Cozy Up With Kathy: Murder in the Cemetery

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Murder in the Cemetery - A Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Carrie Ramos to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Carrie in the pages of the Edmund DeCleryk Mystery series by Karen Shughart. Murder in the Cemetery is the second book in the series and was released last month.

Well, here I am, the police chief of Lighthouse Cove, NY, which is a small village located on the south shore of Lake Ontario. I haven’t been in the position for very long, less than two years, I was the deputy chief under Ben Fisher before that. Ben was a wonderful boss and became my friend and mentor, but he relocated with his wife to Casa Grande, Arizona to be closer to family members and now works as police chief there. At times I miss him, he was very wise and a calming influence on me, but I know the door is always open for me to call him when I need advice.

I work closely these days with Ed DeCleryk, who was police chief before Ben but retired and became a criminal consultant. The man is one of the most competent I’ve ever met, although we do sometimes bump heads when working on a murder investigation together. He has the credentials and experience, before becoming police chief he headed up a violent crimes’ unit in Albany, and before that he was a Navy SEAL, but my instincts are good despite my being almost 30 years younger than he. I stand my ground and can usually convince him that I do know what I’m talking about.

Being police chief has its challenges. When I accepted the job, I figured that the crimes I’d be dealing with would be DUIs, an occasional domestic violence complaint, bar fights, some burglaries and in the summer, boating related accidents. But the world, even here in our idyllic village, is changing, and Ed and I have investigated two murders in almost as many years. Solving them hasn’t been as easy as I expected.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, I love working with Ed, and I adore his wife, Annie, who runs our local historical society and museum. My husband, Matt, who is an emergency room doctor at the hospital in Newark, and I have become friends with them. They live in an old, restored ship captain’s home on the water, and we and our two children have spent many a pleasant afternoon there, barbecuing in their backyard or lazily chugging about the lake on their pontoon.

As any career woman knows, managing both a job and a family can be challenging. Our oldest, Natalya, just turned three, and Arturo is 18-months old. They require a lot of time and attention. Matt is a big help; he recently changed his working hours from nights to days to be home in the evenings to help feed, bathe and put the children to bed, or for when I have meetings or am called to a crime scene.

But still, the children’s needs take precedence, and lately I’ve been wishing I were home more often to spend more time with them. Matt and I are tired a lot; sleeping isn’t an option if you have a sick child or one who jumps into bed with you because she’s had a terrible nightmare or saw monsters in her closet. My remedy for exhaustion is to frequent Bistro Louise, which is located right across the street from my office and serves a wonderful array of coffee drinks- mine are always caffeinated!

So, there you have it. My life as police chief and a mother and wife is certainly busy, but it’s also fulfilling, and I wouldn’t change a thing!

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Murder in the Cemetery: An Edmund DeCleryk Mystery by Karen Shughart

About Murder in the Cemetery

Murder in the Cemetery: An Edmund DeCleryk Mystery

Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series

Publisher: Cozy Cat Press (February 3, 2020)

Paperback: 279 pages

On a bright, spring afternoon the body of George Wright, a childhood friend of criminal consultant Edmund DeCleryk, is discovered at a cemetery where casualties of the War of 1812 are buried. After conducting an autopsy, the medical examiner determines that George has been murdered, the cause of death by poisoning. Lighthouse Cove Police Chief Carrie Ramos hires Ed to investigate, with his spunky wife, Annie assisting him.

Suspects include a physician’s assistant, college student and a family member, among others; however, George’s demise may be the result of secrets that have surfaced from the grave. You’ll discover what Ed found on the beach in Murder in the Museum and how that, and an artifact dating back to the early 1800s, are linked to this untimely death.

Annie loves to cook, and at the end of the book she shares recipes for meals she prepared for friends and loved ones.

About Karen Shughart

Karen Shughart studied English Literature at S.U.N.Y Buffalo, received a B.A. in Comprehensive Literature from the University of Pittsburgh and completed graduate courses in English from Shippensburg University. In addition to Murder in the Cemetery (book two of the Edmund DeCleryk Cozy mystery series), she is also the author of Murder in the Museum (book one of the series), two non-fiction books and has worked as an editor, publicist, photographer, journalist, teacher and non-profit executive. Before moving to a small village on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, Karen and her husband resided in south central Pennsylvania, near Harrisburg. To sign up for her blogs and newsletters or for more information, visit her website at https:// www.karenshughart.com.