Title: "Murder in Hand" (Alicia Allen Investigates Trilogy, Book 3)
Author: Celia Conrad
Copyright: 2012
Publisher: Barcham Books
Pages: 352
Trade Paperback and All E-Book Formats
ISBN 13: 978-0954623340
ASIN: B00A1O1YQE
"The greatest pleasures lie in Celia Conrad's refusal or inability to write for the lowest common denominator. Instead she aims for the highest." -Midwest Book Review (Murder in Hand)
On Dec. 13 through Dec. 14, Barcham Books will gift readers with Book 3 in Celia Conrad's Alicia Allen Investigates Trilogy (AAI), "Murder in Hand" (MIH), as a free e-book via Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Select program. "It's our way of saying thank you and wishing everyone a happy holiday," said Barcham Books' Jane Hall. "We are very pleased that Midwest Book Review features Murder in Hand this month. Everyone, it seems, just loves Alicia."
This cerebral legal murder mystery turns on Italian international corruption, Puccini and dead Probate attorneys as it hails the return of Alicia Allen, the potato chip loving half-Italian London lawyer who never lets her thriving relationship with a handsome lawyer cohort stand in the way of fingering a culprit.
"The beauty of Murder in Hand is that it can be read as a stand-alone," said Hall.
Journalist Marlan Warren recently sat down with Celia Conrad to discuss her author's journey from law to legal crime fiction:
Warren: All the AAI books deal with the darker side of the legal world. Did you draw from your experiences as a London attorney?
Conrad: As a solicitor I met some rather obnoxious people and a few shady/unsavory characters.
Warren: Did you ever find yourself pursuing a murderer in your law practice?
Conrad: My world is far less dangerous than Alicia's, although we do share love for Italian culture and a crisp that rhymes with "Tingles." We both like researching and analyzing complex legal issues.
Warren: The Italophile Book Review recommended MIH for "Italophiles, Anglophiles, fans of traditional British mysteries, and fans of cozy-murder-mysteries." Would you agree?
Conrad: Absolutely. And I was thrilled when the Readers' Favorite 5-Star Award Review said Alicia "should be on the top of every woman's reading list." My fan mail shows AAI readers like strong but not perfect female detectives, and they love the repartee between Alicia and Alex.
Warren: Book 1 sends Alicia through London's urban dangers. Book 2 takes her to Australia, and Book 3 spans New York, London, Italy and Sicily. Italian culture provides color and clues. What inspired you to use Puccini in Book 3?
Conrad: When I first saw Puccini's opera, Gianni Schicchi, I hoped to use it in a plot of my own, and it did prove most "handy" in "Murder in Hand."
Warren: Can you sum up Alicia Allen?
Conrad: She's a tough little cookie who will stop at nothing.
Warren: And the theme of MIH ?
Conrad: Forces of darkness are everywhere.
Warren: What inspired you?
Conrad: Paul Marsh at the Marsh Agency suggested my experiences could make good novels.
Warren: Clues reside in Shakespeare, Italian opera and art. Why the Classics?
Conrad: I've always loved the Classics, thanks to my mother who also loved theater. Before she passed away, we read and acted out scenes from the trilogy.
Warren: This is a re-launch. Why?
Conrad: AAI never had a launch because I was caught up in the losses of my mother and Paul Marsh at the time of publication. Paul thought MIH my best work yet. He said Alicia Allen deserved to find her audience. That support continues to sustain me.
Contact: Celia Conrad | Email: barchambooks at btconnect.com
Online Sites:
Amazon U.K.
www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Hand-Alicia-Allen-Investigates/dp/0954623347
Amazon U.S.
www.amazon.com/Murder-Hand-Alicia-Allen-Investigates/dp/0954623347
Author Website |www.aliciaalleninvestigates.com
Author Blog | celiaconrad.blogspot.com
Twitter | iwrite2b
Facebook | Celia Conrad Author
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