She has written romances, mysteries and women’s fiction. Her pastimes include cooking, gardening and listening to Calum Scott’s latest. She saw a dream come true when one of her romances was made into a movie for UPTV. She’s a firm believer that dreams can come true at any age.
Smith applied the Page 69 Test to If Books Could Kill, her 112th novel, and reported the following:
Page 69 features sleuth Jazzi Swanson (Daisy’s daughter from Daisy’s Tea Garden cozies) stepping into the house and room where her friend and librarian Mathilda Woods was murdered. Mathilda’s lawyer Blair McNally has invited her inside. Fingerprint dust still dirties the side tables and bookshelves but the rug has been removed. Jazzi asks Blair if Mathilda mentioned family in her will. Blair explains that the librarian did not and reveals that she intuited that there had been a family breach.Visit Karen Rose Smith's website, Facebook page, and Instagram page.
The Page 69 Test works for If Books Could Kill. After a winter scavenger hunt, Jazzi and friends hear a gun shot near the librarian’s bungalow. Knowing Mathilda had worries about her safety, Jazzi peers in her window and finds Mathilda shot dead on the rug. On page 69 that rug has been removed but Jazzi remembers its placement. New to sleuthing, this is book 3 in my Tomes & Tea series, Jazzi is uncertain about becoming involved. Belltower Landing’s detective always warns her against that. However, she and Mathilda had begun sharing personal information, though Mathilda never mentioned family.
Meeting Blair McNally, Mathilda’s lawyer, gives Jazzi the opportunity to delve into the murder and find out more about Mathilda’s life. She believes attorneys often know their clients’ secrets. Perhaps one of those secrets was the reason Mathilda was murdered. Or else… Jazzi is aware of the bookshelves in the scene on page 69. One of the secrets Mathilda shared with her was that a rare book could be hidden on those shelves. Mathilda was a collector of rare books. Her lawyer was one of the few people who knew that. This conversation with Blair leads Jazzi in the direction of learning more about Mathilda’s life before she moved to the tourist town to become director of the library.
A major part of writing If Books Could Kill was researching rare books and their worth. I mention several in this cozy including Anne of Green Gables, a personal childhood favorite, and Where The Wild Things Are. I have a stack of old books from Golden Books to romances I read as a teenager stored away. I can’t seem to give them up. Like Mathilda appreciating the scent, cover and texture of the novels on her bookshelves, I appreciate having books all around me. I hope you enjoy the spotlight on books in If Books Could Kill.
Coffee with a Canine: Karen Rose Smith & Hope and Riley.
The Page 69 Test: Staged to Death.
The Page 69 Test: Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes.
The Page 69 Test: Murder Marks the Page.
The Page 69 Test: Booked for Revenge.
--Marshal Zeringue
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