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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.
This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.
This is Episode 23, rock, paper, scissors is the featured game. This is Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot by Jack Wolff
When you listen to the podcast, you'll hear us say this was episode 24. We were wrong. It's 23. Oh well. ENJOY!
DELIBERATION
Detective Connolly is in over his head more than usual. If he doesn’t get this right, some innocent heads will be squashed. Let’s review who was in the room with the late Mr. Staniel Purquees:
Anne Taller, the bling loving accountant;Cragly Bioth, the former British Army sharpshooter turned chef;Dion Mooster, the informant for the FBI who mostly informed for Stan; andTimothy Boberts, the drug runner with a bleeding problem.Now let’s look at the facts Connolly has unearthed:
Staniel Purquees, the king of fungus corn, died in his mansion named Mt. Eternity, surrounded by his faithful employees.At the time the lights went out, Cragly and Stan were playing pool. Tim was standing in a corner by himself, sucking up a head injury. Anne and Dion were sitting on the couches.When the lights went out, someone retrieved the murder weapon hidden behind the only askew picture frame and shot Stan. Berthrew entered immediately, covering his employer’s body with his coat.Anne lived at Mt. Eternity doing her work as accountant with the shaky internet service. It was so unreliable she’d taken to writing letters to her sick mother.Cragly also lived at Mt. Eternity, working as the chef. The ex-army sharpshooter turned his knives to culinary purposes after rampaging the world in search of his son’s killers.Dion stayed close to Stanial, a necessary part of snooping for the FBI and counter snooping for Stan.Timothy traveled, distributed Stan’s more exclusive products across the mountain states and Florida, when he had a food truck craving.Each suspect was assigned a position – rock, paper, scissors, and shoot – based on their story.Who should Connolly tag as the shooter?
ABOUT Rock, Paper, Scissors
Information on Rock, Paper, Scissors, or RPS, comes from the World Rock Paper Scissors Association (WRPSA). From the official history of RPS, we learn that the game was originally mentioned in a chinese book written during the Ming dynasty, which is the period of 206 BC to 220 AD). The hand game was created in China and traveled to Japan, where they gained popularity. One version used a frog (thumb), who was defeated by the slug (pinkie finger), who was defeated by the snake (index finger), who completed the circle by losing to the frog. In the 17th century, the familiar rock, paper, and scissors were incorporated and grew in popularity. By the early 20th century, the game had spread wider, including to the US. The history names of RPS in Chinese and Japanese were beyond my ability to pronounce, so I encourage you to check out the WRPSA website and maybe sign...
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For and this Toe Tag.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is normally a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you at the heart of mystery. Today is a bonus episode we call a Toe Tag. It is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, and thriller genre.
Today’s featured release is The Light Beside the Sea by Connie DiMarco
TG Wolff Review
The Light Beside the Sea is a cozy mystery. Julia Bonatti is an astrologer who gives guidance to others to allay fears of change and the future. Yet, she is stuck in her own past, one that won’t lie quiet. A few, short years ago, her fiancé Michael was killed in a hit-and-run as he returned from an archeological expedition. Now it comes to light that he wasn’t the only grad student related to the project or the professor who has died. The latest was just days ago. Now Julia is asking questions. By solving one death, she just may be able to provide closure on them all.
Bottom line: The Light Beside the Sea is for you if you like cozy mysteries and a touch of the unexpected.
About Connie Di Marco
Connie di Marco is the author of the Zodiac Mysteries featuring San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti, a woman who never thought murder would be part of her practice. The Light Beside the Sea is the fifth novel in the series. Writing as Connie Archer, she is also the author of the national bestselling Soup Lover’s Mysteries from Penguin Random House. You can find her excerpts and recipes in The Cozy Cookbook and The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. Connie is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Crime Writers Association (UK) and Sisters in Crime.
ConnieArcherMysteries.com
Partners In Crime Tours represents a network of 300+ bloggers offering tailor-made virtual book tours and marketing options for crime, mystery and thriller writers from around the world. Founded in 2011, PICT offers virtual book tour services for well-established and best-selling authors, as well as those just starting out with their careers. PICT prides itself on its tailored packages for authors, with a personal touch from the tour coordinators. For more information, check out their website partnersincrimetours.com
Join us next week for Season 8 Games People Play when our favorite maybe-detective is back with another misadventure. Its Detective Connolly in Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot by Jack Wolff
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Eksik bölüm mü var?
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This week on M2D4, we are taking a break for Thanksgiving. Please instead enjoy a 10 second mystery written by producer Jack Wolff in the form of a 20 second radio ad.
Come back next week for our next Toe Tag, and the week after for Detective Connolly, and his adventures revolving around Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!
Thanks for listening, and we hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For and this Toe Tag.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is normally a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you at the heart of mystery. Today is a bonus episode we call a Toe Tag. It is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, and thriller genre.
Today’s featured release is Map of My Escape by Cheryl L. Reed
TG Wolff Review
Map of My Escape is a crime drama novel. Anti-gun activatist Riley Keane has done the unthinkable. In a crisis situation, she shot at two men wrestling. But did she shoot the assailant or her close friend and Chicago police officer Reece Taylor? Either way, she’s too hot to stay in her hometown. Now Alderman Finn O’Farrell, Riley’s lover, is left to deal with the fallout of threats, accusations, and blackmail.
Bottom line: Map of My Escape is for you if you like crime driven drama delivered at a pace to be savored.
About Cheryl L. Reed
A former staff editor and reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times and other publications, Cheryl L. Reed’s stories have won multiple awards, including Harvard’s Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. She has twice been awarded a U.S. Fulbright Scholar fellowship by the State Department, first in Ukraine and then in Central Asia. Reed is the author of the nonfiction book Unveiled: The Hidden Lives of Nuns and the novel Poison Girls, which won the Chicago Writers’ Association Book of the Year. She splits her time between Washington, DC and her home near the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia.
Partners In Crime Tours represents a network of 300+ bloggers offering tailor-made virtual book tours and marketing options for crime, mystery and thriller writers from around the world. Founded in 2011, PICT offers services for well-established and best-selling authors, as well as those just starting out with their careers. PICT prides itself on its tailored packages with a personal touch from the tour coordinators. For more information, check out their website partnersincrimetours.com
Join us next week for Season 7 Games People Play. We have an adaptation for you from the early part of the 20th century. The game is a maze. The original is The Mystery of the Downs by John Watson and Arthur J. Rees. The name of the adaptation? I’m working on it.
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.
This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.
This is Episode 23, Hangman is the featured game. This is The Hangman’s Ladies by TG Wolff
Sorry the show notes are skimpy this week. Reality reared up and bit me in the butt. Ah well, it happens. ~tg
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For and this Toe Tag.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is normally a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you at the heart of mystery. Today is a bonus episode we call a Toe Tag. It is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, and thriller genre.
Today’s featured release is Lethal Standoff by Diann Mills
TG Wolff Review
Lethal Standoff is an amateur sleuth mystery. A hostage standoff by a desperate man has innocent lives in the crossfire. After a hostage crisis ends with loss of life, Hostage negotiator Carrington Reed and reporter Levy Ehrlich follow through on promises to seek answers and protect a suspect’s family. But if solving problems were that easy, they would have been solved already.
Bottom line: Lethal Standoff is for you if you like your mysteries and thrillers woven into the life and faith of your detectives.
Lethal Standoff was released from Tyndale and is promoted by Partners In Crime Tours and is available from on-line and other book retailers.
About Diann Mills
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels with threads of romance. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure?
DiAnn is passionate about helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.
diannmills.com
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.
This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.
This is Episode 21, Sorry is the featured game. This is Death by Candy Land by Kyra Jacobs
DELIBERATION
Candy Land is in chaos and Sheriff Cantalone has to figure out who gummed up this Halloween party by killing Harry Randall. Here are the players in the order we met them:
• Mic Garcia, host and Lord Licorice who was being blackmailed by Harry
• Savannah Livingston, the Lollipop Fairy who Harry flashed earlier that day
• Tyler Livingston, the Peppermint Forest lumberjack who owned the hardware story Harry vandalized
• Cindy Flannigan, Mrs. Nutt whose garden Harry trampled nightly
• Sam Flannigan, dressed as a giant peanut whose fence Harry destroyed
• The three Flannigan children, M&Ms who were mad Harry ruined the bounce house
• Doc Hallers, King Kandy who Harry blamed for his mother’s death
• Herb Smathers, Gloppy the Chocolate Blob who Harry repeatedly belittled
Here’s what we know:
• Harry was the neighborhood bully. Everyone except Mic had lodged complaints with the sheriff and complained that nothing was done.
• Mic welcomed his guests into the back yard but said he did not see Harry until he was dead.
• Tyler Livingston had met Harry at the decorated fence and told him to come in through the house. Savannah Livingston saw Harry in the kitchen, staring out the window. Doc Haller saw Harry take a pill and wash it down with liquor.
• Harry spilled Herb’s heart pills across the floor. Herb couldn’t be sure they all were found.
• The Livingston children said Harry banged on the outside of the bounce house, then crawled inside and refused to move.
• Harry had cuts and scratches on his arms and his lips were tinted blue. ME speculated the blue may have come from an overdose. No explanation was given on the cuts and scratches.
• Cindy Flannigan’s rake had red orange stains she said was from mulch. No damage or marks were noted on the other props.
• No one had any knowledge of illegal drugs. Mic said Harry kept to liquor and cigarettes.
It’s your move, where should Sheriff Cantalone go?
ABOUT Candy Land
Polio was an ancient disease that hit pandemic status in the 1940s and 1950s, crippling children and young adults until a vaccine was widely administered in 1955. Children recovering were bed bound and board. Teacher Eleanor Abbott, herself a victim of the disease, invented games to entertain recovering children, including Candy Land. Encouraged by friends, Abbott submitted her idea to Milton Bradley, who picked it up to fill-in their product line. It soon became their best selling game. In 2005, Candy Land was inducted into The Strong National Museum of Play. Candy Land has continued to grow and develop, offering game variations including special character editions and electronic editions so you can get your candy on no matter where you are.
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For and this Toe Tag.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is normally a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you at the heart of mystery. Today is a bonus episode we call a Toe Tag. It is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, and thriller genre.
Today’s featured release is On the Horns of Death by Eleanor Kuhns
TG Wolff Review
On the Horns of Death is historical mystery. Sixteen-year-old Martis volunteers as a bull dancer in Knossos on the isle of Crete. An ordinary day of practice turns dark when she discovers the body of another dancer inside a bullpen. But why would he climb into the pen? Answer: murder.
Bottom line: On the Horns of Death is for you if you like amateur sleuths and the rich sights, scents, and sounds of Ancient Greece.
The On the Horns of Death was released from Severn House and is promoted by Partners In Crime Tours and is available from on-line and other book retailers.
About Eleanor Kuhns
Eleanor Kuhns is a previous winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel competition for A Simple Murder. The author of eleven Will Rees mysteries, she is now a full-time writer after a successful career as the Assistant Director at the Goshen Public Library in Orange County, New York.
www.eleanor-kuhns.com
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.
This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.
This is Episode 20, where the classic mystery game Clue is the featured game. This is Get a Clue by Chuck Brownman.
Deliberation:
Games are Andy Clay’s life but he’s stumped when he’s asked to help solve the murder of Gene Dockary and then Noah Whitmore. Detective Lansing isn’t helping him, so we have to. Here are the suspects in the order they were interviewed:
• Ruth Dockary, Gene’s wife and co-host of the weekend
• Steve Joseph, a thin, nervous man
• Kate Joseph, Steve’s strong, domineering wife
• Barbara Whitmore, Noah’s wife, co-owner of the inn who worked with Ruth on planning the weekend
• Paul Marcus, a nuclear bioengineer who is CEO of a medical start up.
Here are the clues:
• Five former Denver-area neighbors gathered at a small inn for the weekend. Ruth and Gene were hosting the getaway. Ruth worked with Barbara on the idea of the Clue game. Barbara supplied the props used by their guests.
• Gene Dockary was found strangled in the library with a rope. The library was accessed only through the game room. The killer needed strength to strangle Dockary but could have been male or female.
• Clue game cards Mrs. Peacock, the candlestick, and the study were found in Gene Dockery’s pocket. The cards did not come from life-sized Clue game.
• Gene Dockary was not playing the Clue game and was noted to be in a bad mood, going as far as snapping at Barbara Whitmore when she checked in on him.
• Gene Dockery was a salesman / developer who was working to get investors for the technology Paul Marcus was developing. His friends Steve and Kate Joseph invested.
• Steve and Kate Joseph were upset with Gene, who was pressuring them for additional investment funds.
• Paul Marcus had argued with Gene the prior week when Gene had made promises on Marcus’ technology that went beyond the terms of their agreement.
• When Gene Dockary was killed, the other guests had been moving throughout the rooms. Paul Marcus did not go into the library, purposely avoiding Gene.
• Noah Whitmore was found stabbed in the kitchen with one of his own cooking knives. The knife did not come from the closest knife block but one farther away. The kitchen was accessed through the sunroom and through the door to the second floor.
• Whitmore was found by Ruth Dockary. Barbara and Kate were upstairs together when Ruth screamed. Steve and Paul Marcus were in the sunroom.
• Noah and Barbara Whitmore claimed not to have met any of the guests prior to their arrival. The weekend was set up via email with Ruth Dockery, who thinks she picked the inn off a travel website.
• Noah Whitmore was about 20 years older than his wife. They bought the inn five years ago and have had little time to do anything else. Before the inn, they owned a restaurant in Denver.
Andy has rolled the dice, now who do the clues point to?
ABOUT Clue
The game of Clue had a simple beginning. Anthony
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For and this Toe Tag.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is normally a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you at the heart of mystery. Today is a bonus episode we call a Toe Tag. It is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, and thriller genre.
Today’s featured release is Rogues & Patriots by Patrick H. Moore
TG Wolff Review
Rogues & Patriots is an PI thriller. Los Angeles PI Nick Crane does a friend a favor by taking on the two-headed case of investigating the murder of a Confidential Informant and saving his young daughters from the horrors of the juvenile immigration. But his time isn’t his own as an underground group of vigilantes are after him and something they think he possesses.
Bottom line: Rogues & Patriots is for you if you like ballsy private investigators, conspiracy thrillers, and blurred lines between the good guys and the bad.
The Rogues & Patriots was released from Down & Out Books and is promoted by Partners In Crime Tours and is available from AMAZON and other book retailers.
About Patrick H. Moore
Patrick H. Moore is a Los Angeles based investigator, sentencing mitigation specialist, and crime writer. In the field since 2003, he has worked in virtually all areas including drug trafficking, sex crimes, crimes of violence, and white-collar fraud. Mastering this job, which combines art, science, and intuition, has given Patrick the tools to write realistic crime fiction that depicts the unpredictable and violent world of cops, convicts, prosecutors and defense attorneys. Rogues & Patriots was the second in a three-part series in which veteran Los Angeles private investigator Nick Crane battles a group of aristocratic domestic terrorists known as the “principals.”
patrickhmoorewriter.com
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.
This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.
This is Episode 19, where that new sensation pickleball is the featured game. This is In a Pickle by Kaye George
DELIBERATION
Melaine Hanover is in a real pickle. Her cantankerous husband, Harvey, is dead and the pink ball points back to her. We know she didn’t do it, so let’s give her our help to find the pickle in the middle of all of this. Here are the suspects in the order we met them:
• Tony, the pickleball hating neighbor who threatened to shoot Harvey
• Town Councilmen, the people who hated listening to Harvey nearly as much as Melaine
• Anonymous Pickleballers, the people who are opposed to Harvey’s opposition
• Kai, the cop who is Melaine’s lover
• The pretty woman, Julie, who is something to Kai
Here is what Melaine knows:
• Harvey hated pickleball and everyone who played it. He was making it his mission in retirement to run the sport out of town by sabotaging pickleball courts.
• Two young men, anonymous pickleballers, knew what Harvey was up to. They followed Harvey and Melaine home from the council meeting.
• Harvey’s and Tony’s houses were vandalized, the windows painted. The Anonymous Pickleballers are suspected. Tony blamed Harvey for stirring up the trouble and threatened to shoot him if he came on his property.
• Kai was one of the cops who escorted Harvey out of the council meeting.
• Melaine and Kai were starting an affair. Harvey didn’t seem to realize what his wife was doing. A pretty woman, suspected of being Kai’s wife, seemed to lurk.
• Melaine and Kai admitted they want to be together and agree to talk later. The pretty woman saw them talk.
• Harvey was found in the office of his house, shot in the chest. One of Melaine’s pickleballs was shoved in his mouth. He had let his killer into the house. His dog, Skitter, was the only witness.
Melaine is at the line. To whom should justice be served?
ABOUT Pickleball
From Wikipedia: Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two players (singles) or four players (doubles) hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball with paddles over a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played indoors and outdoors. It was invented in 1965 as a children's backyard game in the United States, on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. In 2022, pickleball was named the official state sport of Washington. While it resembles tennis and table tennis, pickleball has separate rules, paddles, and court dimensions.
ABOUT Kaye George
Kaye George is an award-winning novelist and short-story writer who writes cozy and traditional mysteries and a prehistory series, which are both traditionally and self-published. Her two cozy series are Fat Cat and Vintage Sweets. The two traditional series feature Cressa Carraway and Imogene Duckworthy. The People of the Wind prehistory mysteries take place within a Neanderthal tribe. She has a suspense novel coming out in early...
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For and this Toe Tag.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is normally a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you at the heart of mystery. Today is a bonus episode we call a Toe Tag. It is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, and thriller genre.
Today’s featured release is The Guest House by Bonnie Traymore
TG Wolff Review
The Guest House is psychological thriller. Allie Dawson is on the ride of a lifetime. Her brainchild for a voice-to-caption product has received preliminary funding. But moving from Milwaukee to Silicon Valley has brought more than the expected challenges of getting a new product to market. She’s moved into a guest house where the rent was too good to be true. That should have been the first clue.
Bottom line: The Guest House is for you if you like female-centric stories where thrill and mystery are mechanisms for character growth.
The strengths of the story are also the most unique aspects. Our hero, Allie Dawson is deaf. She uses a cochlear implant that enables her to hear. Without it, she hears nothing. Allie’s deafness is presented in a way that we live it as an ordinary part of her life-which it is-similar to if she had to put in contacts each morning. I especially liked this because it felt natural. It was an important thing for us to understand, especially as to how it affects how Allie communicates, but it isn’t the most important thing to know about Allie. The most important thing is that she is courageous, willing to walk away from her comfortable life to chase a dream.
That leads us into the second strength, navigating the high-stakes and complicated world of the entrepreneur. Allie comes to Silicon Valley with a good idea and a prototype in development. Her job is to find someone to finish the engineering, figure out who can manufacture it, and find a few someones interested in funding all the above. This is not a field that I have seen explored in many stories, giving The Guest House a fresh feel.
Traymore uses a staccato storytelling style that makes you feel as if the character is reporting on their day to you. Take this example from Chapter two: “I’m also hungry and hot. But I’m on a tight schedule, so although I’d like to chill for a while, I need to keep going. I locate the restroom and, thankfully, there’s no line. When I come out, I rush up to the counter to look for my drink order. I pick up a few cups that could be mine and examine them, but my latte’s not ready yet. I let out a long sigh and glance at my watch.”
The Guest House is shown as a psychological thriller on the cover and listed as a techno-thriller on Amazon. The book meets most of the standards for a psychological thriller with the tension coming from mental stressors rather than physical. Overall, I found the tension to be mild as it generated more of a creepy feeling than nail-biting. This can be positive or negative, depending on a reader’s thrill-scale preference.
I had to look up techno-thriller, which is a subgenre where a technology is a dominant part of the story. I do not find this to be a good description. While Allie is trying to bring a technology to market, by her own admission, she doesn’t understand that part. Her engineer brother is working on it away from the story, as is the grad student she hired. While the technology concept is what gets Allie to Silicon Valley, the tech itself is not central to the story.
Overall, I felt The Guest House did not fit well within one genre category but was a combination of women’s fiction, thriller, and mystery. Women’s fiction was most dominant genre to me as the story wove growth of the alternating narrators Allie Dawson and Laura Foster. Allie’s part of the story did carry the thriller element, as she becomes suspicious of her landlords and their other renter. Laura’s...
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.
This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.
This is Episode 18, that original LARP game War is the featured game. This is Did Not See That Coming by Ken Harris
TWO LISTENER NOTES before we get started. First, this is a two-part Mystery to Die For. Half the story was in last week’s episode with the rest of the story, the deliberation, and the big reveal in this one. So, if you missed Part 1, please go to it first.
Second, murder and solving it is our thing here at Mysteries to Die For but today’s story includes some real life topics that some audience members may be sensitive to including violence against children, bullying, and antisemitism.
DELIBERATION
Jawnie stand-in Steve Rockfish and his sidekick Estelle are chipping away at Karen Lazar’s cold case, but there’s still some work for us to do. Here is a list of the people living and working in Ewan, NJ back in 1976:
Gladys and George Lazar, Karen’s parents, who had recently moved to the small farming townMikey Hardison, the boy who had a crush on Karen and worked for CarlßonScott and Tommy, schoolyard bullies who sent Karen into the woods on a scouting missionHarry Hardison, Mikey’s father, a drinker who had issues with the Lazar’s Jewish faith and his own lusting after Gladys.Vern Gicobe, a friend of Hardison and loner who discovered Karen’s body while huntingManfred Carlßon, German owner of Carlßon Game Processing, who kept a poster of Karen in his shopHere is what Rockfish and Estelle (and Jawnie, too) have discovered:
Karen’s body was found five years after she disappeared. It had not decomposed. She was killed by strangulation. While there was little documentation on the body, photos showed cuts inflicted post mortem covered her. A single large, deep cut was on her back.No autopsy was performed but DNA samples were taken and preserved. No matches were found through CODIS.The older boys Karen was playing Army with—Mikey, Tommy & Scotty—were the last to see her alive. The local police cleared the last two boys at the time, noting they were seen in town.Mikey admitted going after Karen that day and finding her next to a creek, crying. When he tried to kiss her, she punched him, sending him into the creek. She ran off and he said he didn’t see her again. Rumor had it the married couples of Ewan like to trade partners. Harry Hardison was reported to be very fond of Gladys Lazar, despite him being antisemitic and she being Jewish.Hardison disapproved of his son’s crush on Karen and sent him to work with Carlßon, saying the hard man would straighten Mikey out.Vern Gicobe said Mikey would stare at the missing person picture of Karen that hung in Carlßon’s. Mikey gave Vern “the creeps”.Adult Mikey told his “Meemaw” about the “two peas in a pod” and that when he found Karen, she was crying over a problem with her father but didn’t say what it was; she never told him.Rockfish’s theory is Gicobe... -
Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.
This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.
This is Episode 18, that original LARP game War is the featured game. This is Did Not See That Coming by Ken Harris.
TWO LISTENER NOTES before we get started. First, this is a two-part Mystery to Die For. Half the story is in this episode with the rest of the story, the deliberation, and the big reveal comes next week.
Second, murder and solving it is our thing here at Mysteries to Die For but today’s story includes some real life topics that some audience members may be sensitive to including violence against children, bullying, and antisemitism.
DELIBERATION
None here. Check out Part 2!
ABOUT Ken Harris
Ken Harris retired from the FBI, after thirty-two years, as a cybersecurity executive. With over three decades writing intelligence products for senior Government officials, Ken provides unique perspectives on the conventional fast-paced crime thriller. Ken previously participated in Mysteries to Die For seasons 5 & 6. He is the author of the “From the Case Files of Steve Rockfish” series. He spends days with his wife Nicolita, and two Labradors, Shady and Chalupa Batman. Evenings are spent playing Walkabout Mini Golf and cheering on Philadelphia sports. Ken firmly believes Pink Floyd, Irish whiskey and a Montecristo cigar are the only muses necessary. He is a native of New Jersey and currently resides in Virginia’s Northern Neck.
https://kenharrisfiction.com/
WRAP UP
That wraps this episode of Mysteries to Die For. Support our show by subscribing, telling a mystery lover about us, and giving us a five-star review. Check out our website TGWolff.com/Podcast for links to this season’s authors.
Mysteries to Die For is hosted by TG Wolff and Jack Wolff. Did Not See That Coming was written by Ken Harris. Music and production are by Jack Wolff. Episode art is by TG Wolff. Join us next week for the second half, deliberation, and solution of DID NOT SEE THAT COMING by Ken Harris.
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For and this Toe Tag.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is normally a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you at the heart of mystery. Today is a bonus episode we call a Toe Tag. It is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, and thriller genre.
Today’s featured release is The Stuff of Murder by Kathleen Marple Kalb.
TG Wolff Review
The Stuff of Murder by Kathleen Marple Kalb is an amateur sleuth cozy mystery. Dr. Christian Shaw is a mother, a widow, and the director of the historical society. She is responsible for the 17th century bible and pewter tankard used by the lead actor in a movie very loosely based on The Scarlet Letter. Then the actor dies, dramatically. Christian’s old stuff is at the heart of the investigation and where they go, she goes.
Bottom line: The Stuff of Murder by Kathleen Marple Kalb is for you if you like cozy mysteries, charming characters, and everyday old stuff.
One of my favorite things about The Stuff of Murder is the characters. Kalb does a wonderful job of giving the primary characters distinct voices and appearances, making the story easy to read. Christian Shaw is six foot one with flaming red hair. Her son Henry is a five-foot tall third-grader with photographic memory. The fathers she should have had are Garrett the academic and his husband Ed the retired state trooper. And last but certainly not least is the handsome, philanthropic, and very tall state’s attorney Joe Poli. Then there are the other parents, the society volunteers, and townspeople. This is an amazing, heartwarming cast.
The setting is small town Unity, Connecticut. As with most small town cozies, the nature of the town with the tensions and conflicts of people too involved in each other’s business is an amusing counterpoint to main mystery. This is the source of much of the information Christian uses as well as the bane of her busy days.
Brett Studebaker is a fifty-something actor looking to launch into the next stage of his career on a period film based loosely on The Scarlet Letter. Brett is filming a pivotal scene, acting in the pulpit of church turned synagogue some ten feet above the floor. When he goes off script, only Christian and the locals with her notice the odd behavior. Brett falls from the pulpit, breaking his neck. But it isn’t the simple accident someone wants everyone to believe. The leading theory is poison, introduced through the pewter mug the historical society lent to the film.
This mystery is a throw back to an older style where conversations, not evidence, are the primary detection tool. Christian pieces together the small facts she learns into a chain that will catch the guilty. It’s hard to discuss the logic of the mystery without giving too much away. Suffice it to say that the motives and actions of the guilty are consistent and follow logically in their minds.
The Stuff of Murder is a character driven story that would be enjoyed by readers who love cozies as well as those who prefer traditional mysteries.
The Stuff of Murder by Kathleen Marple Kalb was released from Level Best and is available from AMAZON LINK and other book retailers. Book 2, The Stuff of Mayhem is coming in November 2024.
About Kathleen Marple Kalb
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.
This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.
This is Episode 17, tether ball is the featured game. This is Tethered to Drama by Karina Bartow
DELIBERATION
Detective Minka Avery is caught up in the drama in the death of Sheila Nevins. She needs our help to find a killer. Here are the people who she’s come across in the investigation:
• William Barkley, Wes’s former lab partner and current middle school teacher
• Superintendent Rigley, working to balance the budget while building a new middle school
• Gideon Hutchins, school board member and devoted father
• Axel Hutchins, high school baseball player with a shot at being recruited
• Zachary Phelps, groundskeeper for the park behind the middle school
Here are the facts Minka and Cael have unearthed:
• Drama teacher Sheila Nevins was found dead on the edge of the defunct tetherball court after a groundbreaking ceremony for a new middle school. She was strangled with something like a rope or belt.
• The deflated tetherball had a note inside saying “Snitches never win.” The note had a torn corner that matched a bit remaining on a lawn stake.
• Minka’s husband remembered that a guy from his football team, number 60, used the phrase. He was kicked off the team for using drugs.
• A small camera was found recording the tetherball pole. It was on and not one owned by the city for security.
• William Barkley was frustrated with Sheila because she would not put his play on. He was counting down the days until she retired. Barkley was late getting to the groundbreaking because of the bookfair, which a student’s testimony contradicted.
• Superintendent Rigley had a showdown with Sheila, telling her the drama budget was being cut and she needed to raise money. Sheila collected information on Rigley misusing funds and was planning to out him to the board. Rigley spoke at the groundbreaking.
• Gideon Hutchins was upset with Sheila for putting his son, Axel, on the bench by failing him in drama class. Scouts were coming to look at his son, something very important to his college plans. Gideon was at the groundbreaking.
• Axel Hutchins took drama for an easy grade, now he’s in danger of being ineligible just when scouts are coming to check him out. He was missing his uniform belt, which he claimed broke the day before. He was not at the groundbreaking as he was picking his sister up from her school.
• Zachary Phelps was mowing at the park before the groundbreaking. He left when the belt broke on his lawnmower. He knew Sheila, who ate lunch at the park and asked him for the tether pole as a prop.
Who should Minka shine the spotlight of justice on?
ABOUT Tetherball
From my favorite source, Wikipedia, and the website Backyard Sidekick traces tetherball back to the late 1800s and early 1900s where it was found on playgrounds. Variations have the game played with hands or with racquets while having the same rules. If you haven’t played, which I
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For and this Toe Tag.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is normally a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you at the heart of mystery. Today is a bonus episode we call a Toe Tag. It is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, and thriller genre.
Today’s featured release is Knife River by Baron Birtcher
TG Wolff Review
Knife River is a cop mystery. It’s 1976 and Sheriff Ty Dawson has his hands full with Meridian County’s newest resident. Music producer Len Kaanan brought in rock star Ian Swann and with him came a troubled brother, an ornery producer, shady stagehands, property damage, assault, and someone with a more deadly intent. Plus, Ty’s daughter is sweet on the music man.
Bottom line: Knife River is for you if you like stories where you know something bad is going to happen but have no idea which direction it’s coming from.
This review is careful not to reveal details of Knife River that will take away from the readers own discovery and enjoyment.
There are so many strengths of this story that it is hard to know where to start. The one that sticks out most to me is the storytelling style. This one unfolds thoughtfully, deliberately, and with such terrifying elegance that I was tempted to read through my fingers. Chapter by chapter, the feeling grows that something very bad has happened, was going to happen but where it would come from and who would be the target wasn’t clear.
The language used elevates Knife River to the top of mystery literature. Consider from chapter twenty, “By the time morning arrived, it came so softly that it felt like a eulogy, the underlayment of the clouds glowing like coal embers for only the briefest of moments, soon swallowed by a still and steely sky that stole all but the ambient glow of sunrise.”
Sheriff Ty Dawson is an engaging hero who is easy to root for. A lawman, cattle rancher, and Korean vet, he is a complicated and damaged man who takes life one day at a time. He is grounded by his wife, Jesse, his college age daughter, Cricket, as well as his foreman and the deputies. The cast is close knit, a group who are positive and supportive of each other.
The 1970s and rural Oregon setting of the Ty Dawson Mysteries makes it stand out from the pack. Birtcher displays his prowess by writing with historical accuracy while making it feel as though we were reading a modern telling. In his hands, we are eternally far away from reading a textbook description of the life and times in post-Vietnam. He similarly brings us into the world of cattle ranges and cowboys by taking us along, at the crack of dawn, to ride down strays.
The plot of this story is wonderfully winding when read from the start, as noted. Standing at the end and looking back to page one, it is both twisted and straightforward. Thinking about the story in the days since I finished it, each detail checks back to earlier chapters, making the logic sound.
When considering whether Sheriff Ty Dawson drives the story, the book divides into two parts: pre-murder and post-murder. Prior to the murder, the action of the main plot is driven by the rock star and music producer. Ty inserts himself into those plans to set up a prevent defense ahead of the invasion of ten thousand fans, but he is in a reactive position. After the murder, he shifts to a proactive role, driving the investigation. His tenacity on details is the reason why this murder is solved.
As to where this story fell short of ideal, there isn’t much to pick on. The logic, the pacing, the storytelling are topnotch.
Knife River is the fourth book in the Ty Dawson Mystery series. I read the third, but not the first two. Knife River can be read as a stand alone. The mystery is independent from prior books. Readers who...
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.
This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.
This is Episode 16, billiards is the featured game. This is Death in the Billiards Room by TG Wolff, an adaptation of The Billiard-Room Mystery by Brian Flynn
ABOUT Billiards
Today we turn to the Games For Fun website to learn about billiards. Billiards includes all sports that are played with a cue stick and billiard balls. Pool (also called pocket billiards), carom billiards, and snooker are categories of billiards. Our story today referred to a billiards table, but it was more accurate to call it a pocket billiards table or a pool table. The Billiard Congress of America reports the game started as an outdoor described as similar to croquet. It was brought indoors as a tabletop game, possibly originating in France. Initially, it retained some of the hoops and sticks of the outdoor game, but those eventually faded. There are many ways to play billiards, ranging from using 3 balls to 22 balls, with and without pockets. Here’s a fun fact: visitors from England taught Americans how to put a spin on the cue ball, explaining why only in America is that spin called “English.” Check out the sources
https://gamesforfun.com/the-history-of-pool-who-how-where-and-billiards
https://bca-pool.com
ABOUT The Billiard Room Mystery by Brian Flynn
The Billiard Room Mystery was the first case for barrister Anthony Bathurst and the first mystery for English author Brian Flynn. It was challenging to find information on an author with over 54 mysteries to his name. The best write ups were on Classic Mystery Novel blog and Crime Is Afoot blog. Born in 1885 in Essex, Flynn, like many others of that period, had a varied background. His formal education ended when he went into the civil service, serving as a special constable during WWI. He taught while he worked for the government and enjoyed acting. It was reported that he began writing mysteries because he was not impressed with much of what he read. I can believe that reading the scene where he is critiquing the styles of leading fictional detectives at the time. The Billiard-Room Mystery is now in the public domain and can be downloaded from the Project Gutenburg. Dean Street Press has been reprinting much of Brian Flynn’s catalogue, which can be found at online retailers.
https://classicmystery.blog/classic-bibliographies/brian-flynn/
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For and this Toe Tag.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is normally a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you at the heart of mystery. Today is a bonus episode we call a Toe Tag. It is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, and thriller genre.
Today’s featured release is FAST TIMES BIG CITY by Shelly Frome
TG Wolff Review
FFAST TIMES BIG CITY is an amateur sleuth adventure. It’s the late 1950s and Bud Palmer is living his best life as a sports reporter for the Miami Herald. Then his Uncle Rick, a self-proclaimed PI, gets in hot water up to his eyeballs and clutches onto Bud as his life preserver. Now Bud has to go to cold NYC to find a girl he’s never met and recover a briefcase she stole before the Chicago mob gets impatient
Bottom line: FAST TIMES BIG CITY is for you if you like reluctant heroes, plot driven quests, and immersion in eras gone by.
It is a fun read, watching Bud get deeper into the trouble he didn’t cause, and then figuring out how to dig his way out of it.
The FAST TIMES BIG CITY was released from BQB Publishing and is promoted by Partners In Crime Tours and is available from AMAZON LINK and other book retailers.
About Shelly Frome
Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at UConn, a former professional actor, and a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He also is a features writer for Gannett Publications. Fast Times, Big City is his latest foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
Partners In Crime Tours represents a network of 300+ bloggers offering tailor-made virtual book tours and marketing options for crime, mystery and thriller writers from around the world. Founded in 2011, PICT offers services for well-established and best-selling authors, as well as those just starting out with their careers. PICT prides itself on its tailored packages with a personal touch from the tour coordinators. For more information, check out their website partnersincrimetours.com
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Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.
I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. These are arrangements, which means instead of word-for-word readings, you get a performance meant to be heard. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.
This is Season 7, Games People Play. Games are about competition conducted according to rules with participants working toward a goal. Games are a part of every culture and are one of the oldest forms of social interaction and engagement. Games can be fun, challenging and exhilarating. They can also be intense, cutthroat, and lethal. This season, our authors have fashioned deadly games and unscrupulous villains to test your detection skills.
This is Episode 15, Truth or dare is the featured game. This is Dare or Truth by Frank Zafiro
ABOUT Truth or Dare
The origins of truth or dare weren’t as well documented or researched as some of the other games used this season. The Wikipedia page refers to entries as early as 1712 describing a game that is similar to truth or dare, although with one person being in control. Certainly, it isn’t a leap to see this as a social party game in the era preceding television and radio. The most interesting entries I came across were on the social platform Quora where the question was asked…what’s the farthest you’ve ever taken Truth or Dare. The posts responding themed on creative nudity and sex and not, thankfully, murder.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_or_dare
ABOUT Frank Zafiro
Frank Zafiro writes gritty crime fiction from both sides of the badge. During his life, he has been a military intelligence linguist, a police officer (a twenty year career, retiring as a captain), and an independent consultant and instructor. He has taught both writing and police related topics at the collegiate level and professional venues. Through it all, he has been a writer. To date, he has published 48 novels, over 100 short stories, and appeared in over 50 anthologies. He lives in Redmond, Oregon, with his wife, Kristi, who is a teacher.
www.frankzafiro.com
WRAP UP
That wraps this episode of Mysteries to Die For. Support our show by subscribing, telling a mystery lover about us, and giving us a five-star review. Check out our website TGWolff.com/Podcast for links to this season’s authors.
Mysteries to Die For is hosted by TG Wolff and Jack Wolff. Dare or Truth was written by Frank Zafiro. Music and production are by Jack Wolff. Episode art is by TG Wolff. Join us next week for a Toe Tag, which is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, or thriller genre. Then come back in two weeks for an adaption of The Billard Room Mystery by Brian Flynn, where Billards is the featured game
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