Sara Rosett | 20 Questions: MURDER AT THE MANSIONS

1--What is the title of your latest release?

Murder at the Mansions

2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?

A block of flats in 1920s London has all the modern conveniences . . . including murder.

3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?

The main character, Olive, has just moved into a service flat in London—think Whitehaven Mansions in the Poirot television show, and you’ll have a good idea of what I pictured as her new home. I read up on service flats and decided it would be a great setting for Olive’s next adventure. I’d written several country house mysteries in the series. Why not a mystery set in her new flat? The setting brought together a mix of characters with secrets and interesting backstories.

4--Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?

Yes! I can see us going to tea at Harrods then Olive could give me a tour of London.

5--What are three words that describe your hero?

Determined, optimistic, energetic

6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?

I discovered all sorts of interesting things about service flats and well as trains. Olive has to chase down a clue and takes the Flying Scotsman, so I did a lot of research on the train and the route.

7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?

I edit lightly as I go. Once the draft is finished, I go over it many, many times.

8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?

Hands down, chocolate.

9--Describe your writing space/office!

I have big desk that faces a window. Behind me, I have two sets of bookcases, which I’ve already filled up, an occupational hazard for a writer!

10--Who is an author you admire?

I admire Mary Stewart for her beautiful language and compelling plots in her romantic suspense books. I re-read her books every so often and I’m always entertained.

11--Is there a book that changed your life?

Murder on the Orient Express. I remember reading it and being able to see the underlying structure of the mystery. Once I understood that structure, I thought I might be able to write a mystery someday.

12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)

My agent called and said a publisher was interested in my book. I was so excited I could hardly speak!

13--What’s your favorite genre to read?

I’m currently reading lots of historical mysteries.

14--What’s your favorite movie?

I absolutely love To Catch a Thief—a glamorous setting, suspicious characters, and a mystery at the heart of the story.

15--What is your favorite season?

Fall is my favorite time of year, probably because I live in Houston where the summers are hot and humid. When the leaves begin to change it means our best season is about to start.

16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?

Usually Mexican food with plenty of chips and salsa.

17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?

I enjoy listening to the All About Agatha podcast, and I’ve been on a foreign-language crime drama kick lately. I highly recommend Astrid (in French with English subtitles). Ashley Weaver’s WWII mystery, A Peculiar Combination, is one of my favorite recent mystery reads.

18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?

That has to be a toss-up between Italian and Mexican.

19--What do you do when you have free time?

Read (shocking, I know!), watch mystery TV shows, work on home improvement projects with my husband, and travel when we’re able to do that.

20--What can readers expect from you next?

I’m working on another 1920s mystery. It has travel in it, so I’m knee-deep in guidebooks as well as train and ship timetables. I’m loving every minute of it.

MURDER AT THE MANSIONS by Sara Rosett

1920s High Society Lady Detective Mystery #7

South Regent Mansions has all the modern conveniences . . . including murder

London, February, 1924. Discreet sleuth for the high society set, Olive Belgrave is delighted with her new flat at South Regent Mansions where she's made several friends, including the modern career woman, Minerva, who draws a popular cartoon about a flapper for a London newspaper.

But then Minerva comes to Olive for help after catching a glimpse of a disturbing sight-a dead body. At least, that's what Minerva thought she saw, but there's not a dead body anywhere in the posh building, and the residents are continuing with their lives as they normally do. Is Minerva seeing things? Is she barmy? Or is there a more sinister explanation?

To help restore Minerva's peace of mind, Olive investigates her neighbors. They include: society's "it" girl of the moment, an accountant with a fondness for gadgets, a snooty society matron, and a school teacher turned bridge instructor. Olive uncovers rivalries, clandestine affairs, and hidden jealousies. With dashing Jasper at her side, Olive must discover whose secret is worth killing for.

If you like sophisticated whodunits, charming characters, and novels with a lighthearted tone, you'll enjoy the seventh installment of the High Society Lady Detective series, Murder at the Mansions, from USA Today bestselling author, Sara Rosett.

Mystery Woman Sleuth | Mystery Historical | Mystery Amateur Sleuth [McGuffin Ink, On Sale: January 11, 2022, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781950054404 / ]

A determined lady sleuth set on exposing a murderer who is rotten to the core!

About Sara Rosett

A native Texan, USA Today bestselling author Sara Rosett grew up reading and dreaming of writing books. Her stories and essays have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul, Georgia Magazine, The Writer, and Romantic Times Book Review.

She is the author of the Murder on Location series, the On the Run series, and the Ellie Avery series. Sara also teaches an online course, How to Outline A Cozy Mystery.

Publishers Weekly called Sara’s books, “satisfying,” “well-executed,” and “sparkling.” Sara is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and NINC.