Travel ebooks

The Matador Murders is set in Montevideo, Uruguay and Santiago, Chile, both cities the author has lived and worked in and knows well, where Roger and Suzanne have to solve another murder.  With apologies to reality, the novel's Montevideo is much like the lawless Chicago of the prohibition years.  That's part of the fun of writing fiction--an author can turn one of the most law-abiding and civilized cities in the world into the wild west of the 19th Century U.S. frontier with the stroke of a pen.  Actually, it's more the click of a keyboard nowadays.

The plot of this suspenseful whodunit thriller is based very loosely on Dashiell Hammett's classic novel, The Red Harvest, the basis for the movie Last Man Standing.  The book features lots of action and a suspenseful storyline.  Who is the mysterious Mr. X behind all the killings?

The cover photo is of the Pocitos neighborhood of Montevideo, on the Rio de la Plata.  If you use a very strong magnifying glass, you can actually see the apartment we rented while we were living there.

The novel may be downloaded FREE from Kindle Unlimited.

Five Quickies for Roger and Suzanne is an anthology of shorter mystery stories featuring characters from the popular South American mystery series solving murders in South America and at home in Los Angeles. The collection features a new novella set in northwest Argentina's Andes mountains featuring Roger and Suzanne meeting for the first time in The Empanada affair.  This is a completely revised version of the previous novel with the same title.  A short story entitled The Haunted Gymnasium set in Fortaleza, Brazil features Roger and Vincent Romero investigating an apparent murder in the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  Another short story for dog lovers and others entitled The Dog With No Name tells the story of Roger's first case as a private detective.  In Los Angeles we have the noir short story Someone Did It To the Butler and the novella The Body in the Parking Structure (also available separately as a $0.99 Kindle e-book) featuring Roger, Suzanne, Bruce, and Vincent.  Enjoy the Quickies, which introduce several of the recurring characters in the series and are a great place to begin it.  FREE to download from Kindle Unlimited.

Tells the true story of a boy, from birth to age 22, who changed schools 11 times, located in five countries employing four languages. The dad was a career CIA man who had segued from OSS after WWII. The mom was not-so-typical housewife of the 50's and 60's who, among other odd things, tried getting her three boys hooked on booze and cigarettes before they were teens.  Musical influences affected the boy showcased in the memoir, at many junctures in his life. He started gigging on blues guitar in smoky blues clubs before the age of 17. He fronted a six piece R&B band gigging all over the Wash. DC region a few years later. That band had a 3-piece horn section and half the songs were originals. The reference to 'drugs' in the subtitle pertains to the mind-altering drugs which most teenagers dealt with in those heady times. Drugs can be used to 'get kicks' for sure, but the CIA story delves deeper, and articulates how some drugs can enhance deep spiritual explorations. 

This memoir is suitable for any age group over 10, and perhaps most appreciated by adults. The author has published 11 books on as many different topics, including Tibetan Buddhism, political satire, homesteading, Thai language, fasting, Himalayan Explorers, and even a dollop of science fiction. The author resides in Thailand and runs an outdoor Adventure Park called Boomerang.

What do a dismembered body and South American indigenous creation legends have in common?  The answer to this question is a crucial clue as Roger Bowman and Suzanne foster solve a brutal murder in Montevideo, Uruguay.  But, before they can solve this suspenseful whodunit mystery, they find themselves visiting much of the rest of Uruguay, as well as Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, in search of clues. One site they visit is Iguazu Falls (the book cover is a photo the author's wife took of the Falls), the largest waterfall in the world as measured by volume of water passing over the Falls, and the site of one of the largest hydroelectric dams in the world. 

Readers will get an introduction to several of the countries in the southern tier of South America, as well as regional foods and wines and to Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay.  The author has lived in Montevideo and knows it well, both as a resident and as a tourist. 

The Ambivalent Corpse introduces several important recurring characters from the Roger and Suzanne South American mystery series who we'll meet again in later books of the series.  The novel may be downloaded FREE from Kindle Unlimited.

The Surreal Killer is a multi-5-star psychological mystery that seamlessly mixes the genre of whodunit thriller with the theme of travel to exotic places to introduce readers to the regional culture and history of the Incas, while a mysterious modern-day murderer proves that we reap what we sow.  This gripping novel takes us deep into the mind of a serial killer as the suspense mounts to a shocking conclusion.  The story blends murder, intrigue, and the 20th Century history of Chile with the genesis of a serial killer.  The Surreal Killer was an Indie Book of the Day award winner in 2013.  This novel is the second entry in the Roger and Suzanne South American mystery series, which has been designed so that each book is complete in its own right and the series may be read in any order.  Interestingly, Amazon also ranks The Surreal Killer highly (top 25) in the category of Nonfiction-Travel in South America-Peru, as the characters visit Lima, Cuzco, and Macchu Pichu in Peru on route to Northern Chile's Atacama Desert region. 

Lucy Major is a filmmaker who acts as a consultant to filmmakers in developing countries, helping them shape their projects so they appeal to Western audiences. She is successful in her field although she has been diagnosed with more than one psychiatric disorder. This year - for the fourth time in five years - she has a film in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. She is also psychic and is convinced that this film will win the Camera d'Or - the award that Cannes gives to the best film by a first time director. She is so convinced that they are going to host a party for the film's director. On the plane to Barcelona, where she is going to rent a car then drive to Cannes, she meets a handsome younger man who she finds extremely appealing. She gives him a ride to the beautiful city of Girona in Catalunya, Spain, where they part. Lucy continues on to Cannes where she joins her friends, Philippe, Sofia and Nicky. The book is a great how-to guide for first-time attendees of the Festival. Lucy's new Spanish friend surprises her at the party and they enjoy a nice little fling during which they discover that they have shared many past lives and that any relationship between the two of them may well mean his death.

An apparent accidental attack by a bear kills two tourists in Alaska's Denali National Park, a huge natural wilderness in Alaka's heartland with only one well guarded entrance and exit.  The novel, written by an author who has clearly been there, combines all of the elements of the classic locked room mystery in a six million acre room.  The plot is full of twists and turns.  Conspiracies abound and the truth is much more complicated than it appears to be.  This is Roger and Suzanne's most difficult case to date, with no clues, no suspects, and little or no help available from the local police. All they have to work with is their own gut feeling that all is not what it seems to be and some help from their friends.  This tough and gritty suspenseful psychological thriller contains some scenes of violence, but is a suitable read for young adults and for readers who prefer their mystery books with clean language and no graphic sex.

This novel can be read as a series entry or on its own.  The story is complete without reference to earlier books in the series.

In 2011, I walked 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. As I walked, I talked with other female modern-day pilgrims. Women of the Way: Embracing the Camino is about my adventure and the conversations I had with these women.

Learn about the Camino—its beauty and challenges, how to prepare for a long walk, what daily life is like along the way, the changes in perspective and growth, and the lasting friendships that develop.

For me, there is the person I was before the Camino, and the one after. There isn't a day since completing the Camino that I have not thought about it.

I first learned about the Camino in Shirley MacLaine's book "The Camino: A journey of the Spirit." After reading it I wondered why a 60-year old woman would want to do such a thing. Years latter I friend talked about his recent adventures on the Camino, and I was hooked. When my husband asked me how I would like to celebrate my 60th birthday, the was only once answer: to walk the Camino. It was my first long walk.

I hope you will enjoy me along the Way.