MULTIPLE MOTIVES (The Kate Huntington mystery series Book 1) (38 page)

BOOK: MULTIPLE MOTIVES (The Kate Huntington mystery series Book 1)

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Second, I met a woman who was to become a good friend and the co-founder of
misterio press
. To make a long story short, while the other writers at the end-of-conference cocktail party were schmoozing with the agents and publishers, Shannon Esposito and I sat at a table drinking the free wine and plotting our strategy. A little over a year later,
misterio press
was born. We are a small indie press dedicated to producing high-quality stories for mystery lovers, while also allowing our authors to retain artistic control and the profits from their hard work.

A few quick apologies. As the disclaimer at the beginning of the book says, all characters and events (including Kate’s therapy cases) are figments of my imagination. When I pick a character’s name, I research it to try to determine if anyone famous has that name. But I’m bound to hit on some people’s real names at times. So if I’ve happened to use your name for a character, it was not intentional. Nonetheless, I apologize, especially if that character was a child molester or wife-beater!

Most of the places I mention are real, although the streets where Kate and the Franklins live are made up. Also I apologize if you happen to live or own a business located at 2345 Wilkens Avenue. This street name I could not fictionalize since anyone familiar with Baltimore would know St. Agnes Hospital is located there. And the Cheryl sighting had to be on that street in order to make the story work.

Also to make the story work, I have made it sound a lot easier to hack into people’s finances than it actually is. Liz is indeed a hacker
extraordinaire
.

Also, apologies to the Baltimore County Police Department for the fictional Detective Phillips. I tried very hard to make him a more balanced human being, with some good as well as bad in him. But characters sometimes have a will of their own, and no matter what I did, he refused to be anything but obnoxious. As is said several times in the story, the majority of police officers are good people and dedicated professionals. But every barrel has the occasional rotten apple. I have met police officers who were as egotistical and lazy as Phillips is. Indeed, I’ve met a couple who were worse.

People often ask me if Kate is a fictitious version of myself. The answer is no, she is the person I wish I was. She is infinitely more patient than I am. But she is not without flaws, and the curve balls life throws at her are definitely challenging. I have totally enjoyed watching her and the other characters grow and change as the series has progressed.

There are now six books out in the series, plus a more light-hearted Christmas novella. I’m working on Book 7, and a second novella has started down the long path of editing and polishing. I have ideas for at least two more books, so I don’t see the series ending any time soon.

And on that note, let me share with you a synopsis of Book 2 in the series.

ILL-TIMED ENTANGLEMENTS, A Kate Huntington Mystery
:

Widowed while still pregnant with her daughter, Kate Huntington knows she’d never have made it through the last year without the support of her closest friends, Rob and Liz Franklin. So when Rob asks her to help his great aunt, Kate can hardly say no.

He’s in the middle of a major child custody case, and his octogenarian aunt, a best-selling author of historical romances, has been accused of plagiarism. He asks Kate to accompany Aunt Betty to a meeting with her publishers and help her deal with the messy business.

But by the time Kate arrives at Betty Franklin’s retirement community in Lancaster, PA, the situation has gotten a lot messier. Betty’s accuser is dead, and the local police detective is giving off signals that he thinks Betty is the murderer.

Unfortunately, the pool of suspects is huge. Just about every resident at The Villages Retirement Center had a reason to dislike the victim. When Kate and her friends start asking questions, they begin having “accidental” brushes with death themselves. Somebody doesn’t like them poking around in people’s pasts. Meanwhile the elderly residents are continuing to die off, and not from old age.

As if things weren’t complicated enough, Kate realizes her interest in romance may be coming back to life, despite the conversations she still has in her head with her dead husband. Two men ask her out in as many days. She tells them both no; it’s still too soon after her beloved Eddie’s death. But she’s having trouble denying her growing attraction to one of them.

When Rob arrives, still in stress overload after his tough court case, he doesn’t handle the budding romance well. Could he be
jealous?
As they attempt to narrow the field of suspects and stop a murderer, Kate begins to fear what this whole mess might end up costing her… a second chance at love, her friendship with Rob, the life of someone she holds dear, or maybe even her own.

About the Author

I’ve never been able to decide which I love more, psychology or writing. In college, I realized that writers need a day job in order to eat, so I studied psychology. After a wonderful career as a psychotherapist and college professor, I am now retired and can pursue my passion for writing.

I spend most of my time in an alternate universe with my characters. The portal to this universe, aka my computer, is located in Florida, where my husband and dog catch occasional glimpses of me.

For part of each summer, we go to my native Maryland, where the Kate Huntington series is based. There are now six books in the series, plus a Kate on Vacation novella (a somewhat lighter read along the lines of a cozy mystery). I’m working away on Book 7,
Fatal Forty-Eight
, plus another vacation novella set in the Caribbean.

To read and see more about Kate Huntington you can go to
http://kassandralamb.com
. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter there to get a heads up about new releases, plus special offers and bonuses for her subscribers. (Psst! If you e-mail me and let me know you’ve signed up, I’ll send you a free e-copy of any Kate Huntington book!)

My e-mail is
[email protected]
and I love hearing from you all! I’m also on
Facebook
and
Goodreads
. I hang out some on Twitter @KassandraLamb and I blog about psychological topics and other random things at
http://misteriopress.com
.

Please check out these other great
misterio press
series:

Karma’s A Bitch: The Pet Psychic series
by Shannon Esposito

Multiple Motives: The Kate Huntington series
by Kassandra Lamb

Maui Widow Waltz: The Islands of Aloha series
by JoAnn Bassett

The Metaphysical Detective: The Riga Hayworth series
by Kirsten Weiss

Dangerous and Unseemly: The Concordia Wells series
by K.B. Owen

And coming soon,
The Carol Sabala series
by Vinnie Hansen!

Plus even more great mysteries/thrillers in the
misterio press
bookstore
.

Table of Contents

OTHER BOOKS by KASSANDRA LAMB

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE