May Event Alert! Creating a Mystery Novel: Building Worlds and Plotting Twists and Turns

21 May
Flyer for a literary event titled “Creating a Mystery Novel: Building Worlds and Plotting Twists and Turns.” Hosted by the Hoboken Free Public Library and Mystery Writers of America (New York Chapter). Panelists include Dawn Barclay (author of Deadly When Disturbed), Jeff Cohen (author of All Spooked Up), and Kellye Garrett (author of Missing White Women). Moderated by Tom Coffey (The Devine Trilogy). Event takes place Saturday, May 30, from 2:00–4:00 PM at the Main Library, Large Program Room. The flyer features headshots of the panelists and moderator on a black background with gold decorative accents.

Join four authors from the Mystery Writers of America – New York Chapter on Saturday, May 30, from 2:00-4:00 PM for a special discussion – Creating a Mystery Novel: Building Worlds and Plotting Twists and Turns. 

Here are the authors joining us and their books they’ve chosen to highlight:

Dawn M. Barclay is an Agatha Award and Lowell Thomas Gold Award-winning author and a Chanticleer finalist. She writes psychological/domestic/romantic suspense as D.M. Barr and nonfiction under her own name.

Deadly when Disturbed (available as an audiobook and ebook on Hoopla)

Book cover for Deadly When Disturbed by D. M. Barr. A woman’s face is reflected in two jagged shards of a broken mirror held in her hands. She has striking green eyes with gold eye shadow and looks off to the side with a tense, uneasy expression. The dark background and fragmented reflection create a suspenseful, psychological mood. The title appears in large white text at the top, and the author’s name is in pink at the bottom.

Dara Banks, Rock Canyon’s leading Realtor, is searching for an assistant, and she finds someone, Meryl “Merry” Rafter, who is too good to be true. So good, in fact, Dara neglects to run a reference check.

Before she knows it, Merry, a former “actress” trying to be “helpful,” has insinuated herself into Dara’s business, family, and charity and may be the only person saving her from prison. Dara becomes suspicious and begins snooping into Merry’s past. Feeling cornered, Merry reciprocates by launching her own investigation and realizes, too late, that she may have picked the wrong mark to con. These women’s unsettling discoveries and their desperate efforts to protect themselves culminate in an explosive confrontation.

Jeff Cohen, who also writes as E.J. Copperman, writes comedies that have mysteries in them. Sometimes they have ghosts. A lot of the time, they don’t. He has been a newspaper reporter, trade magazine editor, freelance journalist, screenwriter, and mystery novelist.

All spooked up (available in the BCCLS catalog and as an audiobook on Hoopla)

Book cover for All Spooked Up by E. J. Copperman. The background is bright yellow with playful, cartoon-style graphics. The title appears in bold black and blue lettering, with blue paint dripping from the word “Spooked.” Illustrations include a tipped-over black paint can spilling paint, a small white ghost, and a blue paint bucket labeled “A Haunted Paint Store Mystery” with pink paint splashing out. The overall tone is lighthearted and humorous.

Dealing with her father’s recent death, Laura Meehan decides to move back to her New Jersey hometown and take over the paint and wallpaper store he opened after quitting the police. Knowing she is uprooting her own life and that of her supportive husband, Roy, she’s determined to keep the business alive.

Laura discovers her store is haunted by none other than her deceased father! Either that or Laura has finally lost her mind and developed Ghost Traumatic Stress Syndrome. . .

When she discovers the body of the town’s deadbeat painter, Ernie, on top of all that, Laura is determined to find the culprit who’s rudely used her store as their murder scene, with the help of her ex–police detective father’s ghost-real or not, Laura might as well make use of his expertise!

A lighthearted, fun, and quirky cozy mystery with an intriguing paranormal twist.

Kellye Garrett’s crime fiction novels have been named to Time Magazine’s 100 Best Mystery & Thrillers of All Time, were spotlighted as a $1,000 clue on Jeopardy, and have won Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, IPPY, and ITW Thriller awards.

Missing White Woman (available in the BCCLS catalog)

Book cover of Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett. The cover features a close-up portrait of a Black woman with curly hair, her face illuminated in dramatic pink and purple lighting. The title "MISSING WHITE WOMAN" is displayed in large yellow and white text across the center, with "A NOVEL" beneath it. The author's name, KELLYE GARRETT, appears at the bottom, along with the tagline "Author of Like a Sister." A blurb at the top from Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author, describes the book as "a propulsive murder mystery with relatable characters and heart-stopping twists… a one-sitting read that should be on everyone's list!"

For their romantic getaway to New York City, Breanna’s new boyfriend, Ty, took care of everything: the train tickets, the dinner reservations, and the luxury row house where they stayed. But on the final morning, Breanna comes downstairs to find a dead white woman in the foyer. Ty is gone. The woman is Janelle Beckett, a missing person with a social media following, #Justice4Janelle. Breanna’s only hope for staying out of jail is her ex-best friend, a lawyer with whom she shares a complicated past. Bree realizes that the only way she can help Ty, or herself, is to figure out what really happened that night. But when people only see what they want to see, she struggles to uncover the truth hiding in plain sight.  

Tom Coffey retired from The New York Times in 2023 after a decades-long career in journalism. His series with Level Best Books, The Devine Trilogy, which is named for the dysfunctional family at its center, began in 2023 with the publication of PUBLIC MORALS, which gained four- and five-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. The second book in the series, SPECIAL VICTIM, was published in 2024 to similar acclaim. The final book in the series, STOP AND FRISK, will be published in 2027.

PUBLIC MORALS (The Devine Trilogy #1) is available as an ebook on Hoopla

Book cover of Public Morals by Tom Coffey, part of The Devine Trilogy. The cover features a black-and-white photograph of a woman's silhouette from behind, wearing a backless dress and walking away down a dimly lit urban street with blurred bokeh lights in the background. The title "PUBLIC MORALS" appears in large red text at the top, "THE DEVINE TRILOGY" is written in smaller red text in the middle, and the author's name, TOM COFFEY, is displayed in bold white text at the bottom.

SPECIAL VICTIM (The Devine Trilogy #2) is available as an ebook on Hoopla

Book cover of Special Victim by Tom Coffey, part of The Devine Trilogy. The cover features a black-and-white photograph of a woman seen from behind, wearing athletic wear — a racerback sports bra and leggings — running alone down a dark, tree-lined path at night. The bare trees on either side create an ominous, shadowy atmosphere. The title "SPECIAL VICTIM" appears in large red text at the top, "THE DEVINE TRILOGY" is written in smaller red text in the middle, and the author's name, TOM COFFEY, is displayed in bold white text at the bottom.

Registration is required. We look forward to seeing you there. You can register here.

Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant

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Supernatural Sports Romance: The Fake Divination Offense and Tentacles and Triathlons

19 May

The Fake Divination Offense
by Sara Raasch
I had enjoyed the previous story in Sara Raasch’s Magic and Romance Duology, The Entanglement of Rival Wizards, an enemies-to-lovers fantasy academia mm romcom. The second book in the series, The Fake Divination Offense, takes on the Sports Romance genre and adds a sprinkle of fantasy and helping of the fake dating relationship trope to it. This books focuses on Sebastian, the protagonist from the last book’s pro-athlete, half giant bff Orok. Orok agrees to pretend to date an adorable wannabee cheerleader in order to get him on the cheer squad. He is promised that the relationship will get good press for his religion (centered on an author created god of strength); however Orok is secretly thinking of denouncing his beliefs. His new romantic interest also has secrets he is hiding. I liked that similar to the previous novel this one despite the trappings of supernatural such as werewolves and mermaids, also takes on some heavier issues such as the complexity of no longer wanting to be a part of a religion that a family member is heavily invested in and post traumatic stress. The seriousness is tempered though with funny moments such as the comedic sports reports at the beginning of each chapter. I’d recommend reading the stories in order to prevent revealing major spoilers. I hope that Raasch considers revisiting this world in the future; I’d love to explore more of it.

Tentacles and Triathlons
by Ashley Bennet
Tentacles and Triathlons is the second book in Ashley Bennet’s Leviathan Fitness Series. Briarwood Park’s Department supervisor Reece Rollins has entered a triathlon and is doing great with training except for the swimming portions. Cyrus, a Kraken and painter, agrees to help him and they clearly have chemistry, but it will take Reece overcoming his prejudices towards monsters to let their relationship flourish. If you enjoy this book there are two other books in this trilogy, book one: Muscles and Monsters and book three: Mantras and Minotaurs. As much as monster romances can sometimes be a bit silly, I think stories like this allow for exploration of issues of cultural differences in romantic relationships in a less charged way than having it focused on two different real world groups. Overall though, this a light and low-stake story for those looking for supernatural romance without a lot of additional drama. I listened to this as an audio book while I was commuting back and forth to work which was especially great for moments stuck in frustrating traffic; it features two narrators: Jack Calihan and Liam Price, one narrating for Reece and the other for Cyrus who alternate chapters in the story. If you enjoy Jack’s narration, he also is one of the narrators for Muscles and Monsters which focuses on Reece’s sister’s romantic adventures.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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