Sleuthing in Stilettos (A Resale Boutique Mystery) by Debra Sennefelder
About Sleuthing in Stilettos
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting - Lucky Cove, NY
Lyrical Underground (December 6, 2022)
Paperback: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 1516111044
Digital ASIN: B09VCWFVRQ
Kelly Quinn, owner of a high-end consignment shop, is a booster for her Long Island town’s small businesses — but now a store owner’s murder has brought big trouble....
Locals in Lucky Cove seem to harbor hostility toward Miranda Farrell, proprietor of a new shoe store. Nevertheless, Kelly invites her along to a Chamber of Commerce meeting. But soon afterward, Miranda’s body is found in her shop, with Kelly’s uncle — who’s had multiple public arguments with her — standing nearby. Could her uncle really have committed murder over a business dispute? Or is Miranda’s death related to her late husband’s long-ago embezzlement case?
Kelly feels compelled to investigate, despite her detective boyfriend’s objections — not to mention her commitment to promoting Small Business Saturday. But her effort to pump up sales may fall flat. After her presentation to the committee is sabotaged, the Chamber gives her the boot — and tongues start wagging. Now she has to do some fancy footwork to find the killer....
About the Guest Post
Guest post by Debra Sennefelder
There’s a saying in the writing world, write what you know. I followed that advice and combined my love for fashion and my experience working in retail to create the Resale Boutique mystery series. The series’ protagonist is Kelly Quinn, a fashionista who landed her dream job only to get fired after an unfortunate series of events. She landed back in her hometown of Lucky Cove, New York, when she inherited her granny’s old, tired consignment shop. While it wasn’t the life she expected, it was exactly what she needed. She now has a home, a thriving business, and a cat named Howard.
In SLEUTHING IN STILETTOS, Kelly is busy preparing for the busy holiday season. She's rallying her fellow Main Street shop owners to make a big WORD on Shop Small Saturday. She’s also caught up in the murder investigation of shoe boutique owner Miranda Farrell. After finding her uncle standing over Miranda’s body, Kelly had no choice but to step in and do some sleuthing. Because of the public arguments between Ralph Blake and Miranda, he became a person of interest to the police.
And if Kelly doesn’t have enough on her plate between chairing the Shop Small committee and trying to clear her uncle’s name, she’s approached by Jocelyn Bancroft. Jocelyn is a true crime writer, and her next book is about a murder Kelly had been involved in last holiday season. Jocelyn came to Lucky Cove to ask Kelly for an interview. It turns out that Jocelyn also had a connection to Miranda and a pretty good motive for murder. Even after twenty years.
Along with the advice of writing what you know, I like to write about things that interest me. True crime definitely interests me. These days, I listen to podcasts and watch YouTube channels rather than read true crime books.
As for podcasts, I don’t have a favorite. I listen to several regularly. A few are Swindled, My Favorite Murder, Criminal, and In the Dark. However, I do have a favorite YouTube channel. I discovered Stephanie Harlowe’s channel while listening to a podcast about podcasting. She was a guest and discussed how she became interested in the genre and started her channel. I checked out one of her episodes and have been hooked ever since.
I’ve also become obsessed with Lifetime’s Frogging series. Talk about creepy. It’s hard to fathom having someone living in the shadows of your home. But based on those episodes, it has happened. Speaking of Lifetime, they recently produced two movies based on true crime podcasts. How I Met, Your Murderer is my favorite. Then they did a movie based on frogging. An author moved into an apartment with someone living behind the walls. Yeah, it was hard getting to sleep that night.
So I can relate to Kelly having sleepless nights in SLEUTHING IN STILETTOS. There’s a killer on the loose, and she’s caught up in the murder up to her false eyelashes. I hope you’ll enjoy the story. It’s truly one of my favorite Resale Boutique mysteries.
Before you leave, I’d like to know if you’re interested in true crime? If so, what are some of your favorite books, podcasts, or channels? Please share in the comments section below.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on social media or through my website.
About Debra Sennefelder
Debra Sennefelder is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery.
Her first novel, THE UNINVITED CORPSE (A Food Blogger mystery) was published in 2018. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.
