Crime Rib by Leslie Budewitz: Guest Author & Giveaway

Ready for his Close-up

by Leslie Budewitz 

Anyone who’s ever lived with a cat knows they have a love-hate relationship with attention. They love it when they love it, and they hate when they hate it.

It’s no surprise that animals in cozy mysteries are often closely related to the author’s own pets. In my Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, my protagonist Erin Murphy lives with Mr. Sandburg, a Burmese cat she inherited from an elderly friend. Mr. Sandburg, or Sandy, bears a strong resemblance to Ruff, our own little guy, now nine years old. (I told the story of how Erin met Sandburg, and how we met Ruff, last year on the blog. LINK: http://www.mochasmysteriesmeows.com/2013/08/whiskers-behind-words-cat-in-book-club.html)  

Mr. Ruff’s gotten a lot of attention in the past year. First, he made the cover of Death al Dente, my first book. As a result, he received several invitations to blog, which he accepted. As you might expect, he drafted me as his secretary—that no-thumbs thing has its advantages—and dictated his posts. He also made several appearances on Facebook, but declined all requests that require him to leave the property or put on socks. (Can you blame him?)

Our celebrity spent the winter napping and sitting on my desk as I wrote the second in the series, Crime Rib, which he refers to as his second adventure. By day, his counterpart Sandy chased squirrels and watched birds, no doubt working on his lifelist. In the evenings, he supervised Erin as she sorted papers left behind by a dead woman, sniffing out clues.

Like Ruff, Sandburg is also an artist’s model. In Sandburg’s case, it’s for Erin’s painter sister, Chiara, who incorporated him into a mural in her shop. And of course, he makes another cover appearance on Crime Rib (out July 1 from Berkley Prime Crime). 

Both cats enjoy relaxing with their humans in a comfy chair, preferably with a glass of sauvignon blanc or a bowl of ice cream drizzled with Erin’s new favorite, Cabernet-chocolate sauce. But both also relish their privacy, curling up on a pile of warm laundry or sneaking through an open closet door to sleep on a favorite sweater. Both can often be heard making noises in their sleep that surely mean they’re hot on the trail of a tasty mouse.

All this attention can go to a guy’s head, if he doesn’t get his rest.

From the cover:

“Gourmet food market owner Erin Murphy is determined to get Jewel Bay, Montana’s scrumptious local fare some national attention. But her scheme for culinary celebrity goes up in flames when the town’s big break is interrupted by murder…

Food Preneurs, one of the hottest cooking shows on TV, has decided to feature Jewel Bay in an upcoming episode, and everyone in town is preparing for their close-ups, including the crew at the Glacier Mercantile, aka the Merc. Not only is Erin busy remodeling her courtyard into a relaxing dining area, she’s organizing a steak-cooking competition between three of Jewel Bay’s hottest chefs to be featured on the program.

But Erin’s plans get scorched when one of the contending cooks is found dead. With all the drama going on behind the scenes, it’s hard to figure out who didn’t have a motive to off the saucy contestant. Now, to keep the town’s rep from crashing and burning on national television, Erin will have to grill some suspects to smoke out the killer…”

Bio:

Leslie Budewitz is the national best-selling author of Death al Dente, first in the Food Lovers' Village Mysteries set in northwest Montana, and winner of the 2013 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Crime Rib, the second in the series, was published by Berkley Prime Crime on July 1, 2014. Also a lawyer, Leslie won the 2011 Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction for Books, Crooks & Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law & Courtroom Procedure (Quill Driver Books), making her the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction.

For more stories of life in the wilds of northwest Montana, and bonus recipes, visit her website and subscribe to her newsletter.

Website: www.LeslieBudewitz.com

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Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Friday, July 18th for the chance to win a copy of Crime Rib. (US entries only, please.)