Murder is a Family Business (The Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries) - Softcover

Heather Haven

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0988408694 ISBN 13: 9780988408692

Publisher: Wives Of Bath Press, The, 2011

Synopsis

Winner of the Single Title Reviewers' Choice Award 2011. Just because a man cheats on his wife and makes Danny DeVito look tall, dark and handsome, is that any reason to kill him? The reluctant and quirky PI, Lee Alvarez, doesn't think so. The 34-year old, half Latina, half WASP and one-hundred percent detective has her work cut out for her when the man is murdered on her watch. Of all the nerve. Murder is a Family Business is the first in a series of humorous mysteries revolving around Lee Alvarez, a combination of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone and Janet Evanovitch' Stephanie Plum, and the rest of Alvarez Family. Completing the family is Lee's "Never-Had-A-Bad-Hair-Day" aristocratic mother, Lila; computer genius brother, Richard; beloved uncle "Tio;" and her energetic orange and white kitten, Tugger. When this group is not solving murders, they run Discretionary Inquiries, a successful Silicon Valley agency that normally deals with the theft of computer software. Seemingly light and frothy on the surface, the novel explores familial love: the good, the bad and the annoying.

About this title

From the Author

I love writing this series! They are all such fun characters. Murder is a Family Business, A Wedding to Die For, and Death Runs in the Family are humorous mysteries revolving around Lee Alvarez, a combination of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone and Janet Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum, and  the rest of Alvarez Family. That would include Lee's Never-Had-A-Bad-Hair-Day aristocratic mother, Lila; computer genius brother, Richard; beloved uncle "Tio;" and her energetic orange and white cat, Tugger. When this group is not solving murders, they run Discretionary Inquiries, a successful Silicon Valley agency that normally deals with the theft of intellectual property and computer software. Seemingly light and frothy on the surface, these novels have a whacking good mystery to solve while they explore familial love, the good, the bad and the annoying.

About the Author

After studying drama at the University of Miami in Florida, Heather went to Manhattan to pursue a career. There she wrote short stories, novels, comedy acts, television treatments, ad copy, commercials, and two one-act plays, which were produced at several places, including Playwrights Horizon. Once, she even ghostwrote a book on how to run an employment agency. She was unemployed at the time. 
Her first novel of the Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries, Murder is a Family Business, won the Single Titles Reviewers' Choice Award 2011, and the second, A Wedding to Die For, received the 2012 finalist nods from both Global and EPIC for Best eBook Mystery. The third of the series, Death Runs in the Family, received Global Gold for Best Mystery Fiction 2013. The fourth book, DEAD...If Only, won the Global Silver 2015. The fifth book, The CEO Came DOA, winner of the Golden Globe for Best Mystery Fiction 2017, Dan Poynter's Legacy Award, Best Fiction 2017, 2017 Lefty Award Best Humorous Novel Finalist, The Culinary Art of Murder was the sixth and a Kirkus Finalist as Best Mystery 2018.
Stand-alone noir mystery, Death of a Clown, winner of the prestigious Silver IPPY 2014 for Best Mystery/Thriller, is steeped in Heather's family history. She is the daughter of real-life Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus folk. Her mother was a trapeze artist/performer and father, an elephant trainer. Heather brings the daily existence of the Big Top to life during World War II, embellished by her own murderous imagination. Corliss and Other Award-Winning Stories is a collection of her own short stories and flash fiction.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wives Of Bath Press, The
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0988408694
• ISBN 13: 9780988408692
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 262