Death Brings An Option

Step into the beautiful charm of a little valley in the heart of North Carolina! This series takes place in a made up town, in a fantastical alternate timeline in history where the world is run by steam, clockworks, and glowing lumistones. Follow along with Duncan Gilfillan, a clever accountant whose eye for detail lands him on the Sunvale police force. The many lively characters in the town have a heap of problems to dump at his feet, and he never knows if he may be searching for a missing cherry pie or chasing after a con man! One thing is always for certain. Duncan will rely on his wit and his dear friends to find the answers. Join him for a walk in Sunvale, North Carolina, along with the cranky but lovable Police Chief Leo, Duncan’s excitable and loyal younger brother Roy, and the odd and curious Wilhelmina.

Author’s Notes

I. Love. Mysteries. One day I will own every single Agatha Christie book in existence. Yet I find that I have a soft spot for cozy mysteries that all take place in one town, where everyone knows everyone. I don’t necessarily live in a traditional “small town”, but I am very familiar with having a community. The friendships and quarrels and laughs that come from knowing a particular group of people all your life will all find their way eventually into this series. Right now, there is only a single collection out. This book, Death Brings An Option, consists of three separate mysteries that introduce you to all the main characters in Sunvale. Hopefully I will have more out soon.

Having the right character to follow is a crucial part of a mystery, and I knew I needed someone who had the means of seeing what not everyone noticed immediately. Duncan is no genius, but he has a love of numbers and addition. When things don’t add up, he is quick to look for the mistake. But it’s not only his accountant skill that makes him a good detective. Duncan has a heart for the people in his town. He does not immediately assume malicious intent when things go wrong, because he knows that humans make mistakes. This is quite contrasted by his best friend Leonardo, who knows just how wicked the human heart can be. While Duncan grew up in a small, quiet town with parents who took him to church and taught him how to be a gentleman, Leo has been fighting to survive since he was a child, being abandoned by his mother and left to live on the streets of an overpopulated city. Duncan and Leo work off of each other well, knowing that there is always more than one side to every incident, and making up for wherever the other lacks.

Roy and Wilhelmina are the sidekicks, deputies ready to assist Inspector Duncan and Police Chief Leo whenever need be, though Leo is not always eager to have them tag along. I created Roy as a loving tribute to all the younger brothers I’ve known in my life. Not just my two younger brothers, but the young boys I’ve grown up with and watched grow into young men, who still retain that eager and often times unpredictable spark of excitement. Roy is loyal, and hates injustice of any kind. Perhaps he’s not the smartest person in the group, but point him in the right direction and he will have your back through it all. Wilhelmina is also a kind of tribute character. Girls can be such strange creatures in wonderful ways, and I like to believe Willy captures the unique but charming nature of the type of girl who does not notice very often what people think of her, as she’s too busy focusing on the things that are more important in life: the secrets of the universe and the deepest most inner feelings of those around her. You don’t always know what she is going to do next, by she is a most trustworthy companion.