Acclaimed historian and author Dr. Bonnie Traymore has announced the release of her debut novel, Killer Motives: A Hudson Valley Mystery. Blending the page-turner pacing of a murder mystery with a twisty, unpredictable plot, Traymore’s work remains true to the conventions of the genre while adding touches of American folklore and history.
Victoria Mancusio has it all—a thriving art dealership, a solid marriage, a sizable family fortune—until it all starts to unravel.
Killer Motives follows Victoria Mancusio, a wealthy descendant of the region’s original Dutch settlers whose idyllic life as an art dealer begins to sour when she suspects her husband Nick is cheating. After a revelatory night of spying on Nick and his lover, Victoria is stunned the next morning when she hears that the other woman is no longer in the picture—because she’s been murdered.
With Detectives Jack Stark and Lexi Sanchez under intense pressure to find the killer before tourists arrive for the annual Halloween festivities, there are just as many motives as suspects. Victoria sets out to clear her name and discover the truth, haunted by the question of whether her husband would be willing to kill to protect his interests.
Fans of Shari Lapena and Chris Bohjalian will appreciate Victoria’s complexity and drive as she navigates the labyrinthine events in Killer Motives. With local traditions and ghost stories dating back hundreds of years interspersed throughout the plot, readers from a broad variety of backgrounds will find something to enjoy among the historical and speculative elements that complement the main mystery. A review by River Journal describes this standout debut as a “mystery with a dash of history in Sleepy Hollow country” that touches on “class, gender, and relationship dynamics.”
Traymore expertly contrasts the violence of a brutal murder with the seeming peacefulness of the Tarrytown region to deliver a nuanced, well-developed read. Beneath the façade of a small town preparing for an innocent holiday bash, there are myriad secrets old and new, showing that Tarrytown’s mysteries are not all in its past.
Killer Motives: A Hudson Valley Mystery is available for purchase on Amazon.com or wherever books are sold.
Dr. Bonnie Traymore is an author, historian, and educator with a passion for incorporating historical elements into modern fiction. She has taught at several of the nation’s most prestigious institutions, including Columbia University and the University of Hawaii. When she isn’t writing, Traymore enjoys visiting Hudson Valley and New York City. She currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaii, with her husband and their two children. Visit her online at www.BonnieTraymore.com.
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