Cedar Valley, Colorado police officer Gemma Monroe’s first day back from maternity leave doesn’t turn out to be the easy transition she hoped for. Responding in the middle of a raging blizzard to a call about a suspicious prowler at a local high school, Gemma discovers the dead body of a famous author, Del Fuente, who has been living in town incognito while guest lecturing at the posh private school. The scarce and ambiguous clues point to a possible serial killer. Meanwhile, a mysterious bully known simply as Grimm (after the fairy tales) is tormenting the school’s students, and Alistair Campbell, a wealthy developer from back East with possible criminal ties, is snooping around Gemma’s family.
Are these threads connected, and if so, how? Why does the academy’s entire English department seem to be lying to Gemma? And when can she fit in a pumping break? Red herrings abound in this follow-up police procedural to Inherit the Bones, featuring the engaging, down-to-earth heroine. In addition to Gemma, A Season to Lie features a variety of quirky, colorful characters, from Gemma’s macho partner, Finn, to Campbell’s poetry-quoting, ex-con henchman, to anxiety-ridden recluse Lila Conway, the only person who knew the murdered author’s true identity. A second murder complicates the plot and keeps the reader guessing to the very end.
"For me, the books I read were the call—the call to adventure, to thinking, to acknowledging other points of view. But to complete the ritual, I needed to respond."
I am surrounded by books. Every room, every space in my large, sprawling 1750s house is full of books...
Our history and experiences can define us, inspire our actions, and as writers impact our words and stories. Mine most definitely has: my father was a small-time gangster. Really.
"My ah-ha moment came when I read The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.... That was it for me – I was off to the races."
Nietzsche once wrote, “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”
"Mystery books were daring and exciting, firing up my imagination and making me yearn to become a girl detective or even a secret agent. They also empowered me to make up impromptu ghost stories around the campfire for my Girl Scout troop and sneak into the cemetery at night on a dare."
Fire and Ashes, the latest Angela Richman Death Investigator mystery, is an exploration of a fatal fire. To research this novel, Viets delved into the devastating consequences of junk science and arson investigations.
