Barking Rain Press, a non-profit fiction publisher, today announced the paperback and eBook release of "The Hatbox Murders: An Elliott Bay Mystery," the first in a new series of historical murder mysteries set in 1950s Seattle. "The Hatbox Murders" is author Jennifer Berg's debut novel. Based in San Diego, California, Berg is already hard at work on the second book in the Elliott Bay mysteries series, "The Charlatan Murders: An Elliott Bay Mystery," which will be published in 2018 by Barking Rain Press. A promotional novella, "The Tugboat Murder: An Elliott Bay Mystery," will also be offered as a free eBook download starting in April 2017.
Inspector Michael Riggs doesn't believe in "woman's intuition," but when head stenographer Margaret Baker insists that her friend and co-worker, Ruby Pike, most certainly did not jump off a bridge to end her life, Riggs reluctantly agrees to re-examine the closed suicide case. He quickly learns that Ruby's mousy cousin hated her while her rich uncle adored her, showering Ruby with expensive gifts. Her shady boyfriend had good reason to be rid of Ruby, but he also has an alibi for the night of her death. Add to that a tight-lipped boss facing financial ruin, a jealous wife, and a bitter landlady whose heirloom jewelry was pilfered, and it doesn't take long for Riggs to realize that Margaret's feminine intuition might be right. Unfortunately for Riggs, the only clues he can find are a gold watch with a cryptic inscription, a photo of a missing dress, and a pink hatbox. As the police chief starts to boil over, Riggs decides to call on Victoria Bell, an alluring Prussian librarian with a knack for solving crimes who has helped him with other cases. But this time, Victoria is determined to stay out of the limelight. She only agrees to help with the case if her assistance remains a secret. But when the murderer strikes again, Victoria realizes that she'll have to risk the spotlight if she's going to help Riggs catch the murderer.Videos