Limoncelli also writes plays, feature scripts, poetry, games, mysteries, and science fiction. Her short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Suspense Magazine, and Noir Nation, and her short films have been screened in festivals around the world.
Limoncelli applied the Page 69 Test to her debut mystery novel, The Four Queens of Crime, and reported the following:
From page 69:Visit Rosanne Limoncelli's website.The two beautiful young women had danced a quick-paced, swinging sort of dance, laughing with joy, their eyes only for each other. The song ended and they hugged, catching their breath. The next tune was a slow romantic ballad and the embrace turned into a slow dance. Kate and Sofia seemed completely lost in the music and the rhythm. Dorothy couldn’t take her eyes off them. Suddenly, Sir Henry had stormed onto the dance floor and pulled them apart.Whether the reader checks the blurb on the back of the book or not, I am surprised to discover that I think page 69 would help the reader jump right into the story without being confusing. Important characters make an appearance, and the interactions between them are good clues to possible suspects in the murder, and this small piece of the story gives an insight to an important theme in the novel. The dancing of two teenage girls at a fancy gala ball has enraged one girl’s father. What was really happening between the two girls? What made the father so angry? The incident was witnessed by Dorothy L Sayers, one of the famous authors (Queens of Crime) hosting the ball, and she connects it to a memory of her youth. This gives her an emotional reaction to the incident, which brings on thoughts and suspicions. The scene is a good example of what the book is like, a queen of crime observing people, their actions and reactions, and how the information may relate to the death of the victim. The thought process that pushes the plot forward and asks the reader do their own investigation to help figure out the end. Another insight on page 69 is that even though this story takes place in 1938, it could just as well have happened today. That’s another important aspect to the story; the political and philosophical parallels from 1938 to now.
He had grabbed Kate’s arm, his mouth close to her ear, saying something low and harsh. Kate’s face had turned red, her fists clenched in anger. Sir Henry’s hand twisted her arm as he held it tightly. Then he had marched her to the buffet, Sofia following behind them in confusion.
Remembering it now, Dorothy felt her own face flush. Being reprimanded in public by your father was not something a young person felt lightly, which she knew from firsthand experience. She had loved her own father, and revered his reputation and intellect. But there had been times when his Victorian sensibility had made her heart ache. Going away to school, and the friendships she made with the other girls there, had been liberating. She looked at Kate and Sofia near her at the dining table—it was obvious they meant a lot to each other.
“Cara mia,” Sofia was saying to Kate. “Non ti preoccupare. Io sono qui.”
Dorothy was fluent in Italian and knew that she had said, ‘My dear, don’t worry, I am here.’ Kate was still weeping softly, on and off, Sofia stroked her hair and squeezed her hand. Dorothy wondered what exactly Kate’s father had said to her as he pulled her off the dance floor. Perhaps he thought the girls were a little too close. After all, they weren’t children any longer, they were young ladies, and it was a very public event. Whatever he had said, it now would linger in Kate’s heart as her last interaction with her father. Unless they had had another meeting or confrontation later in the night? Tears could stem from sorrow, Dorothy thought, but also from guilt or fear.
My Book, The Movie: The Four Queens of Crime.
--Marshal Zeringue
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