Connect the Dots
How could a thirty-something man fall to his death from a fourth-floor balcony he knows is
defective? That's the question freelance writer Micki Demetrius is asked to answer by the
man's grieving mother, Clarissa White, who refuses to believe his death was an unfortunate
accident. But when the authorities determine it was homicide, Micki is shut out of her
investigative efforts.

Giving up is easier said than done for Micki. She can't resist a mystery, and suspicious
characters won't leave Clarissa alone, from the woman claiming a stake in the victim's life to a
cagey character who wants his business. As the threat to Clarissa grows, Micki feels compelled
to help her in spite of the danger.

Micki's three mah jongg pals—Sydney, Marianne and Kat—are drawn into the mystery, but the
retirees have their own challenges. Syd and husband Trip do grandparent duty while their
daughter deals with marital issues. Marianne "finds herself" by writing a one-act play. And Kat
must decide how public to go with her growing friendship with the sheriff. Together, they must
connect the dots in a nefarious web of greed, neglect, secrecy and murder.

The Mah Jongg Mystery Series is set in the fictional central Florida town of Serendipity Springs. It features four retired women who meet playing the game of Mah Jongg and from there develop a strong friendship. Two have been married several years and have grown children and grandchildren, one is divorced and one has never been married. In their earlier lives, all had rewarding careers, but that doesn't mean they're content to sit back and relax now. As the series progresses, each pursues new interests, Kat Faulkner as a songstress, Marianne Putnam writing one-act plays, Micki Demetrius as a freelance journalist and Sydney Bonner interior design.

In their community they engage in such activities as a social group for those over 50, numerous stops at the local coffeehouse, classes and other activities at the community center and even a shopping trip to Naples. Syd's husband, Trip, and Marianne's husband, Beau, are golf buddies who spend many a day on the course. When not there, Trip is busy seeking to build a new post retirement life, and Beau, a former botanist, is often prevailed upon to join in Trip's latest activity. Sheriff Rick Formero, a widower, intrigued by Kat, presses for her to make more of their relationship and Kat slowly comes around. Micki, burned by her former spouse, isn't ready for a serious relationship, at least that's what she claims, but retired attorney, Guy Whitney, also a widower, tries to convince her to think otherwise.

Kat has lived a frugal life until winning big in a lottery shortly after her mother's death; suddenly, Kat has money and doesn't know how to spend it. But her pal, Micki, does, even if it's to guide Kat through a makeover and wardrobe change for her lounge act.

The four don't seek out murders to investigate; somehow the circumstances and those affected drag them in. To their surprise, they like investigating homicides, and they're good at it, although along the way, following a few lucky escapes from near-death situations, they discover they must learn self-defense. But it takes time for them to sell their skills and special abilities as civilians to the sheriff.

Barbara Barrett is already published in contemporary romance. Like her protagonists, she is retired and is a resident of Florida, although she spends her summers in her home state of Iowa. She is married with grown children and eight grandchildren. She spent over three decades as a human resource management analyst with Iowa state government. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime – Iowa, and Florida Star Fiction Writers.
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Connect the Dots
How could a thirty-something man fall to his death from a fourth-floor balcony he knows is
defective? That's the question freelance writer Micki Demetrius is asked to answer by the
man's grieving mother, Clarissa White, who refuses to believe his death was an unfortunate
accident. But when the authorities determine it was homicide, Micki is shut out of her
investigative efforts.

Giving up is easier said than done for Micki. She can't resist a mystery, and suspicious
characters won't leave Clarissa alone, from the woman claiming a stake in the victim's life to a
cagey character who wants his business. As the threat to Clarissa grows, Micki feels compelled
to help her in spite of the danger.

Micki's three mah jongg pals—Sydney, Marianne and Kat—are drawn into the mystery, but the
retirees have their own challenges. Syd and husband Trip do grandparent duty while their
daughter deals with marital issues. Marianne "finds herself" by writing a one-act play. And Kat
must decide how public to go with her growing friendship with the sheriff. Together, they must
connect the dots in a nefarious web of greed, neglect, secrecy and murder.

The Mah Jongg Mystery Series is set in the fictional central Florida town of Serendipity Springs. It features four retired women who meet playing the game of Mah Jongg and from there develop a strong friendship. Two have been married several years and have grown children and grandchildren, one is divorced and one has never been married. In their earlier lives, all had rewarding careers, but that doesn't mean they're content to sit back and relax now. As the series progresses, each pursues new interests, Kat Faulkner as a songstress, Marianne Putnam writing one-act plays, Micki Demetrius as a freelance journalist and Sydney Bonner interior design.

In their community they engage in such activities as a social group for those over 50, numerous stops at the local coffeehouse, classes and other activities at the community center and even a shopping trip to Naples. Syd's husband, Trip, and Marianne's husband, Beau, are golf buddies who spend many a day on the course. When not there, Trip is busy seeking to build a new post retirement life, and Beau, a former botanist, is often prevailed upon to join in Trip's latest activity. Sheriff Rick Formero, a widower, intrigued by Kat, presses for her to make more of their relationship and Kat slowly comes around. Micki, burned by her former spouse, isn't ready for a serious relationship, at least that's what she claims, but retired attorney, Guy Whitney, also a widower, tries to convince her to think otherwise.

Kat has lived a frugal life until winning big in a lottery shortly after her mother's death; suddenly, Kat has money and doesn't know how to spend it. But her pal, Micki, does, even if it's to guide Kat through a makeover and wardrobe change for her lounge act.

The four don't seek out murders to investigate; somehow the circumstances and those affected drag them in. To their surprise, they like investigating homicides, and they're good at it, although along the way, following a few lucky escapes from near-death situations, they discover they must learn self-defense. But it takes time for them to sell their skills and special abilities as civilians to the sheriff.

Barbara Barrett is already published in contemporary romance. Like her protagonists, she is retired and is a resident of Florida, although she spends her summers in her home state of Iowa. She is married with grown children and eight grandchildren. She spent over three decades as a human resource management analyst with Iowa state government. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime – Iowa, and Florida Star Fiction Writers.
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Connect the Dots

Connect the Dots

by Barbara Barrett
Connect the Dots

Connect the Dots

by Barbara Barrett

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Overview

How could a thirty-something man fall to his death from a fourth-floor balcony he knows is
defective? That's the question freelance writer Micki Demetrius is asked to answer by the
man's grieving mother, Clarissa White, who refuses to believe his death was an unfortunate
accident. But when the authorities determine it was homicide, Micki is shut out of her
investigative efforts.

Giving up is easier said than done for Micki. She can't resist a mystery, and suspicious
characters won't leave Clarissa alone, from the woman claiming a stake in the victim's life to a
cagey character who wants his business. As the threat to Clarissa grows, Micki feels compelled
to help her in spite of the danger.

Micki's three mah jongg pals—Sydney, Marianne and Kat—are drawn into the mystery, but the
retirees have their own challenges. Syd and husband Trip do grandparent duty while their
daughter deals with marital issues. Marianne "finds herself" by writing a one-act play. And Kat
must decide how public to go with her growing friendship with the sheriff. Together, they must
connect the dots in a nefarious web of greed, neglect, secrecy and murder.

The Mah Jongg Mystery Series is set in the fictional central Florida town of Serendipity Springs. It features four retired women who meet playing the game of Mah Jongg and from there develop a strong friendship. Two have been married several years and have grown children and grandchildren, one is divorced and one has never been married. In their earlier lives, all had rewarding careers, but that doesn't mean they're content to sit back and relax now. As the series progresses, each pursues new interests, Kat Faulkner as a songstress, Marianne Putnam writing one-act plays, Micki Demetrius as a freelance journalist and Sydney Bonner interior design.

In their community they engage in such activities as a social group for those over 50, numerous stops at the local coffeehouse, classes and other activities at the community center and even a shopping trip to Naples. Syd's husband, Trip, and Marianne's husband, Beau, are golf buddies who spend many a day on the course. When not there, Trip is busy seeking to build a new post retirement life, and Beau, a former botanist, is often prevailed upon to join in Trip's latest activity. Sheriff Rick Formero, a widower, intrigued by Kat, presses for her to make more of their relationship and Kat slowly comes around. Micki, burned by her former spouse, isn't ready for a serious relationship, at least that's what she claims, but retired attorney, Guy Whitney, also a widower, tries to convince her to think otherwise.

Kat has lived a frugal life until winning big in a lottery shortly after her mother's death; suddenly, Kat has money and doesn't know how to spend it. But her pal, Micki, does, even if it's to guide Kat through a makeover and wardrobe change for her lounge act.

The four don't seek out murders to investigate; somehow the circumstances and those affected drag them in. To their surprise, they like investigating homicides, and they're good at it, although along the way, following a few lucky escapes from near-death situations, they discover they must learn self-defense. But it takes time for them to sell their skills and special abilities as civilians to the sheriff.

Barbara Barrett is already published in contemporary romance. Like her protagonists, she is retired and is a resident of Florida, although she spends her summers in her home state of Iowa. She is married with grown children and eight grandchildren. She spent over three decades as a human resource management analyst with Iowa state government. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime – Iowa, and Florida Star Fiction Writers.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781948532143
Publisher: Barbara Barrett
Publication date: 02/02/2019
Series: The Mah Jongg Mysteries , #3
Pages: 274
Product dimensions: 5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.58(d)

About the Author

Barbara Barrett started reading mysteries when she was pregnant with her first child to keep her mind off things like her changing body and food cravings. When she’d devoured as many Agatha Christies as she could find, she branched out to English village cozies and Ellery Queen.

Later, to avoid a midlife crisis, she began writing fiction at night when she wasn’t at her day job as a human resources analyst for Iowa State Government. After releasing eleven full-length romance novels and one novella, she returned to the cozy mystery genre, using one of her retirement pastimes, the game of mah jongg, as her inspiration. Not only has it been a great social outlet, it has also helped keep her mind active when not writing.

Connect the Dots, the third book in her “Mah Jongg Mystery” series, features four friends who play mah jongg together and share otherwise in each other’s lives. None of the four is based on an actual person. Each is an amalgamation of several mah jongg friends with a lot of Barbara’s imagination thrown in for good measure. The four will continue to appear in future books in the series.

Anticipating the day when she would write her first mystery, she has been a member of the Mystery/Romantic Suspense chapter of Romance Writers of America (Kiss of Death) for over a decade. She credits them with helping her hone her craft. She is also a member of Sisters in Crime and Sinc-Iowa.

Barbara is married to the man she met her senior year of college. They have two grown children and eight grandchildren.

Now retired, she is a resident of Florida, although she spends her summers in Iowa, her home state. She earned her B.A. degree in History from the University of Iowa and her Master’s Degree in History from Drake University.

When not in front of her laptop creating her next story, she plays mah jongg, knits and enjoys lunches with friends.
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