MURDER IN THE ABSTRACT - Susan Shea

First Line: "I was hiding in the third floor ladies' room when my cell phone began to jangle."

Dani O'Rourke is in the midst of a large fundraiser for the Devor Art Museum, a fundraiser she is in charge of, when she is summoned to her office where her ex-boyfriend, an up-and-coming artist, had been thrown out the window to his death. As the police begin to investigate, it quickly becomes clear that Dani is among the suspects in the investigation due in large part to a letter sent to the deceased. The letter says it is from Dani, but she didn't write it. Dani refuses to sit back and be framed for a murder she didn't commit. The only question is, who would have motive to kill this man?

MURDER IN THE ABSTRACT is Susan Shea's debut novel. It's a light, fun who-dunnit; perfect for the beach or park or front porch.

Dani O'Rourke is an enjoyable protagonist. She's smart and funny. A respected executive for the art museum who obsesses over fashion and has her eye on the investigating police detective. Her ex-husband Dickie Argetter III is a humorous ladies man who still has a flame burning for Dani.

The plot itself offers up an interesting peek at the art world and how all its various players fit into the fabric.

Fans of Jane Cleland's Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series will likely enjoy MURDER IN THE ABSTRACT with its smart and savvy, light-hearted plot, compelling characters and authentic backdrop.  

MURDER IN THE ABSTRACT is available June 24th in hardcover (ISBN 978-0-8034-7768-1) from Avalon Books.

Technorati Tags: Susan Shea, cozy mystery, book review

Looking Foward

Been super busy the last couple of days preparing reviews and other items for next week's "Detectives Around the World" theme week. I do hope you'll all check back daily next week to see all the great bloggers who are participating and highlighting detectives. It could be a great opportunity for you to discover some new detectives and to chat with each other about detectives you know and like. There will be some contests, guest posts from authors, and even great recipes you can check out. Each day I'll provide links to all the participating blogs so you can use Jen's Book Thoughts as your guide. I'll also be posting my own contributions to the fun. There will be a scavenger hunt that you can complete for a chance to win prizes and of course we'll be voting in the final face-off of the "World's Favorite Detective" tournament. I hope you'll check all of it out.

I'm falling a little behind on my reading since I've been doing a lot of planning and plotting, but I thought I'd share some of what I'm looking forward to this spring and summer:

Murder in the Abstract is Susan Shea's debut. It comes out this summer.

Bolt from the Blue is Diane Stuckart's newest in the Leonardo Di Vinci mystery series. Love this series, so looking forward to this one. It's out now, waiting for me to get to it. Soon, very soon!

Dead Head is Rosemary Harris' next in the Dirty Business mystery series. Another series I love, and I've been looking forward to this one for awhile. Dead Head is out this Tuesday. I still have to get my copy of this one.

Silent Auction is presently in my grimy paws awaiting it's turn to be read. It's also out this month and is the next Josie Prescott novel from Jane Cleland. If you're a regular to the blog, you know how much I'm always raving about this series.

Expiration Date is just a gorgeous book! Duane Swierczynski claims ownership of this lovely prize. Also out right now.

Junkyard Dogs is the next Walt Longmire. Enough said! It's out at the end of May.

Rolling Thunder by Chris Grabenstein and Reckless by Andrew Gross you'll hear about next week from me. Loved them both! Reckless is out the end of this month, Rolling Thunder is May. Also, I'll be seeing Andy Gross in L.A. in a couple weeks. Very jazzed about that!

Also up soon is The Inheritance by Simon Tolkien. This is the grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien. This is his second novel, and it sounds outstanding. Looking forward to this one. I think you can actually get this one now. If not then very soon. Definitely within the month.

Shane Gericke's Torn Apart is out this summer. I'm anxiously anticipating that book. In the interim, I get my Gericke fix with his blog posts at Criminal Minds.

Another Criminal Mind that has a release this summer is Rebecca Cantrell. Her A Night of Long Knives, the follow-up to A Trace of Smoke, will hit bookstores in June.

Last but by far not least, actually probably what I'm looking most forward to is So Cold the River, Michael Koryta's first book with Little Brown. Now mind you, I've had this book since October, and have tortured myself with it every day since I got it. I kid you not, it sits right next to my keyboard and every day I say, "that's what I want to read next." And it IS going with me to L.A. so I can read it on vacation. The torture simply must stop!

So your turn. Share with us what you are most looking forward to this spring and summer!

And the last thing I wanted to share with you before I get back to theme week preparations is this beauty that came in the mail. I ordered this from Michelle Scalise on her Etsy shop to commemorate my appearance in ROLLING THUNDER.


Cool? I love it!

Don't forget it's your last day to vote in the Final Four round. Check back tomorrow for the results of who will be our champions facing off for the title of "World's Favorite Detective"!

Happy Reading!