Something Deadly on Desert Drive (The Accidental Detective) by Kris Bock

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Something Deadly on Desert Drive (The Accidental Detective)

by Kris Bock

Something Deadly on Desert Drive (The Accidental Detective)
Cozy Mystery – Humorous Amateur Detective Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Arizona
Tule Publishing (June 21, 2022)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 209 pages

Starting over at fifty might be hard, but it shouldn’t be deadly…

Still recovering from an injury that might have permanently derailed her career as an international war correspondent, Kate Tessler is living in her childhood bedroom and pondering her second act when another case lands in her lap. Kate’s father and his coffee group are worried. Their friend Larry married a younger woman who now insists he has dementia and won’t let any of his friends visit. They’re convinced that Larry’s wife and her two adult, dead-beat kids are out to steal his money. Can Kate help?

Soon Kate and her unusual gang of sidekicks are unofficially, officially investigating. But before they can dig out the truth, a murder raises the stakes. Now they need to prove Larry is both mentally competent and not a killer. They’ll have to find the real murderer—without risking their own lives in the process.

Guest Post from the author: About Something Deadly on Desert Drive

Is this a cozy mystery series?

Cozy mysteries star an amateur detective rather than a police officer or private investigator. Kate is a journalist, which could be considered an investigator. But Kate generally isn’t getting paid for her investigative work in these books, so she is legitimately an amateur detective. She thinks about becoming a private detective, and some people claim that would make the books no longer cozy mysteries. However, becoming a PI in Arizona takes three years, so I don’t have to worry about that for a while.

In the meantime, people ask Kate for help when they’re worried but don’t want to go to the police. Since she’s helpful, a bit bored since she had to give up her work as a war correspondent, and insatiably curious, Kate allows herself to be dragged into all kinds of trouble.

Are there any genre conventions you wanted to challenge?

Books with amateur detectives often have people accidentally stumbling on bodies. I made Kate a journalist so she’d have a reason to get involved with investigations. People bring her problems they can’t or don’t want to take to the police.

What attracts you to this book’s genre?

Mysteries usually have an active plot, with lots going on. Humorous mysteries add quirky characters and fun dialog. Cozy mysteries also have a happy ending. You know you’ll get a good time and finish in a positive mood. When I’m exhausted from a long day of writing, I want to read something that makes me feel good.

Is there an issue that you’re addressing with your book?

Kate is about to turn fifty. She’s dealing with midlife issues, such as aging parents, perimenopause, a body that doesn’t recover like it once did, how to start a new career, and how to save for retirement. She has to figure out how to live with new limitations from an injury. Now that she walks with a cane and her hair has gone silver, people treat her differently, giving her a glimpse of how society dismisses older people, especially women. She’s also occasionally forced to challenge her own biases.

Kate’s father and his friends are also major characters. They are in their seventies and eighties and are active, intelligent, and a positive force in society. I hope this example will encourage people to think about the assumptions they make. At the same time, the series explores issues related to aging, such as memory and health problems, loneliness, the potential for elder abuse by family members, and being treated as incapable.

Was Kate inspired by a real person?

She’s a version of me if I had veered off in a different direction after college. She’s braver, but maybe I would have developed that bravery if I’d become a war correspondent instead of a freelance writer working from home! I did travel a lot, starting in childhood and continuing through my twenties, because my family lived overseas. That gave me a broader view of the world, like Kate would have.

She also views the world with wit and sometimes snarky humor. Some of the topics in these books might seem dark. In Something Shady at Sunshine Haven, Kate investigates suspicious deaths at the nursing home where her mother is in the Alzheimer’s unit. That’s not funny. (In fact, another publisher was interested in the book, but the marketing department thought people wouldn’t want to buy a story that included Alzheimer’s.) In the latest book, Something Deadly on Desert Drive, Kate’s father and his coffee group are worried because their friend’s new wife is claiming he has dementia and won’t let them see him.

These are serious topics, but the books are fun, both because of Kate’s wry sense of humor and due to the quirky friends and helpers she collects. There are lighthearted moments and a lot of warmth. Readers say they’re falling in love with Kate and her sidekicks.

So tell us about the book!

Something Deadly on Desert Drive: In the humorous Accidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. Now Kate and her quirky gang of sidekicks have new problems to solve. Kate’s father and his coffee group are worried. Their friend Larry married a younger woman who now claims he has dementia. They think she’s lying. Before they can dig out the truth, a murder raises the stakes, and Kate’s father is among the suspects. To save him and Larry, Kate must reveal the real murderer – but her investigation could put all their lives at risk.

Find The Accidental Detective Series:

Tule Publishing

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Kindle UK

Barnes & Noble Paperback /Nook

And tell us a little about yourself.

I write novels of mystery, suspense, and romance, many with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Get a free Accidental Detective short story and bonus material when you sign up for my newsletter. You’ll also get a free 30-page sweet romance set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café and a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels. This sweet romance series features the workers and customers at a small-town cat café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes.

I’m writing a series with my brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie. Sign up for the romantic comedy newsletter to get a short story preview, or find the books at Amazon US or All E-book retailers.

I also write for children as Chris Eboch, with over 100 books published.

About Kris Bock

Kris Bock writes novels of mystery, suspense, and romance, many with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Get a free Accidental Detective short story and bonus material when you sign up for her newsletter. You’ll also get a free 30-page sweet romance set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café and a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels

Kris is also writing a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Follow the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie. Sign up for our romantic comedy newsletter and get Felony Melanie Destroys the Moonshiner’s Cabin. Or find the books on Amazon US or All E-book retailers

Find Kris:

Website

Blog

GoodReads Author Page

BookBub

Amazon US Author page or Amazon UK page.

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