I'm pleased to welcome A.H. Richardson to Cozy Up With Kathy. A.H. writes the Hazlitt/Brandon Series of murder mystery novels. MURDER IN LITTLE SHENDON is the first book in the series.
Kathy: In MURDER IN LITTLE SHENDON there is quite a long suspect list. Is it challenging to find so many reasons to want to kill someone, or great fun creating many motives?
AHR: It is enormous fun finding suspects and then their reasons for motivating a possible murder.
Kathy: Bartholomew Fynche owns the antique shop, The Bygone Era. Do you enjoy looking for antiques? Is there a type or time period you like best?
AHR: Yes, I do. I love the Baroque, Rococco, and big old mahogany things!
Kathy: Are you a fan of crime writers from the Golden Age of detective fiction? Have they influenced this particular mystery?
AHR: Definitely! I was a devoted Agatha Christie fan – loved her books, I think that in her own special way she has influenced all my murder mysteries, and this one too.
Kathy: What first drew you to mysteries?
AHR: Everyone has a little detective in them, and I had it in a big way … I used to love trying to figure out WHO did it, and picking the most unlikely character, and still being wrong! The challenge of trying to work it out – so much fun.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
AHR: Yes, I have written a series for children from age eight upwards, though the grownups have also enjoyed these books I am happy to say. They are fantasy/adventure stories, where children learn about relationships with one another, bravery, loyalty, courage and so on, yet managing to keep the story spellbinding one kind reviewer said!
Kathy: Tell us about your book.
AHR: With MURDER IN LITTLE SHENDON, I tried hard to keep the reader’s interest all over the place, and vary the menu. If the characters are sufficiently interesting, the reader will wander off the beaten path, and draw their own erroneous conclusions! Hopefully. I really loved writing it. This is the first one in the series. I adore my two sleuths, Beresford and Sir Victor, who compliment one another perfectly.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
AHR: I do, I do! I love Lady Augusta Armstrong – she is a strong matriarchal, slightly eccentric, very rich, a little wacky aristocratic lady, who is fearless, funny and fabulous. The other one I love is Beresford Brandon, actor, fun guy, very human, a little vulnerable, my kind of guy!
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
AHR: No, I really didn’t have one specific inspiration
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
AHR: Someone said “This is a fabulous story! Get it published, you are crazy if you don’t!” That was enough inspiration for me.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
AHR: Emily Bronte, Shakespeare, Stephen King and W.Somerset Maugham!
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
AHR: I am not reading just now, I am writing.
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
AHR: I paint, I sculpt, I try to memorize poetry (to keep all the marbles working in my head!)
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
AHR: Greek Olives , avocados, really good bread, and French cheeses.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
AHR: Yes, I am currently working on 'Murder on Baringo Island.’ Also, I just finished ‘Jorie and the River of Fire’ the 3rd book in the Jorie series.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
AHR: Seeing the finished product finished and ready to go, with a lovely front cover illustration, and that wonderful feeling of accomplishment that comes at the end of a lot of work … there’s nothing like it in the world.
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The Hazlitt/Brandon Series of Murder Mystery
Novels by A. H. Richardson
The Hazlitt/Brandon series of murder mystery
novels follows a pair of clever, colorful
and charismatic sleuths - Sir Victor Hazlitt and Beresford Brandon – as they
scratch their heads searching for clues to
figure out whodunit.
The first book in the series, Murder
in Little Shendon, is a thriller
murder mystery which takes place in a quaint little village in England after
World War Two.
Picture, if you will, a
picturesque village called Little Shendon, suddenly caught up in dealing with a
murder of one of its citizens — not a particularly well-liked one at that.
Which makes it all the more intriguing because the list of suspects becomes
very long. This tantalizing tale unfolds with twists and turns to find out
whodunit to Mr. Bartholomew Fynche, the murdered shopkeeper.
Fear grips the community as
the investigation slowly progresses. Everyone is interviewed; everyone is
suspect! From his housekeeper to Lady Armstrong and her household staff. Or
could it be the shy librarian new in town? Or the defiant retired army major
and his ladyfriend, the post mistress? Or perhaps the weird sisters who live on
the edge of town? Then there is the couple who own the local inn and pub, along
with the two Americans who are staying there? Even the vicar and his wife fall
under the gloom of suspicion.
Uncertainty, wariness, and
terror reign as neighbors watch neighbors to discover the evil that permeates
their upturned lives. No one feels safe in this charming little village. Who is
the murderer? And why was this strange uncivil man dispatched in such a
seemingly civil community?
A murder mystery that will
keep you reading until you learn the details, uncovered by Police Inspector
Stanley Burgess and his two amateur detectives, Sir Victor Hazlitt and
Beresford Brandon. The three sift methodically through the Alibis and life
stories of the suspects until they uncover…
You are challenged to
discover the culprit before the last few pages. And no fair looking ahead —
it’s the journey that proves the most enticing.
About the Author:
A. H. Richardson was born in London England and is the
daughter of famous pianist and composer Clive Richardson. She studied drama and
acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She was an actress, a
musician, a painter and sculptor, and now an Author.
She published her debut novel Jorie
and the Magic Stones,
a children’s chapter book, in December 2014. At the request of those who loved
the first ‘Jorie’ story, Richardson has written a sequel titled Jorie
and the Gold Key, and she is
currently working on the third book in the series.
A.H. Richardson
also enjoys writing murder mysteries and who-dun-its. She is the author of the Hazlitt/Brandon series of murder mystery novels. The series follows a pair of clever, colorful and
charismatic sleuths - Sir Victor Hazlitt and Beresford Brandon. The series includes Murder
in Little Shendon, Act
One, Scene One – Murder,
and Murder
at Serenity Farm.
A. H. Richardson lives happily in East Tennessee,
her adopted state, and has three sons, three grandchildren, and two pugs.
She speaks four languages and loves to do voiceovers. She plans on
writing many more books and hopes to delight her readers further with her
British twist, which all her books have.
I've enjoyed the three in the series so far! Thanks for sharing this spotlight.
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