Murder in Los Lobos: A Mystery on California's Central Coast [Paperback]

Sue McGinty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Everyone loves Connie Mercado, daughter of a prominent local family. Everyone, that is, except whoever pushed her off the cliff into the Pacific Ocean, ruining a perfect June morning and bringing turmoil to this small Central Coast community. Bella Kowalski, former nun, now an obituary writer for the local paper and an activist for nature conservancy, knows Connie’s murder had something to do with plans to build a profitable but ill-advised wastewater treatment plant on environmentally sensitive land. And Connie is only the first victim in what becomes a thorny scandal, involving powerful politicos, corrupt local government, greed, family secrets, and skullduggery.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

You have to love a novel about a sewage treatment plant, an ex-nun and a suspiciously familiar small coastal town. But there's more to love here, including a nicely-woven mystery and a darn good read. --Catherine Ryan Hyde, author, Pay it Forward, The Day I killed James

McGinty describes the Central Coast of California so vividly the reader can smell the sea air and feel the fog...a must-read for mystery lovers. --Marilyn Meredith, author of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series.

From the Author

This novel, based on a real life situation in my hometown, was such a kick to write.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Daniel & Daniel Publishers (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564744779
• ISBN-13: 978-1564744777
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #294,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sue McGinty believes the old adage that a person should follow her dream. With little more than a dream, a few story ideas and a cat who'd never ridden in a car before, she left behind the corporate world of McGraw-Hill in Los Angeles and escaped two hundred miles north to the Central Coast hamlet of Los Osos. Not the Cabot Cove of "Murder She Wrote," but close.

"Murder in Los Lobos" (2008) introduces readers to former Detroit nun, Bella Kowalski, an obituary writer with a nose for murder. "Murder at Cuyamaca Beach" (2010) continues the saga of Bella, her ex-cop husband Mike, and Sam, their senior citizen Golden Lab.

Sue is also editor and author-contributor to "Somewhere in Crime," historical mystery and time travel tales. The 2012 anthology is the sixth one published by the Central Coast Mystery Writers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars McGinty's first novel is well worth the read, January 16, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder in Los Lobos: A Mystery on California's Central Coast (Paperback)

Sue McGinty is a former technical writer, who graduated to short fiction and then to mysteries. She hails from Los Osos, California, a coastal community similar to the setting in her first novel, MURDER IN LOS LOBOS. She lives with her collection of mysteries and several cats, including "The Shredder," her ferocious mama cat.

Bella Kowalski, former nun, currently writes obits for the local paper in Los Lobos, California. Los Lobos is a coastal small town with all the small talk and innuendo. She has gotten involved in politics, weighing in heavily against the location of a proposed sewer plant on some historical property. Her husband is a former cop, runs the current sewage disposal business, and when Connie Mercado, part-owner of the proposed site for the sewer plant, is murdered, Bella begins to make connections. How involved was her husband with Connie Mercado? But she was the one who discovered the body, and her inquisitive mind makes her a target for murderers most foul. To complicate matters, she and her husband have agreed to take on their teenage nephew, the son of Bella's murdered twin, Bea:

"'Auntie Bella, I'm vegetarian, remember?'

'That's right.' At supper last night, while Mike scowled, Chris announced that besides veggies and fruits, he also ate eggs and dairy products, and once in a while fish, fresh caught of course. Oh, and organic chicken. Sometimes. No pork. Except for barbequed ribs on major holidays. Whatever."

Sue McGinty has a clear and concise writing style filled with humor, and when the occasion demands, extreme suspense. Her first novel is well crafted, and of course is a whodunit for the ages with a murky perpetrator. She covers the generation gap beautifully in her novel, as well as growing pains for Bella's marriage, which adds all sorts of delicious flavors to this whodunit. McGinty captures the conflicts Bella faces as an ex-nun and ex-Catholic in a world where few have been so protected by the outside world. But Bella emerges as a fine heroine, and her emergence as both a mother to the needy Chris and as a hard-headed detective is a sheer miracle. McGinty's first novel is well worth the read, if only for the disparate subjects she merges into her great plot.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying read, October 26, 2008

By 

Sylvia Willard "retired public librarian" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder in Los Lobos: A Mystery on California's Central Coast (Paperback)

Sue McGinty's first book delivers. This mystery has plenty of satisfying twists and turns, but the author never loses you. Bella Kowalski goes for a hike and sees a body from the bluff. From then on the action only lets up enough for readers to catch their breath occasionally. Her teenage nephew Chris, who helps her with her escapades to learn who is responsible for the murders occurring in Los Lobos, is a delightful character--though not too delightful. That would be boring. Overall a good read.

Sylvia Willard
Retired Librarian

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Read, October 7, 2008

By 

AuldTymeReader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder in Los Lobos: A Mystery on California's Central Coast (Paperback)

A cold-blooded murder within the local gentry, explored and solved by an unexpected hometown detective: These are the elements in Sue McGinty's delightful and entertaining murder mystery. "Murder in Los Lobos" is a really fun read - one whose every page keeps you engaged and anxious to discover what comes next.

The characters in this debut novel - the local obit-writer-cum-detective, an ex-nun from Detroit (Murder City, USA); her ex-cop husband, who hails from Chicago (Murder City #2); the main murder victim, a very rich person with sincerely humanitarian values (poor thing); and a panoply of suspects (both likely and unlikely) - come wholly alive in this story sited in a Central California coastal town. The progress of the story and the lively local color it offers combine to keep you glued to the pages as you work your way to the identity of "the doer." And even at the finish, you're still wondering if some new and unexpected twist lies stealthily in wait.

In her debut novel, Sue McGinty has brought us a new and likeable investigatrix, Bella Kowalski (and you'd better make sure you pronounce her name correctly). Let's hope there's more where this comes from.