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  • Published: 10 January 2023
  • ISBN: 9781641292740
  • Imprint: Soho Press
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $90.00

Death on a Winter Stroll




No-nonsense Nantucket detective Merry Folger grapples with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and two murders as the island is overtaken by Hollywood stars and DC suits.

Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger is acutely conscious of the stress COVID-19 has placed on the community she loves. Although the island has proved a refuge for many during the pandemic, the cost to Nantucket has been high. Merry hopes that the Christmas Stroll, one of Nantucket’s favorite traditions, in which Main Street is transformed into a winter wonderland, will lift the island’s spirits. But the arrival of a large-scale TV production, and the Secretary of State and her family, complicates matters significantly.

The TV shoot is plagued with problems from within, as a shady, power-hungry producer clashes with strong-willed actors. Across Nantucket, the Secretary’s troubled stepson keeps shaking off his security detail to visit a dilapidated house near conservation land, where an intriguing recluse guards secrets of her own. With all parties overly conscious of spending too much time in the public eye and secrets swirling around both camps, it is difficult to parse what behavior is suspicious or not—until the bodies turn up.

Now, it’s up to Merry and Detective Howie Seitz to find a connection between two seemingly unconnected murders and catch the killer. But when everyone has a motive, and half of the suspects are politicians and actors, how can Merry and Howie tell fact from fiction?

This latest installment in critically acclaimed author Francine Mathews’s Merry Folger series is an immersive escape to festive Nantucket, a poignant exploration of grief as a result of parental absence, and a delicious new mystery to keep you guessing.

  • Published: 10 January 2023
  • ISBN: 9781641292740
  • Imprint: Soho Press
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $90.00

About the author

Francine Mathews

Francine Mattews has worked as a foreign-policy analyst for the CIA. She is the author of The Cutout, which has been purchased for a major motion picture by Warner Bros.; The Secret Agent; and Blown. Under the pseudonym Stephanie Barron, she is the author of eight bestselling Jane Austen mysteries. She lives in Colorado, where she is at work on her next novel of historical suspense.

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Praise for Death on a Winter Stroll

Praise for Death on a Winter Stroll “This fast-moving mystery packs in a lot, but never too much, and will work for fans of coming-of-age stories, police procedurals, and romance.” —First Clue Praise for the Merry Folger Mysteries "A mystery that’s so suspenseful it’s hard not to skip a chapter to see if certain deeply likable characters are still alive . . . The novel lives and breathes New England island life, with a plot brimming with the best kinds of rude surprises." —The Washington Post  "A story of murder and mayhem set against a chilling storm that threatens all of New England . . . what makes Death on Tuckernuck so riveting is Mathews' description of the storm and turbulent sea."  —The Denver Post   “An admirable, well-written series, with Folger evolving into an ever more complex character as love and loyalty collide with her professional pride and ethics.” The Orlando Sentinel   “What a treat to have a new addition to one of my very favorite series! Francine Mathews’s prose is elegant, her heroine appealing, her setting vivid, and her characters shine. For mystery lovers, the Merry Folger books hit every note.” —Deborah Crombie, New York Times bestselling author of Garden of Lamentations