Product Description

A retired Irish Cop and a fast-food loving Irish Wolfhound search for the campus murderer while dealing with a scooter-riding senior with dreams of trenchcoat adventures, a crazed exterminator looking for his ride, and a makeup artist whose mid-life crisis isn't any the less stressful because her clients never complain. A half-million dollars has vanished and a college comptroller is dead. Mackenzie Sullivan, recently retired DC cop and newly-minted private detective, really has no interest in the murder. Mac just needs to find the embezzled money for the university's insurance company. Finding the killer is a bonus that he's not sure he wants to earn.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #279249 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-01
• Released on: 2007-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
"One howling good whodunit, and a terrific debut. MURDER OFF THE BOOKS offers a plot as twisty and fast as an Irish Wolfhound. Whiskey joins the ranks of beloved four-footed sleuths. Great fun!" -- Julia Spencer-Fleming, Edgar finalist and author of ALL Julia Spencer-Fleming, Edgar finalist and author of ALL MORTAL FLESH

"A fast-paced mystery with a lively and indomitable heroine, a tough-guy hero, and a lovable dog." --JoAnna Carl, author of The Chocolate Bridal Bash

"Evelyn David's quirky sense of humor sparkles on every page. Murder Off The Books is a clever, witty romp with plenty of twists and surprises. A laudable debut." --Kathryn R. Wall, author, Bishop's Reach

"One howling good whodunit, and a terrific debut. MURDER OFF THE BOOKS offers a plot as twisty and fast as an Irish Wolfhound. Whiskey joins the ranks of beloved four-footed sleuths. Great fun!" --Julia Spencer-Fleming, Edgar finalist and author of All Mortal Flesh

About the Author
Evelyn David has a split personality and an incredible number of out-of-body experiences. Or maybe she's just able to teleport from the East Coast to the middle of the country in the blink of an instant message. Marian Edelman Borden is the Northern half of the mystery-writing duo. She lives in New York, has written eight nonfiction books, edits a magazine for new moms, has four kids, and an imagination that turned deadly when she met Rhonda Dossett, the Southern half of Evelyn David. Rhonda lives in Oklahoma, is the coal administrator for the state, and sees dead bodies - or at least can envision them in mysterious and often hilarious scenarios.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Prologue

Friday Night

The pop of a human head cracking against rock sounded surprisingly loud. As the man fell against the wall of the clock tower, the killer unscrewed the silencer from the gun, musing about the number of details involved in planning and executing a perfect murder. And this was certainly not a perfect murder. Several loose ends were going to need tying. Next time a list might come in handy.

Sunday Night

Murder victims shouldn't have to wait. Discount store shoppers, people with broken dental crowns, drivers in the middle of rush hour. Those people deserved to wait. Expected to wait. But not...

She was tired of being last on everyone's 'to do' list.

Ten minutes. Way too long to be hiding in a closet. Way too long to be in the dark.

She really couldn't stand cowering in the dark. If she had to cower, she'd do it in the light-just like always.

She clicked on the flashlight she'd grabbed in her frantic dash from the bed to the walk-in closet.

Much better.

The light was comforting. The light was... The light was... risky.

She hastily clicked off the beam and disappeared back into the shadows.

She left the closet door ajar. Like everything else in her life-slightly warped. Once fully closed, it couldn't be opened from the inside. She'd be stuck in there until...until what? Who'd rescue her?

She wished again that she hadn't left her cordless phone downstairs.

Run. She wasn't going to be able to run.

Her right foot tingled-numb.

Rachel Brenner shifted, stretching out one bare leg, quietly trying to move her foot, thinking that at some point she might need to slip down into the living room and search for her second cordless phone, the one that fit into the charger on the kitchen wall and had been missing for a couple of days. She'd probably find it under the sofa or between the cushions. That's where she'd look first-if she had time.

"Enough," she whispered. "Concentrate on something besides the damn phones."

Dust. The closet floor was cramped-and dusty. Stifling a sneeze, she decided she had some serious cleaning to do if she survived. If she didn't, well it would be someone else's problem.

She wiggled her toes until the feeling returned and then rose to her feet intending to open the closet door and listen.

Two steps. Her heart pounded so loud that she couldn't think, much less hear.

Looking around, she grabbed a twenty-year-old trench coat that had belonged to her ex-husband and rolled it into a ball. She pressed the material against her chest to muffle the sound.

Stupid. No one else could hear her heart. No one else could hear her. The coat's owner hadn't.

Thoughts of Charlie cleared the noise from her head.

She peeked through the crack in the door. And listened.

Nothing but the furnace and the sound of her own ragged breathing.

She held her breath and opened the door a little wider.

Nothing. She didn't hear...

No. She heard it again. Something...just...there. A shuffling sound-still downstairs.

Rachel carefully closed the closet door again and returned to her spot on the floor, this time sitting on the bunched trench coat, instead of hiding behind it.

She hugged her knees to her chest and stared at the bits and pieces surrounding her and wondered what would happen to all of her things when she was gone.

Sam would be the one to have to deal with selling or giving away her lifetime accumulation of clothes, costume jewelry, and mis-matched china and silverware. Oh, he'd probably keep a few things. He might want some of the old family photographs she'd organized into albums. Thank goodness she'd gotten them labeled last year during one long, miserable night right after her divorce was final. At least Sam would be able to tell his children about her side of the family and put the correct name to the face.

Her brother wouldn't be of much help. Dan had his own problems. He was settling into a new job and a new life. She sighed and stretched out her legs. Rachel nudged a shadow in the corner with her toe. A well-used hockey stick-another remnant of her ex-husband, something from his glory days.

She flicked on the flashlight again and played the wavering beam over the clothes, empty suitcases, and shoes. God, she had too many shoes. She glanced at the row upon row of neatly labeled shoeboxes lining the shelf above the clothes rod, and the additional stacks on the carpeted floor beneath. Setting down the flashlight, she picked up a nearby box and peeked inside.

Beautiful black leather pumps, $89 on sale. Never worn. She glanced in another box. All purchased within the last two years and she'd never worn any of them. Her well-worn favorites were in a heap by her bed: Nikes, Reeboks, high-topped, brightly colored basketball shoes. The pumps, well, they were mostly just...

Rachel set down the box. They were a mistake. They were her way of trying to be more like the women Charlie Brenner had been screwing the last three years of their marriage. She frowned and put the lid back on the box. Like the woman Charlie currently lived with now. Tina of perky breasts and four-inch heels.

Tina would love all those shoes. Charlie would probably give them to her too, Rachel realized. Help Sam by taking them off his hands. Her shoes on Tina's feet. No way.

The spurt of anger and the loud sound of a closing door gave her the courage to act.

Rachel got up and grabbed a pair of sweat pants off a hanger and pulled them on. Picking up the hockey stick, she stalked out of the closet.

Tina could buy her own damn shoes.

Customer Reviews

Murder Off the Books keeps you reading--and laughing
Murder Off the Books is a great read! Suspense and humor are doled out equally. Private detective Mac Sullivan is a former cop-turned-private-eye, and his recurring appearances at his pal's funeral home to pick up whatever vehicle is available means that he conducts stake-outs with his Irish Wolfhound in anything from a hearse to an exterminator's truck. Pet lovers will respond to Whiskey, who helps as only dogs can, and I personally hope we'll hear more from JJ, Mac's initially-unwanted gal Friday. An expanded role for her in future books of the series would be great--she's fun and likable--and delightfully off-beat.

A definite 5 star whodunit
Murder Off the Books
by Evelyn David
Echelon Press Publishing
ISBN 13: 978-1-59080-522-0


A definite 5 star whodunit

Do you enjoy a mystery with suspense and a touch of humor? What about a loveable hound? And how do you like your murder mysteries? With a Whiskey Chaser? If so "Murder Off the Books" is for you, it has it all. This is the first in the Sullivan Investigation Mysteries, and with this writing duet, hopefully many more to follow.

Mac Sullivan is a private eye, and a former DC cop who frequently visits his friend's funeral home in order to pick up whatever vehicle is available at the time so he can conduct his stake outs with his loveable Irish wolfhound Whiskey. Mac has used vehicles ranging from a hearse to a pest control van which seems to be used frequently by him. Rachel Brenner is 42 and is recently divorced, she meets Mac Sullivan while he is staking out her house and following her to her new position at a funeral home. Mac and his sidekick Whiskey are looking for Rachel's brother, Dan who is a suspect in the embezzlement of money and the murder of his boss. Rachel joins forces with the attractive Mac Sullivan and his loveable assistant to help prove her brothers innocence. Of course to add a little fun Mac's wolfhound Whiskey hates cats and as luck would have it Rachel has a cat who also hates dogs.

Rachel finds herself in the midst of a murder investigation when her brother comes up missing and is a primary suspect in his bosses' murder. Rachel finds herself being able to manage and cope in ways in which she never expected, but before the end of the investigation, Rachel is finding herself in conflict with not only the killers but also with Mac Sullivan. Will Mac Sullivan find the half million that is missing? Will Rachel's brother Dan be cleared? Or did Dan take the money and kill his boss?

Murder Off the Books has fast paced action, a strong plot throughout; it provides witty believable and memorable characters. And it contains a loveable Irish wolfhound named Whiskey that has a taste for fast-food. This is such an exciting and fun book and the first in the series, I'll be sure to pick up each one to follow in this series.

This read combines suspense, mystery, and humor and is packed with twist & turns, as well as plenty of surprises along the way. It is a real page turner and demands to be completed. I highly recommend this for everyone, a must read, I honestly can't wait for the next one. So if you want a whodunit that contains non-stop action and humor look no further.

A good-looking P.I. adds to a good story
Murder Off the Books has found a way to grab most of us: humor, a well-written whodunit with wonderful, zany characters--and a dog who hates cats and a cat that hates dogs. What's not to like?

Just when you thnk you've figured it out, this talented author throws in another twist, another turn. Actually Evelyn David is the writing name for two talented writers working together. (Check out the author's Web site to see whom the two authors are).

Mac Sullivan is a retired DC cop who is now setting up his own detective agency. His dog sidekick is an Irish Wolfhound named Whiskey. He's Mac's buddy, his confidant--you get it.

Rachel Brenner is a cat lover who is recently divorced mother of a teen-age son. Her cat helps her through her mid-life crisis, like having to take her skills to work at a funeral home.

P.I. Mac is staking out Rachel's house and following her to work, because her brother (who may or may not be guilty) of murdering his boss.

The fun begins quickly n this zany and fast-paced mystery. P.I. Mac has his new job, Rachel in her job, both starting over to some degree, both learning to copy with the changes.

Of course Mac is good looking--so there's a little romance thrown in for good measure.

I hope this is the first in a long line of Sullivan Investigations Mysteries--and that the next one is ready so I don't have to wait so long to read more about these wonderful characters.

Armchair Interviews says: Great first book from this duo of gifted writers.