About the Book

Murder at the Marina (A Kelly Jackson Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Lyrical Underground (April 2, 2019)
Print Length: ~200 Pages
ASIN: B07FC2C3BH

She’s got to solve this—or her friends are sunk . . .

Kelly Jackson, manager of the Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast, is fond of the Doblinsky brothers, Ivan and Rudy, members of the Silver Sentinels, a crew of crime-solving senior citizens in their Northern California seaside hamlet. After she discovers a jewel-encrusted dagger—with what appears to be dried blood on the blade—on their fishing boat, they share their family history with Kelly, and she learns that the knife may be part of a set from their long-ago childhood in Russia. Its sudden reappearance is eerie, but the mystery grows much more serious when a body is found on the boat. The victim was staying at Kelly’s inn, in town for a Russian Heritage Festival, and some of the organizers were clearly harboring some bitterness. But the story behind this murder seems as layered as a nesting doll—and Kelly’s feeling completely at sea . . .

Interview with author: Janet Finsilver

When I was a kid I loved Nancy Drew. How did you fall in love with Mysteries?

I’ve been an avid reader all my life. When I discovered Agatha Christie, I fell in love with mysteries.

The setting is a marina–are you an avid boater?

No, I am not an avid boater. The main reason is I am not a strong swimmer. I can tread water and have a fair sidestroke. That’s it! I enjoy being on a boat as long as it’s tied to a dock. In Murder at the Marina, the reader sees the Doblinsky brothers’ fishing boat. They no longer take her out, so she’d be a safe one for me to visit.

How do you research? Online? In Person? A combination of both?

I definitely use a combination of both. I was surprised not long ago when I was working on one of my books and didn’t have an Internet connection. I quickly became aware of how much I use it on an ongoing basis.

The town of Redwood Cove in my Kelly Jackson mystery series is based on Mendocino, California. I do trips up there for research. In Murder at the Mushroom Festival, I took a mushroom identification and cooking class from Assaggiare Mendocino. A couple of weeks later, I didn’t feel I’d learned enough and drove back up for another class held at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. It was very valuable to be able to talk with the instructors. I feel personal interaction makes a difference when I do research.

Are you more plot or character driven? Why?

Both are important to me. I’m a very logical person so there needs to be a strong, believable plot. My characters have to make wise choices when they are gathering information in terms of their safety and how they question people.

As for the characters themselves, I want people to be able to relate to them and be interested in being with them book after book.

How do you choose the names of your characters?

Sometimes the names just come out of nowhere. Some of them have been unusual, and I don’t have a clue how they jumped into my mind.

The foreign names I research and make a list. I go through the list until I see one I feel I connect with.

I keep an ongoing list of names that I like. When I’m looking for a name, I go through it until I find a match.

Apparently Hemingway never said, “write drunk, edit sober”, but it’s a fun phrase. What do you drink? Coffee? Tea? Water? Or other fun drinks while writing?

In the morning I drink black coffee. I sometimes have a small piece of milk chocolate to go with it. In the afternoon I usually have really cold sparkling water. My favorite is Pellegrino.

About the Author

Janet Finsilver is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Kelly Jackson mystery series. She worked in education for many years as a teacher, a program administrator, and a workshop presenter. Janet majored in English and earned a Master’s Degree in Education. She loves animals and has two dogs–Kylie and Ellie. Janet has ridden western style since she was a child and was a member of the National Ski Patrol. One of the highlights of her life was touching whales in the San Ignacio Lagoon. MURDER AT REDWOOD COVE, her debut mystery, was released on October 13, 2015. Her second book, MURDER AT THE MANSION, was released on June 7, 2016. Book 3, MURDER AT THE FORTUNE TELLER’S TABLE was released on March 14, 2017.