Rigged For Murder
Windjammer Mystery Series: Book 1
High seas adventure turns to high stakes sleuthing when a beautiful but troubled homicide detective and a New England sea captain join forces in this award-winning debut mystery set on the coast of Maine.
On leave from the Minneapolis Police Department after being shot, homicide detective Brie Beaumont has gone to Maine where she has family roots. She ships out on the Maine Wind for an early season cruise with Captain John DuLac and eight others. Caught in a gale, they anchor off remote and windswept Granite Island. When someone aboard is murdered, Brie must single-handedly stage an investigation that moves from the ship to a small fishing village on the island. Plagued by flashbacks and fighting a growing attraction to Captain DuLac, Brie works to unravel a mystery that will place her directly in the path of a psychopathic killer.
Filled with suspense, colorful characters, nautical lore, and a thread of romance, Rigged for Murder will captivate the most steadfast landlubber.
“…Tightly written and intricately constructed LeClair’s Rigged for Murder is first-class storytelling in a setting so authentic you can hear the ocean’s roar and taste the salt from the sea.”
—Mysterious Reviews“…Brie Beaumont is smart and competent, and she uses her brain and not her gun.”
—St. Paul Pioneer Press“…An engaging New England whodunit…With a strong support cast including the capable crew, the battling passengers, and the eccentric islanders to add depth, fans will enjoy Rigged For Murder.”
—Midwest Book Review“…A strong plot, non-stop action, and first-class character development combine to make this an exciting, page-turning adventure novel.”
—Reader Views
Buy signed copy from Jenifer here: $17.99
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Awards
Rebecca's Reads 2009 Written Art Award: Best Mystery/Thriller of the Year.
Independent Publishers Award 2009 Silver Medal: Best Regional Fiction US Northeast.
Maine Harbors
November 2014
BOOK REVIEW
- by Carol Standish
Perusing the recommended books at the local library, I literally snatched this paperback off the shelf. Given my focus, the attractive cover depicting a vintage schooner sailing into a lightning storm was my answer to this month's review. The contents were equal to the cover...a two week windjammer cruise along the Maine coast carrying all the usual suspects, as well as a female passenger late of the Minneapolis Police Department. (What could be more restful for a tightly wound big city cop than a leisurely sailing cruise along our legendary coast?
The plot is not unexpected...but murder and sneakiness (rather than mayhem) is assured by the book's title. What's especially fun is the setting--sneaking around on deck of a windjammer in the dark of night...dead body on the deck in the morning in the shelter of an island harbor now part of the crime scene. The island residents are drawn into the mystery and the island itself is then scoured for clues, including long tramps through the mid-island forests to the high cliffs on the far shore. The background and the bit players are every bit as enjoyable as the mystery itself and that's all I can say about it without the risk of dropping a clue.
Part psychological thriller, part police procedural, part action adventure, LeClair has a real talent for painting an idyllic scene and then dropping little bitty hints that all is not well...not quite spooky but certainly disquieting...to both the characters and the reader.
It isn't usual for me to pick a book for this column that is as old as this one is but there is a method to my madness. Rigged for Murder is the first in an ongoing series that has won the Independent Publishers prize for "best regional fiction".
The second book in the series is called Danger Sector which came out in 2011, also set on the windjammer. The third, Cold Coast was published in 2013 and the fourth, Apparition Island is coming out in early 2015. It sounds as if our heroine, now late of Minneapolis, has been beguiled by our lovely state and become a permanent resident.
Well written with a sharp observer's ability to convey character in a minimum of words, just the right dose of suspense and a de-emphasis on violence and gore (at least in the first book in the series) makes LeClair my latest favorite local mystery writer. I think you'll enjoy her books, especially now that the sailing season's over and it's almost time to light the fire. That must be why they're called "cozies".