NBTM Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: Murder at Serengeti Plains by Pat Duggan @GoddessFish

Murder at Serengeti Plains

by Pat Duggan

GENRE: Cozy Mystery

BLURB:

Murder at Serengeti Plains is the third mystery novel in the series, featuring amateur sleuths Hazel Davies and Anna Kohl. The earlier novels are Murder at Eagles Nest and Could They Be Twins?

The book is set in a new residential subdivision, Serengeti Plains, built by the renowned local builder, Zebra Homes. It is located in the peaceful, historic town of Centerville, Ohio. However, peace is shattered when the new residents are awakened one morning by the sound of police sirens. The procession of police cars, come to rest in their own neighborhood. A body has been discovered! Was it an accident or was it murder?

Hazel Davies and Anna Kohl have recently moved into this new subdivision. They have previously helped the police to solve murders in both Florida and Ohio, but they did not expect to find one on their own doorstep. When the police begin to look at their friend as the perpetrator, they find themselves drawn into yet another murder investigation.

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Excerpt:

After Noah left, Hazel and Anna sat down to review what they had learned.

It seemed that Detective Grant’s case was solely based on a perceived argument between Gary and Noah. Everything else was assumption and speculation. Noah had no reason to kill Gary, even if he had found him onsite without authority. He could simply have called the police. Both Hazel and Anna knew there had to be more to the story.

However, one question had emerged from Noah’s story – what was Gary doing on the building site? The likelihood of his body being brought to the site and dumped seemed highly unlikely as the hammer, now identified as the murder weapon had apparently been found in the undergrowth nearby. So, the inevitable conclusion was that Gary got there under his own steam, but why?

Hazel and Anna decided to make a list of the possible explanations. After half an hour of considering the options, they concluded that there were only two possibilities. Either he was there to meet someone, or he was there to steal something. They decided it was time to ask around and see what they could find out.

It was time to take their daily walk. Since moving into Serengeti Plains, Hazel and Anna had made a habit of walking around the subdivision for exercise. They found the established part of the area a little boring as the homes had long since been completed and during the day there was very little activity, apart from the occasional dog walker. As a result, they usually made their way to the streets where construction was still active. There were numerous homes under construction and if nobody was working on a particular house, they would slip inside to view the progress. They had watched many of the homes progress step by step from the footings to the roof and then observed each step inside towards completion.

Interview with Pat Duggan

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?

I seem to have a twisted imagination. The origin of Murder at Serengeti Plains stems from an incident with a contractor on the building site of our new subdivision. I am, I believe, an intelligent, older woman with a broad range of knowledge gained through life. However, this individual disrespected and dismissed me as if I had no idea what I was talking about. My comments were later proved to be correct. My irritation was soothed by featuring him in this book and imposing appropriate consequences.

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

My goal was to write a mystery novel in which the perpetrator was held accountable. It was to be achieved by following logical steps which led to the correct conclusion. The intent was to ensure that ‘truth’ prevails.

With regard to how well this was achieved lies in the mind of you, the reader.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

As I do not plan my books in advance and often do not know how to get to the end result, the hardest part is not quite knowing where I am going.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

Given my answer to the previous question, the best part is seeing it all come together in the end.

Whee there alternate endings you considered?

I did consider a different killer, before reaching the final conclusion.

Can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book?

Murder at Serengeti Plains is set in the historic town of Centerville, Ohio. I have a close friend who introduced me to Centerville as she had owned the Joseph Fisk House, close to the center of town. This house was once owned by Nathan Lincoln who was believed to be a first cousin of Abraham Lincoln.

Later, I visited one of the museums in the town to research some of the history. Then I talked to the owner of the local restaurant, Archer’s Tavern which was named after one of the founders of Centerville.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

I am not into books which focus on descriptive violence and so I enjoy cozy mysteries.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Originally from Manchester, England, Pat Duggan moved to the U.S. in 1985. After a career in finance, which included running her own book-keeping and tax business, in the Cincinnati area, Pat and her partner retired and moved to Oregon. Years later, they embarked on a five-year journey, traveling across the country in a motorhome.

Writing was a whole new direction for Pat, which began with two non-fiction books – The Power Within and Finding God in an RV. Then she branched into writing fiction as she turned to her love for solving murder mysteries and the challenge to figure out ‘whodunit!’

Sadly, their traveling days are over, but settling down has brought its own reward as it inspired this latest novel.

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Giveaway:

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