19 CRIMINALS

February 13, 2024

19 CRIMINALS

19 CRIMINALS: A Romantic Comedy Mystery Novel
(Maizie Albright Star Detective)
by Larissa Reinhart

About 19 Criminals

19 CRIMINALS:
A Romantic Comedy Mystery Novel
(Maizie Albright Star Detective)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – Georgia
Past Perfect Press (January 16, 2024)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CHR1TBZR

IS IT CONSIDERED STALKING YOUR BOYFRIEND IF HE’S INVOLVED IN YOUR MURDER INVESTIGATION? (ASKING FOR A FRIEND)

Turner & Hooch meets Mr. & Mrs. Smith in the eighth book of the Wall Street Journal bestselling Maizie Albright Star Detective series. For fans of rom-com mysteries, like Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum or Jennifer Crusie’s Liz Danger series—readers who like quirky characters, funny fast-paced plots, and amateur sleuthing heroines who earnestly agonize over (but not between) murder and marriage.

#WannabeMrsSmith Ex-celebrity and current (assistant) private investigator Maizie Albright finds her already strange life has become even odder. Her new partner is two hundred pounds and canine. And her ex-partner/still-boyfriend is on the wrong side of her infidelity case.

Not that Wyatt Nash is cheating.

At least not on Maizie. She thinks Nash is cheating on his boss. Her dad. Which sounds much worse than it is. Except it is (maybe) worse than it sounds…

It’s Spy vs. Spy — or rather, Detective vs. Detective — when Maizie and Nash realize they’re both tailing the same subject for very different reasons. Can Maizie out-investigate Nash to learn the secrets he’s probing into at her father’s company?

Secrets she fears are much darker (and stinkier) than the secret DeerNose formula.

Secrets possibly related to old rivalries and a recent murder.

Her relationship is on the line, but it’s more than her heart at stake. Her career rests on this case. And there’s a killer at large. One who will do anything to keep dark secrets from getting dragged into the light.

About Larissa Reinhart

A Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Larissa loves to tell funny stories about sassy Southern women looking for love (and sometimes dead bodies) in all the wrong places, like in her international award-winning Cherry Tucker Mystery, Maizie Albright Star Detective, and Finley Goodhart Crime Caper series. You might have seen Larissa and her family with their little dog, Biscuit, on HGTV’s House Hunters International “Living for the Weekend in Nagoya” episode. They’re back in Georgia where Biscuit has a bigger yard and now barks at deer instead of crows.

Q&A With the Author:

What was your inspiration for writing this book?

Thank you so much for having me on Literary Gold! I’m excited to be here!

When I finished writing 18 1/2 DISGUISES, Maizie Albright Star Detective 7, Maizie was becoming suspicious of Nash—her former PI mentor and current boyfriend. But not for the reasons you’d think. She suspected Nash was digging into her father’s company, where he had recently begun working as head of security. I wondered what Nash had found at DeerNose that he would deem necessary to keep secret from Maizie. Must be something juicy! That was the starting point for my mystery. I also needed 19 criminals because I’d named the book before writing it. (Note to self: stop doing that.)

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I had a lot of fun pairing Maizie up with a 150-pound bullmastiff named Cuddles. I didn’t expect Cuddles to appear in the book, but Maizie's infidelity case took her to a brewery. Our local brewery allows dogs, so I began describing that scene and suddenly a ferocious bullmastiff was licking her leg, then attached himself to her for the rest of the book. In every scene, I was concerned about this dog. Could Maizie deal with this giant dog? After growing up in the bubble of Hollywood as an emerging starlet, Maizie barely learned to take care of herself, let alone anyone else. Cuddles took care of that issue, and it was a lot of fun to write!
This was my Turner & Hooch book, when I thought I would write a Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Do you have any other books you are working on that you can tell us about?

I’m currently plotting out the next Maizie Albright Star Detective—21 GUNS. (Again, started with the title and figuring it out from there). And I’m super stoked that I am writing a new Cherry Tucker Mystery that has no title yet. It will kind of pick up where I left off in the last full novel, A COMPOSITION IN MURDER. Since Composition, I’ve done several novellas but not a full novel, so it’s very exciting!
I also have some unfinished manuscripts I would like to get back to writing. They are closer to the women’s fiction genre but Southern, small town and humorous. Similar to my mysteries, but with less murder.

Can you tell us about what you have planned for the future?

Since Covid, my working life has changed a lot, so my writing time has shrunk quite a bit. I’m hoping that will improve in the next few years and I can get to more writing projects!
If all goes well, I’d say look for more Cherry Tucker, more Maizie Albright, hopefully more Finley Goodhart (I owe her two books), and in a few years a new line of small town fiction!

Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans?

I love your emails! I’m a better penpal than social media person, so feel free to email me. In fact, if you’re one of my VIP Readers, I encourage you to “reply back” to the emails I send, so I can get to know everyone more personally. You can sign up on my website: https://www.larissareinhart.com/larissasreaders

I’d also like to thank everyone for their support and reviews. They really encourage me to keep writing!

And those so much again for having me on Literary Gold! I always enjoy these interviews.