04 Lowcountry Bordello (24 page)

Author’s Note

Parts of the Liz Talbot series take place on the fictional island of Stella Maris, which resides just north of Isle of Palms, SC—roughly where Dewees Island resides on ordinary maps. Everything on Stella Maris is a figment of my imagination.

Once my characters travel off their island home into the greater Charleston area and off to other South Carolina cities, with very few exceptions, the locations are real, while used fictitiously. In this book, one such location is the house at 12 Church Street, Charleston, SC.

When I began writing this book, the house belonged to my cousin, who thought it a great hoot to use her home as a “grand ole whorehouse.” Regrettably, she sold it before this book was published. I’m certain the folks who purchased it are lovely people, and I want to reassure them that, to the best of my knowledge, the house has never been a bordello. Dearest readers, please don’t drive slowly by in an attempt to get a glimpse of the floozies. They are fictional. Also I should mention I took liberties with the floorplan of that historic home to suit the needs of my novel.

I also needed a certain kind of restaurant for this book, one about which unflattering things might be said. I’ve never found such a restaurant in Charleston, so I had to make one up. Rut’s New South Cuisine and all affiliated restaurants are figments of my imagination.

About the Author

Susan M. Boyer is the author of the USA TODAY bestselling Liz Talbot mystery series. Her debut novel,
Lowcountry Boil
, won the 2012 Agatha Award for Best First Novel, the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, and garnered several other award nominations, including the Macavity.
Lowcountry Boneyard
, the third Liz Talbot mystery, was a Spring 2015 Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Pick. Susan loves beaches, Southern food, and small towns where everyone knows everyone, and everyone has crazy relatives. You’ll find all of the above in her novels. She lives in Greenville, SC, with her husband and an inordinate number of houseplants. You can visit her anytime at susanmboyerbooks.com.

In Case You Missed the 1
st
Book in the Series

LOWCOUNTRY BOIL

Susan M. Boyer

A Liz Talbot Mystery (#1)

Private Investigator Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer. 

She’s fit to be tied when her police-chief brother shuts her out of the investigation, so she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated. When more folks start turning up dead in this small seaside town, Liz must use more than just her wits and charm to keep her family safe, chase down clues from the hereafter, and catch a psychopath before he catches her.

Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon

CLICK FOR LOWCOUNTRY BOIL

In Case You Missed the 2
nd
Book in the Series

LOWCOUNTRY BOMBSHELL

Susan M. Boyer

A Liz Talbot Mystery (#2)

Liz Talbot thinks she’s seen another ghost when she meets Calista McQueen. She’s the spitting image of Marilyn Monroe. Born precisely fifty years after the ill-fated star, Calista’s life has eerily mirrored the late starlet’s—and she fears the looming anniversary of Marilyn’s death will also be hers.

Before Liz can open a case file, Calista’s life coach is executed. Suspicious characters swarm around Calista like mosquitoes on a sultry lowcountry evening: her certifiable mother, a fake aunt, her control-freak psychoanalyst, a private yoga instructor, her peculiar housekeeper, and an obsessed ex-husband. Liz digs in to find a motive for murder, but she’s besieged with distractions. Her ex has marriage and babies on his mind. Her too-sexy partner engages in a campaign of repeat seduction. Mamma needs help with Daddy’s devotion to bad habits. And a gang of wild hogs is running loose on Stella Maris.

With the heat index approaching triple digits, Liz races to uncover a diabolical murder plot in time to save not only Calista’s life, but also her own.

Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon

CLICK FOR LOWCOUNTRY BOMBSHELL

In Case You Missed the 3
rd
Book in the Series

LOWCOUNTRY BONEYARD

Susan M. Boyer

A Liz Talbot Mystery (#3)

Where is Kent Heyward? The twenty-three-year-old heiress from one of Charleston’s oldest families vanished a month ago. When her father hires private investigator Liz Talbot, Liz suspects the most difficult part of her job will be convincing the patriarch his daughter tired of his overbearing nature and left town. That’s what the Charleston Police Department believes.

But behind the garden walls South of Broad, family secrets pop up like weeds in the azaleas. The neighbors recollect violent arguments between Kent and her parents. Eccentric twin uncles and a gaggle of cousins covet the family fortune. And the lingering spirit of a Civil-War-era debutante may know something if Colleen, Liz’s dead best friend, can get her to talk.

Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon

CLICK FOR LOWCOUNTRY BONEYARD

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Henery Press Mystery Books

And finally, before you go...

Here are a few other mysteries

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BOARD STIFF

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As director of the Ballantyne Foundation on Sea Pine Island, SC, Elliott Lisbon scratches her detective itch by performing discreet inquiries for Foundation donors. Usually nothing more serious than retrieving a pilfered Pomeranian. Until Jane Hatting, Ballantyne board chair, is accused of murder. The Ballantyne’s reputation tanks, Jane’s headed to a jail cell, and Elliott’s sexy ex is the new lieutenant in town.

Armed with moxie and her Mini Coop, Elliott uncovers a trail of blackmail schemes, gambling debts, illicit affairs, and investment scams. But the deeper she digs to clear Jane’s name, the guiltier Jane looks. The closer she gets to the truth, the more treacherous her investigation becomes. With victims piling up faster than shells at a clambake, Elliott realizes she’s next on the killer’s list.

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PILLOW STALK

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The local detective connects the new crime to a twenty-year old cold case, and Madison’s long-trusted contractor emerges as the leading suspect. As the body count piles up, Madison uncovers a Soviet spy, a campaign to destroy all Doris Day movies, and six minutes of film that will change her life forever.

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Buried under a mistaken identity, unable to seek help from her family, her hot streak runs cold until her landlord Bradley Cole steps in. Make that her landlord, lawyer, and love interest. With his help, Davis must win this high stakes game before her luck runs out.

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A Mystery

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Aided by a float plane pilot whose wife was murdered two years ago in a case gone cold, Val’s hunt for the recluse takes on new meaning: can she clear him of suspicion in that murder before she links her own professional fortunes to the publication of his new book?

When she finds herself thrown into a wilderness lake community where livelihoods collide, Val wonders whether the prospect of running into a bear might be the least of her problems.

Available January 2016

Visit www.henerypress.com for details

NUN TOO SOON

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A Giulia Driscoll Mystery (#1)

Giulia Falcone-Driscoll has just taken on her first impossible client: The Silk Tie Killer. He’s hired Driscoll Investigations to prove his innocence and they have only thirteen days to accomplish it. Talk about being tried in the media. Everyone in town is sure Roger Fitch strangled his girlfriend with one of his silk neckties. And then there’s the local TMZ wannabes—The Scoop—stalking Giulia and her client for sleazy sound bites.

On top of all that, her assistant’s first baby is due any second, her scary smart admin still doesn’t relate well to humans, and her police detective husband insists her client is guilty. About this marriage thing—it’s unknown territory, but it sure beats ten years of living with 150 nuns.

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