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How to Have a Killer Time in DC
  • Published: 21 April 2026
  • ISBN: 9781496753564
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $45.00
Categories:

How to Have a Killer Time in DC

Formats & editions
Paperback
21 Apr 2026
Hardback
27 May 2025
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A young, gay, autistic travel writer takes a head-spinning detour when murder and romance unbalance his well-planned life and career in this fun, quirky debut mystery . . .

For twenty-four-year-old Oliver Popp, autism is just another fact of life. As long as Oliver sticks to a comfortable itinerary planned well in advance, he gets by just fine as a staff writer for Offbeat Traveler magazine. But a curveball drops into Oliver’s budding career when his first feature assignment takes him to Washington, DC, to chronicle the latest tourism trends.

His freelance project photographer is Ricky Warner, a gregarious and impulsively adorable shot of adrenaline. If the flirty gay photographer isn’t enough to unbalance shy Oliver at the get-go, there’s also an unsettling chance encounter with old acquaintance, Elise Perkins, and a congressional hearing that’s shaking up both the capitol and an entrepreneurial billionaire. The unexpected distractions soon collide—quite literally—when Elise is struck dead by a speeding car. Funny how she didn’t move and didn’t scream. She just stared it down like she knew it was coming. Forget the National Mall and Mt. Vernon Square. Oliver and Ricky are game for something much more interesting: solving a mystery and a murder.

With their focus shifted and a deadline coming, they only have a few days to solve the crime. For Oliver, it’s a weeks of firsts: first crush, first time without a schedule, first time playing amateur sleuth, and first time getting wrestled out of his comfort zone. But with a loosey-goosey new partner like Ricky, that might not be such a bad thing at all.
  • Published: 21 April 2026
  • ISBN: 9781496753564
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 288
  • RRP: $45.00
Categories:

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Praise for How to Have a Killer Time in DC

Praise for How to Have a Killer Time in DC

“Lumley debuts with a sure-footed romantic mystery featuring a 24-year-old gay, autistic travel writer…Lumley surrounds his gumshoes with a colorful cast of plausible suspects, but the real draw is the sweet and clumsy chemistry between Oliver and Ricky. Cozy fans will hope this heralds the start of a globe-trotting new series.” —Publishers Weekly on How to Have a Killer Time in DC

“A fledgling travel writer makes a splash in his first out-of-town assignment…That search vies touchingly with Ollie’s inner search into his complicated feelings towards Ricky.” —Kirkus Reviews on How to Have a Killer Time in DC

“Gripping…Oliver narrates with biting humor, weaving together monologues and quick witted dialogue as the mystery unfurls with measured precision. Each clue perpetuates the story’s momentum, propelling the pair deeper into unresolved threads and tantalizing loose ends. By the final pages, whispers of deeper corruption, unanswered motives, and linger suspicions hint a feature entanglements for Oliver and Ricky. Their teased chemistry is enough to carry the series into its next detour.” —Foreword Reviews on How to Have a Killer Time in DC

“Your ride has arrived and it’s original, funny, and touching. Even if Oliver Popp won’t make eye contact, he’ll be sure to steal your heart. Self-driving cars might be at the center of this fast-paced murder mystery, but have no doubt-- a highly skilled writer sits behind the wheel.” —Carlene O’Connor, nationally bestselling author of No Strangers Here

"This is a book with a big heart, a pair of adorable sleuths, a killer plot with lots of twists and turns and a big bang of an ending. I can't wait for author Sam Lumley's next mystery." —Leslie Meier, New York Times bestselling author

“Fasten your seatbelts! When a fussy travel writer and a dashing photographer collide in DC, they crash headlong into a murder case—and into each other. Buckle up for a ride filled with danger, intrigue, and unexpected romance in the cutthroat world of self-driving cars!” —Lee Hollis, author of My Father Always Finds Corpses