Author Spotlight: Mystery Author Kris Bock Is in the House!

I love it when my friend Kris Bock comes to visit–I can just turn the blog over to her! Here ya go, Kris…

Thanks, Nan. I’m always glad to be here, and today I’ve got big news! The Accidental Detective Is Back!

Something Prowling in Paradise Park (The Accidental Detective Book 7)

Kate has built a new life in Arizona, with the help of family and friends eager to keep her busy with new mysteries to solve. Her eccentric senior pals introduce her to the Standishes. These snowbirds returned to Arizona early to investigate their high utility bills and discovered squatters with a forged rental agreement. It could take months to evict them legally. Can the gang find a faster way to oust the intruders?

Her boyfriend’s sons bring Kate another case: dog thefts in the neighborhood. What if their beloved Whiskers is next? Then there’s the car that rammed through the wall of a dispensary and stole thousands in cash and product. Is it connected to one of the other mystery somehow?

This amateur detective and her found family follow the clues and uncover secrets. The investigation takes a dangerous twist with the discovery of a body. Was the bizarre death a freakish accident—or murder?

**~~~*~**

In The Accidental Detective humorous mystery series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. These quirky, cozy mysteries with a women sleuth are perfect for fans of suspenseful whodunit murder mysteries with high stakes and humor. Book 1 has a 4.2-star rating on Goodreads with over 600 ratings.

Readers say: “If you like the show Castle then I think you’ll enjoy this book … It’s a ragtag bunch of accidental detectives but it works and makes for a great read! Part heist movie, part three stooges one hundred percent must read!”

“If you like Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, you’ll love sleuthing with Kate and the Coffee Shop Irregulars!”

“I love the amateur detective sisters solving the crimes along with their friends and family who help them. There is lots of witty banter and interesting situations that keep this story moving along at a fast pace.”

Excerpt:

Clarence rang the bell and turned to beam back at Jen and me.

The door opened. A tiny lady with permed white hair looked out at us, blinking through thick glasses.

Before she could speak, someone behind her said, “Is that them?” A tall, stocky man appeared behind the woman, dwarfing her. He had thick gray hair sticking up in tufts as if he’d been pulling on it. “Come in, come in!”

The small woman backed up, pulling the door wider.

The man greeted Clarence before turning to Jen and me. “Bob Standish.” He shook hands. “My wife, Leslie.” He gestured to a woman who had been out of sight in the living room. She was almost as tall as he was, with an athletic build and short hair dyed red. The two of them wore matching green tracksuits.

After our greetings, Bob said, “Thanks for coming. We’re at our wits end. Any help you can give us . . . It’s a shocking situation, shocking. And the police!” He threw his hands in the air. “Useless.”

I turned to the woman who’d been ignored since she opened the door. “Hi, I’m Kate Tessler.”

She smiled. “Odelia. Welcome to my home.”

Was that her typical manners or was she making a point about whose home we were actually in, since Bob seemed ready to launch into his complaints without even acknowledging her?

We crowded into the living room. The decor involved a lot of shelves and niches with items from around the world: African animals carved out of wood, a terra-cotta Buddha, and decorative baskets filled with seashells, wicker fruit, and blown glass ornaments. My first thought was world traveler, but something felt off. The items were too pristine, as if they’d magically gone from manufacture to this house without the touch of any human hands. I’d picked up little items when I traveled, and got some as gifts, but my treasures looked more real somehow—or at least more battered. Maybe our host just took better care of her things.

Jen sidled up beside me and murmured, “Decorated by Pottery Barn and World Market.”

That explained it. Perhaps our host wanted to explore the world but couldn’t manage it.

“Sit down,” Leslie Standish invited. “Something to drink?” She glanced at Odelia.

Our actual host said in an entirely neutral voice, “Ice water or fizzy water? I’m afraid I don’t have much else.”

“We had a wonderful wine selection, but I suppose that’s all gone now!” Leslie spoke with all the drama of Scarlet O’Hara upset that she couldn’t get the man she wanted.

Odelia took orders and headed further into the house.

Clarence backed up to the flower patterned sofa, hovered a moment, and sort of fell backward, setting off a loud squeak. His eyes widened comically behind his thick glasses. He wiggled a bit and pulled a squeaky mouse toy from underneath him. “I deduce the presence of a cat!”

“Three of the darn things,” Bob grumbled. “Fur everywhere.”

“At least they hide when people are here. Bob doesn’t like cats,” Leslie added unnecessarily. “They make his eyes itch.” She spoke with the slight condescension of someone who’d never suffered allergies in her life and considered it a weakness.

Bob launched into his complaints about the squatters. Meanwhile, Leslie stood at the large window that looked out at the street, peering between the nearly closed curtains.

I joined her. “Which house is yours?”

“Right there.” She pointed across the street. “Who knows what those a-holes are doing? Touching our things. Sleeping in our bleeping bed!” (I’m not censoring her language. She really spoke like that.)

**~~~*~**

Kris Bock writes mystery, suspense, and romance, often with smart, snarky heroines finding adventure (sometimes against their will) in the Southwest. She lives in New Mexico where she enjoys hiking with her spouse and playing with their ferrets.

In the Reluctant Psychic Mystery series, a quirky loner who can read the history of any object with her touch gets drawn into mysteries at the museum of oddities where she works. In the Accidental Detective humorous mystery series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. Kris’s romantic suspense novels include treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue. Readers have called these novels “Smart romance with an Indiana Jones feel.” She is also the author of the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series and the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series.

Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter and get an Accidental Detective short story and other freebies. Then every two weeks, you’ll get fun content about pets, announcements of new books, sales, and more.