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A GHOSTWRITER’S GUIDE TO MURDER book tour includes an author guest post and a giveaway Rafflecopter below. Share, subscribe, shop Sarandipity’s, and comment. Plus check out the guest post by the author.
Book Details
A Ghostwriter’s Guide to Murder: A Novel
Traditional Mystery
First in Series
Setting – A houseboat along Regent’s Canal in central London
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books
Publication date : July 29, 2025
Hardcover Print length : 320 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8892421423
Paperback Print length : 320 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8892422512
Digital Print length : 320 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8892421430
Audiobook ASIN : B0DRWC4ZBL
Charming yet wickedly imaginative mystery ghostwriter Maeve Gardner finds herself at the center of a murder investigation with more twists and turns than any story she’s ever written, perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz and Richard Osman.
Maeve Gardner kills people for a living. A dodgy occupation perhaps, but as ghostwriter for the long-running Simon Hills mysteries, Maeve has planned the perfect murder time and again, and she enjoys it. She dreams of writing something under her own name someday rather than babysitting her adopted character Simon, but at least she’s writing. And as one of the burnt-out souls who’ve run away from dry land to live on London’s waterways, she has the joy of working from the home she loves: a colorful houseboat. Life on the canals is grand, but when her cheating ex-boyfriend turns up floating facedown in the water outside her boat, murdered, and the police arrest her, the plot takes a wayward turn.
Suddenly, Maeve is thrust into one of her own crime dramas, complete with missing money, violent thugs, extortion, and conspiracy. Only this time, there is no real-life Simon Hill to come to her aid. Instead, with the help of friends from the river—India, owner of a popular floating bookshop; Paul, the exceedingly attractive landlord of the local pub; and Ash, Maeve’s quiet, nerdy neighbor who is keeping some secrets of his own—Maeve may have a shot at saving herself.
As Maeve and her motley crew of would-be investigators find themselves wondering if they are in over their heads, a killer lurks and won’t hesitate to kill again…
About Melinda Mullet
Melinda Mullet is a dual US/UK national. Formerly a lawyer specializing in communications, media, and entertainment law she is now enjoying a second career as a mystery writer.
Melinda is the author of the Whisky Business Mysteries, a six-part series of traditional mysteries set in and around a boutique single malt whisky distillery in Scotland. And coming in July 2025, the first of a new traditional series, A Ghostwriter’s Guide to Murder, set on a houseboat along the Regent’s Canal in London.
Melinda is a travel junkie and a life-long advocate for children’s literacy causes both domestic and international. When she is not in the UK, she lives just outside of Washington, DC, with her whisky-collecting husband and two wild Covid canines named Bailey and Captain Jack.
Author Guest Post
Which Came First the Book or the Vacation?
Book inspired Vacations –– Vacation inspired Books.
Have you ever read a book and been inspired to visit the story’s actual setting? Have
you ever had a vacation and then come home eager to write a story about it? Cozy and
traditional mysteries in particular rely heavily on location as a pivotal feature and often
as a secondary character in stories. Readers seem to favor locations that are quaint
and appealing and make them feel quickly at home in the protagonist’s life. Writers that
world-build well can inspire us to step outside of our comfort zone and try traveling to
new and interesting locations.
As an admitted travel junky I have been on all sides of this equation. My first mystery
series the Whisky Business Mysteries came about after years of following my whisky
besotted husband around single malt whisky distilleries in rural Scotland. Like my
Scottish father before him, my husband couldn’t get enough of discussing the nuances
of the grain and woods used to coax unique flavors from the spirit he loves. I’m as game
as the next person but the charm of steamy vats and echoing still rooms can wane after
a while. I confess my mind would wander to the relative merits of finding a dead body in
this barrel or that vat. Not my husband’s I hasten to add!
I found my connection to the business in meeting the women who were at the time just
beginning to fight their way into a traditionally male dominated industry. For me these
amazing women and the wonderful distilleries they work with provided the genesis for a
series about a burnt-out war correspondent with years of experience in a male
dominated profession trying her hand at running a boutique whisky distillery inherited
from her uncle. Her presence unsettles the men in the business, and she has to fight
her way through threats, extreme vandalism, and even murder to find her place in the
whisky fraternity. The distillery itself, Abbey Glen is an integral part of the stories. The
cornerstone of the village economy and a fascinating part of the smuggling history of the
region.
My new series begins with A Ghostwriter’s Guide to Murder coming to a bookstore near
you July 29. In this case, a lifelong fascination with the houseboats on the London canal
system inspired me to use the setting for my new cast of characters. Research involved
roaming the city’s canals to get the flavor of the location and understand the people who
have left dry land to join London’s urban armada. Some escaping the wickedly high
rents in the city and some just looking for a simpler way of life.
The canals have been a part of London’s history since the early 19 th century. Goods
were transported from the docks in London along a network of canals that stretched the
length and breadth of England. Flat, narrow canal boats were towed upriver by horses
and raised and lowered as necessary through an elaborate series of locks. The system
was the lifeblood of British commerce until the advent of the railway and from that time
on the canals fell into disrepair––neglected and largely unused.
In the late 1970’s renewed interest in the canals spurred a renaissance for the old
waterways. Regent’s Canal is now one of the most popular of the waterside
neighborhoods. Cyclists use the towpaths to commute and a flotilla of residential
longboats bob nose to tail along the sides of the canal like brightly painted circus
caravans. Renovated boats have all the modern conveniences from kitchens to heating
to washers and dryers.
Regent’s Park and the Zoo abuts the canal and Camden Market, once the waypoint for
horses and bargemen, is now a thriving market area and a focal point of the alternative
music scene. If life along the canal appeals to you there are rental agencies that will
allow you to Airbnb a longboat, either for a stationary vacation, or to sail along the canal
system at your leisure.
Aside from my own writings I have also been seduced by the locations that other
mystery writers choose to describe. Just a few weeks ago we set off to the South of
France inspired by the writings of British novelist Ian Moore. His first series of books
describing the comedic highs and lows of moving a British comedian, his wife, and his
three sons to rural France. His adventures brought a welcome smile during the dark
days of Covid. The books harken back to Peter Mayles’ A Year in Provence, and they
are so evocative of the setting you can taste the olive and garlic and wine. Moore’s new
series about a Basil Fawltyeque B&B owner in the Loire Valley is a true delight. After
reading all five books in the Follet Valley Series I was eager to explore the wine and
cheese rich region for myself.
It was as heady as I had hoped. The heat was staggering but we managed to forget by
touring one winery after another and roaming through the regional village markets
buying fresh fruits, gloriously unpasteurized cheeses, fresh picked olives and exquisite
breads. The winding streets of the medieval hill towns were truly unforgettable. Would
highly recommend.
Whether your next vacation is an armchair journey courtesy of your favorite writer, or a
trip you’ve curated yourself, allow the magic of all you see to fire your imagination and
refresh your soul!
Author Links
Website: https://www.melindamullet.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mulletmysteries/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melindamullet/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinda-mullet-b499564b/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16251039.Melinda_Mullet
Purchase Links
Penguin Random House – Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org – Books-A-Million –
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 30 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
July 30 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 30 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 31 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 31 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
August 1 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 1 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 2 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 3 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – REVIEW
August 4 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
August 4 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 5 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
August 5 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 6 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
August 7 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
August 7 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
August 8 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
