Wicked Wednesday — Celebrating Deadly Crush

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Deadly Crush released yesterday! I was so thrilled when I read the back cover copy, which reveals that Edith includes a character named Josie who is a mechanic.

The Wickeds heard about Josie several years ago when Edith’s editor at Kensington asked her to come up with a new series. Mechanic Josie and her auto repair shop was one of the ideas Edith pitched. Josie didn’t get her own series, but I’m delighted readers will get to meet her in Deadly Crush.

Here’s the back cover copy: It’s the beginning of a new year, and for widowed single mom and recent L.A. transplant to California wine country, Cece Barton, that means green hillsides, flowing streams from winter rains, pruned vineyards—and a murder to solve . . .

After a mostly stress-free Christmas with her college-age daughter, and despite enjoying a current budding romance with fellow newcomer, Benjamin Cohen, it’s time for Cece to focus on Vino y Vida, the Colinas wine bar she manages. Electrical work and an outdoor security camera are needed, and she’s hired local electrician Karl Meier to do the job, along with the help of his nephew Ian. But she regrets her choice when she witnesses Karl needlessy berating Ian in her presence. On top of that, Karl leers at her, then presents her with an inflated bill before the work is complete. Still, she’s shocked when she gets a call from Karl’s ex-wife, Josie, that she’s found Karl . . . crushed to death beneath the lift in her automotive shop.

Cece convinces Josie to call the police, even though Josie is terrified. After all, Karl was an abusive husband, was threatening her, and she has no alibi. With Josie’s future on the line, and maybe her own, Cece starts her own investigation. From the customers Karl cheated to the other women he harassed, she finds there’s no lack of suspects—other than the shelter kittens to whom he was an uncharacteristically sweet volunteer. With a bouquet of motives and unanswered questions, Cece is going to need the help of her twin, Allie, who owns a nearby B & B, as she dives into Karl’s past—before the killer catches up with her, and the lights go out for good . . .

Wickeds, if you could spin off one character, who would you choose?

Liz: Congrats, Edith! I’ve actually been thinking of a spinoff from my Full Moon Mysteries – either Mazzy the journalist or Zoe, Violet’s sister. We left her in kind of a cliffhanger at the end of the third book and her story doesn’t feel finished to me.

Barb: Congratulations, Edith/Maddie! I was approached in a very soft way by my publisher about setting another series in Busman’s Harbor after they cancelled Jane Darrowfield. I never wanted to do that. Those poor people have suffered enough! If I were to choose someone from the Jane Darrowfield world, it would probably be Jane’s gentleman friend, Harry Welch. Who knows what he was doing all those years traveling the world “consulting” on security issues?

Sherry: Congratulations, Edith! I’m thrilled for you! My editor and I discussed spinning off Harriet who was introduced in Sell Low, Sweet Harriet and returns in Absence of Alice. I wrote a proposal but nothing ever came of it. She’s a fascinating character and it would have been interesting to explore more about her. Also writing a main character closer to my age would have been fun.

Julie: Congratulations Edith! I’m so glad Josie is getting her moment in the sun! As for spinoffs–what an interesting question. I always imagined that Roddy Lyden was a former spy with a complicated past. He’d be a fun spinoff, off for new adventures with Lilly as his sidekick.

Edith/Maddie: Thanks, my friends! My editor suggested I spin off Aunt Adele from the Country Store Mysteries into her own contemporary series. After a lot of thought, I declined. But – speaking of Cece’s mechanic Josie Jarvin, I dished on vintage cars I’ve loved over on Jungle Red Writers last week! Here’s the link if you missed it.

Jessie: Super congratulations, Edith! I know how pleased you are with this one! If I were to spin something off I think it might be Constable Gibbs from my Beryl and Edwina novels. She served as the village constable long before my sleuth got involved in crime-solving and is an interesting person in her own right, at least as far as I am concerned.

Readers, is there a character you’d like to see in a spin off? Writers who would you spin off?

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Published by Sherry Harris

Sherry Harris is the author of the Agatha Award nominated Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery series and the Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Mystery series.

28 Thoughts

  1. Congrats Edith on your book release. There’s so many sidekicks that I would love to see have a series, but at the moment can’t think of one. Maybe later.

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  2. I’m always excited to read a new book from Edith and I’ve been a huge proponent of a Josie series since the first time I heard about her in Edith’s talks at book signing events.

    But given all the series that I read, I still have a hard time deciding if and who I would want to spin off out of a series that I’m reading. I feel it would take something away from the main series that had said possible spin off character as a supporting cast member.

    Thanks a lot, now I’ll have to use time to think about this…UGH! LOL.

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  3. Congratulations Edith, on a new adventure for Cece and a mini-spin off for Josie! I working now on a spin-off series from the Witch City mysteries, starring Aunt Ibby and her sleuth wanna-be girlfriends. Three book, hard cover, Kensington.

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  4. Congratulations Edith! Love ALL your books and DEADLY CRUSH was no exception. Definitely FIVE STAR reading!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  5. Congratulations, Edith! At this point, I’d probably spin-off Tom Burns and Aislyn McAllister, both of whom have gotten their own short stories (Tom in “Deadly Frost,” and Aislyn in last year’s NYE story for my newsletter).

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  6. Three cheers to you on the new release, Edith! I’ve never had an editor ask me to spin off a character. I could see two characters from my Elmo Simpson Mysteries, Bob Baby and the Vampire, in their own series. It would be an espionage/thriller thing.

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  7. Congratulations,Edith!

    My fourth book in the Polizei Bern series, SPLINTERED JUSTICE, is already a little spin-offy. I have two police detectives, Giuliana and Renzo, and Giuliana is the more prominent of the two in the first three books, but this one focuses on Renzo. It’s due out in April.

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  8. Congratulations, Edith! I love the concept of introducing Josie and her auto shop into Deadly Crush. Mechanics make such unique mystery protagonists, so I’m thrilled to see her step into the spotlight! The back cover copy has me hooked already.
    As for spin-offs, I’ve always enjoyed stories where secondary characters get to shine. It adds depth to the original world while creating something fresh. I’m thinking of a spin-off from my Blue Palmetto Detective Agency series featuring Big Al in his prime, navigating early days at the agency before dementia changed his life.
    Congrats again—can’t wait to read Deadly Crush!

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  9. I would love spin offs with any of the old lady eccentrics, maybe because I am one:) . I’m on my way to Aaron’s to pick up this latest if your great mysteries!

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