Letter N The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘N’ is for Noelle Granger author of Death on a Red Canvas Chair and Death in a Dacron Sail

Why do I recommend Death on a Red Canvas Chair and Death in a Dacron Sail?

Death on a Red Canvas Chair is book one of the Rhe Brewster Mysteries. I was drawn into the novel immediately, from scene one when the body is unexpectedly found on the playing fields, and it was a pleasure to read, due to the well-written, vivid, and flowing language. Rhe is an unlikely and loveable heroine. She’s a hard-working nurse, police consultant, loving mother, supportive wife, and good friend. She’s the best friend or neighbour we’d all love to have. Sounds like a boring heroine, well, Rhe is anything but boring! Although she is highly regarded professionally, on a personal level, she struggles with important issues, and there are plenty of exciting moments to keep you on the edge of your seat, in a plot which is carefully woven with plenty of twists and turns!

Our heroine has first-hand knowledge of forensics, so at times, reading is like watching an episode of CSI, but Rhe is also prepared to work outside the lab, and put her life at risk confronting the bad guys, in action-packed scenes.

The second book in the series, Death in a Dacron Sail, is even better. Rhe is all set to solve another complex mystery, yet I was hooked by Rhe’s character and her personal conflicts.

You’ll love them both if you enjoy cosy, yet exciting, crime mystery, with masterful plots and great character development.

What is Death in a Dacron Sail about, Noelle?

On an icy February morning, Rhe Brewster, an emergency room nurse with a nose for investigation, is called to a dock in the harbor of the small coastal town of Pequod, Maine. A consultant to the Pequod Police Department, Rhe is responding to a discovery by one of the local lobstermen: a finger caught in one of his traps. Thus starts the second book in the Rhe Brewster Mystery series.

The subsequent finding of the body of a young girl, wrapped in a sail and without a finger, sends the investigation into high gear and reveals the existence of three other missing girls of the same age, plus a childhood friend of Rhe’s. Battered by increasingly vitriolic objections from her husband, the pregnant Rhe continues her search, dealing with unexpected obstacles and ultimately facing the challenge of crossing an enormous frozen bog to save herself. Will she survive? Is the kidnapper someone she knows? In Death in a Dacron Sail, Rhe’s nerves and endurance are put to the test as the kidnapper’s action hits closer to home.

Rhe Brewster is a different kind of sleuth – a wife, mother, and emergency room nurse, juggling all of her roles, this time while pregnant. She’s snarky and tends to leap before she looks, which makes for a lot of excitement. While this book is mainly a cozy – set in a defined locale, with no sex and little gore – it should appeal to women from 18-90, mystery readers, and believe it or not, men. I’ve had a number of men read my first book and report they enjoyed it!

What are you working on now?

Right now, I’m working on my third book in this series, Death by Pumpkin. I promise even more excitement and interesting things. The research for this book has involved cranes, small planes, firearms training and large pumpkins. You’ll have to wait to see how I weave all this together.

I am also doing the groundwork for a book of historical fiction, based on the life of Mary Allerton, the longest surviving Pilgrim who made the trip to the New World on the Mayflower. I’ll be back in my hometown of Plymouth, MA, to do more this summer.

What would you like readers to know about you?

Rhe and I have a lot of things in common. We both like to sail, work at cooking, and enjoy a lot of day to day interpersonal contacts. This latter took a hit when I retired, but I’ve conquered the solitary activity of writing with blogging, critique groups and interviews for my research. I’d like to think that teaching anatomy for 40 years and earning my EMT license has given me enough knowledge to make Rhe’s career real and to provide a basis for some of the forensics in my books.

Other than that, I am not happy unless I’m in or on the water (swimming and sailing), the beach is my happiest place in the world, pizza is my favorite food, and I love to travel. My husband and I go to Maine in August each year because Maine in August is spectacular. Of course we love lobsters and Maine blueberries, but there is a lot to explore there and I’ve used information garnered there in my books and this year for the A-Z Blog Challenge. We did hit Maine in February last year for more research, and I’m not sure I’ll repeat the adventure. Brrrr….

How can we find out more or contact you?

My blog

My Face book

My Author Facebook

Twitter account: @rhebrewster

Amazon US for Death in a Red Canvas Chair

Amazon UK for Death in a Red Canvas Chair

Amazon US for Death in a Dacron Sail

Amazon UK for Death in a Dacron Sail

Goodreads

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Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.