Marlys has completed her eighth Charlie Greene mystery,
Voices in the Armoire, set in San Diego County.
The hardcover edition will be available from
Severn Press in August, and she's eagerly awaiting cover art. Marlys also
recently learned that The Mirror has gone into another printing in trade paperback.
"I've lost count which printing," she says. "We're over eight."
Marlys has been known to place her stories where she would like to travel or where she has to travel, as in The Rampant Reaper, set in a decaying little town in Iowa.
Marlys has lived in Boulder, Colorado most of her life, but she was born in a decaying
little town in Iowa and, for the record, she has never set foot in an erotic pool hall.
Someone's killing off helpless old folks in a nursing home and the prime suspect's name is Marlys. Charlie Greene accompanies her mother back to the family hometown of Myrtle, Iowa where the pool hall's named Viagra's and the weather's even more intense. And though Charlie is adopted, many people there have the same color eyes as she and her own daughter. This includes the prime suspect, the town's long-dead namesake, and the proprietor of Myrtle's erotic pool hall.
Publishers Weekly says, "In dealing with the locals . . . Charlie displays the characteristic wry wit that has endeared her to her fans . . . a strong plot and vividly described setting will engage the reader from start to finish. This read is as satisfying as a Midwest dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, creamed corn, and carrot cake."
Cozy's, Caper, and Crimes: "Millhiser addresses a national challenge: the hard facts of our increasing elder population who are living so much longer . . . She addresses our elders' care, their frustration, and their exhausted, middle-aged children and grandchildren who face the guilt-riddled question of what to do about their parents and grandparents. That Millhiser delivers this topic with wry humor in a frank and earthy mystery is a tribute to her creativity and skill.
The Daily Camera: "Millhiser's characters are hilarious and far from the stereotypical small-town hicks . . . the plot moves along nicely and raises questions of how to deal with an aging population with some humor. The book stands alone without leaving a first-time Millhiser reader confused . . ."