A Field Guide to Death & Deceit blog tour is through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours and includes a giveaway. Enter below, share, comment, follow.
Book Details
A Field Guide to Death and Deceit: A Harry & Emma Mystery – A Novel
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Ohio
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books
Publication date : September 15, 2026
Print length : 336 pages
Hardcover
ISBN-13 : 979-8892426787
ASIN : B0G7CL8PFV
Paperback
ISBN-13 : 979-8892426794
ASIN : B0G7CBDY54
Digital
ISBN-13 : 979-8892426800
ASIN : B0G75WTNB9
Widower and anthropologist Harry Lancaster and his Gen Z colleague Emma are back for more murder and mayhem when they stumble upon a dead farmer.
This delightful sequel to A Field Guide to Murder is perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Benjamin Stevenson.
When an odd request leads Harry Lancaster to agree to meet his former sweetheart Willow at a farm on the outskirts of town, Emma’s suspicions run high, and she insists on joining him. Instead of Willow greeting them when they arrive, they discover the farm’s owner dead, with a corn rake embedded in his back.
After being interrogated by the police, Harry and Emma return to his home to find a bereft Willow, who admits she lost her life savings in a real estate scam involving the farm. Worried Willow will become the main murder suspect, Harry decides to help her, despite Emma’s concerns.
To bring the swindlers—and murderer—to justice, Harry recruits his potentially shady, financial-whiz brother and a neighborhood teenage hacker. Then Willow’s realtor is declared missing, and Harry’s brother is caught up in the fray.
As Harry, Emma, and team unearth clues, they increasingly dodge the police, stalkers, and danger in their race to save Willow and Harry’s brother before anyone else turns up dead.
Character Interview
Describe yourself.
Hi, I’m Emma Stockton. I’m an older Gen Z on the edge of being a young Millennial…or maybe it’s a young Millennial who just missed being a Gen Z? Whichever, I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. Some might say I’m indecisive (i.e., my mom), but Harry Lancaster (my former client and now colleague and friend) calls me brave because I’m not afraid to try new things and change my mind if it doesn’t suit me, regardless of what others might say. You see, after four years of being an ICU nurse and witnessing too many tragic deaths, I switched to being a caregiver, which is how I met Harry after he fractured his hip. That gig ended when I got shot (long story with a great plot twist). Once I recovered, I helped Harry evaluate healthcare projects overseas – an experience I loved, but I’m not sure I want to make a career out of it. Now that that work has ended, I don’t know what’s next, but I have signed up for two criminology classes this coming fall. I mean, I have helped solve two murders, so watch out Kinsey Millhone! She may be old school, but she’s still a crime-solving CEO. Although her trademark peanut butter and pickle sandwich will never beat my pepperoni and pineapple pizza. Which leads me to diets…I go off and on them every six months or so and am doing my best to eat more kale (really!).
What makes you laugh?
Harry can be funny when he’s not waxing on about some obscure anthropology theory.
He has a dry sense of humor, probably because he had a British nanny when he was growing up. Detective Nate Bradford is pretty good at making me smile, that is when he’s not infuriating me by telling me not to investigate his murder cases. There’s also
this woman who Harry and I met on our last case, Marge Watkins. She’s hilarious without trying to be.
Are you afraid of anything?
Of course, lots of things! Let’s see, there’s disappointing my mom, never getting married, never finding a job that makes me happy, not being able to lose these last five (okay, ten) pounds, and having anything bad happen to my family or friends. Harry
would say that I’m not afraid of things that should scare me, like going on a date with a potential killer or getting into a car with a murderer (both of which happened on our last case, and he still nags me about it).
Do you have a special talent or gift?
Harry would probably say my special talent is empathy and my desire to nurture, but really, I think he’s pretty good at those things too. I have them because these skills come with being a nurse. Well, former nurse. I also think I have a pretty good eye fordetail and precision, which also goes back to my nursing training. My worst skill is lying my entire face and neck go bright red, I mean like an apple. My forehead might as well flash “liar, liar, liar” in neon lights every time I try.
Do you have a secret?
I know better than to answer this question! Once you post something, that lives on forever. No way am I spilling the tea on my own secrets for the world to see.
Tell us about your family.
I’m close to my family. We all live in the Columbus area and get together often. And,
we’re pretty similar – altruism runs in our blood. My mom worked as a nurse for more
than thirty years. My sister is a social worker, and both my brothers are teachers. My
dad was a fireman and died while rescuing two children from a fire. His death made my
mom very protective of us kids. Some might call her domineering, but deep down, my
siblings and I know she’s just looking out for us. That said, when she gets mad at you,
she gets MAD. Key hints when my mom (i.e., Bridget Catherine, or BC as my siblings
and I call her when she’s about to go ballistic) include her not using contractions and
addressing you by your first, middle, and last name. If she does both in one sentence,
take cover.
What is your most embarrassing moment?
Same answer as #5. I embarrass myself often enough that I don’t need a publicly available running record.
What do you do for fun?
For a while I was on a horror movie kick and watched all the classics, but after the last murder case I was involved in, I’ve moved on from the genre. I’m now thinking about joining the local theater group at Westerly College once classes begin in the autumn. I
think acting will help me get better at lying, which I’ve learned is a surprisingly important skill for solving crime.
If you could change anything about your life what would it be?
Harry’s a great father figure and has added a lot to my life, but if I could change anything, my dad would still be alive. I’m glad he rescued those two kids, but I wish he was still with us. Even after seventeen years of him being gone, I can tell my mom still
misses him. And he was always my biggest cheerleader, always accepting me for being me and wanting nothing more than for me to be happy.
Tell me about your author.
Michelle used to spend a lot more time with Harry and me, but lately her day job has been really busy, and she keeps making excuses about why she can’t join us every day, or even every other day. To be honest, it’s getting old and I hope she gets her priorities straight soon. I mean, we are WAY more entertaining than her day job. Harry will tell you the same thing, although he may also talk about how he and Michelle have similar backgrounds – they’re both anthropologists who have lived and traveled all over the world, helping rebuild communities after war. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve had interesting lives, but really, you can only listen to “did I tell you about the time I…” stories for so long. [Long pause] Please don’t tell them I said that.
Do you like the way they write you?
For the record, Michelle doesn’t write me, I tell Michelle what I’m going to do.
About Michelle L. Cullen
Michelle L. Cullen has lived and traveled all over the world, from working as a bilingual secretary in Paris to backpacking around Europe, Central America, and Southern Africa to helping rebuild communities after war throughout Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific — where she saw the best and worst of human behavior. Her lifelong fascination with people and why they do what they do, was further fueled by her academic training. She obtained her PhD from the London School of Economics’ Sociology Department and her master’s degree in anthropology from Melbourne University in Australia.
A fan of adventure, she has a black belt in Taekwondo, has summited 900 feet rock climbing, snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, and hiked up an active volcano. She currently lives in Annapolis, Maryland, where she’s either doing yoga, playing outside, or plotting murder. She’s a proud member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and The Authors Guide, and has been gleefully reading and watching murder mysteries since the age of ten.
Author Links
- Website: https://mlcullen.com/
- Newsletters: https://michelle-l-cullen.kit.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleLCullenAuthor/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellelcullen/
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/55985912.Michelle_L_Cullen
Purchase Links:
Amazon – PenguinRandomHouse – Barnes & Noble – Books A Million – Bookshop.org – Hudson Booksellers – Target – Walmart –
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 13 – Storybook Lady – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 14 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
July 15 – Romance Novel Giveaways – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 16 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 17 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
July 18 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 19 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 20 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 20 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
July 22 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 23 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
July 24 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 25 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
July 26 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 27 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – SPOTLIGHT
Giveaway
Prize – 6 – U.S. ONLY! Giveaways will include a signed ARC, a small pair of binoculars, a Field Notes notebook, and a few bags of tea (so winners can be like Harry
