The Last Thing She Said (Chris Matheson Cold Case Series) by Lauren Carr

"Carr has pulled off another "hit" that kept me reading in one setting until the clues were so well together that the villain fell into our laps...or Chris's... Carr has put a lot into the book beyond the mysteries this time...Characters enjoyed chocotinis, visited book stores...and even blundered into getting engaged (the ring had been purchased 4 months ago)... But, for me, a special thank you for the political spoof at a time when politics at the national level is devastating, gave me a laugh and lightened the load of it all!" - Review by Glenda Bixler, Book Reader's Heaven 

 

Book Details:

Book Title:  The Last Thing She Said (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery #3) by Lauren Carr

Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +),  386 pages
Genre:  Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:   July 22, 2019
Formats available for purchase:  paperback, ebook, audiobook (audible & itunes)
Tour dates: October 7 to November 15, 2019
Content Rating:  PG-13 (Lauren Carr's books are murder mysteries, so there are murders involved. Occasionally, a murder will happen on stage. There is sexual content, but always behind closed doors. Some mild swearing (a hell or a damn few and far between). No F-bombs!

Book Description:
“I’m working on the greatest mystery ever,” was the last thing noted mystery novelist Mercedes Livingston said to seven-year-old Chris Matheson before walking out of Hill House Hotel never to be seen again.

For decades, the writer’s fate remained a puzzling mystery until an autographed novel and a letter put a grown-up Chris Matheson on the trail of a cunning killer. With the help of a team of fellow retired law enforcement officers, each a specialist in their own field of investigation, Chris puts a flame to this cold case to uncover what had really happened that night Mercedes Livingston walked out of Hill House Hotel. Watch out! The clues are getting hot!

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Crossing Genres - Writing Outside the Box

By Lauren Carr

One day, my husband came home from work, where he was a church administrator. With a laugh, he recounted how the teachers had been struggling on the first day of preschool with teaching the three and four-year olds the rules for walking in a line to the bathroom.

Think about these young minds learning the rules for going to the bathroom.

If there are rules for going to the bathroom, then why should authors be surprised to learn that there are rules for writing fiction?
One well established rule is to find a genre, learn the rules for that genre, and stick to them.

Luckily for me, no one told me that rule until after my third book had been released.

I’m a mystery writer. For me, the rules are simple:

ü  Dead body by page ten.

ü  Detectives work the case.

ü  Solve the murder.

ü  Catch the killer.

ü  The end.

I wasn’t aware of any issue until a reviewer who gave me a five-star review asked what genre I was writing in.

My reply: Mystery.

To this, she responded, “Is it a cozy? The amateur detective points to a cozy. But it’s too gritty to be a cozy. It reads like a police procedural. Yet, with the humor, it reads like a cozy.” She ended up declaring my books “gritty cozies.”

That was when I decided to dive deeper into this matter.

My twenty-seven titles, across four series, are cross-genre, also known as a hybrid genre or genre mashing—a blending of themes and elements from two or more different genres.

In my Deep Creek Lake mysteries, Mac Faraday is a homicide detective. After inheriting a fortune from his birth mother, mystery author Robin Spencer, he moves to a mansion on a lake in a resort town in western Maryland. Since he doesn’t like playing golf, Mac solves murder mysteries with his half-brother, David O’Callaghan, the local police chief.

Based on the rules established by publishers and agents, the Mac Faraday Mysteries are cozies because Mac is an amateur (even though he is a retired homicide detective). Yet, some of the murders happen “on-stage” which makes them police procedurals.

Then, there is the romantic relationship between Mac and Archie Monday, his late mother’s lovely personal assistant. That takes us into the romance, romantic-suspense, genre.

Like those preschoolers breaking out of line on the first day of school, I was merrily writing outside the box—and still am. 

This is really nothing new. Many successful authors have successfully blended more than one genre in their books. Stephen King (horror/fantasy/mystery). Alan Baxter (fantasy/horror/thriller). Terry Pratchett (fantasy/humor)

Like those authors before me, I did not sit down one day and decide, “I’m going to mash up cozies and police procedurals and romantic-suspense.” On the contrary, I had developed an intriguing premise and put together some fabulous and intriguing plotlines and had a blast writing wonderful books that readers and reviewers have fallen in love with. As a result, I have established a fan base who enjoy my outside-the-box mysteries.

In fiction, there are genres, which contain subgenres. All of them have rules. Blissful in my ignorance, I was writing what I wanted to write. More than one reviewer described my mysteries as police procedurals that have the charm of a cozy. Recently, I was surprised to discover that I also have quite a following among romantic suspense enthusiasts.

I had no idea I was breaking any rules until someone told me.
As an indie author, I didn’t have an agent or publisher to slap my wrist, shake his finger at me, and say, “No, no, no!”

As is often the case, the passage of time can lead many to forget the origin and reason behind the rules. Genres and subgenres were established by brick-and-mortar booksellers for organizational purposes—in order to know what shelf to place the print books on.

If a customer was looking for a mystery, the bookseller would ask, “What type of mystery do you want?” If the customer wanted a cozy-hobby-mystery, then the bookseller would lead the reader past the shelf filled with serial killer police procedurals to the one packed with basket-weaving cozies.

Publishers and agents passed those rules down to authors.
Following the rules for the genres and sub-genres made it easier for the publishers and booksellers to know what reading audience to target.

Those days are past. Independent writers don’t have to fuss about what shelf their books go on. The use of tag words makes it easy for Amazon’s algorithm to place my mysteries with cozy, police procedural, and even romantic suspense—making it easy for readers to find me no matter what sub-genre they consider my books.

That’s not to say that there aren't advantages to being aware of some of the rules for the genres.
Some readers do live and die by the rules.

For example, in cozy mysteries, never hurt the dog or cat! In It’s Murder, My Son, the first Mac Faraday Mystery, Mac swatted Gnarly, his German shepherd, on the snout when he tried to attack a murder suspect. Two years and one book later, a woman made a point of coming to a book event to chew me out in person. “It’s okay to kill someone,” she said in a loud voice, “but never hit the dog.”

Two other rules for cozy mysteries:

ü  No explicit sex.

ü  Never swear or curse.

Not being a fan of foul language, I don’t use curse words. Though, I do have a “hell” or a “damn” when the situation warrants. As for sex, I close the bedroom door.

Yet, recently, Kill and Run received a one-star review from a reader outraged because the word “erection” was used. According to her review, this book never should have been listed as a cozy mystery. Even though the married protagonists enjoyed their romance “off-stage,” behind closed doors, she considered it much too explicit for cozy readers. It wasn’t the “hell” or “damns” that curled her hair. It was the “erection.”

Such reader reactions to my cross-genre mysteries are few and far between. I look at it this way. There have been writers for thousands of years before booksellers, publishers, and agents constructed the genre boxes. Writers began writing within the confines of those boxes to appease them.

Since independent writers are forging onward without traditional publishers and agents—maybe it’s time for us to smash those genre boxes as well and embrace the thrill of writing outside the box!

Once again we are captivated not only by the human detectives searching for clues to a very cold case ( 4 decades!) but also by the animal antics of the extended clan and crew created in Lauren Carr's extremely active imagination. I have no idea how she keeps it all straight.
Various characters from different book series become entangled and entwined as they are called in to unravel a disappearance, kidnapping, murder, and identity transformation with fraud and other deception motives. Could a woman actually will herself to death?
Even if I tried to tell you all the themes and plots going on I know I would miss a few - too numerous to count yet when all is said and done, they come together brilliantly.
Romance, failed relationships, parenting ~ all play roles as the Geezer Squad does what they do best.
Do not worry if you are unfamiliar with each series or how things came before as it is explained while the story unfolds. The characters have depth and continue to develop as the story moves forward.
Chris Matheson is the central protagonist but not the only one focused on, nor is the "victim," a deceased woman who isn't who she has been believed to be.

Superbly narrated by Mike Alger, I hear his voice even as I read the other books in these series.

You may also choose to read and review:

Book Details:

Book Title: Winter Frost  (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery #2) by Lauren Carr
Category:  Adult fiction,  332 pages
Genre:  Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  January 22, 2019
Formats available for purchase:  paperback, ebook, audiobook (audible & itunes)Tour dates:  October 7 to November 22, 2019
Content Rating:  PG-13 (Lauren Carr's books are murder mysteries, so there are murders involved. Occasionally, a murder will happen on stage. There is sexual content, but always behind closed doors. Some mild swearing (a hell or a damn few and far between). No F-bombs!

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"Filled with twists and turns, Winter Frost reads perfectly well as a stand-alone, although it is part of a series. The author creates tension and suspense throughout by keeping the reader guessing; she keeps readers engaged with well fleshed out characters and a dash of humor. Sterling, the retired German Shepherd police dog turned card shark, is a new favorite. As the story flows, the truth unfolds, layer by layer, leading to a satisfying conclusion.

"Winter Frost was an entertaining, at times humorous read with suspense, some surprises, and even cute animals in the mix." Review of Winter Frost by The iRead Review

 

Book Description:
It all started with a chance encounter in the city with Blair, his late wife.

Chris Matheson and the Geezer Squad, working under the guise of a book club, dig into the events surrounding his late wife’s supposed death halfway around the globe. A state department employee shoots himself in the back three times. A CIA operative goes missing. A woman is targeted by an international assassin three years after being declared dead in a terrorist attack overseas. 

Nothing is as it seems. 

In his most personal cold case, Chris fights to uncover why the state department told him that Blair, the mother of his children, had been killed when she was alive. What had she uncovered that has made her a target? Who terrified her so much that she had gone into hiding and why are they now after him?

 

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Book Details:

Book Title: ICE  (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery #1) by Lauren Carr
Category:  Adult fiction,  364 pages
Genre:  Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  February 26, 2018
Formats available for purchase:  paperback, ebook, audiobook (audible & itunes)Tour dates:  October 7 to November 22, 2019
Content Rating:  PG-13 (Lauren Carr's books are murder mysteries, so there are murders involved. Occasionally, a murder will happen on stage. There is sexual content, but always behind closed doors. Some mild swearing (a hell or a damn few and far between). No F-bombs!

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"ICE is a strong start to a new series that will have fans of Lauren Carr thrilled to be introduced to another set of memorable and entertaining characters. Carr's Geezer Squad has brought sexy back to mature men and women, whose kickass attitude and smarts sizzle as they melt the clues to those cold cases!"  Laura Fabiani, Library of Clean Reads

"For the whodunit mystery buff who loves ever-increasing suspense and danger, Lauren Carr's newest series offers up a big dose of both. Murder and mayhem seem to be Chris's new companions after returning home following the loss of both his wife and his father. Juggling the parenting responsibilities of his three daughters with his mother is not something Chris was expecting at this point in his life, but life isn't something that goes as planned." 5-Star Review at Blooming with Books
 

Book Description:
When Sandy Lipton and her unborn child disappeared, the court of public opinion found young Chris Matheson guilty. Decades later, the retired FBI agent returns home to discover that the cloud of suspicion cast over him and his family has never lifted. 

With the help of a team of fellow retired law enforcement officers, each a specialist in their own field of investigation, Chris Matheson starts chipping away at the ice on this cold case to uncover what had happened to Sandy and her baby and the clues are getting hot!
 

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Meet the Author:  

 Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Thorny Rose, Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries—over twenty titles across four fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

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Connect with the author:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Instagram