I'm pleased to welcome Emily Hanlon to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Emily writes the Martha and Marya Mystery series. Be sure to check out my review of the first book in the series, Who Am I to Judge? coming Sunday, November 16, 2025.
Kathy: In Who Am I to Judge? We meet Mary Cook, a Bible -quoting, lavender-clad octogenarian known to locals as the Purple Pest, and Martha Collins, a much younger, efficient, ever-busy church lady. Which of these characters do you see more of yourself in?
EH: I am Martha, other than the age, (I’m older), the hairstyle (she has straight hair, and mine is curly), and tidiness quotient (she is neat as a pin, I am…not!) We both are impatient, make long, unrealistic to-do lists, and rather critical (which is less critical way of saying we are both judgmental, which is part of the reason for the title, Who Am I To Judge?)
Kathy: In this first Martha and Marya mystery, a priest confesses to the murder of a parishioner. Marya, however believes he’s innocent. Have you ever believed in someone’s innocence when everyone else felt they were guilty.
EH: Being a lawyer and arbitrator for many years, I learned that things are seldom what they appear to be at first blush. If one digs deep enough into the details of a situation, as Shakespeare says, the truth will out.
Kathy: Religious based mysteries are a popular sub-genre and have been since the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, if not before. Father Brown immediately comes to my mind, though I have several favorite sleuthing priests, nuns, and rabbis' wives. What do you think is the appeal.
EH: What a great question. Maybe it is because people expect religious leaders to have all the answers, to be somehow different, superior to the rest of us. But my book turns the stereotype on its head, knocks the priest off the pedestal, and replaces him with a ditzy octogenarian known around town as the Purple Pest. Unlike the respect that would be shown to a priest or a rabbi, the suspects scoff at poor dithering Marya as she unveils their murderous secrets.
Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries.
EH: My first Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express, captured me and never let me go.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
EH: No.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
EH: In the first book, my two church lady sleuths meet and form their unlikely partnership, and then try to prove the innocence of a priest who confesses to the murder of a parishioner; in the second they try to discover who is killing, one by one, the members of a cult-like group led by a fire-and-brimstone priest; and in the third they set sail on a cruise to the Greek Islands and seek the murderer of an elderly billionaire businesswoman who drops dead during her wedding to a much younger golden boy at the very moment of the “I dos”.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why.
EH: My favorite is Marya Cook. She is based on an elderly woman from my church who dressed all in purple and handed out laminated notecards inscribed with purple penned Bible quotes in her perfect script. She was the closest thing to a saint that I ever knew.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
EH: Quite a few years ago, I read that the two best-selling books of all time were the Bible and Shakespeare, but Agatha Christie was a close third. And so, I thought, maybe I can combine the two!
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
EH: When I sat down to write my first book, I was in my 60’s and had never studied creative writing. I had no thoughts of publishing it. I had no idea if I would even complete it! But, after you write a book, what’s the next step? Why publishing! It took some time and a lot of effort, but I was fortunate to find a publisher.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
EH: Alice McCormick, David Foster Wallace, Ross Douthat, Jimmy Akin.
Kathy: What are you currently reading:
EH: Just finishing Charming Billy by Alice McCormick. Just starting Believe by Ross Douthat.
Kathy: Will you share any hobbies or interests with us?
EH: Swimming, tennis.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry:
EH: Mount Hagen instant coffee (my dirty little secret is that I prefer instant coffee to the real thing), Dave’s Killer Bread raisin cinnamon remix bagels, cream cheese for the bagels, and razz-cranberry La Croix ( I don’t like to drink plain old water).
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
EH: Yes. But I haven’t yet decided whether I want to abandon Marya for another sleuth.
Kathy: What is your favorite thing about being an author?
EH: Writing! I am usually like the Martha character in my book, with a list of 25 things on my to-do list and impatient to finish one and get on with the next. But when I’m writing, I lose track of time and place and am shocked when I look down at my watch and one, two, or even three hours have passed since I sat down in front of my computer to work on one of my books.
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When a priest confesses to the murder of a parishioner, everyone in the wealthy waterfront town of Pequot Bays is convinced of his guilt-everyone, that is, except Marya Cook, a Bible-quoting, lavender-clad octogenarian known to locals as the Purple Pest.
Unable to prove his innocence on her own, she draws in Martha Collins, a much younger, efficient, ever-busy church lady, to assist in her investigations. Although Martha is unwilling to associate herself with the odd old woman as she accuses wealthy and influential suspects of murder, Marya's peculiar logic persuades her that this ditzy old woman may not be so ditzy after all.
A victim with plenty of enemies, a corrupt ambitious cop, a conflicting confession by a fellow priest, and the death of a prime suspect make the path to truth a crooked one. The rich and powerful suspects scoff at poor, dithering Marya. Can she, in the end, unveil their many secrets and prove there is more to a person than meets the eye?
Chronicle Books
