JUDY L. MURRAY'S HELEN MORRISSEY HOSTS A TEA WITH THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS FEMALE SLEUTHS

Multi-award-winning author Judy L. Murray writes the Chesapeake Bay Mystery series. Learn more about her and her books and find links to connect with her on social media at her website.

Why Women Make Great Detectives

If you are familiar with the award-winning Chesapeake Bay Mystery Series, you know my heroine, real estate agent Helen Morrissey, calls upon the individual talents and varied personalities of her own self-made Detection Club to help defend the innocent and seek out justice.

 

Today, I thought you would enjoy getting to know these women a bit better. Helen is serving as host at her house on a cliff overlooking the Maryland Chesapeake Bay. Nancy Drew, Jessica Fletcher, Nora Charles, and Agatha Raisin join her for tea, scones, and cocktails.

 

Helen Morrisey is leading the discussion. Let’s listen in…“Nancy Drew, are you willing to start? Tell us why helping me is important and what you think you bring to this group of sleuths? Aren’t you a bit young to be fighting crime?”

 

Nancy’s blue eyes flashed. “Since I’ve been involved in hundreds of crimes over my perpetual teen years, I don’t think so. I love working with smart women, but there are times when a young person comes in handy, especially if we’re chasing criminals through the woods or up three flights of stairs. I don’t think you would have survived in Murder in the Master without me.”

 

Helen: “That’s a good point. I am surprised you never seem intimidated by the adults around you.”

 

Nancy laughed, “Fortunately, I was raised by a father who encouraged me to think for myself. I’m definitely not afraid to speak up, even in the company of law enforcement.”

 

“Agatha Raisin, you seem to step on the toes of law enforcement, too. Tell us more about your background. How did you get involved in detection?”

 

“I grew up in a poor section of London and was determined to succeed on my own. Now, I live in the Cotswold’s when I’m not helping you. Sometimes people accuse me of speaking my opinion when it’s not wanted.” She shrugs. “But, there are times when being polite won’t help us capture a killer.”

 

Helen smiles. “I’m not very good at biting my tongue, either. Is it true you don’t like to cook?”

 

“It’s another trait you and I share. We’re both terrible cooks but love to eat. It makes the microwave our favorite kitchen appliance. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc helps, too, although I lean toward gin and tonic. I do draw the line at hiding Twizzlers everywhere like you do. That’s your problem, not mine.”

 

Helen grimaces. “I admit, Twizzlers are not the best dietary habit. I notice you’re wearing your favorite four-inch heels today. Don’t they hold you back?”

 

Agatha glanced down at her feet and winced. “I depend on Nancy to be our runner.” 

 

Nancy rolls her eyes.

 

“Nora,” Helen turns, “What do you think you contribute to my Detection Club?”

 

Nora tosses her short 1930’s waved hair. “Living with a private detective has its influence.” She straightens her satin robe and wiggles her feather topped, blue satin slippers. “I like to think my smarts come in handy for you. I also know how to make a wicked martini served in my coupe glass, of course.”

 

Helen grins. “That you certainly do. And, I’ve followed your advice more than once.”

 

Jessica Fletcher clears her throat. Helen nods. “Jessica, your talent for writing mysteries has helped us get to the truth. We had a few close calls solving Killer in the Kitchen. Have you ever thought to be a real estate agent? I think you would be fantastic.”

 

Jessica smiles. “We both have a lot of experience asking questions and piecing together clues, don’t we? Sometimes we find out things about people we weren’t expecting.”

 

“Or prefer not to know.” Helen glances across the room to the sedate, fluffy-haired old woman closest to the fire. “Miss Marple, as our senior sleuth, why do you think we work so well together? Is it just coincidence?”

 

Jane sets down her needlework, studying Nancy, Agatha, Nora, Jessica, and Helen with fondness. Clear, blue eyes twinkle behind her wire rims. “My dear Helen. You know very well I never believe in coincidence. Just think what we discovered when solving Peril in the Pool House.”

 

“But Jane, how have we been so successful when other sleuths fail,” Helen asks.

 

“We’re very clever women. We read body language. We watch and listen. We know the importance of keeping an absolutely open mind.” The senior offers a little wink. “Most crimes, you see, are so absurdly simple.”

 

Happy Holidays from Helen Morrisey and her Detection Club. May we solve many more mysteries in 2024! 

 

Peril in the Pool House

A Chesapeake Bay Mystery, Book 3

 

The grand opening of Captain’s Watch Bed and Breakfast in one of Chesapeake Bay’s historic mansions, is ruined when the body of Kerry Lightner, a high-powered political campaign manager, is found in the pool house with fishing shears in her back. Is the killer a rival politician, an ex-lover, a jealous co-worker, or the ghost of missing harbor pilot Isaac Hollowell? When state senate candidate and B&B owner Eliot Davies becomes the prime suspect, his friend real-estate-agent-turned-amateur-investigator Helen Morrisey and her Detection Club of fictional women sleuths vow to solve the case—even if it means the end of Helen’s romance with Detective Joe McAlister.

 

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ANASTASIA EXPLAINS WHY HER AUTHOR DIDN'T BECOME A NURSE OR AN ASTRONAUT

My Genetically Predisposed to Murder (Mysteries) Author

My author, Lois Winston, was recently asked why she loves to write murder mysteries. It’s a question I’ve often asked her, given that I bear the brunt of all the mayhem involved in sleuthing around dead bodies.

 

Unlike many mystery authors, Lois didn’t grow up devouring Nancy Drew books. I have it under good authority that she never read a single one. She was a Cherry Ames girl, mostly because an older neighbor gave her a vast collection she’d outgrown. Because of Cherry Ames, Lois once dreamed of becoming a nurse—until her grandmother stated that no granddaughter of hers was ever going to empty bedpans. However, Lois was young enough that other career pursuits eventually took hold of her imagination. For a time, she even wanted to be an astronaut. Then she learned NASA wasn’t interested in vertically challenged candidates prone to motion sickness.

 

Eventually, Lois aged out of Cherry Ames and discovered Leon Uris. (Yes, she was an extremely precocious reader.) However, none of those novels sparked career interests in her, even though she did learn far more history than any of her teachers ever imparted.

 

Lois was also not one of those writers who grew up dreaming about becoming a novelist. She came to writing much later in life, but not by writing mysteries. Her first novels were romances and romantic suspense. She segued into writing mysteries years later. Her agent knew an editor looking for a crafting-themed mystery series and suggested Lois try writing one.

 

The rest, as they say, is history. It was the proverbial match made in heaven, at least for her. I’m still upset she didn’t write me into one of those earlier romances. My life would have been far less stressful. But why did the mystery genre turn out to be such a perfect fit for her?

 

Lois tells me she’s always had a knack for figuring out whodunit early into most movies and TV shows. But where did that talent come from? She was trained as a graphic designer and illustrator, not as a forensics investigator.

 

The only explanation she’s ever been able to come up with is that she was genetically predisposed to solving crimes, thanks to her maternal grandfather. His career in law enforcement spanned nearly forty-plus years and culminated as the captain of a major metropolitan-area New York police force. During his long career, he was instrumental in bringing many mobsters to justice, including some famous ones.

 

Fate didn’t see fit for Lois to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps. It never crossed her mind that she could. But that crime-solving gene sat dormant inside her. Would she have started writing mysteries if her agent hadn’t suggested she try writing one? I suppose it would’ve depended on whether something else triggered that gene to wake up and take over her imagination.

 

Meanwhile, I’m still forced to deal with all those dead bodies. In A Crafty Collage of Crime, the twelfth book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries Series, Lois tempts me with a trip to Tennessee wine country. You probably don’t have to strain your brain cells to figure out what I discover within minutes of arriving at the winery.

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST AUTHOR HEATHER WEIDNER

Heather Weidner has been a mystery fan since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. Now she’s a mystery author with short stories appearing in two anthologies as well as a mystery series. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

My Homage to Nancy Drew – Girl Sleuth

I write mystery novels and short stories. Secret Lives and Private Eyes is the first in the Delanie Fitzgerald mystery series. (The Tulip Shirt Murders, the second in the series, launches in mid-November.) My sleuth Delanie is a sassy, redheaded private investigator who zooms around Central Virginia in her black Mustang.

I have loved mysteries since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. And I was over the moon in 1977 when the “Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys” TV show debuted. (It didn’t hurt that Shaun Cassidy played Joe Hardy.) My friends and I raced through all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys collections at the public library in Virginia Beach. My favorite is still The Crooked Bannister (1971) with its hot pink cover. I loved the plot twists and the double meanings. From that point on, I was hooked on mysteries. From there, I moved on to Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But Nancy Drew is still one of my favorite sleuths.

In the late 1980s, I had a double major in English and history. My research project in “Adolescent Literature” was a comparative study of the original Nancy Drew mysteries from the 1930s with the updated ones in the 1980s and their influence on generations of readers.

As a pre-teen reader, I was so impressed that Nancy could solve crimes before the professionals and adults did. I adored Nancy’s freedom. She had a car. She did things that other girls didn’t, and she could solve crimes. She influenced generations of women like Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Oprah Winfrey, and Sonia Sotomayor. Nancy has been a role model for lots of young girls for over eighty years.

The Nancy Drew mysteries were written by several ghostwriters under one pseudonym, Carolyn Keene. The series has undergone several revisions and updates over the years, but Nancy’s spirit prevailed. The famous yellow spines were added to the books in 1962. That was the set that I remember reading. And her stories have been translated into over twenty different languages.

The girl detective appeared in several movies from the 1930s to the 2000s and TV shows through the years. Her face and logo have graced all kinds of merchandising from jewelry, lunch boxes, and clothing to board and video games. She has appeared in novels, coloring books, and graphic novels.

There are some similarities between the iconic Nancy Drew and my private investigator. I didn’t intentionally mean to create the parallels, but subconsciously, her character influenced my mystery writing. Both females are fearless, smart, and feisty. Delanie and Nancy both have red hair. (Nancy Drew started out as a blonde in the 1930s, but artists in the 1940-50s depicted her as a redhead.)

Nancy drove a sporty roadster. Her car was upgraded to a Mustang in the mysteries from the 1980s. My sleuth loves her black Mustang, nicknamed Black Beauty.

Nancy’s friends (Bess and George) were important in her life and to the stories just like Delanie’s partner Duncan (his English bulldog Margaret), and her girlfriends Paisley and Robin are key to her story life.

I like to think of my Delanie Fitzgerald as following in the footprints of the original girl sleuth.

Secret Lives and Private Eyes

A Delanie Fitzgerald Mystery, Book 1

Business has been slow for Private Investigator Delanie Fitzgerald, but her luck seems to change when a tell-all author hires her to find rock star Johnny Velvet. Could the singer—whose career purportedly ended in a fiery crash almost thirty years ago—still be alive?

As if sifting through dead ends in a cold case isn’t bad enough, Delanie is hired by loud-mouth strip club owner Chaz Wellington Smith, III, to uncover information about the mayor’s secret life. When the mayor is murdered, Chaz becomes the key suspect, and Delanie must clear his name. She also has to figure out why a landscaper keeps popping up in her other investigation. Can the private investigator find the connection between the two cases before another murder—possibly her own—takes place?

Secret Lives and Private Eyes is a fast-paced mystery that will appeal to readers who like a strong, female sleuth with a knack for getting herself in and out of difficult, and sometimes humorous, situations.

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST AUTHOR CHRISTINE KELENY

Christine Keleny likes working with her hands. She crochets, sews, tiles, paints, cross stitches, frames pictures, stains furniture, and cuts and splits firewood, but her main loves are writing and helping others publish the book of their dreams. Learn mor about her at CK Book Publishing and her blog. 

I was thrilled when I found Anastasia’s site about mystery novels and the people that write them. What a good idea, I thought, to write on a mystery writers site about the writers of one of the most famous girl sleuths to date: Nancy Drew. I’m glad Anastasia agreed!

Oddly enough, I didn’t read Nancy when I was growing up. I read mostly Agatha Christie and a few other obscure mystery writers, but my daughter (now 18) is an avid reader, and she read all of the Nancy Drew books our library owned, some 56 of them or so. I am a student of history, so when I started writing, I naturally gravitated to historical fiction. I’m not sure what made me think of doing a story about Nancy Drew, but I’m glad I did. It’s really quite an interesting story.

Did you know there is an ongoing dispute about who the real creator of Nancy is? I’m sure all you seasoned mystery writers know that Carolyn Keene is a pseudonym. So is Laura Lee Hope of the Bobbsey Twins and Franklin Dixon of the very popular Hardy Boys. All these stories are the brainchild of one of the most prolific children’s writers of the twentieth century: Edward Stratemeyer. The problem with Nancy, however, is that Edward died soon after he had sent the first three Nancy stories off to his publisher.

Edward’s first ghostwriter to work on Nancy (he just called them “writers”) was Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson. And as with all of Edward’s stories, she worked off outlines Edward had given her.

As I was writing my stories, I was lucky enough to correspond with two people who had some firsthand information about the people who wrote the Nancy Drew stories. One of those people is Geoffrey S. Lapin. Geoffrey developed a relationship with Mildred “Millie” Wirt Benson when he found out that she had written many of the first stories.

You see, all writers for the Syndicate signed agreements that gave up any rights they might have to the stories they wrote, and the Syndicate required these writers not to tell anyone what stories they had written. Mr. Lapin didn’t quite agree. He even purchased one of the original three outlines that Edward had sent to Millie (an item I was not able to get my hands on before communicating with Mr. Lapin.) He had talked with one of the three young women who ended up being a partner in the Syndicate (Edward’s, then his daughter’s, book company) in the 1980s.

Geoffrey said that the first outline for The Secret of the Old Clock was three pages long and included much detail about what and how Edward wanted his story written – including the dialect of the “colored” character in the story. The second outline for The Hidden Staircase was only two pages and supposedly the outline for The Bungalow Mystery was even shorter. Apparently Mildred was getting the idea of what Edward was looking for. This was all well and good until May of 1930 when Edward died of pneumonia.

What was to become of the Syndicate and all its stories – Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, The Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, Ruth Fielding just to name a few?

Harriet’s two daughters, Harriet Adams and Edna Stratemeyer, ended up deciding to run the company when they couldn’t find anyone (post-depression) to buy it, and that’s when the trouble began. Harriet – who primarily ran the company – didn’t like the way Mildred wrote the Nancy stories, so she started giving Mildred lengthy outlines again and edited out what she didn’t like once she received Mildred’s completed manuscripts. These women politely battled each other until 1953, when Mildred wrote her last Nancy story: The Clue of the Velvet Mask (Nancy book #26.)

After this Harriet and a few other ghostwriters took over Nancy, but Harriet always did the final edits on her Nancy stories. Harriet was the one who oversaw the refreshing of all the original Nancy stories in the 1950s at the behest of the publishers, when the original blue roadster changed to the beloved blue convertible and Nancy matured from 16 years of age to 18, so she could legally drive in all 50 states!

The other person I had helping me with my book was Edward’s great-granddaughter, Cynthia Lum. Cynthia is adamant that Harriet is the real creator of Nancy, and she has a good argument toward that point, but I don’t think it’s as simple as that. In my story, I lay out the lives of the three primary creators of Nancy and let the reader decide who her real creator is.

Will the Real Carolyn Keene Please Stand Up? tells of the lives of the three primary creators of the Nancy Drew mystery series and how the plucky, intelligent, resourceful, and famous girl sleuth came to life, along with the controversy that still rages on about who really created the Nancy Drew that millions of readers across the globe have come to know and love.

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THIS WEEK'S BOOK WINNERS

This week at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers we had two guest authors giving away books. On Thursday, Vicki Doudera visited for a taste of murder, mayhem, Merlot, and Maine. She offered a copy of Deadly Offer, her latest Darby Farr mystery. The winner of that book is Marcille Sibley.


On Friday, our guest author was Sally Carpenter discussing Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Sally offered a copy of The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper. The winner of that book is Irene.


Ladies, please send your mailing addresses to me at anastasiapollack@gmail.doc com so I can forward them to the authors.


And thank you all for stopping by this past week. We hope to see you back often.

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY -- GUEST AUTHOR SALLY CARPENTER

Our Book Club Friday guest today is Sally Carpenter, author of The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper, the first book in the Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol mystery series which was a finalist for the Eureka! Award for best first mystery novel. Sandy is also a playwright. The play that inspired The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper was produced in New York City. Visit Sally on Facebook or at her website. You can also contact her at scwriter@earthlink.net.

Sally will be giving away a copy of The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper to one of our readers who posts a comment this week. -- AP

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: Teen Sleuths Who Never Grow Old

By Sally Carpenter

Why do we love Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys? Even though Joe and Frank Hardy made their first book appearance in 1927, and Nancy followed in 1930—both series were created by a book packaging company that hired ghostwriters—the characters, in various revisions and reincarnations, are still popular today.

Here’s why I believe these sleuths survived.

1. Fantasy. These detectives live the life most teens only dream about. Nancy doesn’t attend school or work at a day job, is never short on funds and travels the world in stylish clothes.

Joe and Frank occasionally go to school but their studies never interfere with their daredevil sleuthing. They drive fast cars, ride motorcycles, sail a speedboat and fly a plane—what young man wouldn’t want that?

2. Action. Our sleuths have no time for romance and introspection—they’re always on the go. They never walk—they “run,” “hurry,” and “dash.” Within a short paragraph they’re in a new location. The only time Nancy/Joe/Frank stop to catch their breath is when they’re eating or sleeping.

And every chapter ends in a cliffhanger to keep the pages turning.

3. Danger. Our young sleuths are kidnapped, tied up, knocked out and locked up more times than a squad of police officers. The Hardys trade punches with the baddies. The kids ignore numerous threats to get off the case.

And they love it!

4. Friends. Nancy’s constant companions are Bess and George, the BFFs who follow her into every adventure.

The Hardys have Chet, Biff and Tony to help out (overweight Chet shows that detecting isn’t limited to just the handsome kids). 

No matter the danger, these pals are loyal to the core. Our sleuths can count on them.

5. Moral code. Emotional issues or teenage rebellion doesn’t burden our sleuths. Joe and Frank are more honest, pure, obedient and trustworthy than the Boys Scouts.  They’re so chaste they don’t even hug or kiss their girlfriends, Callie and Iola.

Nancy even stops her sleuthing on Sundays long enough to attend church! These kids are so square they’re hip. 

6. Smarts. Nancy/Joe/Frank may be young but they can outwit adult criminals. The police are stumped by a case? No problem—our kids will figure it out.

Readers throughout the years love these stories because they identify with these resourceful teens. We can’t solve mysteries daily and live exciting lives—but we wished we could!

The Drew/Hardy stories were one of the inspirations behind my debut mystery, The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper. My book uses the same conventions of cliffhanger endings, fast pace, loyal fans and a touch of fantasy.  

Former teen idol Sandy Fairfax starred in the 1970s TV show, “Buddy Brave, Boy Sleuth,” which ran opposite the real-life “Nancy Drew-Hardy Boys Mysteries.” Now aged 38, he’s making a guest appearance at a Beatles fan convention. When a member of the tribute band is shot, Sandy unwittingly finds himself sleuthing for real.

Thanks for joining us today, Sally! I was more a Cherry Ames girl than a Nancy Drew girl, but Cherry certainly solved her share of crimes, too. What about you, readers? -- AP