Eleanor was born and raised in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on her family’s farm and orchard and from day one, Eleanor loved nature and being outdoors. Teaching fourth grade science was her destiny. The petite scrappy nun with bobbed hair brought the outdoors into Room 203 for her students and with Bernie’s help led students outdoors on many field trips. Wearing a pocketed vest to carry every bit of gear from a compass to first aid kit, Eleanor tromped through the forests around Eugene, pointing out songbirds and insects, scat and tracks to Bernie and her students. Because of her expertise in camping, canoeing and fishing, she’s one of the few people Bernie ever willingly took directions from, mainly because Bernie didn’t want to get lost in the woods or stumble into a patch of poison oak! 

Beloved by her students because of her boundless enthusiasm, many graduates of St. Al’s credit Sister Eleanor for sparking their interest in biology and outdoor activities. Teddy Rudie says she’s the reason he loves to go camping with his family every summer. Liz Kelly became a wildlife manager for the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife thanks to those field trips. 

The transition for an outdoorswoman from Michigan to Oregon was easy, especially with a kindred spirit like Bernie on staff. The women share a strong sense of social justice and curiosity as well as a stubborn streak. Bernie and Eleanor started traveling together during their summer vacations and since retiring they continue meeting up once a year for a trip. They head to all kinds of exotic locations, including Brazil and Laos. Wherever they go, they always cap off their evenings the same way: a hearty meal and some red wine topped off with a glass of bourbon. Bernie’s got hundreds of photos, but her favorites are of her and Eleanor with pink cheeks and glasses raised to toast another fine day exploring a new corner of the world. Over the years the two have grown more wrinkled, they’ve added eyeglasses and silver hair, and of course the backdrop changes with each new destination, but their sisterhood remains tight. 

Their history of heading to exciting places makes Bernie wonder why Eleanor insists on meeting in Seattle, Washington this year. It’s true Eleanor had a little health scare a year ago, but is her oldest friend slowing down? Or did she choose this destination for a more nefarious reason?  These questions turn out to be central in A Fatal Habit when Bernie arrives in Seattle to find Eleanor has gone missing…

About the Author

Melissa Westemeier grew up around the edge of nerd culture, but marriage and motherhood with three sons immersed her in it. She’s fluent in Marvel, DC, Dr. Who, Star Wars, Godzilla, and more thanks to their influence. Her fiction work includes rom-com and a trilogy loosely based on her experience tending bar on the Wolf River in Wisconsin. She’s thrilled to realize her childhood dream of writing murder mysteries. Her books blend her humor and appreciation for nerd culture while tackling serious themes and unpacking the puzzle of whodunnit (and how and why!). In her spare time, Melissa needs to be outside or near a window. Her passions include hiking, swimming, biking, reading, and fantasizing about her next vacation destination.

GIVEAWAY: Because who doesn’t love FREE books?

We will pick ONE winner to receive a digital book of their choice from the February mystery releases.

Comment down below saying which book you’re looking most forward to reading! Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. The winner will be randomly selected and announced at the end of the month.

Good luck and happy reading!

The Extraction

By: Kimberley Troutte

An undercover agent with fractured memories and a kill device. Her foreign spy partner on a separate mission, determined to return and protect her. Two missions. Two countdown clocks. Thousands of lives at risk.  

Heather Slade’s cover may be blown, but still she’s determined to sneak into a secret, heavily-guarded prisoner of war camp, knowing her only option to save the innocent inmates is to become one. She has no weapons, no backup and a slim chance of success, but her young daughter may be held in the camp.

Miguel Robles’s new assignment turns lethal when he’s injected with a deadly toxin that will kill him in three days. He’s evacuated to Mexico City and his family gathers, certain it’s the end. But will the fight for his life reveal the answers he and Heather have been searching for?

Heather and Miguel will fight together to stay alive and be reunited with their loved ones. But Someone at HQ has been pulling the strings from the beginning, and the mission and enemies and allies may not be what they seem.

Buttercream and Bullets

By: Lisa Siefert

She just wants to sell cupcakes and avoid drama. When a killer strikes close to home, will she whisk up the perfect trap or get burned trying?

Ava Decker is starved for commitment. Unsure what to do about the three men tearing her in different directions, the sarcastic baker is kicking off January with a massive hangover and the urge to eat her feelings. But when she drags herself to the museum to clean up after the town’s New Year’s Eve bash, she discovers not only stale treats but also the editor of the local newspaper … shot to death.

Leaning on forensic skills she’s earned by being an unfortunate corpse magnet, the big-hearted shop owner resumes her role as neighborhood amateur sleuth and starts exploring clues. Yet as she digs up info on feuding co-workers, missing money, and crooked politicians, she realizes the sharp-tongued wordsmith had a whole pantry’s worth of enemies.

Can she celebrate the sweet reward of catching a murderer before this becomes a recipe for disaster?

Buttercream and Bullets is the warmly satirical seventh book in the Frosted Misfortunes Mysteries culinary cozy series. If you like quirky characters with millennial snark, laugh-out-loud humor, and feline sidekicks who steal scenes, then you’ll love Lisa Siefert’s relatable shenanigans.

A Fatal Habit

By: Melissa Westemeier

When everyone’s in costume, even a killer can hide in plain sight…

Sister Bernadette Ohlson planned a quiet weekend in Seattle catching up with her old friend Sister Eleanor—not tracking down her murderer. But when Eleanor improbably turns up dead after having a cocktail with a cosplaying character during Comic Con, Sister Bernie refuses to return safely home and pray for answers. With the clock ticking before the convention ends and thousands of possible suspects scatter, Bernie teams up with her former student, Detective AJ Lewis, to uncover the truth behind a killer hiding behind a mask.

From movie characters to anime icons, every cosplayer could be a suspect—and every clue seems to lead to a dead end. AJ worries his favorite nun is in over her head, but Bernie’s faith in human nature and her unholy habit of ignoring good advice may be the only things standing between justice and a perfect crime.

Fans of witty amateur sleuth mysteries, fun-loving characters, and page-turning whodunits will love this lighthearted mystery set amid the chaos and cosplay of Comic Con. Perfect for readers of Richard Osman, Jeanne M. Dams, and Jana DeLeon.

Ties that Kill

By: Fran Thomas Jr.

Only one FBI agent stands between justice and a Black man with a violent past dying in a hail of gunfire. 

A brutal crime has shattered quiet Lennington, Massachusetts, a blue-collar town haunted by privilege and secrets. FBI hostage negotiator Frank McAlister is pulled from vacation into a volatile standoff: three dead, two officers wounded, and the accused, local football hero Noah Winston – a skilled marksman with a troubled past – barricaded inside his house. When a naked body is later found at the lakefront home of a wealthy industrialist, a past thought successfully buried by rich and powerful people threatens to surface.

With the clock ticking, tensions high, and his own job on the line, McAlister joins forces with investigative reporter Shannon Winters, and together they discover more suspicious deaths. How are they connected? They soon realize their true task is not to determine who killed these men, but why. With the help of Noah’s friends, they begin to unravel a decades-old coverup, while navigating the politics of race and power warring in real time on their watch.

In this gripping procedural mystery, the line between justice and vengeance blurs, and every revelation sheds light on a wrong Noah Winston would not let stand.

Murder on Site

By: TG Wolff

In the corridors of Indiana’s justice system, power is both a weapon and a curse.

Jakob Rizk never expected to become Indiana’s acting attorney general—especially not after his mentor’s sudden death. Two weeks in, he’s losing sleep, battling a ruthless rival, and facing off with a powerful senator focused on his downfall. The last thing he needs is for his twin, Seth—a Miami cop hiding secrets of his own—to arrive unexpectedly.

Jakob is under pressure to prosecute a young engineer for the murder of a hard-nosed inspector famous for rooting out corruption. But with scant evidence and clear signs of political interference, the case is a minefield. Jakob has always lived by the law, but now one misstep could cost him a career.

Together, the brothers must unravel a web of greed and deception, each dead set on appearing strong in the other’s eyes. As they race the clock, which matters more: the truth, their careers, or fragile bonds that could be shattered forever?

Fans of Scott Turow will find themselves right at home in this gripping legal mystery.