A MASHUP OF REAL-LIFE CRIME AND FICTION

My author Lois Winston has been busy the last few months finding new ways to thrust me into the middle of murder and mayhem. She’s succeeded—as usual—because as a fictional character, I’m at her mercy. The ebook edition of the newest Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Guilty as Framed, is now up for pre-order at the usual online bookstores. The paperback will be available on September 6^th when the book releases. 

For this latest book, Lois has veered from being inspired by actual crimes and human-interest stories, to creating a plot that actually revolves around a yet unsolved real-life crime that took place in Boston in 1990. Like most crime junkies, Lois has been fascinated for years with the burglary that took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on St. Patrick’s Day of that year. It’s still considered the largest art heist in history. To this day, not only haven’t the perpetrators been caught, but none of the artworks have ever been recovered. Hampering the ongoing investigation is that many of the suspects have since died.

 

When Lois was mulling ideas for this next book in the series, she decided to focus the plot on the museum heist. But how do you tie a factual thirty-two-year-old crime in Boston into the plot of a contemporary cozy mystery series that takes place in New Jersey?

 

That’s the beauty of writing fiction rather than true crime. Lois invented some new characters, changed the names of others (to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent), and wove various events from the actual crime into the plot that became Guilty as Framed.

 

Too bad along the way she couldn’t have also solved the actual mystery of the missing paintings. There’s still a huge outstanding award for information leading to their recovery.

 

Guilty as Framed

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 11

 

When an elderly man shows up at the home of reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack, she’s drawn into the unsolved mystery of the greatest art heist in history. 

 

Boston mob boss Cormac Murphy has recently been released from prison. He doesn’t believe Anastasia’s assertion that the man he’s looking for doesn’t live at her address and attempts to muscle his way into her home. His efforts are thwarted by Anastasia’s fiancé Zack Barnes. 

 

A week later, a stolen SUV containing a dead body appears in Anastasia’s driveway. Anastasia believes Murphy is sending her a message. It’s only the first in a series of alarming incidents, including a mugging, a break-in, another murder, and the discovery of a cache of jewelry and an etching from the largest museum burglary in history.

 

But will Anastasia solve the mystery behind these shocking events before she falls victim to a couple of desperate thugs who will stop at nothing to get what they want?

 

Guilty as Framed is currently available for pre-order.

Buy Links

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#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--DROP DEAD ORNAMENTS COVER REVEAL

Today I bring you cool news—cool, as in exciting, and cool, as in mind over matter because we’re stuck in the dreaded three H's here in New Jersey: hazy, hot, and humid. The dog days of summer didn’t both to wait until August this year. They struck early and with a vengeance. And from what I’m seeing on the national weather map, we’re not alone. Most of the country is sweltering along with us.

What better time for Christmas in July! We’re thinking cool to stay cool and doing so with a cover reveal for Drop Dead Ornaments, the seventh full-length novel in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries.

Drop Dead Ornaments begins immediately after Scrapbook of Murder ends. And I do mean immediately—as in later the same day.

Anastasia Pollack’s son Alex is dating Sophie Lambert, the new kid in town. For their community service project, the high school seniors have chosen to raise money for the county food bank. Anastasia taps her craft industry contacts to donate materials for the students to make Christmas ornaments they’ll sell at the town’s annual Holiday Crafts Fair.

At the fair Anastasia meets Sophie’s father, Shane Lambert, who strikes her as a man with secrets. She also notices a woman eavesdropping on their conversation. Later that evening when the woman turns up dead, Sophie’s father is arrested for her murder.

Alex and Sophie beg Anastasia to find the real killer, but Anastasia has had her fill of dead bodies. She’s also not convinced of Shane’s innocence. Besides, she’s promised younger son Nick she’ll stop risking her life, but how can she say no to Alex?

Drop Dead Ornaments will release on October 22^nd and will be available for pre-order before the end of August—when it will most likely be even hazier, hotter, and more humid. If you’re like me and can’t stand the haze, the heat, and especially the humidity, apply a little psychology by thinking snowflakes, and Christmas ornaments, and gingerbread—not to mention the next Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery. While you're waiting, if you're not caught up on the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series, now would be a perfect time.

COVER REVEAL--ONE SUMMER NIGHT BY CARIDAD PINEIRO

Anastasia is taking the day off so that author Lois Winston can show a little love to friend and fellow Jersey girl, Caridad Pineiro. Caridad has a new romance series debuting in October, and today Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers is excited to take part in the cover reveal for One Summer Night, the first book in her At the Shore romance series, which takes place at the Jersey shore.

Caridad is a transplanted Long Island girl who has fallen in love with pork roll and the Jersey Shore, but still can’t get the hang of tomato pies. When she isn’t taking long strolls along the boardwalk to maintain her sanity and burn off that pork roll, she’s also a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author with over a million books sold worldwide.

Caridad is passionate about writing and helping others explore and develop their skills as writers. She’s a founding member of the Liberty States Fiction Writers and has presented workshops at various writing organizations throughout the country. Learn more about Caridad and her books at he website. 

What Happens At the Shore, Stays At the Shore

Come and Meet Maggie, Connie, and Emma. These three Jersey Girls are in for the surprise of their lives as love finally drags them to the altar for their own Happily-Ever-Afters.

Maggie Sinclair, Connie Reyes, and Emma Grant have been best friends for years. The three women are as different as they come, but that has only helped sustain them during the trying times in their lives, like the marriage of yet another one of their acquaintances. As they stand at the altar, always as bridesmaids, they are the only single women who remain from their circle of college friends and business colleagues.

Successful women in their own right, they’re not in a rush to do the dash up the aisle, but Fate has a way of shaking the foundations of their very settled lives.

One Summer Night is the first book in the series and is available for pre-order now. It will be followed by Suddenly Last Summer and Sea Kiss Summer (tentative title.)

One Summer Night

Maggie Sinclair has tried everything to save her family's business. Her options are dwindling, and she needs someone who can turn things around—fast. Problem is, the only person who can help her is trouble with a capital T. The Sinclair and Pierce families have been feuding for nearly 30 years, but that hasn't stopped Jax Pierce from noticing Maggie. And he likes what he sees—a lot. But getting involved would mean risking his family, his inheritance, and above all, his heart. Can Maggie and Jax keep their simmering attraction at bay—or will mixing business and pleasure bring nothing but heartache?

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paperback

ebook