Author Biography

Maggie King grew up in North Plainfield, New Jersey, graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology, and worked as a software developer in Los Angeles for many years. She is a founding member of the Sisters in Crime Central Virginia Chapter. Her short story "A Not So Genteel Murder" was published in the Virginia Is for Mysteries anthology. Maggie lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband, Glen, and two cats. Visit her at MaggieKing.com.

Review

[An] entertaining debut...Readers will find more substance here than in most cozies.--Publishers Weekly
[King's] amateur sleuth's pseudo-investigative skills and her interactions with a cast of well-drawn, small-town characters reveal a deception that ultimately coalesces into a study of human nature and the limits of perception...Maggie King entertainingly darkens the common perception of book clubs in her quirky debut.--Shelf Awareness
The characters in this story are fascinating, and for the humor that the author delivers, there is definitely a dark side to go with it.--Suspense Magazine
"This promising series debut - edgier and sexier than most cozies - should intrigue anyone who enjoys biblio crime."--Booklist

Review Quote

"This promising series debut should intrigue anyone who enjoys biblio crime."

Excerpt from Book

Murder at the Book Group CHAPTER 1 YEA, THOUGH I WALK through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil . . . I tuned out the Twenty-third Psalm and focused on my mission: ferreting out who poisoned the current wife of my first ex-husband, sending her on a premature stroll through the valley of the shadow of death. Scanning the assembled crowd, I looked for signs of guilt, hoping to divine something, anything, that screamed "killer!" No divination came, but I figured that such insights took more than the time allotted the standard memorial service. If only someone would pinch me and tell me this was all a bad dream. Given Dorothy Gale''s options I could tap my ruby slippers together three times, saying to myself, "There''s no place like home, there''s no place like home, there''s no place like home . . ." Alas, I had no ruby slippers. Maybe I could find a pair on eBay. In the meantime, like I''d done countless times during the four days since Carlene Arness became known as the "dearly departed," I replayed every moment of that evening that had started with a meeting of our nice little book group and ended in tragedy. And that had convinced me that our nice little book group harbored someone who wasn''t so nice . . . and that in this earthly valley there was evil aplenty to fear. "THIS BOOK SUCKS. There should be a law protecting the reading public from such trash!" And with that Carlene Arness hurled Murder in the Keys into her fireplace, the drama of the action diminished by the lack of a fire. "What is it you didn''t like about it, Carlene?" Helen Adams''s mild tone contrasted with Carlene''s strident one. "Where do I begin? There was no mystery, no plot, and, get this, no ending! I finally got to the last page and expected the numerous loose threads to be tied up--but no, just blank paper. I couldn''t believe it! It just ends. I guess the author got bored with her own writing--completely understandable--and quit." Carlene paused, but not for long before continuing with her thumbs-way-down review, bracelets jingling as she waved her arms around. "And it was riddled with editing errors, continuity problems, and--and just plain bad writing. I want to read books that are well written," she pronounced, giving her expensively cut auburn hair a toss. "And another thing--I don''t think the author ever set foot in Key West, but that didn''t stop her from setting this piece of trash there." "Did it at least have good sex?" Kat Berenger, Carlene''s stepsister, looked hopeful. "It had no sex. The author effectively neutered the characters." Our group had its share of critical readers. Sarah Rubottom, a retired English teacher, often lambasted authors for poor writing. She''d issue her judgment with pursed lips and crossed arms, spelling curtains for that author. But that night Sarah exchanged questioning looks with me. What was going on with Carlene? Her tirade was quite a departure for someone normally so soft-spoken and composed. Maybe her recent publishing success explained her more exacting standards with her fellow writers. Carlene''s debut mystery, Murder

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