THE STUFF OF MALICE

Historian Christian Shaw and her boyfriend, Assistant State’s Attorney Joe Poli finally get a big date night…only to be called out when a body turns up on the Unity Town Green. Worse, the body belongs to Christian’s current client, Sir Jeremy Hightower, the exceedingly pretentious director of the Summer Shakespeare production…and still worse, the murder weapon strongly suggests a hate crime. Christian will need all her expertise in old things – and the help of her “two dads,” her rabbi, and her son Henry’s photographic memory to solve this one. And she’ll still have to brush off her Shakespeare and take the stage…but she may not make it to the curtain call!

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“Christian Shaw returns in The Stuff of Mayhem and this second outing is every bit as good as the first. Kathleen Maple Kalb excels in drawing modern small town life, filled with characters who feel authentic, while combining realistic problems and issues with warmth and optimism. It's impossible not to feel invested in Christian, her son Henry and her friends. This series also combines two of my favourite things - history and mystery! Christian’s position in the local historical society leads to intriguing situations. In The Stuff of Mayhem, a historical reenactment on July 4th backfires spectacularly when a local is killed, but that's just the start of the chaos. Against a backdrop of seemingly ordinary life, the mystery unfurls at a satisfying rate. Christian is helped by the lovely lawyer, Joe and her perceptive son Henry who is - like my own child - a type 1 diabetic. It's great to see this condition represented and most importantly handled so accurately. If you like small town life, we'll crafted mysteries and great characters The Stuff of Mayhem should be your next read!” 

~ Nina Hayes, author of The Old Bat Chronicles

and the Ellie & Lexi Mystery Series