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Lois Lavrisa, recognized as a finalist in the 2013 Eric Hoffer Award, writes Mystery with a Twist. Her first mystery LIQUID LIES was an Amazon top 100 bestseller. Her new cozy mystery series, THE CHUBBY CHICKS CLUB is about a fun group of southern sleuths, set in Savannah, Georgia. DYING FOR DINNER ROLLS, book #1, became an Amazon Kindle top 100 bestseller, was a nominee for 2104 Georgia Author of the year and awarded the Readers' Favorite Silver Medal in the 2014. Book #2 MURDEROUS MUFFINS released October 2014, a 2015 nominee for Georgia Author of the year and a finalist Readers' Favorite awards. HOMICIDE BY HAMLET, book #3 published February 2016. The final two books in the series, KILLING WITH KINGS book #4 and PUZZLED BY PURPLE book #5 will be released in 2016 and 2017.
Growing up on the south-side of Chicago provided her with an abundance of story ideas. Earning her Master and Bachelor of Science in journalism and Communication with minor in Public Relations-provided ample opportunity to get a ton of writing experience. After college she wrote training programs for a Fortune 500 Company and taught many years as an adjunct professor. Her 15 minutes of "fame" came when she was Professional cheerleader for the NBA Chicago Bulls. She's been married to her aerospace husband Tom for over 24 years and they have four children- two sons and two daughters (and two cats who think they are her kids.) While juggling packed schedules, she often daydreams about escaping to the beach with a glass (or two or three) of Riesling, a great book, fantastic friends, and loads of laughter.
Connect to her:
Website: www.loislavrisa.com
Facebook: Author, Lois Lavrisa
Twitter: @loislavrisa
Instagram: Lois Lavrisa
Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite
Homicide by Hamlet is the third book in the Chubby Chicks Club Cozy Mystery series written by Lois Lavrisa. At a camp for young thespians, Dr. Annie Mae Maple is leading one of six groups in a competition where Hamlet must be performed in their own unique fashion. With spiteful and toxic bully, Priscilla Woodham, leading another group, it takes all of Annie Mae’s strength not to slap the woman every time a barbed word comes out of her mouth. Priscilla does not have a single friend at the camp, having found a way to insult and scorn every leader and student, including her own personal assistant. When Priscilla winds up dead, the suspect pool is huge. As unsurprising tales of blackmail, bribery, and insidiously evil behavior unfold, evidence first piles up against Annie Mae’s dear friend, Bezu (former girlfriend of Priscilla’s fiancé), before suspicion shifts to Gerald Gill (a man who has been trying to woo Annie Mae), but there is one more suspect that seems to have been overlooked, who is neither camp leader nor student. With Annie Mae fast closing in, it is not long before the killer decides that life is better with her out of the picture as well.
From the very first page, I was hooked on this murder mystery with a twist. Each of the characters was so rounded and well written that I was able to easily relate to and identify with them, with the exception of the narcissistic camp bully who, although well written, was supremely toxic. Even with the vital detective work going on throughout most of the book, Lois Lavrisa successfully continued the normal camping storyline in the background, giving the story a more realistic feel. With almost everybody having a means, motive, and opportunity to kill the not-so-dearly departed, the plot thickens more and more with each turn of the page. I very much enjoyed Homicide by Hamlet and intend to seek out the other books in the Chubby Chicks Club Cozy Mystery series. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to readers who enjoy action, drama and a hefty dose of intrigue and justice served up with their murder mystery novels.
