystery

I talked my co-writer into going to hear vespers at St. Michael's Abbey. On the way there, we drove by some of the places we remembered from our wild youth and got nostalgic. The result: this murder mystery about a priest getting killed at the abbey after some nasty disputes with anti-developers and eco-terrorists who didn't like the fact that the abbey wants to expand on the diminishing wilderness of Orange County, California. Based on some real events in the news here.

eBook available at most online stores for $2.99

Paperback available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble 

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Murder at the Abbey: A Detective Santy Mystery

Do you like murder/mysteries?  Do you like reading about female detectives?  Do you like a story that focuses on character just as much as plot?  Then, here's a book that you might like to add to your summer reading list:

In this murder/mystery, a monastery in Orange County, California is shaken when one of its priests is murdered. Who would want to kill him? Tempers have been running high in Silverado Canyon ever since the abbey purchased land to expand on. Detective Clarissa Santy is trying to solve the murder, while she's busy reintroducing her father to the world outside of prison.

It's available in paperback and eBook formats at your favorite on-line bookstores

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Christmas Gifts for Book Lovers

Okay, everybody.  The Christmas Season is officially here.  Are you wondering what to buy for that special person in your life who likes to read?  If so, check out our paperback books at Amazon.com.

For baby boomers who grew up loving the Nancy Drew series, we wrote two PG-rated mysteries about our teenager sleuth, Nancy Keene.  These two books are also travelogues.  "The Ghost in the Plantation" takes place in New Orleans and "The Buried Treasure on Route 66" takes place on Route 66.

For readers who like good, old-fashioned, hard-boiled detective mysteries, check out "The Tustin Chronicles" and "The Murder at the Abbey."

For fans of whodunits with multiple suspects (ala Agatha Christie), check out "Death Among the Stacks: The Body in the Law Library."

Merry Christmas and Happy Reading,
Lewis Hathaway

A New Murder/Mystery Set in Orange County, California

T. Jefferson Parker isn't the only one who grew up in Tustin and writes murder/mysteries about Orange County.  My husband and I graduated from Tustin High the same year he did; so there must be something about "The OC" that is inspiring writers of our generation.

We now have two murder/mysteries that show Tustin and its nearby cities as main characters in our books.  People who had read it, have really given us positive feedback about how landmarks in our book bring back so many memories of when they were growing up.  Our readers have told us that they feel as if they are right there with our main characters watching as the plot unfolds. 

So swing on over to your favorite ebook store today and check out our Tustin mystery books! And if that isn't enough, you can get your hands on good old-fashioned print copies at Amazon too! There's no excuse for not getting lost in a good mystery about Orange County!

Murder at the Abbey: A Detective Santy Mystery

by Lousie Hathaway

In our newest murder/mystery, a monastery in Orange County, California is shaken when one of its priests is murdered. Who would want to kill him? Tempers have been running high in Silverado Canyon ever since the abbey purchased land to expand on. Detective Clarissa Santy is trying to solve the murder, while she’s busy reintroducing her father to the world outside of prison where he's spent 30 years for a murder conviction.

The Tustin Chronicles: A Detective Santy Mystery

by Louise Hathaway

This murder mystery, about a daughter's search for the truth behind her father's murder, is an homage to the books of T. Jefferson Parker that describe crime in Orange County, California. Focusing on Tustin in the early 1970's and 1990's, this book brings back the bygone days of tractor showrooms; hippies and head shops in Laguna Beach; and a packing house called "The Sunkist Cathedral".

These ebooks are available at Apple's iBookstore, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or any of your favorite e-reader sites.  They're also available in paperback from Amazon.com.

Our Books Are Now Available In Paper

Five of our books are now available in both paper and e-book formats:

They are:  The Ghost in the Plantation; The Buried Treasure on Route 66; and The Tustin Chronicles: A Detective Santy Mystery; Murder at the Abbey: A Detective Santy Mystery; and Death Among the Stacks: The Body in the Law Library.

They are available in paperback at Amazon.com and at your favorite eBookstores (i.e. Apple; Barnes and Noble; Amazon; Kobo; or Sony; to name but a few.