No Mallets Intended (A Vintage Kitchen Mystery, #4)
Series: Vintage Kitchen Mysteries
Author: Victoria Hamilton
Release Date: November 4th, 2014
Who Shall I Kill Next?
By: Victoria Hamilton
Kim asked me if I’d do a guest post on how I decide who will be the next murder victim. My first thought was, do you really want to know?
But my next thought was… how DO I decide who to kill off next? And I realized, I do have rules.
Rules for Committing Murder
First, there are several themes I won’t be introducing into my novels simply because they are cozies, and I have a feeling about what should or shouldn’t show up in cozies. Not to say others can’t do these, but it’s just me. I won’t be doing disemboweling or any serial killers. (That sounds a little odd, but you know what I mean!) Not in my cozies.
Now to the rules:
1 – The murderee shall be a miserable human being. I know, I know… all kinds of people get killed, but ultimately, I just feel better if they’ve done something that brings on their own death. Not that it is merited in any way, but… oh, you understand!
2 – The murderee must have conflicts with several people. Those conflicts may not be obvious and may not come to the fore right away, but they must be there. To that end the murderee must have a rather complicated life.
3 – The murderee must be an adult. No children or animals shall be harmed in the writing of this book! Can’t bear the thought of anyone who would hurt children or animals, even if I get to kill them off or send them to jail.
But really… that’s it. It’s a fair bet that no vital character in one of my fictional towns will die. Valetta Nibley is safe, though I’d love to kill off her awful brother, Brock. Can’t stand that guy, but then… there are people in life like that. He’s a good dad and brother, so I guess we have to take that into consideration.
So that’s it, really, but now I’m curious… when readers start a mystery, are you looking right away for who is going to be killed off? I know I am. That’s the main reason I don’t read the back of novels… they give away who died! I like to guess. Tell me YOUR thoughts.
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None of Jaymie’s business, so she keeps her head down and her focus on the exact color right for the kitchen, and assembling all the accoutrements, including a Hoosier cabinet! She’s also got lots to think about in her personal life with Daniel acting a little odd, and her friend Heidi dragging her into the trouble between her and her fiancé, Jaymie’s former boyfriend Joel.
But a late night whack on the head with one of the antique mallets Jaymie has been cataloging for the society and a dreadful murder right on the house’s doorstep draws her once again into murder and mayhem. Jaymie faces her most cunning and dangerous opponent yet, but with Valetta by her side and the police chief’s approval, she must figure out whodunit before they do it again!
Purchase No Mallets Intended from:
A Vintage Kitchen Mystery Series:
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Victoria Hamilton is the author of three nationally bestselling series, the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries and Merry Muffin Mysteries as Victoria, and the Teapot Collector Mysteries as Amanda Cooper. She is also the bestselling author of Regency and historical romance as Donna Lea Simpson.
Victoria loves to cook and collects vintage kitchen paraphernalia, teacups and teapots, and almost anything that catches her fancy! She loves to read, especially mystery novels, and enjoys good tea and cheap wine, the company of friends, and has a newfound appreciation for opera. She enjoys crocheting and beading, but a good book can tempt her away from almost anything… except writing!
Places to find Victoria Hamilton:
Generally I do like to know fairly early in a cozy who's getting killed off. I like sizing up the characters that are introduced afterwards and trying to figure out who might have done it. I'm almost always wrong though.
ReplyDeleteHi Laurie,
DeleteLOL, you sound so much like me. I read a book and I was 30% in and no one died yet. I so wanted a murder to be committed!
I've read a couple of Victoria's books, including her new Amanda Cooper book and I had no idea who the killer was. Then, when the killer is revealed, I always try to look back and see how I missed the clues.
I'm with you Kim!! ( :
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