A Conversation With Talia Marby by Linda Reilly

I can’t believe this is happening . . . again. Another murder, right here in the quaint little town of Wrensdale, Massachusetts!

Before I start sputtering, I should really introduce myself. I’m Talia Marby, the owner of a new eatery located in a faux Tudor shopping plaza in the Berkshires. Dru was kind enough to invite me here today to chat with you . . . and so I could give my new restaurant a plug. Thanks, Dru! Of course she probably would have thought twice about her invite if she’d known I was going to rant.

But really, another murder? In fewer than two months? Why did I have to find this body, too? Yes, you heard me right. This isn’t the first victim I’ve stumbled upon since I moved back to Wrensdale. Back in October I discovered a local shopkeeper dead in his office . . . murdered with a fillet knife. That little knife was bad news for my friend, Bea Lambert, who owned the plaza’s fish and chips shop with her hubby, Howie. All the other merchants knew that Bea and the victim had bad blood between them. Bea had even been overheard threatening to boil the guy in oil! Fortunately, the real killer was caught in time to keep Bea out of the pokey. (I helped with that, a little). By that time, Bea and Howie had decided to retire (Myrtle Beach, here we come!), so they sold the eatery to me.

Fry Me a Sliver (or Fry Me, as the locals are calling it) is the new incarnation of Lambert’s Fish & Chips. It’s truly an adorable place—cozy and teeming with the tantalizing scents of deep-fried everything. Oh don’t worry, we still serve our delectable fish and chips. But now our diners have a few more choices—deep-fried meatballs drizzled with spicy marinara being one of my special faves.

But just a few days ago poor Ria Butterforth was murdered! It happened at a local fundraiser, where we’d both set up booths to raise money for needy families. I found out that Ria had been carrying a grudge against me for nearly thirty years—since our elementary school days! Sad, but true. Anyway, it was me who found her—stashed in a closet with a scarf knotted tightly around her neck. The same scarf I’d knitted for my nana back when I was a teen . . .

Everyone, including the police, knows I had words with Ria that day. With so many accusatory fingers pointing in my direction, what choice do I have? I have to figure out who the killer is.

Oddly, Ria herself gave me a clue that day. I overheard an argument between her and her mom, and something Ria said stuck in my head. I don’t know what it means yet, but I intend to find out. If I don’t, I might end up working as a fry cook at the women’s correctional institution.

Meanwhile, I have to keep the eatery up and running, so I hope you’ll stop into Fry Me a Sliver for a deep-fried treat! You might even pick up a tidbit of gossip about the town’s latest murder . . .

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Out of the Dying Pan is the second book in the Deep Fried mystery series, published by Berkley Prime Crime, March 2016

Revenge is set to sizzle in the tasty new Deep Fried Mystery from the author of Fillet of Murder.

For Talia Marby, the sweet smell of success is a lot like the pungent aroma of fried fish and vinegar. Her new business, Fry Me a Sliver, is rapidly expanding beyond fish and chips to become one of the best eateries in the Berkshires. But the nasty owner of a neighboring boutique is making a stink, baiting Talia in a very public fight at a community center fundraiser and nursing an inexplicable grudge.

When the boutique owner is found strangled with Talia’s scarf knotted around her neck, our favorite fish fryer finds herself in hot oil. Needing to clear her name, and fast, Talia’s investigation soon yields some shocking surprises as well as a sizzling suspicion: someone had good reason to want the victim dead—and it’s frying Talia’s nerves . . .

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About the author
Armed with a degree in Criminal Justice, Linda Reilly once contemplated a career in law enforcement. But life took a twist, and instead she found her niche in real estate closings and title examinations, where the dusty tomes in the Registry of Deeds enticed her into solving mysteries of a different sort. Linda now lives in New Hampshire with her husband, who affectionately calls her “Nose-in-a-Book.” She loves solving mysteries of the cozy type. When she’s not pounding away at her keyboard, she can usually be found prowling the shelves of a local bookstore or library hunting for a new adventure.

Visit Linda at lindasreilly.com and on Facebook.

Giveaway: Leave comment below for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of the Dying Pan and Fillet of Murder. US entries only, please. The giveaway will end March 18, 2016 at 12 AM EST. Good luck everyone!

All comments are welcomed.