The Widower

by Marlene Chabot

Mary Malone’s amateur sleuthing days end when she eagerly agrees to join forces with her brother Matt, a private investigator, who’s recently returned to Minnesota from a job overseas, but soon finds herself struggling to take orders from someone else. Now that Mary’s stuck between a rock and a hard place, will she ever find a way out from under Matt’s thumb and prove what she’s truly capable of without causing a lasting rift between the two of them?

Sometimes a simple call from a friend does the trick. On a rainy afternoon in October, Doris Pendleton, a close friend of Mary’s, leaves a message requesting Mary join her at a home in Afton, unlocking more than Mary could’ve anticipated, including the disappearance of the home’s owner, a widower.

“The Widower is an exciting and intriguing book about friendship, family, greed, and tradition. Set in Minnesota, Matt and Mary take on a case that shifts and changes like the Midwest weather.” Patti M.

“I couldn’t put The Widower down. I liked the relationship between the brother and sister. There is a bit of sibling rivalry going on, but Matt and Mary are deeply devoted to each other. The author’s writing is so descriptive, each little detail helps the reader feel as if they're right there seeing each person and place.” Margie O.

Paperback

Published September 1, 2023

About the author

I was born in Minneapolis, MN. Later, I had the opportunity to live in Ohio, Iowa, and Maryland. Moving around and traveling has helped me understand people from different parts of the country.

I received a degree in education from St. Cloud State University, a two year business marketing degree from Anoka Ramsey Community College, and a certificate from the Institute of Children's Literature.

I'm proud to be a local and national member of Sisters in Crime, an organization started by Sue Grafton in the 1980's

My creative writing juices started flowing around age 50. Looking to Colonel Sanders and Grandma Moses for inspiration in new career accomplishments, I firmly believe it's never too late to accomplish your dreams whatever they may be.

I don't like to write mysteries containing gore-I'd rather have the reader say, "Ah, that was a good book without all the detailed description a murder entails." In each of my novels so far I've incorporated minute factual events that have happened to me personally in real life.

I have five published novels to my credit plus six short stories in anthologies. I'm currently working on my sixth novel titled Death of the Pickle King. From 2007 through 2016 I wrote freelance material for HER VOICE, a woman's quarterly publication put out by Brainerd Dispatch in Brainerd, MN.