Mancini Blue: An Art Studio Mystery by Maggie Toussaint

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Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Mancini Blue: An Art Studio Mystery by Maggie Toussaint. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!

Mancini Blue: An Art Studio Mystery
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Fictional Island (St. James Island) off the Georgia coast in the USA.
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Muddle House Publishing
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 13, 2026
Digital

After his wife, famous artist Sophie Mancini, allegedly commits suicide in Savannah, wealthy financial advisor Robert Calloway makes a fresh start on St James Island. To honor Sophie, Bob creates the Island Art Gallery. He lives above the shop with his niece, her ten-year-old daughter, and Sophie’s cairn terrier.

He is certain the cops got his wife’s means of death wrong. When he left her in the studio that fateful evening to paint overnight, her door locked behind him. She wouldn’t unlock her door for a stranger. To get justice for Sophie, Bob delves into her murder using his hidden ability to help find solid evidence.

When he unsuccessfully searches his old Savannah haunts for leads, he returns to St. James to discover a bizarre murder occurred near his shop. Despite his alibi, he is questioned by the local cops. He’s stunned when many aspects of this new case are identical to Sophie’s death. Thus, solving his wife’s murder will most likely shed light on the recent case.

Bob’s suspect list includes family members, neighbors, friends, and Sophie’s art associates. He discovers people are rarely what they seem and believes this deadly foe kills to protect secrets. Can he identify his wife’s murderer before the killer strikes again?

Character Guest Post

From the dog’s point of view

By St. Luke the Holy Terrier of Mancini Blue

My person, Sophie Mancini, left this world too soon. I wasn’t ready for her to go. I miss when she’d come home smelling of paint and mineral spirits. I miss her sitting on the floor with me, how she told me I was such a good dog even when I wasn’t.

I miss her snuggles. Without my person, I feel like a part of me is gone too. The space Sophie filled remained empty and aching. When the big house was still our den, I would wait for her on the window seat, and I’d bark to let my other pack member, Bob, know she was nearby.

Bob would open the door for her and swoop her in his arms for a showy kiss. Then Sophie would sink to the floor to be with me, talking a mile-a-minute about the day she’d had. Most of her days were happy, and her painting had gone well.

Right before she’d passed to the next life, her scent had changed. It smelt less round and happy, more sharp and bitter. I barked an alert to Bob, but he didn’t understand my message.

Years ago, I was allowed to go to work with her. I adored her sunny studio. But, and this is a very big but, I didn’t like the male person who visited there often. He smelled of smoke year-round, and he tried to kick me out of his way several times. I retaliated by barking at the guy, every time I saw him. He didn’t deserve to be part of our pack.

When my person passed, our pack leader, Bob, did not grieve correctly. Instead he drank firewater and picked fights. Then he went away and I had to stay with another pack. Sophie and Bob’s youngest son, Kevin, took my bed to their house. He had three cats, so I was on my best behavior, despite the cats’ evil tricks.

Then Bob returned, and I got to go home. His clothes smelled different, but up close and personal his body smelled the same. His hands felt the same. I am not going to lie, I love me a Bob massage.

But then Bob packed a few things, put me in my travel crate, and we set off to make a new den. The smells here at the beach are terrific. And with each passing day, Bob becomes more of a leader and makes me proud. Oh, and we added two female humans to our pack, Angie and little Gussie.

I tolerate the new place because I have no choice, but I’d rather be in our old digs. Savannah, GA, was my home in a way this island will never be. The stairs here are too steep for my short legs. If we have a fire here, I’ll be dead before anyone wonders where I am. But Bob came through for me and made me a doggie lift. It’s comfortable and I’ve gotten used to it. I feel like I’m King of the World as I tower over everyone during the lifting process.

Little by little I piece together what happened, and what Bob is doing here. He’s hiding in plain sight while he finds out who murdered my person.

Sic ‘em, Bob!

About Maggie Toussaint

Southern author Maggie Toussaint writes cozy and paranormal mysteries under her name and a pen name of Valona Jones, romantic suspense, and dystopian fiction under the pen name of Rigel Carson, with thirty-one novels published. Her recent release, Mancini Blue is the first in An Art Studio Mystery. A multi-year finalist for Georgia Author of the Year, she’s won Silver Falchions, Readers’ Choice awards, and the EPIC Award. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America-Southeast chapter and Sisters In Crime-Guppy chapter. She lives in coastal Georgia, where secrets, heritage, and ancient oaks cast long shadows. Visit her at https://maggietoussaint.com/