Let’s talk about Ellie and Meg Christie, their cat Agatha, and the town of Last Word. Ellie seems a little more watchful and wary, while Meg seems to have a little more faith in humankind and in everything working out in the end.
Talk about the cosy mystery. What are some elements of this subgenre, and how did you integrate these elements into the book?
Morgan’s Reading Lounge is described by Ellie as “a sanctuary, a refuge for readers.” It had “a bookshelf arched around the opening, filled with covers the colors of a muted rainbow. Light beckoned from the far wall of windows. Pine logs crackled in a river-rock fireplace, its chimney flanked in bookshelves.”
Books, bibliophiles, and the idea of reading a book by the fire, sipping cocoa. All that, and possibly the most functional literary family ever.
Rusty is a proud member of The Wolfe Pack, the Nero Wolfe society. The book references Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White, Ellie’s “enduring devotion to to the logic of Dorothy Sayers. In the second book in the series, Ellie’s and Meg’s cousin has started a matchmaking service based on bookish tastes. GENIUS!
Talk about Agatha Christie and “Marpleing.” (The Sittaford Mystery/Murder at Hazelmoor and protagonist Emily Trefusis; Murder Is Easy; Crooked House; Endless Night; Absent in Spring by Mary Westmacott)
Ellie loves books so much she even read at football games. What are some of the unconventional places where you have pulled out a book to read? (Or wished you could pull out a book to read?)
Piper Tuttle claims “the terror” is “why everyone loves murder mysteries.” Why do you think we love mysteries?
What makes a good detective? How would you rate your own skills in detection?
Ms. Ridge and Morgan Marin had very distinct styles when leading a book club. Whose book club discussion would you rather attend? Why?
How did you start writing? How did you get your start?
Ellie Christie is well-traveled? What’s your travel background? Tell us about your degree in geography.
Tell us about your various book series — Bookmobile Mysteries, Santa Fe Cafe Mysteries, and Cyclist’s Guide Mysteries.
What authors do you read? Who inspires you?
A Cyclist’s Guide to Villains & Vines, the second book in the Cyclist’s Guide Mysteries, is scheduled to be released in May 2025. What’s the process of getting a book into print — for example, what happens between now and May?
What’s next on the horizon — will we see another Christie Bookshop Mystery?
