Making It Write

by Betty Hechtman

Overview

Writer for Hire Veronica Blackstone's latest client is writing a memoir with a shocking twist ending, until she's found dead before finishing it. Can Veronica unravel the clues within the memoir to discover the killer?

As a writer for hire, Veronica Blackstone puts her keyboard to use to help others. That includes writing advertising copy for local businesses or love letters for those with romantic troubles, or helping people publish their memoirs. Maeve Winslow needs the latter.

Maeve is the wife of a famous artist nominated for a prestigious award, and the memoir is to be released ahead of the ceremony. All of Maeve's notes are given to Veronica but for the final few pages. There's a huge surprise within those last pages, but Maeve won't reveal it yet.

When Maeve is found dead at the foot of her stairs it looks like an accident, but Veronica isn't convinced. Was the scene staged? Was Maeve murdered to keep her silent? Could clues to the surprise, and the identity of the murderer, be hidden within the notes? It's up to Veronica to figure it out and write the real story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780727850935
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	08/02/2022
Series:	A Writer for Hire mystery , #3
Edition description:	Main
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	707,860
Product dimensions:	5.91(w) x 8.98(h) x (d)

About the Author

Despite completing a Fine Arts degree, all Betty Hechtman ever wanted to be was a writer. She wrote a weekly column in her college newspaper and later wrote magazine and newspaper pieces, along with short stories and a prize-wining screenplay. Betty had her first novel published in 2006. Since then she has had over twenty books published across two cozy mystery series centered on another one of her loves - yarn craft. She lives with her family in Southern California.

www.bettyhechtman.com
Facebook: Betty Hechtman Author

Editorial Reviews

06/13/2022

In Hechtman’s winning sequel to 2021’s Murder Ink, freelance writer Veronica Blackstone welcomes the steady work of helping wealthy Maeve Winslow, the wife of art sensation Michael Angel, write her tell-all autobiography. Maeve has a big secret to reveal, but just days after starting the job, Veronica is horrified to find Maeve’s lifeless body at the bottom of a steep stairway at her home in an exclusive Chicago suburb. Determined to finish writing Maeve’s story despite threats from Maeve’s charming yet ruthless husband, Maeve’s greedy stepdaughter, and a YouTube influencer who’s been profiting handsomely since discovering Michael and promoting his eye-catching paintings of an adorable Scottish terrier. Veronica could really use the help of her boyfriend, police officer Ben Monroe, in investigating what becomes a murder case, but he’s out of the picture now that his not-quite-ex-wife is back. If Veronica can’t discover who killed Maeve, the murderer might just have the last word. An appealing lead matches the intriguing plot. Mystery fans would do well to add Hechtman’s sleuthing wordsmith to their reading lists. Agent: Jessica Faust, Bookends Literary. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

An immersive firstperson narration, a fascinating look at the life of a freelancer, and a believable romance distinguish this cozy

From the Publisher

2022-05-25
A professional writer has an unfortunate propensity to get involved in murder.

Veronica Blackstone has just finished her second detective novel following the modest success of her first, but she can’t live on the proceeds. To supplement her income, she runs a weekly writers group and also hires herself out to write everything from love notes to descriptions of ice cream flavors. She hopes that an upcoming interview with Maeve Winslow, who’s looking for help writing her memoir, may lead to a rewarding partnership. When she shows up at Maeve’s house for her first appointment, though, the door is opened by a rude woman who tells her Maeve isn’t home. Meanwhile, Veronica continues her low-key romance with Ben, her downstairs neighbor’s police officer brother and a member of the writers group. But when Ben leaves a meeting without having read his work and then tells Veronica he “can't do this anymore,” with no explanation, she’s crushed. When she finally meets Maeve, she learns that her client is an art teacher who’s married to a painter whose pictures of his childhood Scottie have become wildly popular, having been touted by an influencer who’s selling T-shirts and posters of the artworks. Maeve eventually hands Veronica a pile of papers and a diary and explains that she’s been secretive so far in order to keep the book a surprise from her nosy neighbors. By now, Veronica has everything she needs to complete the memoir except the ending, which Maeve tells her she may figure out for herself. When she finds Maeve dead after a supposedly accidental fall, she suspects that Maeve may have been marked for murder.

Plenty of interesting characters add zest to a tale of murder and romantic pitfalls.

Kirkus Reviews