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Linda Barnes

From the author of the Carlotta Carlyle Mysteries: The complete set of the popular series starring an ex-PI turned actor, “a hero with panache” (Kirkus Reviews).
 
 Anthony Award–winning author Linda Barnes is perhaps best known for her six-foot-tall, redheaded ex-cop and Boston-based private eye Carlotta Carlyle. But fellow Bostonian Michael Spraggue, a former private investigator who caught the acting bug, just can’t seem to leave his past career as a sleuth behind him.
 
Blood Will Have Blood: When Michael lands a part in a new production of Dracula, it’s not just because of his acting talent. With his private-eye background, Spraggue is perfectly cast to investigate some strange goings-on in the reputedly haunted old Fens Theater, including a pitcher of Bloody Marys holding real blood. When the pranks turn lethal, Michael needs to find the killer before it is curtains for all.
 
 “Ms. Barnes and Mr. Spraggue should be around for a while.” —The New York Times Book Review
 
Bitter Finish: Shooting on location in Boston, Michael gets an urgent call from Kate Holloway, his on-again-off-again lover and partner in a fledgling Napa Valley winery. Their winemaker has disappeared. When the police find a corpse on their property, Kate is arrested. To free his girl and save his winery, Michael will have to find a killer with a lethal case of sour grapes.
 
 “A fine job—expertly written, with an ingenious wine caper set in the Napa Valley.” —The New York Times Book Review
 
Dead Heat: Brian Donagher, a junior senator from Massachusetts who took Washington by storm, is running for re-election—but he may soon be running for his life. He’s getting death threats, and his bodyguard asks his old pal Michael Spraggue for help in tracking down whoever is targeting the politician. The senator plans to run the Boston Marathon, so Michael will have to race to blow the whistle on a killer if Donagher wants to cross the finish line.
 
 “Like its predecessors, Dead Heat is worth reading. . . . Characterizations are well worked out, and when evil gets its comeuppance, the reader may start cheering.” —The Washington Post
 
Cities of the Dead: Dora Levoyer, who has cooked for Michael’s aunt Mary since he was a boy, will always be family. While on vacation in New Orleans, she attends a banquet held by the finest chefs and sees a man who looks just like the husband who abandoned her years ago. Before she can confront him, he is found with a chef’s knife embedded in his heart—and Dora is suspected. Michael catches the next plane to the Big Easy—a place where the dead, like the living, have dangerous secrets.
 
 “Well written, sharply observed, logically plotted.” —The New York Times Book Review

Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller

The Michael Spraggue Mysteries

The Michael Spraggue Mysteries: Blood Will Have Blood, Bitter Finish, Dead Heat, and Cities of the Dead

Anthony Award–winning author Linda Barnes introduces dashing private eye turned actor Michael Spraggue who must unmask a deadly prankster in a haunted theater

Boston Brahmin Michael Spraggue believes distinguished director Arthur Darien has invited him to the old Fens Theater because he needs financial backing for his new production of Dracula. But Arthur has a different kind of problem: His actors believe the theater is haunted. One even quit when he discovered that his pitcher of Bloody Marys had been replaced with real blood. The director offers the part to Michael on one condition: He will not only be playing Dr. John Seward; he will also be playing detective.

Behind the scenes, this Dracula is a true horror show. Infighting among the cast, money problems, and deadly threats are just the beginning. When the pranks turn lethal, it is up to Michael to find the killer lest the curtain come down on them all forever.

Blood Will Have Bloodis the 1st book in the Michael Spraggue Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Blood Will Have Blood

To save his winery, a successful actor and former PI investigates a Napa Valley slaying in this “expertly written” and “ingenious” mystery (The New York Times Book Review).

Shooting on location in Boston for a new film, Michael Spraggue has just tumbled down a flight of stairs when a call comes in from California. On the line is Kate Holloway, Michael’s on-again-off-again lover and partner in a fledgling California winery. It’s harvest time and their winemaker has disappeared. Right after Kate reported him missing, the police found a corpse on their property, the victim so savagely murdered that identification is close to impossible. Now Kate is in jail.

Soon after Michael arrives in Napa, a second body turns up and the police become convinced that Kate is the killer. To save his winery and free his girl, Michael will have to find the real killer before the harvest comes in.

Bitter Finish is the 2nd book in the Michael Spraggue Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Bitter Finish

To protect a senator at the Boston Marathon, private investigator turned actor Michael Spraggue must run faster than he ever has before

Michael Spraggue receives an anonymous note requesting a meeting on the running path in the Chestnut Hill Reservoir—a favorite spot for runners training for the Boston Marathon. His muscles aching, Michael is about to throw in the towel when he sees a familiar grin. Brian Donagher is the charismatic junior senator who took Washington by storm and is now running for re-election. With him is bodyguard Pete Collatos, an ex-cop who knows Michael from his PI days. Brian has been getting death threats, and Pete wants help tracking down whoever is sending them. Michael isn’t convinced that the threats are serious—until gunfire erupts from the hill above them.

Miraculously, no one is hurt, but Michael knows they won’t be so lucky next time because politics can get dirty in Boston. As the marathon approaches, Michael will have to sprint to keep a popular politician—and himself—alive.

Dead Heat is the 3rd book in the Michael Spraggue Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Dead Heat

When a former PI is invited to a gathering of New Orleans chefs, murder is on the menu in this “well written, sharply observed” mystery (The New York Times).

Sophisticated Boston Brahmin Michael Spraggue will never forget the flaky strawberry tarts Dora Levoyer made for him when he was a little boy. A French immigrant who has worked for Michael’s eccentric aunt Mary for decades, Dora has an old-world sensibility, an elegant palate, and a past that cannot be spoken of. Deserted by her husband long ago, she has fought hard to put him out of her mind. But when Dora is invited to a banquet held by the finest chefs in New Orleans, she sees a man who looks just like her missing spouse. Before she can confront him, he is found with a chef’s knife embedded in his heart—and every piece of evidence points to Dora as the killer.

At his aunt Mary’s behest, Michael hops the first plane down to New Orleans—a mysterious city where the dead, like the living, have dangerous secrets.

Cities of the Deadis the 4th book in the Michael Spraggue Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.