Best Served Cold

Well, it's happened again. That's right, another book is available on Amazon.com right now. It's called 'Best Served Cold,' and it's the newest Cameron Vail mystery. That makes three of them already this year, more than half my total production thus far. It's available now for only $3.99 in e-book format. Here's the cover blurb:

Once, Martino's Restaurant earned rave reviews. Today, the once-great restaurant has drawn the attention of Kitchens from Hell, the most-watched restaurant makeover show on television. But their dreams for rehabilitation and resurgence in the community run into a roadblock when the growing tension in the kitchen boils over into murder.

But when the police gobble up a suspect, not everyone believes they have the right man. As the plot thickens, it's up to Cameron Vail to grill the suspects and carve his way through the lies and hidden truths. Will he peel away the layers of deceit in time, or will the murderer avoid their just desserts?

It's funny, because I didn't start out planning to do a lot of murder mysteries; I was focusing on doing science fiction, and especially fantasy. I had lots of ideas for fantasy stories, some of which I have already written (one of which is published). But mysteries? I haven't been interested in writing mysteries since my days at the University of Toronto, back in the early 1990s. Yeah, I'm old; deal with it.

But, one of the projects I got around to finishing last summer was Final Exam, the book I started writing back then. It was, obviously, the first Cameron Vail mystery, and it happens to be my first published book, available for the low, introductory price of $0.99 US. The reason I decided to publish it first wasn't because I thought it was my best work, or because it was a surefire hit. In fact, looking at my planned schedule for writing and releasing this year, it wasn't going to be released until six other books had already been published.

So, why did I start with a murder mystery? Well, because it was the easiest one for me to publish, because I didn't have to pay anyone to make the cover for me. The Chronicles of Meterra: Arrival, my first fantasy novel, was supposed to be released first, but it's not easy to find a ready-made cover to fit a fantasy story involving a troll with cracked, flaming skin and seven clawed fingers on each hand. So, I had to get someone to make that cover for me, and it took some time to find the right fit. I believe I did; Alex Lechev, a.k.a. thegreyghost, did an excellent job.

But, to do the covers for murder mysteries, all I need is a picture that fits the theme of the book, which I was able to find for Final Exam and The Missing Magnate, the second Cameron Vail mystery to be published. After that, it's easy to just add the appropriate text to turn a straightforward image to a snazzy-looking book cover. Even I can do it, which means anyone can.

So, I'm still going to write the fantasy and science fiction; those are my go-to genres, after all. But mysteries are actually fun to write, as I discovered. I've got a few other ideas for more Cameron Vail adventures, and I might branch out into other detective characters as well. For now, though, Best Served Cold is ready for you. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.