Welcome!
If you’re here, you must be a mystery fan, which means you have something in common with several U.S. presidents and, of course, me. Problem solvers at heart, we can’t resist the challenge of a tricky plot.
“Escapism for the control freak,” (Craig Fehrman*) is another way of describing my favorite genre—and me again, I’m afraid. Real life seldom turns out how I think it should, so I've resorted to writing mysteries that do. Eleven so far...
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Both Lauren Beck crime novels won Honorable Mention in genre fiction from Writer's Digest. FOR BETTER OR WORSE was a Finalist for the National Indie Excellence Award in Mysteries, and two Gin Barnes cozies attained #1 and #2 spots on Amazon's lists for Mystery and Female Sleuths.
You'll find that both series characters take crime very seriously but never themselves.
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What's new?
What am I working on? A complete revision of THE MAIN LINE IS MURDER in preparation for a relaunch with a beautiful new cover. Writers do improve with experience, and I've long wanted to apply what I've learned over the years to Gin's very first case. Owners of the original will be offered a FREE replacement when the time comes.
WOW! Goose bumps! FOR BETTER OR WORSE was officially a "Finalist" in the 13th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards' mystery category. That means it finished #2 or #6 or somewhere in between. No matter. I'm thrilled. See more on its book page.
Newest: LIE LIKE A RUG. The 7th Gin Barnes cozy mystery is about antique fraud, murder, and caring deeply about our friends. Cameos by Betsy Ross and Benjamin Franklin.
For Book Clubs: Discussion questions for FOR BETTER OR WORSE available HERE, but spoiler alert: Don't peek unless you've read the book.
"I could kick myself for not noticing this series until it reached the eighth installment...I enjoyed every page and greedily want to read all her words." Top 1% Amazon Reviewer DJ Sakata re For Better or Worse
*Craig Fehrman wrote an upcoming book about presidents and their books.