Nero Wolfe mysteries are private eye detective stories with the majority of the pages dedicated to the investigation of the murder. But the remaining pages tell the story of the relationship between Nero and his right-hand-man Archie. We learn about orchids, fine dining and finer meals, and life in the period Rex Stout wrote—beginning in 1934 and concluding in 1974. (Just think of how life changed in that time!) I opened the books for the mystery, but I flipped the pages for the colorful scenes and commentary that made it all fun, aka the drama.

These days, I devour books, reading about 75 a year. As I’ve refined my reading
preference, I find that I am most drawn to stories that are 50/50. Mystery / Drama.
Romance / Suspense. Paranormal / Mystery. It’s like going out for ice cream and getting
a twist cone. I don’t have to choose between chocolate and vanilla—I can have both!

As I’ve matured in my writing style, I’m again 50/50. I can write a mystery and only a
mystery … but I think that would bore me. Perhaps that’s not the write word. I think I
would find it too intense. I love getting to know the characters and putting them in
awkward situations. So many come from real life. If they haven’t happened direct to me,
the people they did happen to told me the stories. Honestly, life would be boring if
everything went smoothly. Just last week, I traveled for work and somehow forgot
deodorant. I didn’t realize how many times a day I raise my arms until I forbade myself
from doing so. I went through an entire day at a conference with T-Rex arms. Sooner or
later, THAT is going in a book.

While I call it “drama”, I’m not talking about giving every character a tragic backstory
that has them taking every alphabet drug advertised on streaming channels just to get
out of bed. I’m talking about the real things we all deal with. Family. Work. Friends.
Health. I do occasionally tackle bigger issues. In my De La Cruz series, my lead
detective was a recovering alcoholic. This was inspired by and a tribute to my brother-
in-law who is fighting and winning against the addiction. In my new Rizk Brothers Legal
Mysteries, Jakob and his wife Courtney are expecting and dealing with the fear that
came with a prior miscarriage. I miscarried between my two sons and was surprised to
learn just how many couples deal with the loss. So many reached out to help me and, while it was 20 years ago, I remember their kindnesses. I hope bringing the experience
into my characters’ lives helps others feel not so alone.

Real life isn’t all work and no play, why should mysteries be any different? Incorporating
caricatures of real life—slightly exaggerated, kinda awkward, always entertaining—gives my detectives time to catch their breath and you, dear mystery lover, a chance to order your mind and suss out the killer.

Happy hunting, detectives!

About the Author

TG Wolff writes mysteries meant to be solved. She specializes in puzzles and giving you everything you need to beat the detective to the solution. Diverse characters mirror the complexities of real life and real people, balanced with a healthy dose of entertainment. TG Wolff holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering, which gives her no background in writing but was an excellent training ground for mystery solving.

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.