Mystery Writer's Mysteries Box Set 1-3

by Becky Clark

  I heard snuffling behind me. Rabbit? Skunk? Raccoon? Slowly rotating the light toward the sound, I quickly ran through a mental checklist of weapons I could use to fight off whatever it was. Maybe my keys, but I’d have to dig them out. The quickest, handiest, and probably most ineffective was the pretzel tin. I transferred it to my right hand and raised it above my head.

  When I’d fully rotated, I came face to face with Peter O’Drool, snarfing up pretzels from the grass.

  “Peter!” I yelled.

  He didn’t quit chewing but did a sort of wiggle-walk in my direction. I scooped him up and kissed him over and over on his wrinkled little snout. He licked my cheek then wiggled to get down, back to his treasure trove of treats. But before he did, he bounded under a bush and dragged his filthy rainbow-colored flamingo out, dropping it at my feet.

  I sat next to him, hand on his collar, and called Barb and Don.

  Acknowledgments

  I’m very grateful I have talented and generous friends who agree to read drafts of my books and offer constructive—and oh-so kind—feedback to me. You’d be reading a very different book if not for MB Partlow, Jessie Cornwell, Karen Whalen, Trina Burgermeister, Ann Perramond, Amy Drayer, and my agent Jill Marsal. Any mistakes you find are obviously theirs and theirs alone ….

  Reviews make the world go ‘round … and I’d love it if you’d post a quick review of Metaphor for Murder.

  Subscribe to Becky Clark’s So Seldom It’s Shameful News for contests, giveaways, sales, sneak peeks, and other behind-the-scenes shenanigans at BeckyClarkBooks.com.

  Get your free copy of more than 70 short Minute Mysteries. Put your sleuthing skills to the test!

  Also by Becky Clark

  — Dunne Diehl Novels (with Ted Hardwick) —

  Banana Bamboozle (#1)

  Marshmallow Mayhem (#2)

  — Crossword Puzzle Mysteries —

  Puzzling Ink (#1)

  Punning With Scissors (#2)

  Fatal Solutions (#3 Nov 2021)

  — Nonfiction —

  Eight Weeks to a Complete Novel—Write Better, Write Faster, Be More Organized

  Lazy Low Cal Lifestyle Complete Cookbook

  Reading Maniac—Fun Ways to Encourage Reading Success

  About the Author

  Becky Clark is the seventh of eight kids which explains both her insatiable need for attention and her atrocious table manners. She likes to read funny books so it felt natural to write them, too. She’s a native of Colorado, which is where she lives with her indulgent husband and quirky dog.

  Becky loves to present workshops to writing groups and is a founding member of the Colorado Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Visit her on Facebook and at BeckyClarkBooks.com for all sorts of shenanigans.