More About the Author
Deals Gone Deadly! The cutthroat world of luxury real estate is the perfect setting for murder --- and no one knows it better than Vicki Doudera. A top producing real estate broker and former Realtor of the Year, Vicki Doudera writes the acclaimed Darby Farr Mystery series, starring a smart, savvy agent solving crimes and making sales.
Available now for preorder is DEADLY OFFER, third in the series and on bookstands April 8, 2012.
Selena Thompson, owner of a boutique winery listed for sale in California's lush grape-growing Ventano county, is dead in her hot tub, and Realtor Darby Farr doesn't think it's an accident. Three buyers -- including an overly ambitious accountant from back east, the buff owner of a yoga empire, and the scion of the powerful Contento family, whose mega-vineyard conveniently abuts Carson Creek - have offers on the table and motives to murder. Even mild-mannered Dan Stewart, Carson Creek's wine grower, is a suspect, as is the scheming Harrison Wainfield, a Ventano businessman with buried secrets. Industrial espionage, bottled-up resentment, and a clever killer with nothing to lose threaten Darby and journalist Miles Porter as they fight to find the truth twisted in the vines of a tangled and very deadly offer.
KILLER LISTING, released in April of 2011, takes Darby to the Florida coast and the fatal stabbing of the Sunshine State's star broker. Kirkus Reviews said: "A touch of romance, a hint of danger and a mystery that keeps you guessing." And Hank Phillippi Ryan - the award winning mystery writer said: "Multi-million dollar deals, mojitos and murder - real estate brings real trouble to this smart and savvy heroine. Scheming, speculation and a scary bad guy will keep you turning the pages." Julia Spencer-Fleming adds: "KILLER LISTING is a real showcase. This freshly conceived series is poised to sell!"
A HOUSE TO DIE FOR - the first in the series - takes place on the coast of Maine and is a brilliantly twisted story chosen as a "Best of 2010" by Suspense Magazine. New York Times Bestselling author Tess Gerritsen (The Rizzoli and Isles novels) said about A HOUSE TO DIE FOR: "Doudera expertly weaves a tale of suspense on a Maine island, where murder and real estate are an explosive combination." Barbara Corcoran, real estate contributor for NBC's Today Show, said: "A fast-paced and well-told story with a smart, savvy real estate agent as the heroine - bring on the next one!"
"An appealing debut," said Publishers Weekly. "The author does a good job portraying Darby in her efforts to make peace with her childhood past and solve a murder on a picturesque Maine island." And CrimeSpree Magazine said: "A superb prologue, wonderful story, atmospheric with a good plot."
"I never imagined my day job as a top selling real estate agent would lead to my dream job of writing fiction," she says. A graduate of Hamilton College and the author of several non-fiction books on real estate relocation - MOVING TO MAINE (now in its second edition) and WHERE TO RETIRE IN MAINE, she works for a firm specializing in coastal Maine properties and is one of its most successful brokers. Meeting clients, touring luxurious homes, and negotiating deals prompted her to pick up her pen and create Darby Farr, a gutsy agent solving bloody crimes while selling property.
Vicki belongs to Mystery Writers of America and is on the board of Sisters in Crime, New England. Still active as a real estate broker, she belongs to the National Association of Realtors and was a Realtor of the Year in 2009.
"One of my biggest passions is the organization Habitat for Humanity. I have been on several builds around the country and am Board President of my local chapter, Midcoast Habitat for Humanity." Because she is "all about houses"-- building them, selling them, and writing mysteries about them, Vicki gives part of her book proceeds to this organization. When she is not writing, she cycles, knits, hikes, and eats lobster with her family on the coast of Maine.
"Real estate is full of intrigue, greed, and passion. I love weaving this milieu into the suspense of a traditional mystery novel. Think about how emotional selling a house can be... now combine that with murder! I'm having a wonderful time writing suspenseful plots, describing luxurious homes, and creating memorable characters. I hope you enjoy reading Darby's thrilling adventures as much as I enjoy writing them."
Read more about the author at her website www.vickidoudera.com. Become A Darby Farr Mysteries Facebook Fan and follow Vicki's "Mysterious Moments" on Twitter.
