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C.R. Corwin

"A brainteaser and a comic salute to the rather terrifying charm of its heroine."—New York Times

In the world of newspapers, the morgue is the place—usually somewhere in the bowels of the building—where old story clippings are filed away. Dolly Madison Sprowls has been in charge of The Hannawa Herald-Union's morgue for more than 40 years. She is gruff and salty, well past the age of retirement, and the unchallenged queen of her ink-stained domain. Reporters call her Morgue Mama—but only behind her back.

Maddy's well-ordered world is turned upside-down when the paper hires 24-year-old Aubrey McGinty for its police beat. Aubrey loses no time in questioning the conviction of Sissy James for the murder of TV evangelist Buddy Wing. Sissy had confessed live on television, and the evidence seems overwhelming, but the ambitious young reporter doesn't believe she did it. But why did Sissy embrace guilt? Aubrey enlists Maddy's help and together they begin a harrowing search for the truth. Digging into the files, they soon—dangerously—uncover enough suspects to fill a studio with those who do the devil's work.

Lorna Raver

Blackstone Publishing

Poisoned Pen Press

Morgue Mama Mysteries

Morgue Mama

"Irascible, fearless and unapologetic, Maddy is a heroine cozy fans will embrace."—Publishers Weekly

Newspaper librarian Maddy Sprowls never gives story ideas to the editors at The Hannawa Herald-Union. She prefers to stay in the newspaper "morgue" and do her job. Then one Saturday she sees four elderly women get out of a taxicab at a garage sale. She figures that those women must hire the cabby every week to drive them from garage sale to garage sale. And wouldn't that make a great feature story for the paper? Monday morning she runs straight to the newsroom with her idea. Shortly after the story runs, one of the four women is murdered: retired antique dealer Violeta Bell. Maddy wants no part of the investigation, but before she knows it, she's on another of her infamous snoopathons. And, good gravy, enjoying every minute.

Violeta Bell is an enigma. She even claimed to be the Queen of Romania. Could it be true?

The Unraveling of Violeta Bell

Maddy Sprowls, newspaper librarian for the Hannawa Herald-Union, prefers to stay in the newspaper morgue and do her job. But one Saturday, she sees four elderly women get out of a taxicab at a garage sale. She figures that those women must hire that cabby every week to drive them from garage sale to garage sale, and wouldn’t that make a great feature story for the paper? Shortly after the story runs, one of the four women, retired antiques dealer Violeta Bell, is murdered. Maddy wants no part of the investigation, but before she knows it, she’s on another of her infamous snoopathons. Were they hunting for bargains—or for something else?

The Unraveling of Violeta Bell: A Morgue Mama Mystery