By Diana Killian
The Poetic Death Series revolve around the on-going adventures of a thirty-something American school teacher visiting the English Lake District. Grace Hollister is a woman who prides herself on her common sense and her well-organized life, a woman who would always choose to splurge on books before Blahniks—well, most of the time. She does have that secret yen for the bad boys of Romantic poetry…
A great deal of research goes into the series, both on the English Lake District and on the poetry and personalities of the Romantics, but these books are not intended to be weighty tomes of erudite research. The plan was—and is—to combine adventure and mystery (and yes, a bit of romance) with my own passion for literature. I wanted to seduce readers who might not otherwise check out these marvelous works and writers, into taking a peek. I’ve tried to cram each book with intriguing tidbits, the kind of thing that would interest non-academics too, as well as snippets of poesy. (By the way, each novel begins with a prolog death scene of the book’s featured Romantic poet—hence the series name.)
Essentially about an ordinary everywoman involved in extraordinary circumstances…again and again and again. Naturally Grace’s adventures change her (I think for the better), though some readers will find her a slow learner. (Surely by now she should have noticed that the village of Innisdale is a VERY dangerous place to live.) I have a lot of fun with the series, and I hope you will too!..
Grace Notes Blog
The Private Journals of Grace Hollister
Travel notes, recipes, poems -- and things Grace would never say aloud.
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The Books
The Adventures of Grace Hollister
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And coming in Spring 2009...
Docketful of Poesy
The fourth book in the Poetic Death series
Perseverance Press, Spring 2009
Diana writes:
"I'm delighted to tell you that I've turned in the manuscript for Docketful of Poesy. This time the Romantic Poet of choice is Letitia Landon, and I think you'll be as fascinated as I was by her story -- but more on that next
time."
Can't wait? Read an excerpt here.
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Sonnet of the Sphinx
The third book in the Poetic Death series
Pocket Books, April 2006
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Better yet, buy it through your favorite indie
Engimatic love interest Peter Fox's past comes back to haunt him. Meanwhile Grace is on the hunt for a lost sonnet by Romantic poet Percy Shelley and the solution to dashing World War II soldier's disappearance...
"Where Killian takes (Peter and Grace) may not be all that surprising but it is the style and wit with which she does so, that intrigues the reader and makes this series rise miles above the average 'cozy'...Author Diana Killian seems well aware of the limitations of this sleepy genre, but goes full speed ahead anyway, enlivening things with her own brand of electricity. Armed only with talent, an obvious affection for her characters, and a very strong story-telling gene, she has fashioned another entertaining mystery in her "Poetic Death" series...
I do suggest, if you haven't already, that you get your hands on Killian's debut novel, the delightful romp High Rhymes and Misdemeanors, and follow it closely with the equally delightful Verse of the Vampyre, before settling in with Sonnet of the Sphinx, Grace and Peter's latest misadventure.
Despite the current book's title, the fabulous duo is not off to Egypt. They are, instead, locally on the hunt (Grace more so than Peter who, as usual, has his own problems -- once again he is suspected of murder and must spend an inordinate amount of time being insouciant -- a specialty of his. If he sounds a bit of a pain, he isn't. He is all typical English charm. One hardly blames Grace for falling under his spell.) for a lost poem purportedly written by none other than Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mr. Romantic Poet himself. Killian has already put you in the mood by including a very touching prologue showing what might have happened on the famous stormy voyage which resulted in Shelley's drowning death.
Peter Fox, in his current incarnation as an antiques dealer and owner of the shop, Rogue's Gallery, has bought the contents of a farm that once belonged to the Mallow family, long term residents of the area. The farm itself has recently been purchased by the scion of a wealthy Japanese family, Mr. Matsukado, a spoiled young man who seems overly enamored of British mannerisms and romantic poetry. That he comes equipped with a female ninja bodyguard as well as heaps of money to throw about only add to his rather charmless persona.
When a clue-filled love letter is found tucked away in some old papers, it not only hints at a lost Shelley, but compounds the mystery of a local man who disappeared during or after WWII and is widely thought to have been an Army deserter.
Author Diana Killian seems well aware of the limitations of this sleepy genre, but goes full speed ahead anyway, enlivening things with her own brand of electricity. Armed only with talent, an obvious affection for her characters, and a very strong story-telling gene, she has fashioned another entertaining mystery in her "Poetic Death" series... a terrific mystery guaranteed to capture your imagination."
(Yvette Banek, Mystery Ink)
Read an excerpt here.
OTHER EDITIONS:
Large Print (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1-007-862-8949-X
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Verse of the Vampyre
The second book in the Poetic Death series
Pocket Books, September 2004
Buy this book though Amazon
Better yet, buy it through your favorite indie
Now working on her sabbatical Grace becomes a kind of technical advisor to a local theatrical production of a play called The Vampyre, a really awful play based on a snippet of story by Lord Byron. Right on schedule mysterious accidents begin to plague the players, and it’s only a matter of time before one of the cast falls victim.
"Even if you don't usually care for cozies, this light satire on the genre is fun and a fast read. The characters are engaging, as well as the situations."
(Barbara Franchi, Reviewing the Evidence)
"The second in the series stands well on its own. Vivid description of a fox hunt makes the reader feel as though she were in the thick of the action, no matter how she feels about this controversial sport, while references to vampire literature and the literary figures of Byron, Shelley and others of that era give the novel extra depth and richness and puts it above the typical amateur sleuth mystery."
(Roberta Austin, Murder and Mayhem Bookclub)
Read an excerpt here.
OTHER EDITIONS:
Large Print (Hardcover)
Digital (Microsoft Reader)
Digital (Abobe Acrobat)
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High Rhymes and Misdemeanors
The first book in the Poetic Death series
Pocket Books, October 2003
Buy this book through Amazon
Better yet, buy it through your favorite indie
Grace Hollister is vacationing (under guise of researching her dissertation on the Romantic poets) in the English Lake District when she stumbles upon her first (but not her last) body in High Rhymes and Misdemeanors. Before long she’s involved in kidnapping, murder, and the hunt for what she firmly believes is a lost work by Lord Byron. She also becomes involved—against her better judgment—with former jewel thief (now semi-law-abiding antiques dealer) Peter Fox.
"Light, charming... An entertaining romp through a beautiful part of Britain.
(Dallas Morning News)
Read an excerpt here.
OTHER EDITIONS
The Mystery Guild Book Club Edition (hardcover)
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