Coming in October, 2014
Aunt Bessie Considers
An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery
by Diana Xarissa
Aunt Bessie considers it an honour to be giving a presentation about her research at a conference in the Manx Museum.
Miss Elizabeth Cubbon is known as “Aunt Bessie” to nearly everyone her hometown of Laxey. While she never earned a college degree, she’s become something of an expert in the history of the island that she’s called home for all of her adult life. Once she turned sixty, she stopped counting how many years that includes.
Aunt Bessie considers it unfair when the entire conference schedule is thrown into disarray by Mack Dickson’s sudden arrival.
Mack promises that what he has to say is important enough to warrant the upheaval. Even more turmoil follows when Bessie discovers Mack’s body only a short time after he’s finished giving his speech.
Aunt Bessie considers Police Inspector Peter Corkill a poor substitute for her friend, John Rockwell.
But the Manx Museum is out of Rockwell’s jurisdiction and that means Corkill is in charge of the investigation, no matter what Bessie thinks. With Corkill insisting that Mack’s death was probably an unfortunate accident, Mack’s slides that shocked the conference disappear. Bessie finds herself drawn into another investigation and she’s determined to drag her friends, Rockwell, Doona and Hugh, in with her.
Aunt Bessie Assumes
An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery
By Diana Xarissa
Aunt Bessie assumes that she’ll have the beach all to herself on a cold, wet, and windy March morning just after sunrise, then she stumbles (almost literally) over a dead body.
Elizabeth (Bessie) Cubbon, aged somewhere between free bus pass (60) and telegram from the Queen (100), has lived her entire adult life in a small cottage on Laxey beach. For most of those years, she’s been in the habit of taking a brisk morning walk along the beach. Dead men have never been part of the scenery before.
Aunt Bessie assumes that the dead man died of natural causes, then the police find the knife in his chest.
Try as she might, Bessie just can’t find anything to like about the young widow that she provides tea and sympathy to in the immediate aftermath of finding the body. There isn’t much to like about the rest of the victim’s family either.
Aunt Bessie assumes that the police will have the case wrapped up in no time at all, then she finds a second body.
Can Bessie and her friends find the killer before she ends up as the next victim?
Also Available
Island Inheritance
An Isle of Man Romance
By Diana Xarissa
Carly thinks her life is just about perfect. She recently bought an adorable little house in her hometown in Pennsylvania. She has a job she loves, teaching first grade at the same elementary school she once attended. And she has the same boyfriend that she fell in love with in that very school, when they were both in third grade. He’ll get around to proposing one day, she’s just sure of it. Carly doesn’t want to change anything in her life.
Doncan thinks his life is just about perfect. He’s followed in his father’s and his grandfather’s footsteps and is an advocate (lawyer) on the Isle of Man dealing mostly with estates and trusts. This earns him a generous income that allows him to drive a luxury car and live in a fabulous penthouse apartment. He’s never short of female company and he doesn’t want to change anything in his life.
When Carly’s grandmother inherits a cottage on the Isle of Man, Carly makes the journey to the Island to settle the estate. Doncan wants the paperwork signed and the cottage safely sold to his cousin who is ready to tear it down and build luxury apartments in its place. Carly falls in love with the old cottage and the beautiful Island, while Doncan tries hard to keep her happy so she will sign on the dotted line. Suddenly both of their lives are changing in ways neither of them ever imagined.
Island Escape
An Isle of Man Romance
By Diana Xarissa
Katie’s life changes dramatically only a few months before her planned wedding. With the wedding cancelled, an unexpected opportunity to do some research on the picturesque Isle of Man seems the perfect escape. She can get away from all the sympathetic looks and gossipy remarks and focus on her career while nursing her broken heart.
Finlo Quayle is the gorgeous owner of the island’s only charter airline. William Corlett is the intelligent and sexy man who runs the Institute that is funding Katie’s research. Katie finds herself being fought over by two very different men, both of whom attract her in very different ways.
Now the only thing Katie is sure of is that she isn’t going to let a ghost make any decisions about her love life for her.
About the Author
Diana lived on the glorious Isle of Man for more than ten years before returning to the United States with her family. Now living near Buffalo, New York, she enjoys having the opportunity to write about the island that she loves so much. It truly is an amazing and magical place.
Diana also writes mystery/thrillers set in the not-too-distant future under the pen name “Diana X. Dunn” and fantasy/adventure books for middle grade readers under the pen name “D.X. Dunn.”
She would be delighted to know what you think of her work and can be contacted through Facebook, Goodreads or on her website at www.dianaxarissa.com.
Aunt Bessie Believes (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery) Page 24