Lucy is Trudging Down the Home Stretch of The Key Lime Crime

cover draft

LUCY BURDETTE: This week marks the countdown to the due date of The Key Lime Crime, #10 in the Key West food critic mystery series. It’s always a hustle to get the manuscript in decent condition in order to send in for a first look by the editorial staff. I had a little laugh the other day when someone mentioned that cozies can appear to be written according to an outline that is provided to the authors by the publisher. Wouldn’t this make things so easy? (Although also so boring.) (And for the record, I don’t like the moniker “cozy” either.)

In fact, I think this only happens if the series is a “work for hire.” In those cases, the author is provided with a “bible” that describes the characters and the plot and the setting, and the author follows those guidelines. I’ve also heard of Harlequin romance lines in which the writers write to a prescribed outline. James Patterson co-authors some books that way, too--he provides the ideas and develops an outline and the co-authors write.

For me, with no direction from powers-that-be, it’s always a challenge to figure out why Hayley and her friends are involved in another murder, what new characters might be stepping in to breathe fresh air into the series, and which suspects will really ring true to the reader. It’s not so easy! 

The middle of the book for me is the hardest. I always come up with tricks and techniques that I think are new and brilliant, and usually discover that I’ve used them before—sometimes they help and sometimes they don’t. In the sagging middle days of THE KEY LIME CRIME, I tried two things – creating a really brief outline of what happens chapter by chapter (after they were written.) And, second, writing a little paragraph about each suspect, explaining why they might possibly find themselves in such an emotionally wrenching situation that they were forced to kill. Who are each of these people, and what might they have against the murder victim?  I thought about sharing one or both of these techniques, but the chapter by chapter looked so boring. And the suspect paragraphs would give the story away... 

Here instead, is a snippet from Chapter Three as the Key Lime Pie Contest gets underway...

Last, the woman who had opened a brand new pastry shop in the fall called Au Citron Vert, came forward on the stage with an assistant, a dark-complected man with a nice smile whom she introduced as Paul Redford. She had blonde curls and red lips and wore a fitted white jacket several eons more fashionable than the baggy white coats and aprons that the other contestants had worn. She also wore high-heels—black patent leather with a gold toe—that looked expensive and uncomfortable. Paul hovered behind her like a worried mom.

“Key lime pie is passé, and that is precisely why I’ve replaced it in my establishment with a Key lime Napoleon," she said. "My contribution today is our best selling confection. I believe our fans understand the difference between a true French pastry and a plate of green glop.” She waved her hand dismissively at the lineup of pies from the other cooks and bakers. “I would like to present to you a handmade patisserie with layers of homemade puff pastry drizzled with a glaze containing local honey and key limes and stuffed with pastry cream scented with a whisper of lime. Key limes are no bigger than a walnut,” she explained. 

Her assistant, Paul, held up one of the small green fruits to show the audience. 

“Unfortunately,” she continued, “they are not too common on our island in spite of what our host claims. And so we source them from further up the Keys.” She opened a small, white pastry box and produced a Napoleon that made my stomach groan with anticipation. “Flaky layers brushed with organic butter, tart glaze, and a handcrafted cream pastry kissed with lime,” she added as she held up the pastry. Her sous chef stood behind her nodding and smiling. “All of this is homemade in my new shop on Greene Street, Au Citron Vert.” 

T-bone investigates the creamy pie

But David Sloan strode to the podium and took the microphone. “I am sorry to do this publicly, but as was clearly stated in our entry forms, we are accepting only pies in this contest. No cookies, no martinis, no flaky pastries, regardless of how delightful the chef insists they might taste.”  

Claudette’s face grew stony and her assistant pushed forward and grabbed Sloan’s arm. “We deserve to be here. You cannot do this,” he started.

“Oh, but I can,” said Mr. Sloan, a smile on his lips that looked anything but friendly. “This is my event and I make the rules. Please step down from the stage.”

Off to the left, before my brain could fully register what was coming, Claudette Parker had picked up the pie from the Key Lime Pie Company, the one that had been touted as extra creamy, with whipped cream piped joyfully around the edges. She slammed it into David Sloan’s face.  

I found one loose copy of the audio version on CD of A DEADLY FEAST, the ninth Key West mystery, to give away today. To be entered in the drawing, answer these two really easy questions: Graham cracker or flour pie crust? And whipped cream on top or meringue?

The Key Lime Crime is coming July 7, 2020, which gives you time to catch up on Death on the Menu and A Deadly Feast!