1st in Series
Cozy Mystery
Self Published
File Size: 1435 KB
Print Length: 201 pages
ASIN: B00M8N1LJ6
Synopsis
Meet Ruby Wisdom. Smart and sensible. Humorous and heroic. Tough and tender. As the only private investigator in tiny Wormwood, New York, Ruby handles a wide range of cases—everything from jewel heists and cheating husbands to stolen wedding gowns, kidnapped artwork and fraudulent heirs.
In HANDCUFFS & HIGH HEELS, Ruby is hired by the wife of a millionaire when the woman suspects her husband is having an affair. And he is—several of them. But when Ruby begins connecting the duplicitous dots, the deceitful spouse ends up in a much more difficult dilemma than being caught with his hands in Cookie’s jar. And that’s when the real investigation begins.
HANDCUFFS & HIGH HEELS is a cozy mystery loaded with humor, romance, memorable characters and a sleuth who knows her way around baked goods and sweet treats as well as crime scenes and tricky investigations.
Guest Post
Reading: A Love Story in Three Acts
Act One: The Early Years
As a child, my older sister read picture books to me until I fell asleep. Our nightly sessions introduced ranged from Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny to The Little House and The Tale of Peter Rabbit. They also inspired a love of storytelling, an appreciation for creativity and the limitless reach of a stimulated imagination. The selection of books may have also explained George and Charlie, the pet rabbits that joined my family when I was eight.
Act Two: The Middle Years
From the age of 12 until I was a thirtysomething copywriter working in New York, I read Kurt Vonnegut and Joan Didion and John Cheever. Between the wacky humor of Vonnegut, the spare prose of Didion and the gin-soaked suburban brilliance of Cheever, my tastes during those years were diverse and a long way from where they are today. But I learned a lot from those three writers—as well as countless others through the years—and their work continues to inspire me on a daily basis.
Act Three: The Years of Mystery & Crime
One blustery winter afternoon, I visited my favorite bookstore on Fifty-seventh Street in Manhattan. I wandered through the aisles, idly examining book covers and jacket copy until I landed in the mystery section. I’d heard of Robert B. Parker and remembered watching Spenser for Hire, the TV series with Robert Ulrich. But I hadn’t yet read any of Parker’s novels about the witty Boston PI. That day, I picked up a copy of Crimson Joy, the 15th novel in the Spenser series. I tucked it under my arm, started reading it on the subway downtown and knew that I’d found a new friend. Over the following years, I read all of Parker’s Spenser novels as well as his Jesse Stone books and the Western series that featured maverick lawmen Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch.
That moment of happenstance in the mystery section changed the arc of my life as a reader. Since then, I’ve spent countless hours enjoying books by both award-winning and renowned authors as well as many self-published independent writers. Through their books, I’ve explored distant parts of the world, traveled through time and expanded my appreciation for different cultures. I’ve also learned about countless occupations held by amateur sleuths, explored new cuisines showcased in culinary mysteries and deepened my appreciation for numerous regions of the country through the impeccable local flavor captured by some truly talented writers.
In the early days, my love of mystery and crime was confined to books. But it’s now spilled over into movies and television programs. I’m hooked on many of the celebrated series like CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds and Law & Order. And I’ve really enjoyed newer offerings such as Sherlock, True Detective, Broadchurch and The Killing. As of this writing, I’ve also enjoyed the first few episodes of The Mysteries of Laura, the new TV series with Debra Messing, as well as Gotham, the innovative series featuring characters from DC Comics’ Batman franchise.
The variety of these programs is mirrored by the diversity of mystery novels and crime titles that you can find today. The genre now includes books that are funny, gripping, disturbing, educational and inspiring. Like cats and dogs? There are numerous mysteries that involve four-legged sleuths. One of my favorites is the Chet and Bernie series by Spencer Quinn. Want to learn more about sleuthing in Elizabethan England? Check out Peter Tonkin’s A Head for Murder. Have an appetite for macaroons, crime and the beauty of Paris? Place an order for one of the tasty selections in Harper Lin’s Patisserie series.
Like any great love affair, my affection for books continues to deepen through the years. I relish spending time with old favorites just as much as I enjoy discovering debut novels by emerging authors. Now that I’ve recently launched the first books in my new humorous cozy series—Handcuffs & High Heels and Death by Donut—I have even greater appreciation and respect for the writers who have entertained and inspired me since those long ago nights when I climbed into bed, put my head on the pillows and listened as my sister said, “In the great green room, there was a telephone. And a red balloon. And a picture of the cow jumping over the moon...”
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About the Author
J.M. Edwards loves crime. But only when it’s fictional. A lifelong fan of mystery novels, police procedurals and thrillers, J.M. has worked as a copywriter, bartender, dog walker and newspaper reporter. When it comes to reading, she has a few favorites (Robert B. Parker, Sue Grafton, Dashiell Hammett, Robert B. Parker, Lee Child), but always enjoys learning about new authors to add to the TBR pile. In addition to writing the new Ruby Wisdom cozy mystery series, J.M. spends time gardening, traveling, spoiling a small herd of cats and dogs, doing volunteer work and taking the occasional nap.
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