Guest Post: The Power of Secrets by Marilyn Levinson

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The Power of Secrets
by Marilyn Levinson

Years ago when I started writing, someone told me that every character should have a secret. I’ve found this advice especially helpful when it came to writing mysteries. Secrets spice up mysteries like hot sex scenes in erotic romance novels.

What is it about secrets that draws us in and we find so intriguing? I think it’s the curiosity we have about another person’s hidden, less-than-perfect life. It accounts for the popularity of gossip columns and exposés of the rich and famous. Secrets imply concealed vices, perhaps exciting, illegal activities. And almost always they refer back to someone’s past and have been festering ever since.

In a mystery, a suspect often struggles to keep his or her secret hidden, even when it has nothing to do with the mystery under investigation. Perhaps it has something to do with another crime. Or something shameful that, once revealed, will make him or her lose face in the community.

Secrets abound in CHECKED OUT FOR MURDER, the fourth book in my Haunted Library mystery series. Some of my characters have changed their names because of a tragedy that has shattered their lives. A twenty-year-old secret has kept family members apart. How rewarding it is for my sleuth, Carrie Singleton, when she unravels these secrets one by one, and brings peace of mind to those who have suffered and a criminal to justice.

Book

About The Book:
Checked Out for Murder: A Haunted Library Mystery

by Allison Brook

Carrie Singleton and Evelyn the ghost sleuth the slayings of a starlet and a star-crossed psychic in Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook’s fourth Haunted Library mystery.
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Daphne Marriott strolls into Clover Ridge and informs librarian Carrie Singleton that she’s a psychic. But had she foreseen what fate awaited her, Daphne would have steered clear of the quaint Connecticut town. Evelyn, the library ghost, tells Carrie that there’s more to Daphne than she lets on.
The mysterious woman grew up in Clover Ridge with her no-good dad, who apparently met his end at the hands of Daphne’s brother, Billy. Still, Daphne proves a welcome distraction when Carrie’s overbearing mother hits town. Mom’s much younger husband, Tom, is in a movie that’s lensing locally, and she’s there to keep an eye on him: Tom’s costar, sultry Ilana Reingold, is also his ex-fiancée, and there’s no denying the chemistry is still there. Soon after mingling with the moviemakers at a meet-and-greet, Daphne is found dead.
Carrie and Evelyn investigate, assisted by bushy-tailed library cat Smoky Joe. But the suspect list could overflow the library shelves. Has Billy killed another relative? Is their long-missing mother involved? Or Daphne’s mean ex-husband? Carrie’s sure she knows who committed the crime, but can she bind together the clues before the culprit Dewey-decimates the town?

Book Links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / IndieBound

Author

About The Author:
Allison Brook

A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook she writes the Haunted Library series. DEATH OVERDUE, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series and the Twin Lakes series.

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