Are YOU This Week's Winner? + How the Book Club Came To Be

AS YOU KNOW to celebrate the launch of my latest cozy mystery, I've been selecting a subscriber each week to win an earlier book in the series (or any of my eBooks if you've read them all). And this week I'll get straight to it. Drum roll please…

THE WINNER IS:

Elaine Hall

Woohoo! Congratulations Elaine. I'll be in touch with you shortly to claim your prize.

Everyone else, you can download the Agatha Christie Book Club series here, or pre-order the new instalment at the links below. Until then, here's a preview…

AND THEN THERE WERE 9

REMOTE LYLE'S LODGE: Deep in isolated rainforest, the Agatha Christie Book Club gathers to meet four new members, each one hiding a secret from the group…

ONE IS AN IMPOSTER.
ONE HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE.
ONE IS HUNTING FOR SOMETHING.
AND ONE WANTS REVENGE.

With membership now at nine, the club settles in to discuss Christie’s best-selling mystery—the one about the madman bumping off his isolated guests.

VERY SOON, LIFE BEGINS TO IMITATE THE BOOK.

First one person is murdered, then another, and then a mighty bushfire ignites in the forest below, cutting them off with their own "madman" on the loose. Employing the wisdom of Poirot and a trusty bushfire survival plan, they must unravel each new member's secret to unmask the real killer and survive the book club from hell.

But this time not all of them will get out alive.

@AMAZON       kobo  

Apple iBooks   B+N nook     

How & Why I Started this Series

(an excerpt from Book 3)

"IT WILL COME AS no surprise to hear that I have been an Agatha Christie fan since I can remember (no, really), and yet I feel the need to mention it as I am often asked how I came up with the idea of the Agatha Christie Book Club series. Did a marketing dynamo whisper it in my ear? Am I just riding on Dame Agatha’s tails? Who do I think I am?

So let me answer the question once and for all.

Yes, I adore Agatha Christie, but it goes deeper and farther than that—all the way, in fact, to a secluded island in remotest Papua New Guinea. 

I was holidaying with my family. I was not yet ten. There was no television, no radio, nothing to tempt a bored tweenie at night but a termite-infested bookshelf bursting with pulp fiction and Agatha Christie novels.

I scooped one out. I dusted it off. I opened the pages… You know the rest.

It was that first book—Evil Under the Sun, as it turns out—that planted the seed that eventually grew into a love of mysteries and a flourishing writing career.

This series is my homage to the greatest mystery writer of them all.

Each and every book is in honour of Ms Christie, and yet I’m not trying to write an Agatha Christie novel—I wouldn’t dare. Nor am I trying to recreate her extraordinary characters in my own. Instead, I’m simply extending the joy to a new group of fans, my book club friends, and exploring what happens when you take a bunch of amateur sleuths, plonk a complex puzzle in their laps, and let the words of Miss Marple and Monsieur Poirot guide them home.

I hope you enjoy these modern adventures as much as I have enjoyed writing them, and I hope they renew your love for all things Agatha Christie. "

Happy reading, everyone.

xo Christina

Pre-order My New Cozy + Another eBook winner, below

At last! Here's a sneak-peek at my new Agatha Christie Book Club mystery, which is now available as a PRE-ORDER at Amazon. (Hurrah.)

To lock in your copy, just click HERE. And don't hesitate to get in touch and let me know your thoughts on the new cover (above).

ABOUT THE BOOK

And Then There Were 9

(The Agatha Christie Book Club 4)

By C.A. LARMER

REMOTE LYLE'S LODGE: Deep in isolated rainforest, the Agatha Christie Book Club gather to meet four new members, each one hiding a secret from the group…

ONE IS AN IMPOSTER. 
ONE HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE.
ONE IS HUNTING FOR SOMETHING.
AND ONE WANTS REVENGE.

Now with nine members and blissfully unaware, ACBC Mark 2 settle in to discuss Christie’s best-selling mystery—the one about the madman bumping off his isolated guests. 

Very soon, life begins to imitate art…

First one person is murdered, then another, and then they find themselves cut off by a giant bushfire that's roaring up the mountain towards them.

With their own "madman" on the loose and the flames getting closer, they must employ the wisdom of Poirot, to unravel each new member's secret and unmask the killer.

But this time not all of them will get out alive.

Once there were nine… Soon there will be six. But which six will survive the Book Club from hell?

ARE YOU THIS WEEK'S WINNER?

AS YOU KNOW… I've been celebrating the upcoming release of my latest Agatha Christie Book Club adventure and am handing out an eBook prize every single week until it hits the stands.

TO WIN: Just keep reading these newsletters! I'll pick a subscriber randomly from the list and announce the name each week until it's published. If that's you, I'll contact you directly to find out which book you'd like.

*Don't panic if you've already read ALL THREE in the series. You're my favourite kind of subscriber and will get a chance to choose from any of my other cozy mysteries (see here).

THIS WEEK'S WINNER IS...

Jane Starcher

Congratulations Jane! I will be in touch with you shortly to discuss your eBook prize.

Everyone else, please don't despair, there's at least one more free eBook to be given out. Check the next newsletter to see if your name comes up. And catch up on the Book Club's back story via the links, below.

xo Christina 

@AMAZON online

Apple iBooks

B+N nook

kobo

4 Reasons Miss Marple is THE Queen of Amateur Sleuths

A few weeks ago I did a survey…

Sure, it wasn't exactly scientific, but after more than 100 responses to my question "Who's your favourite amateur sleuth?", I think we can safely say that Miss Marple is Queen of the Quizzes, Master of All Mysteries and the least amateur of all amateur sleuths.

And I'm not surprised.

Agatha Christie had already penned the perfect professional detective in Hercule Poirot (who appeared in her first book The Mysterious Affair at Styles), so it's no surprise that she got her amateur sleuth so spot-on. So how did she do it?

They're in it for love (not money)

There are a few core ingredients to a good amateur sleuth (AS). For starters, they really do need to be an amateur. They can't be a police officer or a detective or even a private eye (which is why Poirot does not make the list). They must be a layperson, someone incidental, someone who just happens upon mysteries and can't help but use their natural instinct for intrigue to get involved. But it must also be justifiable, reasonable, logical that they would get involved. Otherwise it's all a bit of a stretch.

That's why so many amateur sleuths are priests and doctors—people who naturally interact with the public and come across suspicious corpses.

Miss Marple is neither of these yet she ticks all the boxes, which brings me to another core ingredient:

They're nosey parkers

The best AS's are naturally nosey and Miss Marple is your classic nosey neighbour, the 'little ole biddy' next door who peeks through curtains and eavesdrops on gossip. It's no surprise she spots criminals sneaking about and overhears death plots. She's got a constant ear to the ground and knows everybody's business whether they know it or not. Which brings me to the next ingredient of a good AS.

They're invisible!

Well, perhaps not literally but it's hard to poke about when you're the centre of attention, which is why women of a certain age make terrific AS's (Jessica Fletcher anyone?). Invisible Woman Syndrome really does exist—just ask any woman (and some men, for that matter) over the age of 50 who have ever applied for a job or tried to order a drink at a busy bar. It's like you're not there! Which can be so frustrating—unless, of course, you're trying to solve a murder. Then you can use it to your advantage (mwahaha). 

They're disarming

Even when she does get noticed, Miss Marple comes across as sweet, harmless, even a little slow-witted. She's an 'elderly spinster' after all! Few people take her seriously and that is her superpower. Both cops and bad guys underestimate her, letting clues slip and being disarmed in her presence. Yet she's whip smart and playing them all! (It's a trick that works for pros like Vera Stanhope, Columbo and Monk.)  

And while there are plenty of AS's who disprove the rule—there's nothing invisible about Phryne Fisher, while Nancy Drew uses youth to her advantage—I still believe nobody does it better than Jane Marple. 

And, it seems, most of you do, too.

Meet MY Bookish Sleuths!

My Agatha Christie Book Club series features a club full of passionate amateur sleuths who clearly love a good mystery—hence the reason they've joined this particular book club—and each bring their own ingredients to the mix. 

Club founder Alicia Finlay has a rather eerie way of looking at the world, seeing the worst in everything and suspicious of everyone, which really helps when it comes to crime, while her stunning sister Lynette and classy club member Claire have a splash of Miss Fisher about them. They often use their 'feminine wiles' to flirt their way to the truth. 

Yet it's probably librarian Missy who most resembles Miss Marple. Missy might be young but she does waffle on, and can seem ditzy and airheaded. The truth is she's as switched on as Miss Marple and people underestimate her at their peril.

There's also a fastidious Poirot-style character in Perry and, one of Christie's achetypes, a dashing doctor with a penchant for poison—Anders.

Want to meet the whole gang and see how they got together? You can grab the first eBook and paperback in the series now from any good online bookstore, or at Amazon here.

Happy reading, everyone, and happy amateur sleuthing, too. Because when you think about it, we're ALL amateur sleuths!

xo Christina

All 6 Ghostwriter Mysteries Up For Grabs + News On The 7th!

A young girl wakes up to find her entire family has vanished. Many years later Phoebe decides to tell her life story, and enlists the help of a ghostwriter.

Enter Roxy Parker…

The last time we met Ghostwriter Roxy, in A Note Before Dying, she'd fallen in love and settled into a quiet country life. 

Or had she? 

In Book 7 of the best-selling series, Roxy returns to Sydney, minus the love interest but with an adorable pooch by her side. She's home to write the life story of the aforementioned 'Forgotten Phoebe'—and, knowing our Roxy, uncover what really happened to Phoebe's missing family. 

But it's not the only reason she's back. Roxy has a very important announcement to make, and it's going to put a few noses—and at least one mother—out of joint!

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

As you can see, I've been busy concocting the next fun, fast-paced adventure for my Ghostwriter Roxy Parker, and to celebrate—and you know how much I love to celebrate—I'm giving YOU a chance to win ALL SIX!

For more on how to win, see below. It's very easy to enter, and writing book seven is coming easily, too. 

As many of you know, it's been a few years between Ghostwriter books and I know some of you have missed Roxy and her fab, fast-talking friends. I've missed them all, too, and have been having a blast reuniting with the cast, getting under Roxy's mother's nose (it's like a blood sport!), and throwing them all into the middle of my most perplexing mystery yet.

I'll be giving more info on the mystery in later emails, as well as a title and cover reveal, so be sure to stay in touch. And keep reading to be in the running.

HOW TO WIN THE WHOLE SERIES

To score a full set of Ghostwriter Mystery eBooks, all you have to do is tell me what you miss most about Roxy Parker. Is it her witty one-liners? Her motley mates? Or her uncanny knack for sniffing out crime?

Or maybe it's something else entirely?

I'd love to hear from you! Just jot me a quick email reply—just a few words is fine—and you'll be in the running!* Entries close in just one week and I'll announce the lucky winner in my very next email, so be sure to look out for it. 

Best of luck everybody and happy reading!

xo Christina

x

*Ts&Cs: You have one week to enter the competition. The best entries may be quoted in a future email. The winning entry and their name will be decided by the author and will be quoted in a future email. Ebook prizes only. You have four weeks to claim your prize. No further correspondence will be entered into. Thx :-)

The Reason I've Gone Quiet… I've Got Something to Shout About

   

Yes, I know. I've been suspiciously quiet of late. I haven't posted my usual short story. I haven't offered fabulous free book prizes. I haven't asked what you think of Agatha Christie or cozies or covers of the like. Here's why… 

I've got a new book in the works (woo-hoo!)

This one is a thriller like nothing I've ever written before. With echoes of Sliding Doors, a splash of Gone Girl and a good dose of my usual Aussie candour, this new, stand-alone story has kept me tap-tap-tapping away for months, and is almost complete! 

I thank you all so much for your patience and promise you the wait will be worth it. Or at least I hope it will. My most complicated mystery yet, this one is set in three very different places and two completely different timelines. It all starts with a simple scenario:   

A young backpacker meets an alluring stranger on a ferry, enroute to Santorini. When he gets off miles from her destination, she has to make a terrifying choice. Will she jump off with him and desert her travelling companions? Or will she stay safely on the ferry and miss what might be the experience of a lifetime? 

One woman, two choices. Which way does she go? 

What she can not know in her youth and naivety is that one choice will see her finding true love, the other will leave her fighting for her life. 

This is a story of choices, and of surviving their consequences.

Sound enticing? I hope so! And now you know: When writers go quiet it usually means the voices are screaming loudly in their heads and there's a bunch of characters coming to life on a page somewhere.

This book will be ready for a mid-2019 release but I'll be in touch before then with both the title and cover reveals, so stay tuned for that.

Until then, thanks again for your patience. You can catch up on all my other mysteries by heading to my website: calarmer.com or clicking on your favourite book here.

Happy (future!) reading, everyone.

xo Christina