The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

My fifth book, and debut novel, "The Kept Girl" is released 2/1/14 from Esotouric Ink in paperback and e-book, with audiobook coming soon.

This fact-based mystery stars the young Raymond Chandler, his devoted secretary and the idealistic cop who is a likely model for Philip Marlowe, all on the trail of a cult of murderous angel worshippers in 1929 Los Angeles.

"The Kept Girl" comes out of my years researching and co-hosting tours of Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles and 1920s L.A. crime lore. It's a time and place that is deeply fascinating--so much so that I felt compelled to become a novelist to bring it fully to life, after a long career as a non-fiction writer.

The book is being published by the Subscription model, a very old form of crowd-funding used by Mark Twain among others, and Subscriptions to the deluxe edition are still available until tomorrow from this link. Subscribers receive the book before anyone else, their copy comes in a special slipcase, their names appear in all copies of the book, and they'll be invited to an exclusive Subscriber's Appreciation Party in Los Angeles.

If you'd like a taste of the jazz age world of "The Kept Girl," the first chapter is online, and here is some advance praise. You can also enter to win a copy here on Goodreads.