Jessica Fletcher’s sunny beach vacation with her nephew’s family takes a dark turn in this new installment in the USA Today bestselling series.

Jessica is delighted when her nephew Grady invites her to spend a few days with his family in an oceanside New York bungalow. She packs her bags and heads down to the city, ready to spend some quality time with Grady, his wife, Donna, and their young son, Frank.

But the morning after Jessica’s arrival, Donna finds her boss dead on a tennis court, and Jessica’s dreams of a relaxing visit are quashed. Everyone in the small beachside community is a suspect, and the local authorities—headed by an old colleague of Cabot Cove sheriff Mort Metzger—have asked that no one leave town. Will Jessica be able find a killer and salvage the rest of her trip?

The entire mystery community gathered in Raleigh, North Carolina for  several days of work and fun at the world’s largest gathering of readers, writers and industry professionals.  I was honored to be on a panel called The Resurgence of the Traditional Mystery with such super stars as Dorothy Cannell, Marcia Talley, Wendy Corsi Staub and Helen Smith.

Helen Smith and I are all smiles after the panel was finished and deemed a huge success.

One of the highlights of the conference was the launch of Murder Under the Oaks, the Bouchercon 2015 anthology. Isn’t it great that so many of the authors who have stories in the anthology showed up to sign?

And it is always the most fun to spend a bit of time with old friends like Debra Goldstein and Dru Ann Love.

Terrie,  Debra, Dru Ann

And next year the whole show moves to New Orleans.

Well it’s been nearly a month since Caught Read-Handed was released. I am so pleased that friends have been sending me pictures showing the book on it’s travels.

Thanks Karen Kenyon

Thanks Laura Bradford

Thanks Tommy Ragusa

Thanks Karen Owen

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to have friends and readers send these great pictures to me on Facebook. So if you have a picture, please find me there and I will post it on the website.

I am thrilled to announce that Caught Read-Handed  is available on bookshelves everywhere. And most library systems either have copies or have Caught Read-Handed on order. In e-book format  the download is instant. So, why are you still here? Run and get a copy. I am dying to know what you think.

Recently I had the opportunity to speak to some fascinating folks at the glorious Fort Myers Beach public library.

In September 1955 a group of volunteers opened the first library on Estero Island in this tiny cottage. I can well imagine that if eight or ten visitors showed up at the same time to browse through the latest offerings, there would not be enough room inside the building for them all. To put the era in a literary context, the New York Times best seller list for late September that year included: AUNTIE MAME by Patrick Dennis, THE MAN IN THE GRAY FLANNEL SUIT by Sloan Wilson, and NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS, by Mac Hyman.

Through the years the volunteer library grew until today it is a stunning three story building complete with an impressive collection and a very homey atmosphere filled with an outstanding collection of art. For example, the elevator is glass and a local artist painted fabulous underwater designs on the shaft. I could ride up and down the elevator all day feeling as if I were on snorkeling adventure.

My friend Denise and I stopped for lunch at the café on the third floor where, along with chicken salad and walnut sandwiches, we had a gorgeous view of the Gulf of Mexico. We were greeted by Library Director Dr. Leroy Hommerding who showed us to a community room where some local residents and I had a lively conversation about Fort Myers Beach, the fictitious Read ’Em and Eat Café and Book Corner (setting of WELL READ,THEN DEAD) and, since there were a number of other writers in the room, we spent a fair amount of time talking about the process of writing. All in all I had a grand time. How could I go wrong  having splendid conversation with readers and writers in such an inviting setting? And as a parting tidbit, I can tell you that the community library (under a fictional name) plays a prominent role in CAUGHT READ-HANDED, the next book in the Read ’Em and Eat series.