Maggie Barbieri:
- Maggie Barbieri is a freelance English textbook editor as well as a mystery novelist. Her father was a member of the New York Police Department, and his stories provide much of the background for her mysteries. She lives in Westchester County, New York.
- Maggie Barbieri’s delightful debut mystery, MURDER 101, introduces us to Alison Bergeron, a recently divorced college English professor who becomes reluctantly entwined in a murder investigation when one of her students turns up dead – and stuffed in the trunk of Alison’s stolen car.
Suddenly, Alison is spending a lot of time with handsome NYPD Detective Bobby Crawford, but she worries it’s mostly because she’s at the top of his suspect list. Clearing her name is just one of the problems plaguing her – Alison is stuck bailing her ex-husband out of jail, dealing with the distraught parents of her murdered student, and facing the likelihood that someone she knows is a killer.
MURDER 101 is a unique mystery with intelligence and heart, combining the traditional academic mystery with a romantic twist. Alison is the antithesis of the uber-hip chick lit protagonist – she could care less about fashion and shopping, and worries more about controlling her nervous stomach every time someone brings up the murder. The small Catholic college of St. Thomas where Alison teaches provides a rich and textured setting for the mystery to unfold. This combination will appeal to chick lit fans and mystery lovers alike.
Maggie Barbieri’s engaging heroine, Professor Alison Bergeron, returns for more reluctant sleuthing in the latest installment in this charming series, EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.
Alison is looking forward to her best friend’s wedding in the hope that it will take her mind off of her off-again relationship with the married NYPD Homicide Detective Bobby Crawford. He's separated, if you want to be technical about it, but Alison is still getting over her own divorce and she’s trying to make good decisions.
Her resolve to avoid Detective Crawford falls apart when she discovers her philandering ex-husband, Ray, dead on her kitchen table, his hands and feet brutally chopped off. With no shortage of suspects, from her husband’s ex-mistress next door, a mob boss who seems to be following Alison, and a student who was intimately involved with Ray, Alison knows she is going to need Crawford’s help to get out of this alive.
Romance and murder mingle in Maggie Barbieri’s delightful, humorous follow-up to her impressive debut MURDER 101. This exciting new series will appeal to mystery lovers and fans of women’s fiction alike. Smart and mature, Alison is an endearing protagonist who will make readers want to come back for more.
Maggie’s third Alison Bergeron novel, QUICK STUDY, is scheduled to be released December 9, 2008.
