Thursday, January 12, 2023

Next Manuscript!

Whew, it's been a while, but I've finally got my next manuscript finished! It's entitled A Proper Murder and is my latest murder mystery. It's always satisfying when you get to type "The End" at the end of a draft, but this is especially fun when it's a historical murder mystery. My agent really liked a previous murder mystery I gave her, and wanted to see something similar, so I suggested I try writing a new one in the same "universe" as my previous one.

Although this story definitely shares some DNA with my previous murder mysteries, it's definitely an entirely new read. I've also sharpened up my mystery chops these past few months, studying the genre and reading and writing non-stop to get the narrative as tight and entertaining as possible. It was also a lot of fun to write!

Below is a brief blurb of A Proper Murder. I've got a few trusted Crit Partners giving me feedback now, but if anyone else would like to give it a read, please let me know. I'm always happy to reciprocate. Thanks! 


A Proper Murder


1940. London. Don't let her prim and proper demeanour fool you. Jane Primrose may be a bookish typist with spectacles and a boarding school education, but when her boss in British Intelligence dies under a blitz bomb, Jane thinks it's no accident. With her peculiar penchant for using books to solve crimes, she soon realises that someone is somehow luring victims to the exact location where blitz bombs will fall, even though that shouldn't be possible. Teamed up with a sceptical shell shocked officer, Clive Masterson, Jane discovers that her boss was killed while attempting to uncover plans for an impending Nazi invasion of Britain. Racing against time, Jane and Clive must solve the murder and out the culprit before the invasion can take place and they become targets of the killer themselves. 

12 comments:

  1. Mark, this sounds awesome. We've really been into murder mysteries lately, so I've been devouring both books and TV shows. Have you sold your first mystery to a publisher yet?

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    1. Thanks, Donna:) We're pretty much reading/watch murder mysteries every night in our house. I've garnered interest in my mysteries so far, but nothing published just yet on that front.

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  2. I do love that time period! I'd love to read it, but I'm a super slow reader and would probably slow down your progress. I'll definitely be reading it eventually! I've been working on a book set in the 1950's. It will take me forever to finish. Historicals are so much work, but I love them.

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    1. So cool, Elizabeth! I look forward to reading yours someday as well:)

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  3. Congratulations! And set during WWII - nice.

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    1. Thanks, Alex! It's a favorite subject of mine:)

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  4. Great news, Mark. I've been wishing you'd write a new book! Thanks for stopping by my old Fourth Wish blog, but I can't reply on it anymore. Something has gone haywire. I've moved over to Wordpress at the site I gave here. (Victorian Scribbles still works, though. Go figure.)

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  5. Hi Mark! I've been on a blog break and just saw this. If you're not in a big hurry, I'd be happy to read. Are you interested in just an overall opinion or a full critique?

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  6. Congratulations on getting another manuscript written! I'll read the book when it comes out.

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  7. Hi, Mark, I'm so sorry I missed this announcement. (It's been a busy 6 months since we moved back to Portugal. Please keep me posted. I loved this book when I read the earlier version of it.

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  8. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and expertise with us

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