Today Lady Elizabeth Rose has brought with her a scribe from Mablethorpe Castle who will be interviewing the sleuths of Mablethorpe, Sheriff Zachariah Fitch, Lady Vivienne Harlowe, and, of course, her bloodhound, Grunt. They will be talking about their latest murder investigation, Murder at Maltby le Marsh, which is Book 3 in the Harlowe & Fitch Historical Mystery Series. A lady and her bloodhound join the town sheriff as they investigate murders and hunt down killers, trying to bring safety, as well as justice, to the little town of Mablethorpe.

Scribe: Lady Vivienne, we’ll start with you. Can you tell us why, as a noble, you have joined up with the local sheriff in investigating murders in the area?

Vivienne: “I’ve lived through a nightmare, seven years ago. It was right after I lost my husband, and birthed a baby.”

Scribe: “What happened?”

Vivienne: “We were attacked by bandits on the road one night. My parents were murdered, and the horses got spooked and ran off with my little brother, Adrian, and my newborn baby boy in the wagon. Sadly, I’ve never seen any of them again. To this day, I still am searching for answers. Therefore, I am determined to help others find answers and to bring about justice for wrongdoings that have taken away a loved one from them.”

Scribe: “Sheriff? You don’t mind a women tagging along with you on your investigations?”

Zachariah: “The first thing you need to realize is that Lady Vivienne is no ordinary woman. Not to mention, her hound has a good nose for sniffing out trouble, so they are an asset to me. I like having them around.”

Vivienne: “Thank you, Zachariah. And I think what he means to say is that I’m not afraid to go against the norm. I even wear breeches sometimes and can also wield a sword if need be.”

Zachariah: “Vivienne also likes to get involved. In everything. And talk. Did I mention it’s hard to shut her up? Anyway, we’ve been friends since childhood, so we get along better than most people.”

Scribe: “Are you married, Sheriff?”

Zachariah: “Nay. I was. But now I’m a widower, trying to raise my young daughter, Starah on my own.”

Scribe: “I’d like to ask you about the latest murder investigation. It happened at Maltby le Marsh? So why did you get involved since it didn’t happen in Mablethorpe?”

Zachariah: “The sheriff from Maltby le Marsh, the neighboring town, was stumped and asked for my assistance.”

Vivienne: “Zachariah neglected to mention that his sister, Magdalena is a nun at Maltby le Marsh Abbey and she requested his help as well.”

Scribe: “What happened there at the abbey?”

Zachariah: “A woman was murdered and bricked up in the wall of the scullery. Actually, we think she was bound and gagged and more or less buried alive.”

Scribe: “That’s awful! Especially since you’d think an abbey is a safe place to be.”

Vivienne: “A ghost led me there. It was like he was asking for our help and trying to give us clues. It was the ghost of a monk.”

Zachariah: “Vivienne, enough with the ghost already. You’re going to scare the children.”

Vivienne: “The children saw the ghost too, Zachariah. So did a lot of others. It’s time you stop denying that there even is a ghost.”

Scribe: “Tell me about your dog, Lady Vivienne. Does he really help during the murder investigations?”

Vivienne: “More than you know. Grunt was the one who found the body at my uncle’s castle and also the corpse on Rotten Row. Plus, he’s not afraid of rats, so that is very helpful too.”

Scribe: “Do you have any pets, Sheriff?”

Zachariah: (Makes a grunting noise) “I don’t need any pets. There is enough commotion and more than enough animals around me all the time, with the hound, that fat stray cat my daughter continuously feeds, not to mentions those rat-catching weasels as well.”

Vivienne: “Sheriff, they’re ferrets, not weasels. And their names are Chomp and Snuff and the cat is Midnight.”

Zachariah: “Whatever. All I know is that murders in the area are so rampant lately that I don’t have time to slow down, let along spend time with my daughter, Starah.”

Vivienne: “And that is why I hired the nursemaid, Nairnie to watch over the little girl.”

Zachariah: “Nairnie needs to stop telling the children pirate stories, because it is all a bunch of nonsense and I don’t like it.”

Vivienne: “Sheriff, you know the old woman is married to an ex-pirate and had grandsons that were pirates as well. Stop denying things that you don’t want to believe are true.”

Scribe: “Well, good luck at solving the case of the dead woman bricked up in the wall of Maltby le Marsh Abbey. We can’t wait to hear all about it once the case is closed.”

The Harlowe & Fitch Historical Mysteries are Elizabeth’s first murder mysteries, as she usually writes romance and has over 100 books and counting. She writes mainly medieval, but also has paranormal, romantasy, western, and even a small town contemporary series. Her latest release is Murder at Maltby le Marsh.

She lives in the suburbs of the windy city of Chicago, but is a country girl at heart. In the summers, she has a writing hammock in her secret garden that serves as her outdoor office while she works at penning her next novel. Watch for Murder at the Joust coming in August and also Murder on the High Seas releasing in October. Please visit her website at http://elizabethrosenovels.com to learn more.