Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Dianne Freeman, the author of the Countess of Harleigh Mysteries!
Would you please tell us a little about the Countess of Harleigh Mysteries?
This are Victorian mysteries with a light touch. My sleuth is Frances Wynn, Countess of Harleigh, whose mother got caught up in the American heiress craze and traded her daughter for the prestige of a gaining title in the family. The first book in the series begins nine years after the wedding. Frances is now a widow yearning for independence. With her young daughter, she moves away from the family home to live on her own for the first time in her life. From that point, everything that can go wrong, does—including a shortage of funds, a series of burglaries, a visit from her marriage mad sister, and a murder. Though she has no idea what she’s doing, Frances faces these problems with aplomb, calling on all her resources, including gossipy friends and a handsome neighbor to flush out the killer.
The next book in the series, A NEWLYWED’S GUIDE TO FORTUNE AND MURDER, releases June 27th! Can you tell us a little about it?
Frances is thrown into a dastardly intrigue surrounding the elderly and wealthy Lady Wingate. Since her husband’s death several months earlier, Lady Wingate hasn’t left the house. Her friend, Lady Esther, is convinced one of the woman’s step-children is drugging her and tapping into her fortune. Her niece, Kate, is about to enter high society and stands to gain an inheritance upon her aunt’s death. Is she trying to hasten that death? Frances teams up with Aunt Hetty, Lady Esther, and Lady Wingate to prove it’s never wise to underestimate the power and cunning of a woman, whatever her age.
Random Question! Who is your favorite fictional detective?
It’s a team! I love the partnership of Charlotte and Thomas Pitt written by Anne Perry. It held up for 32 books, so they’re doing something right!
If you’re able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?
I’m working on the 7th book in the series, An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder. Frances and her husband, George, have two points of interest in Paris. One is an impromptu holiday to visit the Paris Exposition. The other is personal. George’s Aunt Julia has requested her nephew’s help in looking into the suspicious death of renowned artist Paul Ducasse. Though Julia is not entirely forthcoming about her reasons, she is clearly a woman mourning a lost love.
At the exposition, swarming with tourists, tragedy casts a pall on the festivities. A footbridge collapses. Julia is among the casualties. However, she was not just another fateful victim. Julia was stabbed to death amid the chaos. With an official investigation at a standstill, George and Frances realize that to solve the case they must dig into Julia’s life—as well as Paul’s—and question everything and everyone in Julia’s coterie of artists and secrets.
What are some of your favorite cozy mysteries? And what are some you’re looking forward to reading?
Way too many to name them all, but I do favor historical cozies. I love Colleen Cambridge’s Phyllida Bright series. (She’s the fictional housekeeper to Agatha Christie when she’s not solving crimes.) I enjoyed A Socialite’s Guide to Murder by S.K. Golden. (Set in a glamorous NYC hotel in the 50s.) Allison Montclair writes the wonderful Sparks and Bainbridge series where two unlikely friends run The Right Sort Marriage Bureau in post WWII London. All three of these authors will release a new book later this year. I’m also looking forward to Celeste Connally’s Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord.
Thank you so much to Dianne Freeman for participating in this event!
Author Bio: Dianne Freeman is the acclaimed author of the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series. She is an Agatha Award and Lefty Award winner, as well as a finalist for the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award from Mystery Writers of America. After thirty years of working in corporate accounting and finance, she now writes full-time. Born and raised in Michigan, she and her husband split their time between Michigan and Arizona. Visit her at www.DiFreeman.com.
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It makes me smile! : )