Book Title: SKIING IS MURDER
Author: Carolyn Arnold
Series: McKinley Mysteries, Book 10
Published by: Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc.
ISBN (e-book): 978-1-988064-63-5
ISBN (paperback 4 x 6): 978-1-988064-68-0
ISBN (paperback 5 x 8): 978-1-988064-67-3
ASIN: B017UIZQAS
140 pages
Blurb
They’re ready to hit the slopes when things go downhill…
Sean and Sara are supposed to have a relaxing vacation in Vail, but it all goes up in a puff of powder when there’s a suspicious death on the mountain. And the deceased is not just anyone; it’s Adrian Blackwell, a two-time Olympic skiing gold medalist.
Rumor has it Adrian died in a skiing accident, but he was too skilled for Sara to accept that as fact. But she doesn’t want to disappoint Sean by ruining his ski trip, even though she’s convinced Adrian was murdered and she’s itching to find the killer.
Sean has never been able to say no to Sara, but this time he plans to. However, all it takes is a call from their PI firm back in Albany to change his mind. A job’s come in to investigate Adrian’s death, and his agent is the one footing the bill, leaving Sean with more questions than answers.
Yet one major problem remains: their New York State PI licenses hold no legal authority in Colorado. They still can’t help but look into Adrian’s death on the sly, though. This case will definitely involve some underhanded tactics, all while trying to dodge the local police over the course of the investigation.
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Series Information
What to expect from the McKinley Mysteries:
Romance. Humor. Murder. Are you looking for a murder mystery without all the graphic violence and foul language? Something that you can enjoy in an afternoon and walk away feeling good about afterward? How about a dash of humor and romance? If so, meet former detectives Sean and Sara McKinley. When a billionaire leaves them all his money, they no longer have to work, but they find themselves sticking to what they’re good at—solving murders. Undercover, off the books, and around the world, they’ll get to the bottom of things…and romance it up along the way.
This is the perfect book series for fans of Hart to Hart, Castle, Colombo, Monk, Rockford Files, Psych, and Magnum PI.
Read in any order or follow the series from the beginning.
Excerpt from chapter 2 of Skiing is Murder (McKinley Mysteries)
HARMLESS CURIOSITY?
SHE SAW THE LOOK IN Sean’s eyes, the one that pleaded for her to leave the matter of the dead man alone. But she wasn’t getting involved with the investigation; she was simply curious as to what had happened. From the sound of it, the deceased was Adrian Blackwell. He’d won two Olympic gold medals in skiing—one in 2010 and another in 2014. Adrian’s death would warrant a full-blown police investigation, even if it appeared that an accident had killed him.
She always tuned in to watch both the winter and summer Olympics. There was something about the world coming together, united in the name of athletics. Political agendas seemed to fade. Nations became equals. Maybe that was why she always felt despondent when it came time for the closing ceremony. Maybe she was the only one who viewed the Games this way, but if she were looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, she’d keep them.
The friends were huddled together in a corner of the lobby, now surrounded by strangers hoping to get in on the news. After all, the average person rarely came across a death, let alone a potential murder, and the word dead seemed to spark attention and curiosity from most people.
Sara glanced over her shoulder at Sean. He followed her now, but it saddened her to see his solemn face. She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.
“Do you want me to leave this alone?” she asked.
“You know I do.”
Normally she would do anything he asked of her, but there was a burning curiosity within her that just needed to know what had happened. At this point, she had no inclination to get involved with the investigation.
She placed a hand on Sean’s forearm, and he responded by tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I just want to know what happened. That’s all.” She hated that there was a part of her—even if it was very minute—that doubted her resolve to leave it at that’s all. Based on the tilt of Sean’s head, he was questioning her intentions, as well.
“Are you sure? Because there’s something in your eyes that tells me otherwise.”
She was torn between getting more information and walking away. But Sean was the most important person in her life, and his happiness was her happiness. “We’re here on vacation, Sean, and I know you’ve been looking forward to this trip since you first brought it up six weeks ago.”
“I know you, Sara. I know us. For some reason, death is all around us.”
“It’s a good thing it’s only around us,” Sara said with a small chuckle.
He consented with a smile. “True enough. It could be worse.”
She nodded. “If I promise just to find out what happened and leave it alone, can I talk to them?”
A few seconds of silence followed. She sensed he was almost offended—or ashamed—that she was looking to him for permission.
“I can’t stop you, but please, let’s stick to our plan of a relaxing vacation,” he beseeched.
“You got it.” She slipped her hand into his, and the two of them joined the growing cluster of people.
As they approached, a blonde of about twenty-five was talking animatedly about where Adrian was found. She was one of the women from the original group. Her statement seemed to be in response to something a brunette in her late thirties had said as the latter bobbed her head.
The blonde caught Sara’s eye. A man had an arm around her waist. His hair was blond like the girl’s, but spiky. His bangs stood up as though he had done a face-plant in the snow, and his flushed cheeks supported that theory. “He probably OD’d,” he said.
“Why would you go there?” The blonde turned to him. “He was a respected athlete.”
“There’s a lot of pressure on athletes.” He added a shoulder shrug. “Maybe it got to be too much for him.”
“I overheard the police say that it looks like an accident.” This came from a young redhead. She wore her hair in two braids, and freckles dusted the bridge of her nose.
“Not buying it.” A second man, a brunette who was also with the original group, adjusted his skis and poles under his arms.
“What do you mean you’re not buying it?” The blonde leaned forward to look directly at him. “If that’s what the police are—”
“The police aren’t always right.” The words came from Sara’s lips without a thought, strictly on impulse. She cringed and didn’t want to look at Sean. She could only imagine the scowl on his face.
CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.
Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.
She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime.
Connect with CAROLYN ARNOLD Online:
Meet today’s guest, Carolyn Arnold.
She is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series and has written nearly thirty books. Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark, POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Today, she answers a few questions for us and gives us insight into her life and journey as a mystery author.
Have you ever been on a manhunt or at the scene where a dead body was found?
I took part in my local police department’s Citizen’s Academy. As part of this, I received an inside look at seventeen divisions over a ten-week period. As an added benefit, each student was afforded a ride-along. And mine… Well, I went on the perfect one for a crime writer.
My ride-along actually started out with a manhunt. I experienced the excitement of wanting to find the guy and found myself scrutinizing every male I spotted in the area just to make sure he wasn’t the one we were after. Unfortunately, the search moved to the downtown area from the eastern end of the city where the hunt had begun, and the sergeant signed off the investigation. By the end of my ride-along, about five hours later, the man still hadn’t been found.
After the sergeant left the investigation, he turned to me as he was driving and asked if I had ever seen a dead body. I told him I had at memorials and funerals and then asked why. I soon found out that our next stop involved one.
I figured I’d catch a glimpse of the deceased under a tarp or being wheeled away, but I got far more than that. I received a front-row seat to a death investigation. For hours, the sergeant and I were mere feet away from the body. I witnessed firsthand how it changed color over time, but I also found that I went into detective-mode. The forensic identification unit—essentially CSIs—was called in and arrived with collection kits. The team members gloved up, snapped photographs, took fingerprints from the deceased, and more.
The entire time that I was on scene, I noticed myself going into a detached state—the result of adrenaline. Later that evening, it began to sink in that I had spent hours with a dead body, and I was nauseated. As more time passed, I became weepy as it sank in that the deceased had been a husband, a father, a lover, a friend…a person. That night I dreamed about the man. It wasn’t a nightmare, but I was an officer trying to figure out what had happened to him.
I couldn’t imagine returning to the field the next day and having a similar experience or witnessing something even worse, like a violent murder scene or that of a fatal car accident.
What do members of law enforcement say about your books?
Many testimonials attest that I am pleasing readers in law enforcement. They love that my mysteries are accurate in that regard, and they view that alone as a sign of my respect for them.
Here are a few testimonials that I have received on Eleven (Brandon Fisher FBI series):
“I spent thirty-eight years with a major police department in Missouri, fifteen of which were in the homicide section. I also had numerous dealings with the FBI throughout my career, mostly bank robbery, interstate shipment thefts, and a few kidnappings. Eleven kept my interest piqued throughout… Loved it.”
–Richard Bartram, Sergeant (retired), St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, St. Louis, MO
“I am a forty-year veteran of police work. All local, no Fed. Eleven was a great read. All the descriptors and nomenclature were spot on.”
–Joe Danna, Police Officer, Katy Independent School District Police Department, Katy, TX
“Very good! I worked as a police officer for eleven years and with the Federal Bureau of Prisons for twenty-two. I have also dealt with the FBI.”
–Richard Smith, Facilities Development Manager (retired), Federal Bureau of Prisons, Central Office, Washington, DC
“A great police procedural! … Full of twists and turns. The characters are well-developed and a mix of interesting personalities. … Holds your interest to the end!”
–Mark Davis, FBI Special Agent (retired), Washington, DC
What did you do before you became a bestselling author?
For a living, I worked in accounts receivable for a few different companies collecting from businesses. Yet, despite working full time, in 2006 I was reunited with writing. I wrote every chance I got—before work, on lunch breaks, after work, on the weekends. I became so focused on writing and the publishing world that hardly a day went by without them being a part of my life, and since the summer of 2014, I’ve been a full-time author.
How do you know so much about what criminals think?
I can’t answer that without incriminating myself… Just kidding.
Everyone has what we call a “dark side.” In writing these books, I suppose you could say I tap into this side of my psyche. Whatever I can scheme up is possible, and I write that which scares and excites me.
When did you know that you had hit the big time with your books?
When I got to say good-bye to my day job! Even before I fully resigned, I had cut back a five-day a week job to four days, then to three. It got to the point, though, that I loathed going in for that many days, and I knew it was time to make the move and become a full-time author. That was in the summer of 2014. Since then, I incorporated my own publishing company in the summer of 2015, and, at the start of 2016, my husband joined me there full time.
