PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA airs on Hallmark Plus TODAY!!!

Jenn McKinlay: At long last, the release of the adaptation of my book Paris is Always a Good Idea is here. I wish I could find the words to tell you what this means to me, but I've tried for months and I can't. It's just beyond my comprehension that this actually happened. Last summer there were some rumblings of an option, but those happen all the time so I didn't pay any attention. 

Then in the fall, the rumblings became actual conversations. Promising but only 1% of all books published get optioned and only 1% of all options make it to the screen so, again, I ignored it. Then the option contract came and I signed it. I figured that would be the end of it, but a week later, I was informed that the project had been greenlit. My book was going to be a streaming series for the Hallmark+ channel, starring the Queen of Hallmark, Lacey Chabert.

Yeah, I still didn't believe it. Then a big check landed and I thought: This might actually happen.

After that, things moved very quickly with Zoom meetings with the screenwriters and producer, a set visit in Spain (OMG!), and lots of press--so much press. I've done more interviews for this show than I have for all of my books combined. I don't mind a bit, but I also won't be sad for that portion of things to pass. It was fun, but I'm ready to go hide in my office now. 

ON SET IN BILBOA, SPAIN

Right now, before I watch the actual show, the highlight of this entire experience for me was the set visit to see the magic happen. Spoiler: it is not magic. It is a lot of hard work by very talented, very dedicated people, giving me a new appreciation for every show or film I watch. 

This wasn’t new information for me as I did a one time stint as an extra on a TV pilot (Moloney back in 1996). We were on set from 6 AM to 11 PM, and it was so incredibly boring (remember this is before cell phones so there was nothing, and I mean nothing, to do). If ever you watch it, I am in the police station scene, sitting at a desk when Peter Strauss walks by, eating pasta out of a plastic container. We did that scene so many times that the words “back to one” still make me a little stabby.

I had forgotten all of this when I went to visit the set. As I watched the super talented Rebecca Hanssen (of Baldur’s Gate and Witcher fame) do her scene over and over with the same dedication and presence, I wasn’t bored at all but rather incredibly impressed with her and every member of the cast and crew working to make what would be 30 seconds of the show the best it could be, especially given the stretch of cold rainy weather they were dealing with. It was so inspiring and, yes, it looked more fun than the revisions and edits I do all alone with a bag of Hersey kisses and a bottomless pot of coffee riding shotgun.

Amazingly, the set for Paris is Always a Good Idea during this filming stretch was in a castle outside of Bilbao, Spain. A castle, y’all! Full disclosure, I wavered about taking this trip because my cat was critically ill, it’s thirteen hours of flying (one way) to Madrid, and I’d have to rent a car and drive or fly again to get to Bilbao in northern Spain. But I kept thinking…if not now, when?

There’s no guarantee that another book of mine will ever be picked up for film. The social media messages I’d exchanged with the cast and the meetings I’d had with the screenwriter and the producer were all so positive that I was able to let go of my Imposter Syndrome (mostly). I hired my Hooligans — one as translator (he’s bilingual) and the other as navigator and photographer (he’s a film school grad) and off we went.

After touring castle Torre Loizaga with the charming owner Patricio and chatting with various crew, I met the delightful director Ed Bazalgette. As a creative who exists in her own bubble, it was quite a moment for me to have Ed express what he loved about the story, the characters, and the book’s messages about grief, love, and choosing happiness. Actresses Lacey Chabert and Barbara Niven also took the time to tell me how much they enjoyed playing their characters and loved the depth of the story. Lacey and I did several interviews and I can testify that, yes, she is the nicest actress in Hollywood. There’s just no way to express how these fellow creatives made me feel seen and understood in ways I never have before. Wow, just wow.

You see, at the time I wrote it, Paris is Always a Good Idea was the book of my heart, coming from a place of grief and loss. Because it was released five months into the pandemic, I never felt like it got the shot it deserved to reach its widest audience. The cast and crew don’t know it, but their kindness and enthusiasm for the story—from the point of view of creative professionals—healed a lot of wounds for me as I realized that this adaptation, the same but also different from the book, would allow my story to reach the audience I’d always hoped it would find. Those moments made the entire trip one hundred percent worth it.

I suppose the takeaway here is to live by the age old advice…order the dessert, buy the shoes, take the trip because…if not now, when? 

And today I'm looking forward to watching the adaptation and seeing my story be told through the eyes of other story tellers. From the scripts I've read and the clips I've seen, they've done an amazing job and I am delighted and so very grateful. Here's to dreams coming true!

What about you, Reds and Readers, how do you feel about book to film/tv adaptations? Do any stand out as particularly good or bad?

FREE STUFF!

JENN McKINLAY: As you can see, we are giving away SEVEN books to one lucky reader! Click this link – GIVEAWAY – to enter to win the six books shown plus one mystery book! FREE BOOKS, ya’ll, does it get any better? No, it does not!

Now being a thrifty sort, I LOVE free stuff. When I was younger (read poorer), I took everything that was offered to me that had the right price of FREE. This is why I have an upright piano in my house that, once the Hooligans stopped taking lessons, no one has played except Hooligan 1’s Plus 1 when she visits and I adore her for that! Now that I am older and more discerning, I curate the freebies that I accept such as my in-laws gorgeous dining set from Copenhagen – yes, please, and thank you! Other stuff, not so much.

How about you, Reds, how do you feel about free stuff?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: It’s like, gift with purchase. SO irresistible, even if we know i’;s not a gift!  Or the points we get at CVS. I know they make the stuff more expensive (my opinion at least) so it’s a wash for them, but oooh, free points so I can get free stuff.  Airline miles, too, so fabulous.  (I cannot bring myself to use them, though, and have no idea what I’m saving them FOR, which is annoying. ) And all those little bookish trinkets we get at conferences–I have so many canvas bags! And pens.  But..they were FREE! 

Anyway! We are so happy with all of you that we decided to have some summertime fun and offer YOU free stuff!  And we’re thinking we’ll do this again.That’s why you’ll see on the entry form that we’re calling it a quarterly giveaway.

LUCY BURDETTE:  Hank, I do not get those CVS points, do not understand how to use those at all. So I just throw the receipts in the trash. Airline points are tricky because it’s very seldom you can actually use them. I encourage John to use them when he’s going somewhere with multiple flights like skiing from Key West. One thing I do adore is free books! Particularly something I desperately want to read anyway. We hope you will feel that way about this giveaway! And by the way, come to the Reds and readers Facebook page and chat about Jenn’s Hallmark debut, Thursday, July 30! I can’t wait…

HANK: Lucy, you throw those receipts in the trash? Even if they say Extra Bucks? Nooooooo.. And yes, free books. The total scourge. How can anyone resist?

HALLIE EPHRON, who is still trying to give away an upright piano (no takers) that my kids learned to play on. No takers.

CVS coupon deals? Meh. Every time I go to CVS I try to use one of those deals (25% OFF ON YOUR NEXT PURCHASE!!) and it turns out whatever I’m shopping for doesn’t qualify. 

Having said that, I love it when the grocery store offers two avocados or mangos or cucumbers for the price of one. But two 5-pound bags of potatoes? They’ll sprout before go through them. Still, I take that “free” extra bag and drop it in the food donation bin on my way out of the store. 

RHYS BOWEN : The one I don’t get. But one pair of shoes get the second free. Who needs two pairs of identical shoes? In my early marriage/ raising a family days I loved  free stuff. Who  else collected Green Stamps? They paid for kids Christmas presents. These days I’m happy to pay. I do get and use airline miles. I’ve books trips to Europe for several family members on my miles. I currently have 249,0000 miles on AA. 

 

I don’t claim most freebies. I feel other people need free stuff more than me  But I do love a bargain!

JENN: I am also a flyer miles collector. Love upgrading my seat to one with legroom every chance I get!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Ditto here on the CVS points. I am just annoyed by all the extra paper added to my receipt. Airline miles, on the other hand, have made trips to London and back much more comfortable over the years. I will take those upgrades, although they're not exactly "free" these days, even with mileage.

Otherwise, I'm not so big on free stuff these days. I'm trying to get rid of stuff, not add to it!

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I adore free stuff (well, except for the $15,000 cat.) I occasionally have dreams where I get to go through some sort of thrift shop and take anything I want. Seriously, I don't know what that says about me, but I do. My first time at the American Booksellers Conference in NY, I took EVERY advance reader copy I thought I might be remotely interested in - and then had to stagger back to my hotel from the Javits Center carrying approximately 500 pounds of books, sine there wasn't a cab to be had anywhere.

 

I have learned since then. Like the rest of you, I've gotten a lot more picky as the count-of-items-owned has increased but my storage space has not. It's still a delight, but it has to 1) actually be worth it (do I want to spend the money on the skin are to get the "free" gift-with-purchase) and something I need (buy-one-get-one-free is my trip-up here.) 

 

I'm still a sucker for free books, though... 

Your turn, Readers, where do you stand on free stuff?

Celia Anne Constable Wakefield 1943-2026

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Dear readers, this is a post I never wanted to write. After a valiant 17-month fight with a particularly aggressive form of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, our dear Celia passed away. Her family had been with her, and friends had been visiting up until the last, sudden five days.

I'm a professional writer, but I can't find the words to say all that her friendship meant to me. I can say during the pandemic and the years afterwards, when she was unable to get out much because she was caring for her beloved Victor, this community was a Godsend. She felt she knew you, and that you knew her, and that broadened her world.  

The fact she was unable to do all the traveling (and mystery conferences) she had planned after Victor's passing leaves me more than a little bitter, and I know we don't swear on this blog, but Fuck. Cancer. It's taken far too many of the best of us.

She did make an appearance at last year's Crime Bake, and I thank everyone who helped plan her get-together, who stopped by, who hugged her and who gave her books or ARCs. (She loved getting ARCs - it made her feel like a mystery insider.) I leave you with her obituary, which I've annotated with links to some of her wonderful blog posts. Pick a recipe, invite friends over, and enjoy a meal together. That was the Celia Wakefield way.

 

 

 Celia Wakefield, of Limerick, Maine, died peacefully on June 27, 2026, at the age of 82. Born in 1943 in London, England, she was the daughter of Douglas and Patricia Constable. 

Celia led an adventurous early life. At six, she left London with her parents for Trinidad, where her father worked as an agronomist. After her sister and brother were born in 1950 and 1951, the family relocated to Ceylon. Celia returned to boarding school in the UK at 12. She rejoined her family in Ghana three years later. At 18, she moved back to London, lived on a houseboat on the Thames, and worked as a secretary at IBM, where she met Victor, her husband of 55 years. 

They married on May 23, 1969, and soon moved to New York City. They relocated to Chappaqua after their daughter, Olivia, was born in 1970 and they became U.S. citizens in 1993. 

Celia was a gifted costume maker, beginning with Olivia’s school productions and later bringing her creative talents to the Revels. She was also an accomplished cook and entrepreneur, founding The British Butler, a catering business, in the 1980s. Her smoked trout pâté was especially beloved. She loved music and dancing, spent happy summer weeks at Pinewoods Camp, and actively supported the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS). 

In 1999, Celia and Victor retired to their home on Lake Arrowhead in Maine, where they enjoyed entertaining friends and life by the lake.
She is survived by her daughter, Olivia, and son-in-law, Ken Wechsler; grandsons, Aidan and Connor Lee; her sister, Ros Constable, and Ros’ partner, Sandra Jenner. She was predeceased by her brother, Andrew, and is survived by his wife, Tina Redge Constable, and their children, Ella and Luke Constable. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Revels, Pinewoods Camp, Inc., or Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  

What's On Your MInd?

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Hi everyone! To paraphrase Taylor Swift, hi, it's me, I'm the technical difficulties, it's me. Everyone loved Hank's prompt - bless you, Hank, for leaping to my rescue - so I'm just going to add a few things and throw the question, What's on your mind?, back to you all!

 

The whole Lionel Messi giving a baby bath to Spain's Lamine Yamal event. Is it just me, or does it seem like something out of an ancient Greek drama to you, too? And will ambitious football parents be lining up, begging the soccer superstar to give their kids a wash-up?

 

Heat domes, or whatever they're calling them these days. Right now, it's literally perfect weather in Maine: high of 80°/27°, nights cool enough that I pulled out my duvet again. But then every couple of weeks, it feels like we've been put inside God's E-Z Bake Oven. 

 

I'm going to complain about the wildfire smoke. C'mon, Canadians. We KNOW you have Giant Atmospheric Shield Technology, why aren't you using it to protect us here in the US?!? It's because we beat you in hockey this past winter, isn't it. 

 

I've got to get a cat bubbler because 1) my vet suggests it to encourage my older cat to drink more for her kidney health and 2) the $15,000 cat won't drink until he's tossed enough water around to splatter all over my wooden kitchen floor. Any brand recommendations?

 

 I had a birthday last month, and now I'm enrolled in Medicare. On one hand, ugh, I'm officially a senior citizen. On the other, that sweet, sweet socialized health care! This is why we need Medicare for All in the US, so no one has to experience the moment as "Congratulations! One year closer to death! Here's your new insurance!"

 

This has been a weirdly tick-free summer in my neighborhood. Anyone else getting this?

 

Finally, a call to have a new type of celebration: the Friendaversary. This September will be the 50th anniversary of my high-school friend and I meeting. We've been through boyfriends, marriages, raising kids, widowhood, empty nesting and the above senior citizen thing, and we've decided we're going to do something fancy to celebrate US. What do you think? Do you have any friendaversary candidates in your life?

Kincaid/James Book Report

DEBORAH CROMBIE: You may have notice that I've been very mum about the progress of the latest Duncan and Gemma book (Kincaid/James#20) recently. But I do have NEWS!!

I finally, finally turned in the manuscript on the 2nd of June (a Tuesday--it's marked in huge red letters on my calendar.) I was jublilant, and giddy, and consumed with fingernail-gnawing nerves. Would my editor like it? This book is the first time we've worked together, and although she'd been enthusastic and supportive throughout, would she like the end? Did it all work?

And, yes, she did like it! Not only that, she made a lot of really helpful and insightful suggestions. All of you fellow writers will know how important it is to trust your editor and to have that sort of feedback. 

So I went back to work for another couple of weeks of revision, and then a break before a few last minute tweaks, and now the book has been sent off to production and I am waiting for the copy edit to land in my in-box any day.

Meanwhile, Book #20 has a title, A LONG COLD SLEEP (I got to keep my working title!) and a release date, 4/13/27, and a gorgeous cover.

I'm so thrilled with this!

I'm also happy to announce that the wonderful illustrator Laura Maestro will once again be doing the endpaper map, and that Gerard Doyle will be reading the audio version!

About the book:

When the shocking discovery of a body in the Regent’s Canal interrupts a riverboat tour, Metropolitan Police detectives Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid are called to investigate in the next twisty mystery from New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie.

A few months after his beloved wife’s death from cancer, Miles Deering wonders if he’ll ever get used to her absence. Then he discovers papers among her belongings that make him wonder if he ever really knew her at all…

The next day, Detective Inspector Gemma James is called to investigate a body that surfaced during a boat tour on the Regent’s Canal. It’s none other than Miles Deering, and it doesn’t look like he went into the water of his own accord. Still adjusting to her new station after a recent transfer, and mistrustful of her colleagues given the station’s reputation for discriminating against outsiders, Gemma calls on Duncan Kincaid for assistance.

Along with Gemma’s former partner, Melody Talbot, and Duncan’s sergeant, Doug Cullen, they begin to unravel the details of Miles Deering’s life. According to his friends and family, he was a well-off property developer with no obvious enemies. But Gemma can’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t a random killing—which means one of Miles’s nearest and dearest is lying.

Someone is hiding a secret worth killing for, and the detectives are determined to discover who. But as the team gets closer to a real answer, another attack puts the pressure on. To make matters more complicated, Gemma’s new boss seems intent on stymying her investigation. But Gemma, Kincaid, and their colleagues are willing to risk everything, including their careers, if it means catching a killer.

A LONG COLD SLEEP is now up for pre-order at all your favorite booksellers!

And of course I hope that everyone will pre-order, as it makes such a difference to the book's success.

Thanks to everyone--and especially my fellow Reds--for bearing with me over the loooooong making of this book. I hope you will find it worth the wait!!

 

A Delicious Deception is out today!

 Good morning Jungle Reds! This is me, Lucy, popping in to remind you that my Key West food critic mystery #16, A DELICIOUS DECEPTION is in bookstores today! You can order it here. 

It's been so interesting to read all kinds of reactions to this book--I take this as a compliment because it confirms that I didn’t play safe with extending the series. I'm dying to hear what you all think!

ABOUT THE BOOK: Mother-to-be Hayley Snow bites off more than she can chew in the sixteenth installment of Lucy Burdette’s USA Today bestselling Key West Food Critic mysteries.

When Sheriff’s Deputy Darcy Rogers asks Hayley for a small favor, she can’t say no. Nine months pregnant and temporarily benched from her food critic duties, Hayley’s itching for a distraction and eager to help. All she has to do is tag along while a young woman picks up her daughter from her father at Monroe County’s safe custody exchange location. Easy, right?

Wrong.

In the chaos of the Sheriff’s Office open house, the mother disappears. Then the father bolts, leaving Hayley with a terrified girl and the realization that something has gone terribly wrong. Hayley and Deputy Rogers head north up the Keys to search for answers. 

When a body turns up, Hayley realizes this isn’t just a missing-persons case—it’s a race against time. With the little girl’s safety at risk, Hayley must trust her instincts—and her heart—to uncover the truth.

Summer Reading!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: How did it get to be midsummer already??? But here we are full on in the season of beach reads, so I thought it was time for a "What We're Reading" check in. 

I have not been the reading poster girl lately–although, come to think of it, maybe I have, because my two favorite recent reads have been the advanced copy of Rhys's THE CASTLE IN THE GLEN (out 8/4) and Jenn's A SUMMER SHARE (which is THE perfect beach read, trust me on this,) both of which I adored.  Another recent favorite (in an absolutely wonderful audio edition) was YOU ARE HERE by David Nicholls, about two lonely people being thrown together in a coast-to-coast walk across England. Nicholls writes the best dialogue, and the narrators were Lee Ingleby and Lydia Leonard so this was perfect for listening.

I'm a huge fan of the English crime writer Peter Grainger and his D.C. Smith/King's Lake books set in Norfolk, and the new one, SOME SORT OF JUSTICE, was terrific. (This was audio, too. His narrator, Gildart Jackson, is one of the best.) There is also a new Jenny Colgan, MEET ME AT THE SEASIDE COTTAGES also in audio. I love these Colgan books set in the very far north of Scotland, but I'm not a big fan of the narrator, so maybe better in print.

I read the new Matt Haig, THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN after seeing him in person in Dallas. I know this book is a world-wide best seller, but I have to say I found this one a bit of a slog. I was disappointed that it wasn't as original as his last book, THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE, which was one of my tops reads this last year.

And one more, for those of you who love food writing and just wonderful writing, there's a new cookbook from Ella Risbridger, THE KITCHEN BOOK, which I ordered from the UK as it's not available here until next year. (Shipped free from Blackwell's!) This is a gorgeous book! Now, if I could just manage to actually try the recipes…

And this week I'm looking forward to Lucy's A DELICOUS DECEPTION arriving on my doorstep tomorrow!

How about it dear fellow REDs? What's on your nightstand this summer?

JENN McKINLAY: Thanks, Debs! I’m in the thick of a non-fiction bender. I have Lucy’s A DELICIOUS DECEPTION on pre-order (coming tomorrow) as well as Rhys’s THE CASTLE IN THE GLEN (Aug) and Hank’s MOTHER DAUGHTER SISTER STRANGER (Sept), but while I impatiently wait for those gems, I am listening to non-fiction, specifically THE WAR OF ART by Steven Pressfield and WELL ENDOWED by Vivian Tu (don’t get excited it’s about finances not boobs). LOL. I’m also reading cookbooks–why? No idea. But I’m enjoying the old/weird recipes in B. Dylan Hollis’s BAKING YESTERYEAR. Clearly, the AZ heat has gotten to me. 

LUCY BURDETTE: We sound like a Greek chorus, but I too loved loved loved THE CASTLE IN THE GLEN and THE SUMMER SHARE! The bad thing about getting an advance copy is that you’ve already read it when the book comes out! I’m about two-thirds through MISSED CONNECTIONS by Aimee K. Runyan, a story about a woman chef who desperately wants to become a Michelin reviewer. She’s made some mistakes in her life, and for reasons unknown is able to time travel back to those moments, relive them, and figure out what she might have changed. It’s very very food-oriented, which I of course am enjoying a lot! I also read MORE THAN ENOUGH by Anna Quinlan and UNLIKELY ANIMALS by Annie Hartnett. Liked them both very much, though not my favorites of either author. Next I have waiting for me WHISTLER by Ann Patchett and PIGLET by Lottie Hazel. It’s been a good reading summer.

Ps Jenn, B. Dylan Hollis has a cameo in the Paris book I’m almost done writing. My French chef character is not impressed with his shenanigans…

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh my goodness, we are just smart readers who know what we love! Castle in the Glen and The Summer Share, those can carry anyone through any rainy weekend with much delight! And thank you for the kind words about MOTHER DAUGHTER SISTER STRANGER–so excited about it. 

What I’m reading. I just interviewed the marvelous John Searles, who wrote SINGLE GIRLS, a fictionalized biography of Helen Gurley Brown and how she made Cosmopolitan what it was.. He worked at Cosmopolitan for many years, and completely knows the scoop, and knew her well. And loved her. And that comes through in the book. 

(Such a pivotal moment in time, and it’s a fun frothy book with a deeply meaningful undercurrent. Helen Gurley Brown changed our lives in so many ways, and as controversial as she was, she was a brave and groundbreaking character.)

What else? Several of my local author friends may be new to you, and I am delighted to introduce you to Kimberly Hensel Lowrance, whose compelling and relatable new WHAT REMAINS OF YOU is an Amazon chart topper right now. It’s about a widow who finds a letter from her husband left behind wherein he confesses to a terrible crime. But doesn't say what it was.  Will she go try to find out the truth? (Of course she will, or there wouldn’t be a book, right?)

And Joseph Moldover has a new book called TO THE END OF RECKONING where a son comes home to take care of his brilliant but recently brain -injured father, and together they are a touching and wonderful Holmes and Watson as they solve a murder that happened nearby. Such good writing! 

I am delighted to introduce you to them. Absolutely standing ovations, both.

And lucky me :-) I have advanced copies of Lisa Gardner‘s new YOU’LL BE SORRY, Tess Gerritsen‘s new THE SHADOW FRIENDS,  Lisa Scottoline’s THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, and  Robyn Gigl’s ALL WE HIDE.

Oh, and did I ever tell you about Nicole Blades’  WOULD I LIE TO YOU?  Imagine a wife and mom in the suburbs–who, in her secret  parallel life, would give Jason Bourne a run for his money.  So fun.

It strikes me, in these what are we reading posts that my reading lists are much different from many of yours. So interesting.

DEBS: That's what makes it fun, Hank!

RHYS BOWEN: I’ve been on vacation in Canada and brought my Kindle to do lots of reading. However the day I arrived so did the page proofs for my next Royal Spyness.  I worked through them, then the page proofs for the next Molly came. Grrr. Now I’m starting to read my summer beach read choices. I’ll be on a beach in San Diego and hope to read them in peace.

I realize I can’t take anything too tense, dark or dramatic at the moment so I’m going with whimsy. I have the MUSEUM OF SECOND CHANCES by Jo Leevers…about a woman who has a museum of found objects on a beach. And Kate Quinn’s THE ASTRAL LIBRARY, and then CALL OF THE CAMINO, as I’d always wanted to do that walk.  

HALLIE EPHRON: I’ve been rereading some old favorites. A wonderful collection of short stories by Tobias Wolff (OUR STORY BEGINS). “A Bullet in the Brain” is one of my favorites, about a dyspeptic fellow who gets antsy waiting on line at the bank. It’s a tour de force of viewpoint.

And just cracked open Caitlin Mullen’s PLEASE SEE US. Her new book, HEATHER, just got a rave review from Sarah Weinman in the New York Times, so I wanted to see what the fuss is about. So far I’m impressed… a poetic page turner. 

And waiting in the wings, I picked up a copy of Richard Osman’s WE SOLVE MYSTERIES. Comic relief. I’ve enjoyed all of his novels (THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB, etc.) that I’ve read so far. 

DEBS: I've heard so much about HEATHER, Hallie. Can't wait to see what you think when you've finished it.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Add me to the chorus enjoying Rhys and Jenn’s upcoming books - and a reminder to readers that pre-orders make a huge difference to authors!

One of my pre-orders is Carol Goodman’s OUR MARRIAGE IS MURDER, coming out on July 21. I adore Carol’s writing, and this looks like another  fun “murders and mystery writers” tale, after last year’s WRITERS AND LIARS.

After reading many glowing reviews, I got THE PARADISE PROBLEM by Christina Lauren. Years old marriage of convenience that has to pass for the real thing in order for the hero to inherit millions? Sign me up.

My SF read right now is THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY by Mahmud El Sayed, about the dawning rebellion of the crew of a century ship as they question why they’re in service to their cryosleeping masters. SF fans, don’t confuse it with Arkady Martine’s excellent A MEMORY CALLED EMPRIRE (which I did, to my embarrassment, when asking about it in a bookstore!)

DEBS: Readers, we can't wait to hear your suggestion, so we can make even longer to-read lists! I've already added half a dozen books to mine!

 

The Pregnant Sleuth

LUCY BURDETTE: At the end of my 15th Key West food critic mystery, THE MANGO MURDERS, my food critic sleuth Hayley Snow turns up pregnant. I hadn’t planned this, and to be fair, neither had she. But I had the sneaking suspicion that this book would be the end of the series. If it was, what better way to go out with a flourish than with the happy news of an upcoming baby? Except, it turned out, the series didn’t end and now I was weighted down by a pregnant sleuth. Oof.

As I began writing the 16th book, A DELICIOUS DECEPTION, Hayley is struggling through the ninth month of her pregnancy. She feels the loss of her autonomy, her usual spunk, and her privacy. Everybody has an opinion about what a very pregnant sleuth should be doing, beginning very emphatically with her protective police officer husband, Nathan. Hayley is known for being hot-headed and independent, but that only goes so far as a reasonable explanation in this situation. I had to work hard to give her a case that pulled so hard on her sense of justice that it would overcome her physical and psychological worries. I hope I did her justice!

Reds, it’s a sticky wicket;  it’s a natural progression for a young woman to want a family, but this makes it hard on the author. What have you learned by writing your pregnant sleuths, or why did you decide to skip this milestone?

RHYS BOWEN: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked myself ‘what was I thinking’ when I got my heroines pregnant? The problem is that writing about young women in the past, when they fell in love and got married there was no birth control or at least they didn’t know about it. So pregnancies were inevitable. I remember the book in which Molly Murphy has to flee to Paris with her new baby and then has a horrible mystery to solve concerning her two friends there and every four hours she has to rush home to nurse that baby.

The problem with having a female sleuth who is also a new mother is that I have to ask myself all the time, would I put myself into danger if I was responsible for someone else’s life? And so most of Molly‘s cases since she had her first child have been ones that concerned her, her family or close friends, and which  she had a moral obligation to help solve.

At least Lady Georgie has it slightly easier as she has a nanny. Not that that was always a good thing but now she can relax a little knowing her child is in good hands.

So my advice would be if you consider giving your heroin either a baby or a dog – don’t. Readers will write and tell you if you haven’t fed the dog for 10 pages. I will certainly notice if you’ve left the baby lying in a crib for three chapters.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I decided my co-sleuth, Clare Fergusson, would get pregnant because I wanted to explore the dynamics between her and her brand-new husband, who had agreed with her they WOULDN'T have any children. It added interesting layers to her character - she was always reckless, and had to deal with the fact anything that might happen to her would also affect her unborn child. There are, of course, the physical challenges of going after bad guys when your center of gravity has shifted and it's hard to bend over! The biggest and most dynamic change was the way others saw her - a visible pregnancy makes some observers more protective, and some willing to take advantage of her supposed vulnerability. 

At the end, the real challenge of having a pregnant sleuth, as in real life, comes AFTER the baby is born and you have to deal with it!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yeah, my heroines are not pregnant. They often have children, though, their own kids but young, or a child-adjacent character like a niece. As you say, Julia, after the child is born brings its own set of challenges (like they keep needing to EAT, for gosh sake, and they can’t even DRIVE) but that’s for another blog.

HALLIE EPHRON: There’s a reason Raymond Chandler quipped: “A really good detective never gets married.” Oy, the complications of child care. Pregnancy complicates things even further. But what fun, giving your sleuth problems!!

I did it with my first standalone, NEVER TELL A LIE. Domestic suspense, of course, my sweet spot. And Ivy Rose is 9-months pregnant when a woman from her past drops in on her yard sale (Ivy is nesting!) and turns her world upside down. (Pregnant Ivy muses “A fullly pregnant belly was pretty astonishing. Right up there with a prizewinning Hubbard squash.”)

The stakes are as enormous as the sleuth’s belly.

JENN McKINLAY: LOL, Hallie! Personally, I couldn’t write about a pregnant amateur sleuth and thus opted out of doing so. I couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to accept that a pregnant woman or the people who love her would be okay if she and the baby were put in harm’s way because she’s nosy. It's different if she's a cop/detective where it's her job, baby or not. That being said, If anyone can pull it off, Lucy, you can! Can’t wait to read it. I did end the cupcake series with a pregnant main character but my plan if I’d written another one was to have her staff take over the sleuthy part–rather like Archie Goodwin helps Nero Wolfe (leaving him to tend his orchid babies).

DEBORAH CROMBIE: When I first started my series I gave Gemma, then a single mum, a two-year-old. I knew I wanted to write about women in the job (policing) dealing with the things real women deal with, like juggling work and child care. Then a few books later, Gemma gets pregnant and it really upsets her new-found stability. Unfortunately, she loses that baby six months into the pregnancy, possibly due to a violent encounter with a villain, and it’s very difficult for her to regroup.

But I still think a pregnant sleuth, amateur or professional, makes for great plot opportunities, and I think Rhys and Julia and Hallie have handled it really well. Lucy, I can’t wait to see how Hailey manages!

RED READERS, please weigh in with your thoughts on the pregnant sleuth. Do you enjoy this life twist in your mysteries? Why or why not?

You’ll be able to read about Hayley’s adventures in this delicate condition beginning July 14. Please pre-order here! 

Or join me at RJ Julia booksellers on July 14 at 6:30 in Madison CT. You can also order a signed copy at the store. 203-245-3959