Life in Bodega Bay, famous as the setting for Alfred Hitchcock’s
The Birds, has been quiet for antiques dealer Toby Sandler—until his new business partner is found dead in the harbor. Soon, the local sheriff discovers that the victim’s recently acquired Hitchcock artifacts and a painting of an angel have mysteriously vanished. Toby and his wife, art historian Nora Barnes, are enlisted to aid the investigation. As they dig into tales of the area’s past and encounter perplexing clues that are both criminal and otherworldly, the couple contemplates whether some mysteries are too deep to solve.
Contributor Bio(s)
Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden are coauthors of the mystery series featuring Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler. They coauthored the memoir
A Castle in the Backyard: The Dream of a House in France, translated
The Walnut Cookbook by Jean-Luc Toussaint, and are professors emeriti of English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Quotes/Reviews
“Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler are back. This crime’s solution takes us into the world of Russian icons, the Russian past in Sonoma County, and even into the realm of communications from guardian angels.
Murder in Lascaux was an auspicious debut;
The Body in Bodega Bay continues the journey. This novel delivers. Grab it and enjoy.”—Richard Schwartz, author of
The Last Voice You Hear
“The Draine and Hinden writing duo have now done for California’s North Coast what their earlier
Murder in Lascaux did for France’s Perigord: brought it wonderfully—and eerily—to life. You can practically see the fog shrouding the rocky coastline, taste the salt air on your tongue, hear the doleful wail of the foghorns, and smell the welcoming, steaming clam chowder coming from the nearest seafood diner. Throw in a multi-angled murder mystery, a clever solution, and a host of fascinating art lore and you’ve got a heck of a book. And for film buffs there’s all kinds of terrific trivia that you never knew about Hitchcock’s
The Birds. A winner.”—Aaron Elkins, Edgar-winning author of the Gideon Oliver mysteries
“Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden must be having a wonderful time researching and writing their mystery series. It certainly is a lot of fun reading their books.”—
Capital Times
“If you’re a fan of Alfred Hitchcock’s
The Birds, you will thoroughly enjoy this murder mystery.”—
Mystery Scene
“Colorful characters . . . keep the proceedings fresh and unpredictable. . . . The unexpected but satisfying conclusion is worth the wait.”—Publishers Weekly
