I have good news for fans of my Isabel Long Mystery Series. I have just signed a contract with darkstroke books for the next, Missing the Deadline. That will be the seventh in this series.
The editing process will begin soon. Laurence Patterson, co-owner of darkstroke, says Missing the Deadline will likely be released toward the end of this year. How exciting.
In the meantime, Laurence and I will go back and forth over the Atlantic — darkstroke is based in France — during the editing process. We did the same for my last two books and it was an enjoyable experience. I also am searching for an appropriate image for the cover of Missing the Deadline.
So, what’s this one about? As Isabel Long has discovered, her cases can come from unexpected people and situations. This time, it’s at a poetry reading where she is approached by Cyrus Nilsson. Once a suspect in a previous case, the noted poet wants her to investigate the shooting of his first literary agent.
Gerald Danielson was found shot in the head at his home in Meadows Falls. He survived but isn’t the same successful agent who moved there from New York City. The police ruled it an attempted suicide, but Cyrus has his doubts. Certainly there are people in Gerald’s life, including a vindictive ex-wife, a jilted local writer, and even his apparently devoted sister, who might have motivation.
It doesn’t take much to convince Isabel to take on this case. Afterall, her mother, Maria, who is her ‘Watson,’ says it’s boring without one.
As a journalist, Isabel Long never missed a deadline. She does the same as a P.I. although in this case, the term means something entirely different.
In this book, many of the characters in the series have a role in this mystery such as the Old Farts, Annette Waters, the Beaumont brothers, and, of course, Jack and Isabel’s mother, Maria. But there are new ones as well. I do like the character of Gerald Danielson — the only person Isabel will let call her “Izzie.” There’s an unexpected romance between two unlikely characters — my lips are sealed there. Jack’s ex-wife is still a royal pain in the you know what, but she does provide a link to solving this case. And the inspiration for the setting is a village I am very familiar with.
Meanwhile, I am writing the sequel to The Sacred Dog. No spoilers here but it’s called The Unforgiving Town. And I will be doing several readings for Northern Comfort over the next few months.
LINK TO MY BOOKS: Here’s how to find the Isabel Long Mystery Series on Amazon.
IMAGE ABOVE: Saw that in Ogunquit, Maine this summer.