When I lived in Northwestern Indiana, bus shopping trips were a common occurrence, especially around Christmas. My hometown of South Bend, Indiana is approximately 90 miles from Chicago. A popular fundraiser for nonprofits (especially church groups) included shopping trips to Chicago, Detroit or other larger cities with big malls. For $20-$30 I could buy a ticket to ride a chartered bus to a mall. Why would I pay to take a chartered bus when I could easily have driven to Chicago whenever I wanted? Have you ever driven in Chicago traffic? Navigated the Dan Ryan or Stevenson Expressway during rush hour? Or, tried to find a parking space for under $50 at Michigan Avenue? If not, then you can’t possibly understand the appeal, however trust me, it was worth it. So, when I decided to write a mystery with a murder that takes place on a vehicle, I remembered these bus shopping trips.
Why a murder on a bus? There are several common murder mystery plots which provide a challenge for both the mystery reader as well as the mystery writer. One of those common plots is a murder on a bus/train/plane. The beauty of this plot is that it creates a murder which takes place in a closed setting as well as providing a limited suspect pool. In Bookmarked for Murder, Shady Acres Retirement Village sponsors a bus trip to Chicago and Sam, Nana Jo and “the girls” all hop on board. When one of Irma’s dating conquests is murdered, it doesn’t take long for Sam to realize, the murderer has to be one of the people on board, someone considered to be a friend.
On Tuesday, November 26th, the 5th book in my Mystery Bookshop Mystery Series, Bookmarked for Murder, will release. I created a short book trailer to introduce the story. Check it out and then order your copy of Bookmarked for Murder today!
Bookmarked for Murder Book Trailer