Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – France
Traveling Life Press (May 31, 2023)
Approximately 250 Pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BZPHKHGQ

Coming out of retirement can be deadly…

After tragedy struck three years earlier, art sleuth Carmen De Luca vowed to never work in the field again. But fifty is too young to fill her days with water aerobics and bingo, so when her former partner calls and begs for her help, Carmen gladly agrees.

Yet after their first assignment – the recovery of a rare medieval prayer book from an eccentric collector living in rural France – goes horribly wrong, Carmen ends up in the crosshairs of both the local police and a murderer!

With her target dead and the stolen book missing, she and her partner will have to pull out all of the stops to sleuth out the true killer’s identity – before their stay in France becomes permanent.

Introducing Carmen De Luca, an art sleuth with a nose for mystery and the job of locating valuable artwork stolen from museums around the world. If you love strong and resourceful heroines, puzzling mysteries, and a dash of art history, pick up Collecting Can Be Murder now!

Carmen De Luca Art Sleuth Mysteries:
Book One: Collecting Can Be Murder
Book Two: A Statue To Die For
More adventures coming soon!

These mysteries contain no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.

Bringing a Fictitious New World To Life
By Jennifer S. Alderson

Creating a new book series is an exciting, if not daunting, endeavor. An important
part of the process is creating the cast of characters that will bring it to life, and
hopefully engage readers enough that they want to read more about them.
But it all starts with the lead protagonist – in this case, Carmen De Luca. Admittedly,
she’s undergone several transformations since I first started outlining this series –
from her age, height, hair color, profession, and circle of friends. I would spent
several days working out a version of her personality and character traits, only to
discard it and start again.
Making Carmen an art sleuth was the first major decision. I did so, in order to give
her a reason to investigate crimes all over the world, as well as indulge my own
passion for art when doing the necessary research into the objects that will be
“stolen” throughout the series.
The final version of Carmen is an art sleuth who does not use weapons, but her wits
and martial arts skills to get close to those who may be harboring stolen paintings,
sculptures, or books. She is a complex woman who is quite tenacious, yet also caring
and thoughtful. She’s sometimes sassy and sarcastic, but never intentionally rude or
hurtful. I’m happy with the result, and think those who enjoy reading about strong and
resourceful female sleuths, will like Carmen, too.
Another important task was to create all of the challenges the main character will
overcome as the storylines progress. Inherent to those subplots are side characters,
and in this series there are several!
Just like my Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery series, there is a core group of
reoccurring characters that play a role in each novel, as well as several characters
who only appear in one story.
Lady Sophie Rutherford – or as Carmen calls her, “The Baroness” – is Carmen’s
former partner at the Rosewood Agency. The pseudoroyal is partial to wearing fluffy
ball gowns and her grandmother’s diamond tiara, making it difficult for her to mingle
with common folk. Lady Sophie uses her extensive network of wealthy socialites to
help Carmen gain access to their targets’ homes and parties, where the stolen
objects are hopefully, but not always, kept. 
Rhonda Rhodes is Carmen’s best friend and the presenter of a popular television
show – Antiques Time with Rhonda Rhodes. This no-nonsense, fun-loving lady is
Carmen’s rock and confidant. She’s built like Dolly Parton and dresses in a similar
fashion. Although Rhonda only has a minor role in book one, she does ends up
playing a larger role in the series, starting in book two.
Myrtle Rosewood is Carmen’s company contact at the Rosewood Agency. Carmen is
required to check in with her regularly, much to her chagrin seeing as the older
woman treats Carmen like a rookie, despite her having been an art sleuth for fifteen
years.
A few other regulars are meant to be surprises, as are the mysteries tying the main
characters together!

I cannot wait to share this new series with you! I truly hope those who love travel, art,
and my other books will enjoy these, as well.

About Jennifer S. Alderson

Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, grew up in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, she lived in Darwin, Australia, before finally settling in the Netherlands.

Jennifer’s love of travel, art, and culture inspires her award-winning Zelda Richardson Mystery series, her Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries, and her Carmen De Luca Art Sleuth Mysteries. Her background in journalism, multimedia development, and art history enriches her novels.

When not writing, she can be found perusing a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning her next research trip.

For more information about the author and her upcoming novels, please visit http://www.JenniferSAlderson.com.

Author Links

Website: http://www.jennifersalderson.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jenniferSAldersonauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JSAauthor

Instagram: https://instagram.com/JSAauthor

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jennifer-s-alderson

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JennifeSAlderson

Purchase Link – Amazon 

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