Marilyn's Musings

The title, TANGLED WEBS , of course refers to "Oh, what tangled webs we weave when we practice to deceive." This should tell you that some of the plot is about lies.  I didn't need to do a whole lot of research for this one. The main plot is about the murder of a day-care center teachers. I worked in several pre-schools and day cares and have plenty of knowledge about what goes on behind the scenes with those who work in them.  Officer Gordon Butler has a new-hire for a partner who has eyes for Gordon's wife. And of course, family problems loom up when Detective Milligan's daughter isn't acting like herself. This was another one I enjoyed writing. It's always interesting to be able to draw from my past experiences for parts of a mystery. https://www.amazon.com/Tangled-Webs-Rocky-Bluff-Mysteries/dp/B08C475W13/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Tangled+Webs+by+F.+M.+Meredith&qid=1623944241&s=books&sr=1-1

This one has two characters in it named for friends of mine. They both won a contest I had to have a character named after them. One of the characters is named Joe Haggerty who recently appeared on this blog. The other, Susan Tuttle, who passed away last week. She is missed by many. I can assure you that neither of the characters are anything like the real people. As for what I had to research, one of the means of murder was given to me by a doctor in my writing group. He suggested it, then I looked it up on the Internet to obtain a bit more information. Worked out perfect for the plot. One of the murder victims is the mayor at the time, and the other is an elderly woman. Two murders at the same time keep the small underpaid and understaffed Rocky Bluff P.D. hopping. As always, there is plenty going on with the families of the police offices.  Even though Rocky Bluff is a fictitious community located on the coast between Ventura and Santa Barbara, it has come to feel like a real place

The biggie needing research in A Crushing Death was the manner of death. It was suggested to me by a fellow author, but I needed to find out where it came from and what it actually was. The research gave the idea for the story. A beloved teacher is found dead under the condemned pier in Rocky Bluff. The cause of death, a pile of big rocks stacked on his chest. What could possible be the reason for this bizarre murder? And for there the tale is off and running. I also had to do a bit of research into how schools deal with certain issues. But this is another tale that involves all the officers of the Rocky Bluff P.D. police force and touches on their families too as you can tell by the blurb: A Crushing Death Blurb: A pile of rocks is found on a dead body beneath the condemned pier, a teacher is accused of molesting a student, the new police chief is threatened by someone she once arrested for attacking women, and Detective Milligan’s teenage daughter has a big problem. To buy:  https

VIOLENT DEPARTURES is all about a missing college girl--with some other interesting elements thrown in. I did do some research about stalkers for this one. However, for the connection to Charles Manson and his bunch, I remember how people felt about them all too well, and it added to the history of the the new/old place introduced in this tale. We lived in Oxnard when the Manson folks were skulking around and they got food from the trash at one of the local markets.  Another aspect that was fun to write about is the Milligans move into a new house--one that Doug picks out on his own because it has a great price. Turns out their new home is haunted. And of course there's another crime connected to the haunting--one that Doug must solve . I truly enjoy writing about this police department and all the families involved. Try it, you might like it, available as for Kindle and in paper.   https://www.amazon.com/Violent-Departures-Rocky-Bluff-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B08B7DMCKP/ref=sr_1_1?dchil

What  I've mostly been writing about in this blog series about the RBPD books is the research I had to do for each of the Rocky Bluff P.D. mysteries. For Murder in the Worst Degree  I didn't have to do much, I relied on memories and things happening around me. First, though, you might be interested in the fact that the title was given to me by a friend. I liked it, but wasn't sure how I was going to tie it into the plot until I was nearly finished writing the book. I do think this book has the best first line of any book I've written. You'll have to read it to find out what it is. A group of men who meet every day at McDonald's came from the group of men who gather at one of our local McD's. Hubby and I used to go there for breakfast and we saw these fellows a lot, and most of them were veterans.  An earthquake plays a big part in Murder in the Worst Degree , I've experienced several, but I did do some research into the damage a big one might cause in a

(I met Joe at a PSWA conference a few years back, and we've been friends every since. He's a most interesting guy and the author of novels:   Shame: The Story of a Pimp,  and   An Ocean in the Desert.  He also contributed to the PSWA anthology,   Felons, Flames and Ambulance Rides.   He's an award winning poet, writer and lecturer on the sexual  exploitation of women and children in prostitution and pornography.) From the pen of Joseph B. Haggerty Sr.  I am a retired vice detective from the Metropolitan Police in Washington, D.C. I did 35 years with the department. Most of my vice years was devoted to investigating and arresting pimps/child predators. Through that endeavor I learned a great deal about the prostitution culture and firmly believe that the women involved in prostitution are more victims than criminals with a relatively high percentage of them victims of sexual molestation as children. In my latter years with the department I was an instructor at the police aca