A Lethal Lake Effect (A Victoria Square Mystery) by Lorraine Bartlett | Author Guest Post

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A Lethal Lake Effect (A Victoria Square Mystery)

by Lorraine Bartlett

A Lethal Lake Effect (A Victoria Square Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
9th in Series
Setting – Victoria Square, McKinlay Mill, NY
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Polaris Press (June 6, 2024)
Number of Pages: 306

Things go awry for Katie Bonner when her former mother-in-law, Margo, throws a housewarming party at her lakeside rental and one of her guests ends up dead in the water. Maxwell Preston was a devoted husband–and a not-so-great dad. He was a beloved pharmacist who didn’t take care of his ramshackle property, which is destined to be a hot commodity on Victoria Square when his heir puts it up for sale. But most of all, Preston was a stranger to the others who attended the party.

Meanwhile, Nona Fiske takes charge of Victoria Square big summer extravaganza—a disaster in the making as what little power she’s seized has gone straight to her head. The Davenport sisters have their own agenda, and they’ve not only been poking around to find out more about the dead man, but what other mischief has been going on around the Square.

So, who killed Maxwell Preston and why? That’s what Katie wants to know—and she’s willing to risk everything to find out.

Guest Post: Katie Bonner on Victoria Square

by Lorraine Bartlett

Why does it seem like I can never catch a break?

Don’t get me wrong; I’m one of the luckiest people on the face of the planet. I’ve got the best job in the world. Well, jobs. Not only do I own and manage Artisans Alley, an arts-and-crafts arcade on Victoria Square (in McKinlay Mill, NY), but I also co-own Tealicious, the tea shop on the Square, with my ex-mother-in-law. (It’s kind of a long story—pretty much told in the book Yule Be Dead.) Margo and I had a rocky start, but now I consider her a friend and confidant.

It’s other things in life that bog me down. Like the fact that I recently broke up with my boyfriend. Some people just don’t understand how infidelity is a dealbreaker. That said, too many people aren’t aware of why we broke up and insist in trying to get me to “patch things up.” I ignore them as best I can, but is gets really old.

In addition to running two businesses, I’m also the head of the Victoria Square Merchants Association. The job was foisted upon me, but I’ve done my best to serve my fellow merchants and take the lead on various promotions on the Square. (It doesn’t hurt that I have a degree in marketing.) One of the merchants has challenged some of my decisions. She’s caused quite a stink and says she’s going to run against me for the leadership position. I doubt she’d get the votes to oust me as she’d annoyed (and that’s putting it mildly) everyone on the Square. The authority she thinks she’s gained while spearheading the big summer extravaganza on the Square has definitely gone to her head. But I’m not worried. I can handle her.

I consider many of the merchants on the Square to be my personal friends, especially those with pets. Recently, five Australian-mix puppies were found abandoned behind the Square, and three of them were adopted by Square business owners. Moonbeam Carruthers, of The Flower Child floriest and boutique has one, . Nick Ferrell and Don Preston of Sassy Sally’s B&B have another, and the last is called Belle and is owned by the Davenport family. The patriarch, Ray, is a trusted friend. At one time, he wanted to be more than that, but he’s moved on and is currently dating a former colleague from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office—Carol Rigby. She’s a homicide detective, and she’s more than a little abrasive toward me and others on the Square.

You see, Margo recently hosted a cocktail party to celebrate her summer rental on the lake, and one of the guests was literally found dead in the water. What does this mean for Margo? And which one of her guests might be guilty of murdering the old gent?

That’s something I’m extremely interested in finding out. And I’m not afraid to ask questions to try to discover the answer. That and more—even if it bothers Detective Rigby.

Want to find out more? You’ll have to check out A Lethal Lake Effect.

About Lorraine Bartlett

The immensely popular Booktown Mystery series is what first put Lorraine Bartlett’s pen name Lorna Barrett on the New York Times Bestseller list, but it’s her talent — whether writing as Lorna, or L.L. Bartlett, or Lorraine Bartlett—that keeps her in her readers’ hearts. This multi-published, Agatha-nominated author also pens the exciting Jeff Resnick Mysteries as well as the acclaimed Victoria Square and Lotus Bay Mystery series, and the Tales of Blythe Cove Manor, and has many short stories and novellas to her name(s).

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