Three new books, two about Christmas

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

I have three new books published, two about Christmas.

Christmas with the Famous contains stories of their most memorable Christmas from 150 famous people from Mother Teresa and Angelina Jolie to two popes, six presidents, and Elvis Presley, plus many movie and television stars past and present, Catholic and Protestant church leaders, even a few Jewish famous. Their best-remembered Christmas can lift the spirits of everyone, even those who may have TMS for any variety of reasons and think they have nothing to celebrate this year.

A Midnight Clear, A Dog's Christmas, is a novel based on my dog Max and his dog friends' adventures in a blizzard helping a young couple find shelter as the wife is about to deliver a child on Christmas Eve.

The Murder of the Month Club is a humorous murder novel in which six senior citizens play a charade of murdering six others until someone does do in those on their list, one a month from spring to autumn.

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

How to order Walter Oleksy’s books. It's best to order them from CreateSpace at the URLS below rather than from Amazon.


A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, A Dog’s Christmas: $6.99

www.CreateSpace.com/4503267


CHRISTMAS WITH THE FAMOUS $10.15

www.CreateSpace.com/4518724


THE MURDER-OF-THE-MONTH-CLUB $8.75

www.CreateSpace.com/4548946

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

If the back cover of THE MURDER-OF-THE-MONTH-CLUB type is too small to read,
here is a synopsis. It could take your mind off your TMS.

Murder is a game, to pass the time of day, until someone takes it seriously.

Six senior citizens at an old inn on the Maine coast – having come from England during World War II -- amuse themselves by playing a charade of murder. They plan to pretend to do in six others in their village, who are responsible for a factory's pollution, one-a-month from spring to fall. To their surprise and chagrin, someone is actually killing those on their list, "who never would be missed."

Captain Monty Chichester, a retired British naval officer, and his wife Isobel run an old boarding house in Whitcliffe-on-the-Sea, a fictional village on the Maine coast. The town is perpetually shrouded in smog, partly due to fog perpetually laying over the harbor and smoke from a local coat factory.

Also residing at the inn, besides their beautiful granddaughter Estelle who is the new village librarian, and the Captain's elderly mother, are three roomers of advancedage: Fiona Cottsworth, the former librarian; Iris Wimbledon, an actress "at liberty;" and Ben Fawkes, a plumber.

All but Estelle are members of an afternoon club which meets at the inn and takes up diversions such as bridge or whist. Their current "phase" is dissecting murder novels.

To the inn comes a young American, Stephen Longcommon, who learns from Captain Chichester that everyone in Whitcliffe is doomed to die -- from the factory's pollution. Stephen shows concern but is more interested in Estelle. He is liked by those at the inn, but none knows why he has come to Whitcliffe.

Isobel, Fiona, and Iris agree they are growing tired of the current phase. Fiona remarks that they have read and analyzed so many murder novels, they know enough about murder to commit the perfect crime. The notion is taken up at the next meeting and all agree that would make a splendid new phase for the club.

They agree to do in everyone in Whitcliffe who has to do with the coat factory's pollution. This includes its elderly owner, Horace Dingle; his slightly younger wife

Irene; their lawyer Guy Farnsberry (with whom Irene is having an affair); and three public officials on-the-take: Mayor Pim; Health Commissioner Roxbury; and Cyril Spade, chairman of the village Committee on Environmental Control. Six polluters, each marked for death.

They will be murdered one-a-month, their name drawn by lot. The murders will take the club members from Spring to Autumn, and Captain Chichester christens them The Murder-of-the-Month Club.

But being all good people, the club members agree not to actually murder those on their list. They will plan each murder and even go through a charade toward doing in each victim, but they will not actually murder anyone.

To their surprise, each person on their list does die, in the order they vote upon at club meetings, and in manners either identical or similar to those they agreed upon.

The club members and the reader wonder if the deaths are accident or, is someone murdering those on their list. If murder, who is the murderer? Is it one of the club members, having gotten carried away with the new phase?

Is the murderer someone else? Each person on the murder list has good reason to do in any of the others, and there also are outsiders who might be responsible for the deaths.

The story and style aim at being a satire on British murder mysteries, especially cozies, Agatha Christie novels, and the dark humor of Muriel Spark's stories.

I am a frequent contributor to the TMSWiki and a former Chicago Tribune police and crime reporter, freelancing for some years and a published author of fiction and nonfiction. A list of my published books is at www.walteroleksybooks.com

 

[Becca]

Walt, I LOVE these, especially the murder-one-a-month one. What a great plot. Where did you get the idea to write that? I think the hardest part about writing for me (besides finding the time/energy) is just thinking of plots. I have plenty of ideas but plot-wise, not so much.

When does this hit the bookstores? Although online shops are more convenient, I try to support local shops when I can...let's just say the Brookline Booksmith is my second home. Some of the weekend staff know me by name, no joke

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Hi, Becca. I don't think local bookstores stock the book.
It's best (and I get better royalty) if you order it online from CreateSpace with that url I posted.

I don't know where that plot idea came to me, but I got it 40 years ago!
I wrote it back then but couldn't get an agent or editor interested in it so I finally published it myself.
It just became available yesterday. I think you'd like it. I still laugh reading it.

If you like it, please spread the word, giving the url to your email and Facebook and Twitter friends.

And if you have dog or Christmas friends, please tell them about the other two books.