Bad Manners Inspires a Mystery Series by Jacqueline Vick

The Harlow Brothers are back today with the release of Bad Behavior, the second book in the mystery series.

Who are the Harlow Brothers?

Edward Harlow secretly authors the Aunt Civility etiquette books, and his brother, Nicholas, is his overworked secretary.  Having a sister and two brothers of my own, it was easy to bring their relationship to life. No one can irritate you like a sibling.

What inspired a well-mannered sleuth?

I had an experience while waiting for a take-out order in a restaurant. A young man in his teens or early twenties (at my age they all look the same) picked up his drink from the counter, turned, and made a sideways brushing motion at me with his hand. No excuse me. Just a hand wave, as in move out of my way. I was so shocked that I complied. I wanted to follow him to his table and explain basic manners, but I didn’t. Instead, I thought, “What would my character do with this?”

Edward Harlow would call out the violation and probably growl.

How does a super-polite sleuth call out the bad guys?

I didn’t want Edward to be soggy milquetoast. So, I made him a hypocrite. You see, Edward, who wanted to be a sports reporter, fell into the job of writing the Aunt Civility books for Classical Reads because of his ability to quickly study and memorize facts, typically sports statistics. After boning up on manners and etiquette, he has a lot of head-knowledge, and he’s adapted well to the role of Aunt Civility’s official representative. He looks good in a suit, and he enjoys lecturing people. At heart, he’s still a football-playing slob, something Nicholas calls him out on whenever his brother gets too full of himself.

How do the brothers solve crimes?

If Edward is the brains of the duo, Nicholas is the leg-man who does the work. The stories are told from his perspective. It’s often a competition to see who can come up with the solution.

In Bad Behavior, Nicholas has more at stake than usual, as he’s falling for one of the suspects.

Thank you so much for having me on, Marilyn!

Leave a comment on this blog and I’ll pick a random winner and announce him or her on my website, jacquelinevick.com, tomorrow, April 2.  The winner will get a free eBook copy of both Bad Behavior and the first in the series, Civility Rules.  

 Jacqueline Vick Bio

After trying her hand at various jobs including telemarketer for a funeral home, Jacqueline Vick combined satirical humor and the quirks of her ginger mutt to create the Frankie Chandler Pet Psychic mysteries. In addition to mystery novels, she is the author of numerous novellas, short stories, screenplays and articles.

www.jacquelinevick.com

Bad Behavior Blurb:

Be careful what you wish for!

It drives Nicholas Harlow crazy that his brother, Edward, author of the Aunt Civility etiquette books, refuses to attend publicity events, instead opting to give lectures to like-minded societies. When Nicholas tricks him into a public speaking event, the attendees include Edward’s former college English professor – a smarmy Lothario with his own book to hawk. Then the professor dies in a spectacularly public manner, and his last act is to point an accusatory finger at his former student.

Join the Harlow Brothers for another romp through murderous suspects, romantic possibilities, and the ever-present sibling rivalry.