Before I get to this week’s post, I want to ask for your help. We’re trying to hit the USA Today Best Seller List with Summer of Suspense, so if you would share about it with your friends, it might put us over the top. It’s still only $.99 so it a really good bargain!
And be sure to stop by our Facebook party! We’re giving away lots of prizes.
Click here to share our Facebook post and to go to the party. Here to share a tweet. Thank you for all your help!
Now back to your regularly scheduled blog.
This past weekend was a blast! I learned how to find bodies that have been buried a while, how arson investigators operate, how to tell if a suspect is lying and listened to an undercover detective talk about his life on the streets. Oh, and I got a lot of information on guns and forensic geology and on victims.
My badge and schedule
Blood Spatter using Luminol
In this class, the instructor turned off all the lights (you don’t shine a black light) and sprayed luminol on the floor and it showed where someone had tracked blood (animal blood) across the floor. Very interesting.
Slide from Forensic Geology class
The forensic geology class was just what I needed for the opening of my next Natchez Trace book!
From left to right, me, Lynn Blackburn, my roommate Sami Abrams
Now onto last week’s Mystery Question: Three of the stories are true and one I made up.
- A man dropped his television set and it tumbled down the basement stairs. The insurance company replaced the set with a new one. The insured bragged to a co-worker about the prompt and efficient service he received from his insurer. She told her husband who soon afterward called his own insurance company to report that he had dropped his set and taken it to the dump. Unfortunately for him, the same insurance adjuster handled both claims. He went to the dump and discovered that the make, model and the serial number of the TV set in the second case were the same as in the earlier case.
- A beautiful piece of sculpture was stolen in a home break-in. Its owner filed two claims for the theft of the same sculpture one in English and one in French. Fortunately, the claims adjuster was bilingual and spotted the scam.
- A man turned in a claim stating his patio furniture had been stolen off his balcony. The company was about to pay the claim when someone checked the address and discovered the man lived in a building with no balconies.
- A man said he was standing in his bathtub taking a shower when suddenly his whole house shook. He slipped and suffered a nasty injury. Apparently, a passing motorist had lost control of his truck and slammed into the house. The local paper had carried a story about the accident. It quoted an eyewitness who was standing outside the house at the time and saw the whole thing. Unfortunately for the claimant, the eyewitness was the same guy who filed the claim.
And the answer is…#3 Congrats on those who got it right. 🙂
Now onto this week’s Mystery Question. A woman decided to hire someone to kill her husband. The plan was for her to put something in his drink when he came home from work, then the two men she hired would carry him to his car and then drive him to a cliff and push the car with him in the driver’s seat over the cliff. Three of the following facts are true. I made up one. Can you guess which one?
- She failed to put enough of the drug into his drink and he woke up when the two men picked him up and there was a fight.
- They shot him three times.
- They put him in the car and drove to the spot chosen and pushed the car with him inside over the cliff.
- They were caught when one of the men who had a record left his prints on the back of the rearview mirror.
Okay, Super Sleuths, which one did I make up? Leave your answer in the comments and I’ll enter you in a drawing for a book from my library.
And the winner for July is Jan Ballard!
Comments 47
I’m going with #1
Author
We’ll see, Rosalyn, we’ll see. And thanks for stopping by!
#2–why shoot him 3X? why not once? (and shooting wasn’t in the original plan)
Author
Love your logic, MS Barb! Thanks for stopping by.
Great pictures! I’ll be swinging by the party and will spread the news
Author
Thanks, Jessica!
Looks like a fun workshop. I shared your Summer of Suspense on Facebook and Twitter but had to go to your old post to do it. The Click Here on this one didn’t work for me.
Author
Sally Jo, you should go sometime–you would love it. And thanks to you, I fixed the link to Twitter and FB!
I’ll comment about this week’s choices later but glad to buy the Summer Suspense. Your book belongs on the best-seller list. Wishing you well!
Author
Thank you so much, Delores! I hope we hit USAT!
I’ll go with number four. Caught by the partial print on the mirror.
Author
We’ll see, Terri! Thanks for stopping by!
I preordered Summer of Suspense on B&N and then Amazon when it became available. I om going with #2 this week.
Author
We’ll see, Gloria. Thanks for ordering Summer of Suspense!
I figure it’s #2 or #4, but they’re all crazy. I’m going with #2 this time, the bullets make the whole thing wonderfully crazy–unless of course he was depressed, had a fear of falling (drowning?), and shot himself just before going off the cliff 🙂
Author
Love your reasoning, Delores. 🙂 We’ll see next week if it’s correct.
#4
Author
We’ll see Phyllis! Thanks for stopping by.
Ohhhhh, can I guess??? LOL!! Just kidding! (Since I helped you with the deception, I’ll sit back and smile at all the answers.)
Author
Oh, Sami, that’s funny! Guess what???? Delta lost my suitcase…well, not exactly lost, but I’m still waiting on them to deliver it, 48 hours after they misplaced it!
Oh, that stinks!! Hope you get it soon.
I shared about the sale on Facebook and picked up my own copy from Amazon! I was waiting for it to come off of pre-order status and was pleasantly surprised it was still only 99 cents
I’ll come back later to gander a guess at your mystery question, but I think that Murder Con would be a lot of fun to attend. Too bad we don’t have something like that here! If I could have any career, I would love to be a homicide or crime scene investigator. I bet you took a lot of information away with the class.
Author
The classes were awesome, Trixi! it will take weeks to process everything I learned. Thanks for picking up a copy of Summer of Suspense.
I’ll pick #1
Author
We’ll see, Mary. Thanks for stopping by!
Excited about Summer of Suspense…..got mine. I’ll pick #1.
Author
Thank you, Jackie! I’m excited about it, too. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m guessing #4 was made up. I think they shot him because the drug wore off too soon. Then the police found a match on the bullets recovered from his body.
Author
We’ll see, Edward, and as usual, I love your logic. 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
I’ll go with #1
Author
We’ll see, Alicia. Thanks for commenting!
Well, #1 shouldn’t have stopped them since it was 3 against 1. #3 is the premise of the caper. #4 would not necessarily have proved anything. So, I’m saying it was #2 even though crooks are not always the brightest folks.
I pre-ordered Summer of Suspense on B&N, and see that it downloaded to my Nook today. It’s queued and waiting!
And, that workshop looks pretty neat, and I’m guessing you had way too much fun there!
Author
I did, Tim. I forgot to mention Graham Hetrick from the Coroner gave a keynote, and then I ran into him and his wife at Starbucks the next morning and we had a nice conversation. He and his wife are good people.
#2 because why shot him x3 just to push car off a cliff
Author
My thoughts, too, Shelia, but don’t forget crooks aren’t always the brightest light bulbs in the basket. lol
Okay, I’m back 🙂 Isn’t #3 saying the same thing as your mystery question? I guess I’m confused about what’s different. I can’t decide between #2 and #4 this week…because #2 would happen if the drug wore off too fast and they shot him to kill him and #4 because why would you use your foot to push the car backwards instead of gloved hands to push it forward? LOL, but my logic has failed in the past! I still love Edwards logic best, he’s seems pretty smart at these things 😉
Author
Trixi, your logic isn’t bad, and I think #3 is the same as what I asked earlier. lol. So which one did you choose? 🙂
Patricia, if I really had to choose I’d go with #4.
Author
We’ll see, Trixi. 🙂
I choose 2. Why shoot him? I preordered the compilation a long time ago and downloaded it today!
Author
I’m so glad your book downloaded okay, Paula! And we’ll see next week if it’s #2.
Hello Pat, Murder Con looks like so much fun! Thanks for sharing the photos. I’m guessing #4 is false.
Murder Con was a blast, Caryl! We’ll see if it’s #4 next week!
#4
Author
We’ll see, Jeanna. Thanks for stopping by.
I think number 4 is made up. And I’ve ordered my copy of Summer of Suspense!
Author
Great! Here’s the Facebook party link for lots of prizes and a chance to talk with the other authors: https://www.facebook.com/events/361400477859237/?active_tab=discussion