Ripping Abigail brings a level of excellence to the world of mysteries. But this book is not just a mystery--it is also a general fiction that happens to have a protagonist who is a PI.
That protagonist is Rachel Lyons, and she also quilts. Rachel Lyons is a retired librarian as well, who loves to find answers to questions--thus the mystery genre selection. I must confess: I am a retired librarian. I love to quilt. And I love to read mysteries. You will sometimes find reviews on this site of other authors’ works. I also love to read thrillers—and Ripping Abigail is a thriller--so I add here a positive word for the books of author Lee Child. But there is much more you should know about my writing, starting with Ada Unraveled which will be published shortly.
My books, Ada Unraveled and Ripping Abigail are independently published novels, indies. The first, Ada, contains a literary inspection and telling of the secrets at the core of my life.
When I was in the fourth grade, my teacher told my mother I should be held back for a grade. She also told her I was highly intelligent and not functioning at my true level of capabilities. The teacher believed this was because I was born mid-December and had entered school a year too soon. My mother knew better.
The fourth grade was the year my father brought all his brilliance and creativity to the activities of drinking and wife-beating. I was failing the fourth grade due to frequent absences and an abundance of terror. The fourth grade is the year you learn how to spell.
I tell you all of this because even though I have employed two of the finest and most brilliant minds to help me with my book publishing efforts, one as a cover artist and one as an editor, this work is flawed. I tell you this because--inside the covers and despite the still lingering misspellings and grammatical errors—is the central story to my beginnings.
The third grade was almost as bad as the fourth. The fifth grade was still not good, though better. My heartfelt thanks to that teacher (and to all my childhood teachers) whoever she was for bringing about a brief interlude of sanity in my childhood.  Unraveling Ada and now Ada Unraveled are the story of my secret. Ripping Abigail is a story inspired largely by my love of the mystery and thriller genres.
Oh, and my mother refused to hold me back a grade, and began helping me with my homework every night as we did the dishes together. I cherish those memories of her gentle love.