Kirjahaku

The Origin of Murder is the fifth novel and eighth book] in the Roger and Suzanne mystery series, a fast paced whodunit that brings the crime solving couple back to South America. Join our detectives on a visit to the Galapagos Islands as Charles Darwin might have seen them on his historical voyage on HMS Beagle, and visit the ancient Incan city and capital of Ecuador, Quito, high in South America's Andes Mountains. Suzanne finds a woman's body floating in the Pacific Ocean with a couple of bullet holes in it while the couple is on a luxury cruise through the islands. There's a ship full of suspects, including a shady DEA agent and two nubile sisters from San Francisco, and more dead bodies to come. The phrase "survival of the fittest" applies to the ship's passengers as well as to the flora and fauna of the Galapagos. The supporting cast includes Robert, Bruce the nanny, and Paraguayan policeman Eduardo Gomez. Series fans and new readers will enjoy this mystery novel, which can be enjoyed as a standalone entry to the series.

A close friend from Roger's past is tasked with solving several recent murders in Prague and Budapest. But a bounty is placed on his head while he is en route to Eastern Europe to investigate the crimes. Roger is hired to take his place to find the answers to several questions: Was the assailant who pummeled a man to death just outside a synagogue in Prague's Old City human, or was he a Golem lurking in the area? Who is the Cobra, a shadowy character with major connections to the worlds of espionage and art theft? And why are the local secret police interested in his investigations? Meantime, Suzanne has her hands full taking care of a new baby and training her dog Romeo for agility competitions. Like all of the Roger and Suzanne series on Amazon Kindle, this is a tough, sometimes violent, but clean (no cussing, no sexual promiscuity) mystery that can be enjoyed either as a series entry or a standalone novel.

A late-night visitor tells Suzanne that something seems to be wrong with a research program she is involved with. He's right. The CEO of a Southern California biopharmaceutical company disappears at sea under suspicious circumstances. Shortly afterwards, the Chief Scientific Officer from a competing company is brutally murdered. Both of the victims, and many of the suspects, were engaged in canine agility training. With Roger busy elsewhere, this case falls to Suzanne, who takes over the investigation and the responsibilities of the missing CEO. Fortunately, she has Romeo, a German shorthaired pointer, to establish her credibility in agility trials, and Roger's staff of detectives to do the legwork in a major criminal investigation. The first half of the title comes from Suzanne going undercover to become the new CEO of a Southern California biotechnology company researching possible cancer cures to lead an investigation of the disappearance of the former CEO. The second half refers to German shorthaired pointer Romeo's continuing career as an agility dog, as most of the suspects are training dogs for agility trials. This book is a suspenseful whodunit set against the backdrop of the thriving biotechnology industry in Southern California's Orange County. It will appeal to mystery fans and dog lovers. The novel, available in e-book and paperback formats, can be read as a standalone mystery or a series entry.