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CHICAGO — Not all vacations go exactly as planned, but finding a bloody corpse in a hotel room certainly wasn’t on the itinerary for Lori Brill, the savvy, sexy septuagenarian at the center of the award-winning mystery from Charlene Wexler, Murder Across the Ocean.
“Mature female readers, who have not yet found a hero who is like them, will at last have one in Lori Brill,” Wexler said.
As the story begins, Lori is embarking on what should be an enjoyable vacation in London to visit her granddaughter. But Lori, a silver-haired spitfire long divorced from her alcoholic husband, can’t resist indulging in an unexpected night of passion in a London hotel with old flame Josh Wheeler. Like Lori, Josh’s looks and appetite for adventure belie his 70-plus years, and Lori finds herself mesmerized by his blue eyes and sweet talk. Lori is all smiles as she steps out of the shower the next morning — until she sees his lifeless body lying in the bed where they had just made love.
The London police naturally suspect Lori, but the case becomes infinitely more complicated when it’s discovered that plenty of people have a motive to murder Josh. On the case is Scotland Yard Inspector Geoffrey Holmes, American FBI agent Jordan Gould, and Lori’s granddaughter Cate and her fiancé, Joseph, who both happen to be London solicitors.
Sparks fly, as Cate and Jordan Gould experience a growing mutual attraction, as do Lori and Inspector Holmes. Adding another twist is that Lori’s family has an unforeseen connection to Joseph’s father, Lord Roger Lunt, and to the wealthy German nobleman Baron Joseph Braun and the horror of the Holocaust.
So who killed Josh? Was it Josh’s beautiful girlfriend Suzi, who unexpectedly appears in London? Josh’s Chinese financial backers? British mobsters, who kidnap Lori in an attempt to find Josh’s hidden millions? Was it Baron Braun, who summons Lori to Germany to tell her a 70-year-old secret? Or was it someone else entirely?
Murder Across the Ocean can be read as a standalone murder mystery or as the follow-up to Wexler’s book, Lori, the origin story of the plucky protagonist.
“Lori Brill combines the unexpected smarts of Miss Marple; the genteel strength of character and family circle of Jessica Fletcher; and the hard-boiled sexiness of V.I. Warshawski,” Wexler said. “Readers who enjoy books about those characters will enjoy Murder Across the Ocean.”
About the Author: Charlene Wexler
A native Chicagoan, Charlene Wexler has been a teacher, wife, dental office manager, mother and grandmother. In retirement, her lifelong passion for writing has led her to create several essays and novels. Her other books include Murder on Skid Row, Milk and Oranges, Lori and Elephants In The Room. Her newest books, Farewell To South Shore and We Won’t Go Back, are scheduled for publication in 2024.
Her work has also appeared in Chicago Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The Northwest Herald, The JUF Magazine, the Gazette newspaper of Chicago, North Shore Magazine, the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry’s Vision magazine, Alpha Omegan magazine and several blogs.
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Publisher: Speaking Volumes ISBN-13: 979-8890220011
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
