Murder Ballad Blues: A Mystery Novel

"Readers will relish this story's superior tension ... A riveting mystery designed to keep readers on their toes." ~Midwest Book Review

Laurel Falls, N.C. 2005: Our small town is in an uproar-there's a serial killer on the loose in the mountains of North Carolina. At first we thought it was just one tragedy, but by the third murder, the FBI finally got involved. Trouble is, I know they're looking in all the wrong places.

I have a keen sense of what's really going on, but of course the FBI won't take me serious. I'll keep at it-too much is at stake not to. I'm working with Wallis Harding, a well-known musicologist, and we've got a theory we'll keep at till they can't ignore us. Bluegrass music may sound like something to practice and perform, but we know it's the key to finding the killer. And keeping our families safe.

Usually Della Kincaid, my longtime friend, helps me out when I get into something like this. But she's too busy with troubles of her own. A former crime reporter in Washington, D.C., she's investigating some kinda fraud case that a whistleblower laid in her lap. She can't let a good story pass, but the deeper she goes, the darker it gets.

Turns out we both have information that could help the FBI, if they'll just listen to us ... before the culprits strike again. ~Abit Bradshaw

You'll enjoy this suspenseful standalone mystery because who doesn't long to find justice in this crazy world?

If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series.

Get it now-for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations.

Murder Ballad Blues is the fourth book-and a standalone novel-in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel.

Interview with the Author
Q: Where does this fourth book pick up in the lives of Abit Bradshaw and Della Kincaid?
A: It's a year after the last scenes in Welcome the Little Children, but eight years after they solved the family secrets and lies surrounding Astrid Holt's mother. Life has been reasonably quiet for the two. Abit, Fiona, and their 8-year-old son, Conor, perform regularly with the Ramblin' Rollers, and Della has settled into a natural rhythm at Coburn's General Store. Then everything goes crazy with murder and money-laundering crimes.

Q: What's new in the series?
A: New crimes, of course--especially the murders across Western North Carolina. Abit and Della get involved, working with new characters like Wallis Harding, a self-taught expert on mountain music, and Ezra Stoltz, an FBI agent. I am especially smitten with Wallis Harding. I named him after Phil Harding, archaeologist with the British television show "Time Team." Phil is such a live wire, and his namesake doesn't let him down. Wallis' physical appearance is modeled after Mick Aston, fellow archaeologist on "Time Team."

Q: Why should readers give this series a try?
A: Because these are serious mysteries without over-the-top violence. And readers tell me the character development makes them eager to read more: "a pair of unforgettable crime-solving characters," one reader shared, and another wrote, "I became intrigued by and attached to the characters -- Della, Abit, Alex, even the dog, Jake, the villagers and their dialogue."

Q: In what order was this series written?
A: Murder Ballad Blues is a standalone, so readers won't be confused if they start with this book. Actually, I worked to make all the books in the series easy to understand, wherever readers started in the series. The other books in the series: A Life for a Life, The Roads to Damascus, Welcome the Little Children, Deep in the Forest, Up the Creek, Unwrapped, and Waiting for You (free p