women sleuth – Empowering women through fiction and history.

Release Day for The Missing Witness!

Title: The Missing Witness

Series:Series: Grave Sisters Mysteries: Book 2

Author: Tam May

Genres: Historical Cozy Mystery

Release Date: November 22, 2025

“It is an entertaining read.” — early Goodreads reviewer

In small towns like Gyver, WWI veterans don’t have it easy. In a nation just emerging from an economic depression, jobs are few and far between. Disability and shell shock are real, and battle fatigue is taking its toll on their bodies and souls.

Three years after the end of the war, Violet Grave’s friend, Hank Convoy, is one of these vets struggling to survive. With a grandmother and a disabled sister to support, he takes whatever odd jobs he can get. But like Violet, he’s a product of Jazz Age youth culture, so most of what he earns goes toward cards and bootleg liquor.

To add to his troubles, he’s arrested on suspicion of murdering an army buddy found in the alleyway near his house.

Violet begs her older sisters, Eve and Helena, to help prove Hank killed out of self-defense and not cold-blooded murder.

Will the sisters solve this confusing case based on cigar ash, a missing revolver, and some missing jewelry? And what about the witness who left the marks of a strange pair of shoes in the dirt the night it happened?

You can get your copy of the book at a special promotional price at the following online retailers.

Excerpt

Oliver persuaded Sheriff Warner to go down to Browly’s Diner for some sandwiches and coffee. He then coaxed Hank into eating. The food and coffee revived the young man a little.

But in spite of the district attorney’s compassion for the distraught young man, he didn’t forget he had an obligation to the county to do his duty. He felt the search for Wild Bill’s killer was over. And he was right.

When he and Sheriff Warner had settled into the room the police used for questioning suspects, the first words out of Hank’s mouth were, “I killed Wild Bill.”

“God Almighty, we figured that out a long time ago,” scoffed the sheriff.

“I’ll take over the questioning, Sheriff,” Oliver said in a rough tone. “Get your notebook ready, as we want to take all of this down.”

“Yes, sir,” The sheriff pulled out his notepad and pencil and straddled a chair across from Hank. “I’ll take it down myself.”

“You can take this down, Sheriff,” Hank said in a firm tone. “I had to kill Wild Bill to defend myself.”

Oliver heard the lawman mumble, “They all say that.”

“So you weren’t in Litt last night,” Oliver said. “And you didn’t get that wound from a bar fight.”

“I shouldn’t have lied,” said Hank. “I panicked.”

Oliver patted the young man’s arm. “Listen, son, do you want someone here with you?”

“I can’t afford a lawyer.” Hank suddenly broke down, hiding his face with both hands.

“I didn’t mean a lawyer,” Oliver said gently. “I meant a family member.”

“No one was home when we knocked on the door earlier this morning,” Sheriff Warner reminded him.

Hank stared at him. “What do you mean, no one was home?”

“No one answered,” he said.

The young man blinked. “Ellie’s always home unless she’s with Sarah Anthony.”

“She wasn’t with the Anthonys,” the sheriff said.

“You don’t understand.” He turned to Oliver. “Ellie’s blind, and she can’t walk well. Even if Granny was out, she wouldn’t leave her alone.”

“If she was home, she wasn’t answering the door,” Sheriff Warner said.

“Maybe Granny came back from the Solarises’ and took Ellie somewhere when she saw I wasn’t there,” Hank lamented.

“We can send someone to the Solarises’ to get them,” Oliver offered.

“It’s just as well they aren’t here.” Hank shook his head. “It would only upset Ellie.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t need anyone here. I want to tell what happened. It’s eating me up inside.”

“Start from the beginning,” Oliver said.

About the Author

Writing has been Tam May’s voice since the age of fourteen. She writes stories set in the past featuring sassy but sensitive women characters. Tam is the author of the Adele Gossling Mysteries, which takes place in the early 20th century and features suffragist and epistolary expert Adele Gossling whose talent for solving crimes doesn’t sit well with her town’s conventional ideas about women. She also has a new series, the Grave Sisters Mysteries, about three sisters who own a funeral home and help the county D.A. solve crimes in a 1920s small California town, set to release in 2025. In addition, she has written historical fiction about women breaking loose from the social and psychological expectations of their era. Although Tam left her heart in San Francisco, she lives in the Midwest because it’s cheaper. When she’s not writing, she’s devouring everything classic (books, films, art, music), concocting yummy plant-based dishes, and exploring her riverside town.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tammayauthor/

Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/tammayauthor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tammayauthor/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Tam-May/e/B01N7BQZ9Y/

BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tam-may

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16111197.Tam_May

Release Day for The Case of the Washed-Up Corpse!

Title: The Case of the Washed-Up Corpse

Series: Grave Sisters Mysteries: Book 1

Author: Tam May

Genres: Historical Cozy Mystery

Release Date: April 26, 2025

New series!

Chosen for the Barnes & Noble Top Indie Favorite list!

It’s 1921, and Americans are still reeling from the effects of World War I. In Gyver, CA, on the California/Nevada border, three sisters own the only funeral home in town. The eldest, Eve, takes care of the administration and accounting. Middle sister Helena uses her scientific and medical knowledge for the more hands-on side of the business. Eighteen-year-old Violet, the youngest, skirts the edge of a flapper lifestyle, preferring parties and jazz to funeral services and burials.

Then, Gyver County’s newly appointed district attorney asks for their assistance in identifying the body of a young woman found along a remote part of the river. At first, the police think it’s suicide. Only it isn’t — it’s murder!

As far as the sisters are concerned, murder is police business. Their business is to see that the dead are laid to rest. But District Attorney Oliver Clarke needs their help, and they can’t say no.

What follows is a twisted tale with only a few clues to help untangle it: a missing engagement ring, a piece of rope, and a torn lapel.

Will Eve and her sisters succeed in bringing justice to a dead, innocent young woman?

You can get your copy of the book at a special promotional price of 99¢ at the following online retailers.

Excerpt

“Would you like some coffee, Oliver?” Helena rose. “I’m sure Agnes still has the pot going.”

“That’s mighty nice of you,” he said. “But this isn’t exactly a social call.”

She glanced at her sister. “Don’t tell me you need our services at this time of night.”

“Death, like birth, waits for no one.” Eve brushed the last cake crumbs from dessert off her lap. “A good thing we filled the hearse with gas this afternoon.”

“It’s not quite that kind of service.” Oliver’s dark eyes grew serious. “I need a different kind of help. A woman was found dead, and we don’t know who she is.”

“Who’s ‘we’?” Helena asked.

“Me and the sheriff, of course,” he said. “And the county coroner. We’ve sent for Dr. Myers, but he’s a little difficult to locate at the moment.”

“All county men,” Eve murmured. “That means —”

“The woman did not die of natural causes,” Helena finished.

“We don’t know that yet,” he said. “We just got down there.”

“Down where?” Eve asked.

“The river.” He paused a moment. “Her body was washed up in the grass.”

“How horrible!” She shuddered.

“No more horrible than what we see,” her sister argued.

“You both know everybody in town,” Oliver said.

“We ought to,” Eve said. “Graves have been here since the town was built.”

“I thought you might know who she is.”

“You want us to look at the dead body?” Eve pressed her hands together.

Helena glanced at her. “It’s our business, isn’t it?”

“I’d like you to do more than that,” said Oliver. “You’re a doctor, aren’t you, Helena?” He glanced at her.

“I studied medicine, but they wouldn’t let me get a license.” A note of bitterness lingered in her voice.

“You have the knowledge and the training,” he insisted. “It looks as if it’s going to take a while before Dr. Myers gets there for the official ruling.”

“It’s that serious?” Eve asked.

“It is for me,” he said softly.

“Your first murder case in Gyver,” Helena remarked.

“Murder, like birth and death, waits for no one,” he said with a little irony.

Eve rose. “We’d better get our coats, then.”

“It won’t be pleasant, I’m afraid.” He helped Eve with hers. “She’s been in the water for some time. That much we do know.”

“As Helena said, Oliver, death is our business,” Eve assured him.

“Agnes!” Helena called. “We’re going out with the district attorney.”

The housekeeper came out of the kitchen, a dish towel in one hand and the cake platter, washed and dripping, in the other. “What’re you wanting to do that for?”

“Because he asked us to,” Eve snapped.

“I think we ought to take the hearse,” Helena said. “We might need it.”

“You can follow me in my car.” Oliver put on his hat.

“What’re you bothering these girls for?” Agnes glared at the man. “Ain’t you got the whole police station and courthouse at your beck and call? Zak never bothered anybody in town at this time of night.”

“I won’t keep them out long, Mrs. Bishop,” he promised.

“Shouldn’t be keeping them out at all,” the woman grumbled. “They need their beauty sleep.”

“You must excuse Agnes,” Helena said. “She still thinks of us as her little goslings.”

“Ain’t these girls got enough on their minds without being bothered by district attorneys?”

“Don’t be inhospitable, Agnes,” Eve said.

“I swear to have them back before ten, ma’am.” Oliver bowed.

“If Vi comes home before we do, make sure she gets to bed,” Eve instructed.

“She won’t be back before midnight, that wild kitten,” the woman snorted.

“I’ll tell the sheriff to send a deputy after her if she’s not back by the time we are,” Oliver said.

“Thank you.” Eve’s breath eased.

About the Author

Writing has been Tam May’s voice since the age of fourteen. She writes stories set in the past featuring sassy, sensitive women characters. Tam is the author of the Adele Gossling Mysteries, which takes place in the early 20th century and features suffragist and epistolary expert Adele Gossling whose talent for solving crimes doesn’t sit well with her town’s conventional ideas about women. Tam also has a new series, the Grave Sisters Mysteries, about three sisters who own a funeral home and help the county D.A. solve crimes in a 1920s small California town, set to release in 2025. She has also written historical fiction about women breaking loose from the social and psychological expectations of their era. Although Tam left her heart in San Francisco, she lives in the Midwest because it’s cheaper. When she’s not writing, she’s devouring everything classic (books, films, art, music), concocting yummy plant-based dishes, and exploring her new riverside town.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tammayauthor/

Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/tammayauthor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tammayauthor/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Tam-May/e/B01N7BQZ9Y/

BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tam-may

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16111197.Tam_May

Cover Reveal/Release Day Announcement: The Carnation Murder

Every year, I choose a word and/or phrase to define how I want to improve myself. This year, my phrase is “let it go”. I even have a card stuck on my bulletin board to remind me to let things go.

After five years of writing historical women’s fiction, I’m letting it go and turning to something new: historical cozy mysteries. Why? Because I realized who I am now is not who I was five years ago. Historical women’s fiction served me well at that time, and I loved writing the Waxwood Series. But now all I want to give readers is a sense of comfort and a little bit of fun. Nothing spells comfort and fun more than cozy mysteries.

This is why I’m thrilled to present the cover for The Carnation Murder, the first book of my Adele Gossling Mysteries, and tell you when the book is coming out.

So, without further ado…

historical mystery, cozy mystery, women sleuth, new release, ebook, murder mystery, small town mystery

So, y’all probably notice there’s a lot of purple in there, right? There’s a reason for that. The color purple plays a role in helping Adele Gossling solve the mystery of the dead debutante in her gazebo. On a carnation, purple is about whimsy and freedom. How do these qualities appear in the book? You’ll have to read it to find out!

You’ll also notice the gold frame on the book. Originally, the fabulous designer who made the cover went for more of an Art Deco look, using geometric shapes and clean lines and spheres. A great example of Art Deco is these stills from the 1927 silent masterpiece Metropolis.

As much as I love Art Deco, we associate it more with the 1920s and 1930s. The Adele Gossling Mysteries takes place at the turn of the 20^th century, some twenty years earlier. So the designer and I went back and forth, and we finally decided on a more Art Nouveau style for the frame. Art Nouveau was sort of the precursor to the Art Deco movement, combining the favored lines and spheres with a more decorative and florid style. One of the defining artists of this period was Alphonse Mucha, whose work you can see here.

Here’s more about The Carnation Murder:

Smart inquisitive, and a firm believer in the new progressive reforms, Adele Gossling seeks a new life after the devastating death of her father. So she flees the big city of San Francisco for the small town of Arrojo. She plans a life of peace and small pleasures running her own stationery shop and living in her own house. But peace is exactly what she doesn’t get when she discovers her neighbor dead in her gazebo. The police think they have a firm suspect: the young man who was secretly engaged to the victim. But Adele and her clairvoyant new friend Nin Branch suspect the young man is innocent. In spite of the raised eyebrows from Arrojo’s Victorian-minded citizens, she and Nin set out to prove Richard Tanning didn’t do it. But if he didn’t, who did?

What early reviewers are saying:

“Really well paced and researched appropriately for the era.”

“The story comes alive.”

Release Date: April 30, 2022

I’m equally excited to let you know the book is now on preorder at a very special price. So come check it out and get your copy at your favorite online bookstore here.

Happy reading!