Coronavirus Blues

Watchin' the Detective: A Mystery Dinner Romance

by Louise Hathaway

When I first wrote this cozy mystery back in June of 2014, I tried to include all my favorite locales in Orange County, California, where I’ve lived for 65 years. To read of these places again now in March of 2020, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, is bittersweet. With a heavy heart, I’ve discovered that I cannot visit my favorite places mentioned in my story. The entire county is on lockdown and the restaurants, malls, and theaters I love are all closed.

With fondness, I look back at the time when I attended a mystery dinner show with my husband, sister, and brother-in-law that took place in the dining room of a Newport Beach golf course which is now closed. The show we saw was supposed to be set in the French Rivera at a wedding reception and the audience was encouraged to dress as if it were the early 60s, the time frame in which the mystery took place. Most of the dialogue from the show I’ve tried to recreate in my story. The only difference is that someone wasn’t murdered in the one I attended, as happened in the pages of this cozy mystery and romantic comedy.

So, come along with my alter-ego, librarian Isabella, who attended the mystery dinner show and fell head-over-heels in love with the detective who came to investigate the murder. 

Does the detective return her affections? Will she help him solve the mystery? You will have to read Watchin’ the Detective: A Mystery Dinner Romance to find out.  

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A Las Vegas Cozy Mystery Excerpt

Here's an excerpt from this humorous cozy mystery about a 63-year-old erotic romance writer who goes to the Las Vegas Adult Entertainment Expo where her agent is killed:

I needed my husband’s assistance with the corset.  He had to truss me up like Scarlett O’Hara had been when her maid helped her get dressed for her rendezvous with Ashley Wilkes. After many attempts, my husband finally found my sweet spot: I looked half-way decent and could still breathe. I put on a wide velvet collar that had a large ring dangling from it. It was the first time my husband had ever seen it and he asked, “What do you do with the ring?”

“You attach a leash and take me for a walk.”

“Sorry, hon.  No can do.”

I rolled my eyes at him and said, “You don’t have to do it.  I was just joking.”

“I’m not a big fan of all this sadomasochism stuff.”

“Neither am I, honey; but it’s what everyone wants to read." 

With that, I grabbed a pile of my books and headed out to the convention. My hubby escorted me there; and after kissing me goodbye said, “Good luck. I hope you sell lots of books!  And be careful with those horny fans of yours!  If anyone gives you any trouble, call me!”

“Thanks, honey,” I answered and kissed him on the cheek.

“Be careful,” he reminded me again. 

“I promise I’ll be.  Don’t forget to feed the cat,” I told him and opened the door, took a deep breath, and prepared myself for the surreal world of the Vegas Adult Entertainment Expo.

Before I started feeling too above-it-all and self-righteous, I had to remind myself that I was a player in this circus.  Peddling my X-rated romance novels, I was part of the Sex Industry.  Let’s face it—I sold smut, I told myself.

Do you want to know what happens when

her agent is killed at the Expo?

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A Las Vegas Cozy Mystery

Who shot the charismatic leader of a group of erotic romance writers known as "The Salacious Scribes"?  Was it one of the woman writers in his "stable"? Or was it one of his groupies who discovered him with another woman?  Perhaps it was a business deal gone wrong? Find out in this cozy mystery told by an awkward 63-year-old erotic romance writer whose husband accompanies her to Las Vegas for the Adult Entertainment Expo along with their uncannily human-like black cat who keeps her in line when she finds herself attracted to the handsome investigating detective.

While I was writing this cozy mystery, my husband and I went to Las Vegas for inspiration and my descriptions of our room at the Bellagio, the famous Neon Museum, and the Mob Museum add local color to the story.

I hope you enjoy the humorous predicaments into which my main character gets herself.  Because of the sexual nature of the story, this book is for those 18 and older who have a sense of humor.

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A Las Vegas Cozy Mystery

I was part of a group of erotic romance writers and my cozy and fun mystery, The Salacious Scribes Mystery, is loosely based on what might have happened when our charismatic leader decided to branch out on his own. The climax of the story occurs at the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas where someone shoots him.  Whodunit? Was it one of the writers in his "stable"?  Or was it one of his groupies who discovers him with another woman?  Perhaps it was a business deal gone wrong? 

The story is told by an awkward 63-year-old erotic romance writer whose husband accompanies her to Las Vegas, along with their uncannily human-like black cat who keeps her in line when she finds herself attracted to the investigating detective.  While I was writing this cozy mystery my husband and I went to Las Vegas for inspiration and my descriptions of our room at the Bellagio, the famous Neon Museum, and the Mob Museum add local color to the story.

The view from our room at The Bellagio

Shortly after our visit, the mass shooting at The Mirage happened.  My niece was staying there and she barely made it back home.  Others in my family were missing. It deeply affected me; so much so that I pulled The Salacious Scribes Mystery out of circulation for a while.  It felt like the end of innocence for me; just like I had felt after the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Months later, my cozy mystery is back in print and the humorous predicaments that my main character gets herself into will hopefully bring a smile to the faces of those who are kind enough to read it. 

Because of the sexual nature of the story, this book is for those 18 and older.

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Date Night Ideas

Are you looking for something fun to do on date night?  Here's an idea: how about going to a mystery dinner theater?  My husband and I went to a performance and had a great time interacting with the performers and trying to figure out whodunit. A few days afterwards, I was inspired to write this Romantic Comedy and Cozy Mystery about what happens when someone is actually killed during the performance. 

In this humorous and sexy romance novel,  Isabella, a librarian in her early thirties, goes with her friends to a performance where a murder takes place.  When a handsome detective comes to investigate, she falls in love with him, and gets herself mixed up with some dangerous people when she goes undercover—in spite of his warnings—to help him solve the crime.

Watchin' the Detective: A Mystery Dinner Romance 

by Louise Hathaway

Only 99 Cents!

Available at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Google Play,

Kobo Books and Smashwords

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Click here to purchase on iBooks

Click here to purchase at Barnes and Noble

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Here's what readers are saying in two 5 Star Reviews:

"What a wonderful little book! A great idea to take the dinner into an actual murder and then on top of it add some romance too. Great idea. This is a very easy read and hard to put down. I would recommend this to anyone who had been to a murder mystery dinner and hoped for more than just so-so food. You'll not regret it!"

"Walk through Orange County with Isabella as she helps Detective Don "Draper" Sterling solve a murder mystery. Light and fun murder mystery to read at the beach! Take Isabella with you..."

Jane Austen's Sisters

It's an interesting family dynamic to be a middle sister.  It's like the best of both worlds: I get an older sister to mother and protect me and a younger sister that I can try to nurture and influence, as if she were my daughter.  Before my younger sister died, we had a saying:  "There's no friend like a sister." I'd like to add that "there's no friend like a little sister."  She used to put me on a pedestal--no matter what stupid thing that I would ever do, she always believed in me.  Any book, movie or song I ever liked, my sister would run out and purchase for herself, so that we could "relate" to each other.  I have always done the same with my big sister.  I try to impress her with my knowledge of the music from her "Summer of Love" generation.  Not only have I tried to emulate my older sister: I am her biggest fan.

"What's this have to do with Jane Austen?" you might be asking.  My little sister and I loved Sense and Sensibility.  We often said that I was "sensibility" because of my caution and practicality and she was "sense" with her heady ideas of love.  She told me once, "You want to be safe and secure in love, but I like the roller coaster ride."  Doesn't she sound like Marianne in Jane Austen's book?  There is a scene in the book that my sister and I once talked about: Marianne is critically ill, on the brink of death, and Elinor, at her bedside, totally breaks down.  She practically demands that Marianne stay alive: "Would you break mother's heart?  Would you break mine?" I told my sister that I'd react the same way if anything ever happened to her.  Little did we know that a few years later, our lives would mimic this scene.  My sister was in Intensive Care for six months and I often thought of Marianne when I visited the hospital. Austen's fictional character was spared; but my real life one wasn't.  I wrote and dedicated this book to the memory of my little sister:

Nonsense and Sensibility: A Modern Austen Variation

by Louise Hathaway

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Mystery Dinner Romance

Have you ever wanted to go to a mystery dinner theater where the audience has to figure out whodunit? That is where two lovers meet in this humorous and sexy romance novel. Isabella, a librarian in her early thirties, goes with her friends to a performance where an actual murder takes place. She falls in love with the handsome investigating detective, and gets herself mixed up with some dangerous people when she goes undercover—in spite of his warnings—to help him solve the crime.

Watchin' the Detective: A Mystery Dinner Romance 

by Louise Hathaway

Only 99 Cents!

Available at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Google Play,

Kobo Books and Smashwords

Click here to purchase on Amazon

Click here to purchase on iBooks

Click here to purchase at Barnes and Noble

Click here to purchase at Google Play Books

Click here to purchase at Kobo

Click here to purchase at Smashwords

What is your favorite Jane Austen novel?

I had never read Jane Austen until the semester before I received my Master's Degree in English. Isn't that odd?  What took so long?  I think Jane was a bit looked down upon in the "serious" literature department: I remember how my classmates dismissed Pride and Prejudice as "a story about a bunch of girls wanting to get married."  That's what they said to me when I announced that I wanted to write my research paper on it.

Needless to say, I loved Jane from the very first page of Pride and Prejudice.  I'm from a family of a lot of girls, so the characters and their concerns seem very real to me.  Add to that attraction, I loved everything British:"Masterpiece Theatre," The Rollings Stones, Twiggy, Yardley lipstick--I could go on and on.

Looking back, from where I am in my life right now, I would choose "Sense and Sensibility" as my favorite Jane Austen novel.  To me, it echoed my relationship with my sisters; especially between my younger sister and myself.  She and I would often say about the novel that she was the "Sense" to my "Sensibility": she was the one who went for the bad boys; for the roller coaster ride; while I played it safe in my world of prudence and sensibility.

My younger sister died six years ago.  I often think about Jane Austen's novel as it pertains to her: I remember discussing it with my sister and saying that the scene in the novel where Marianne almost dies is how I would feel towards her if anything ever happened to her.

Unfortunately, my fears came true when my sister, like Marianne in the novel, had a life-threatening illness.  Marianne survived; but my sister did not.  I loved her with my heart and soul and I dedicate my book to her:

Nonsense and Sensibility: 

A Modern Austen Variation

By Louise Hathaway

Available for $1.99 at iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Kobo Books, Smashword, and Oyster.

Jane Austen and Sense and Sensibility

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Nonsense and Sensibility:

A Modern Austen Variation

by: Louise Hathaway

$1.99 at Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Google Play, Kobo and Smashwords

This romantic comedy is a modern version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. It’s the story of two American sisters and the men who love them. Elinor, the older of the two, is the sensible one who is prudent and dependable. In contrast, Marianne is the passionate one guided by her emotions who tends to get carried away, especially when it comes to love. Will she choose bad boy Willoughby who comes to her rescue on his mighty steed, or Colonel Brandon, an older man who could offer her a lifetime of safe and dependable love? Will Elinor and her true love, Edward, ever be free to marry? Will Lucy ever let him go? Find out in this story, told with deep and abiding love for the inimitable Jane Austen.