Title: Murder in Hand (Alicia Allen Investigates Trilogy,
Book 3)
Author: Celia Conrad Copyright: 2012
Publisher: Barcham Books Pages: 352
Trade Paperback and All E-Book Formats
ISBN 13: 978-0954623340
ASIN: B00A1O1YQE
The greatest pleasures lie in Celia Conrad's refusal or inability to write for the lowest common denominator. Instead she aims for the highest.
—Midwest Book Review (Murder in Hand)
On Dec. 13 through Dec. 14, Barcham Books will gift readers
with Book 3 in Celia Conrad’s Alicia Allen Investigates Trilogy (AAI), Murder
in Hand (MIH), as a free e-book via Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Select
program.
“It’s our way of saying thank you and wishing everyone
a happy holiday,” said Barcham Books’ Jane Hall. “We are very pleased that
Midwest Book Review features Murder in Hand this month. Everyone, it seems,
just loves Alicia.”
This cerebral legal murder mystery turns on Italian
international corruption, Puccini and dead Probate attorneys as it hails the
return of Alicia Allen, the potato chip loving half-Italian London lawyer who
never lets her thriving relationship with a handsome lawyer cohort stand in the
way of fingering a culprit.
“The beauty of Murder in Hand is that it can be read as a
stand-alone,” said Hall.
We recently sat down with Celia Conrad to discuss her
author’s journey from law to legal crime fiction:
Q: All the AAI books deal with the darker side of the legal
world. Did you draw from your experiences as a London attorney?
A: As a solicitor I met some rather obnoxious people and a
few shady/unsavory characters.
Q: Did you ever find yourself pursuing a murderer in your
law practice?
A: My world is far less dangerous than Alicia’s, although we
do share love for Italian culture and a crisp that rhymes with “Tingles.” We
both like researching and analyzing complex legal issues.
Q: The Italophile Book Review recommended MIH for
“Italophiles, Anglophiles, fans of traditional British mysteries, and fans of
cozy-murder-mysteries.” Would you agree?
A: Absolutely. And I was thrilled when the Readers’ Favorite
5-Star Award Review said Alicia “should be on the top of every woman’s reading
list.” My fan mail shows AAI readers like strong but not perfect female
detectives, and they love the repartee between Alicia and Alex.
Q: Book 1 sends Alicia through London’s urban dangers. Book
2 takes her to Australia, and Book 3 spans New York, London, Italy and Sicily.
Italian culture provides color and clues. What inspired you to use Puccini in
Book 3?
A: When I first saw Puccini’s opera, Gianni Schicchi, I
hoped to use it in a plot of my own, and it did prove most “handy” in Murder in
Hand.
