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FRONT PAGE MURDER

Joyce St. Anthony

In this World War II-era historical mystery series debut by Joyce St. Anthony, small-town editor Irene Ingram has a nose for news and an eye for clues.
Irene Ingram has written for her father's newspaper, the Progress Herald, ever since she could grasp a pencil. Now she's editor in chief, which doesn't sit well with the men in the newsroom. But proving her journalistic bona fides is the least of Irene's worries when crime reporter Moe Bauer, on the heels of a hot tip, turns up dead at the foot of his cellar stairs. An accident? That's what Police Chief Walt Turner thinks, and Irene is inclined to agree until she finds the note Moe discreetly left on her desk. He was on to a big story, he wrote. The robbery she'd assigned him to cover at Markowicz Hardware turned out to be something far more devious. A Jewish store owner in a small, provincial town, Sam Markowicz received a terrifying message from a stranger. Moe suspected that Sam is being threatened not only for who he is... but for what he knows. Tenacious Irene senses there's more to the Markowicz story, which she is all but certain led to Moe's murder. When she's not filling up column inches with the usual small-town fare - locals in uniform, victory gardens, and scrap drives - she and her best friend, scrappy secretary Peggy Reardon, search for clues. If they can find the killer, it'll be a scoop to stop the presses. But if they can't, Irene and Peggy may face an all-too-literal deadline. Joyce St. Anthony was a police secretary for ten years and more than once envisioned the demise of certain co-workers, but settled on writing as a way to keep herself out of jail. She is the author of the award winning Brewing Trouble mysteries set in Pittsburgh. A native Pittsburgher, she now lives in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania with her husband.
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Published 2022-03-08 by Crooked Lane

Comments

A strong, take-charge female protagonist and a twisty plot to keep readers guessing... I fell in love with [Irene Ingram] and know you will too!

St. Anthony splendidly evokes the era... Fans of Jacqueline Winspear will want to see more.

A gutsy heroine and a tight, fast moving plot set against the atmospheric backdrop of America's Homefront in WW2.

Front Page Murder has it all: a spunky sleuth, a cozy town, and a twisty plot. Mystery fans and WWII history buffs will rejoice.

A gutsy and likable sleuth... replete with historical touches.

Recommended as an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

A must-read whodunit featuring a feisty female reporter on a dangerous quest to find a murderer while navigating the always-challenging landscape of the World War II American homefront.

When Irene Ingram's best reporter dies under mysterious circumstances she doesn't just write about it, she sets out to find his killer. As the editor of a small town newspaper during World War II, Irene navigates self-doubt, anti-Semitism, conflict within the local wartime industry, and suspicions about her new boarder. A perfect blend of mystery and history.

Wartime intrigue, small town charm, and a savvy sleuth who's not afraid to take charge, no matter what the men around her think, make this a highly entertaining and exciting series debut!

Well written, well researched and with a great sense of time and place, this book gives a different slant to WWII.