When I wrote the first book in the
Material Witness Mystery
Series a few years ago, I had the luxury of establishing some murky
backgrounds for the series charactersβdropping in just enough to let you know
who they were, but leaving myself some room to dig in to their pasts in the next
two books. So when it came time to write book 3, SILK STALKINGS, I had to ask
myself: what questions do I need to answer in order to give closure to the three
books as a series? There was the question of what would happen between Vaughn
and Poly (can they get past their differences?), and the question of whether or
not Polyβs fabric store would succeed (thereβs that loan that she has to pay
backβyikes!). There were questions about Duke (what was the accident that left
him paralyzed?) and the Lopez family (is their cat still blue?) But the
overwhelming question had to do with the background of Charlie Brooks, auto
mechanic, Van Halen fan, and new friend of Poly, so I knew book three would
delve into that.
Charlie has been one of my favorite characters to write. Sheβs a tough girl to
the point that most people leave her alone, but when Poly comes to San LadrΓ³n
and experiences a less-than-welcoming reception, Charlie reaches out to help
her. Sheβs tough because sheβs had to be tough, bouncing around foster homes,
ultimately learning the auto trade from someone who was close enough in age to
her to be more like a big brother than a father figure. She can take care of
herself (or so she says), but at her core sheβs still vulnerable. In a way, just
living in San LadrΓ³n is torture because her birth parents live there
tooβalthough now divorced and adversarial, they are hardly the picture of a
warm, loving couple. Her father is one of the most powerful people in town and
her mother runs a historical landmark. And while Charlie knows who they are,
sheβs kept her own identity a secret from them both.
Until now, when her past, her present, and her future collide and the decisions
she makes about how to live her own life put other peopleβs lives at risk. Itβs
a tough position for a loner, and itβll forever change the way she lives her life.
After two decades working for a top luxury retailer, Diane Vallere traded
fashion accessories for accessories to murder. SILK STALKINGS, #3 in her
national bestselling and Lefty-Award Nominated Material Witness Mystery Series,
is out August 2016. Diane is the vice president/president elect of Sisters in
Crime. She also writes the Madison Night, Costume Shop, and Style & Error
Mysteries. She started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a
passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.
Dianeβs Bio:
Material Witness
Mystery #3
Fabric shop owner Polyester Monroe can get tangled up in textiles, but
itβs murder that really throws her for a loop in the latest mystery from the
national bestselling author of Crushed Velvet.
The time has come for San LadrΓ³n, Californiaβs annual Miss Tangorli beauty
pageant, and Poly has agreed to use Material Girlβs inventory of shimmery silks
to create embellished gowns fit for a crown. But when millionaire Harvey
Halliwellβthe man who revived the cityβs citrus trade with his imported tangorli
treeβis found dead days before the pageant contestants are announced, something
sour takes over the town.
To make matters worse, her friend, mechanic Charlie Brooks, is soon caught up
in the crime, having been seen in the company of the caseβs prime suspect. Now
Polyβs on a mission to squeeze out the truth. But as she searches for a pattern,
the killer seems intent on cutting up the evidence...
Mystery Cozy [Berkley Prime Crime, On Sale: August 2, 2016, Mass Market
Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780425270592 / eISBN: 9780698136106]
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