Read Pillow Stalk (A Mad for Mod Mystery) Online
Authors: Diane Vallere
Tags: #Humor, #british mysteries, #fashion mystery, #mid-century modern, #mystery novels, #cozy mystery, #english mysteries, #murder mystery, #Women Sleuths, #chick lit, #humorous mystery, #female sleuths, #mystery books, #Amateur Sleuth, #doris day, #Romantic Comedy, #traditional mystery, #Mystery Series
Pillow Stalk (A Mad for Mod Mystery) (23 page)
His head snapped up suddenly, to the right of the camera. “No, NO!” he said to someone off-screen. He held his hands up as a defense mechanism. “Don’t do this!” he yelled. The camera tipped over and the screen went black.
Four shots fired in rapid succession.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang
. The end of the film spun through the spool, slapping the take-up reel.
“He’s—he’s dead? It’s over?” I asked the darkness, looking for answers.
“Depends on your definition of over,” said Tex. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, to the balcony and the man in the projection booth. “According to him, your Brad Turlington is very much alive.”
Reader’s Discussion Guide
1. Is Madison Night asserting her independence by choosing to remain single, or is she possibly undermining herself by denying the feelings she has for the men in her life?
2. Does Madison have good cause to distrust Lt. Tex Allen? Is Tex Allen trustworthy?
3. From what we know of Hudson James: his quiet nature, his passion for his work, a reliable figure in Madison’s life, vs. his very guarded, private, almost mysterious persona, do you ever doubt his innocence or consider his possible guilt?
4. Does Madison’s love and loyalty for all things Doris Day serve her or shield her? Has she submerged herself in an idealistic movie-life so she doesn’t have to deal with her own? Can she move forward or is she more comfortable in someone else’s past?
5. Consider the relationship between Madison and Hudson: are they taking things slowly to develop a solid foundation for a relationship in the future, or are they both using the other as a crutch as they try to heal their own pasts?
6. The night Madison “slept” with Hudson in the unrented apartment, did she reveal her true feelings for Hudson by staying by his side, or did she recklessly put her life in danger by staying with a wanted man?
7. Tex Allen appears to be a classic womanizer. Do you think he sees Madison as a challenge or an equal?
8. Is Madison’s method of studying the obituaries for potential estate sales creepy or smart?
9. Consider the various similarities and differences between the following characters and what they might represent:
Madison Night vs. Doris Day
Hudson James vs. Tex Allen
Mad for Mod vs. The Mummy
Rocky vs. Mortiboy
10. Madison has a handicap in the form of her knee injury but insists on regular exercise and on walking more than most people. Is she stubborn, determined, or in denial? Does this trait help or hurt her as she tries to figure out what is going on around her?
11. Is it plausible that the laid back, movie and Mary Jane-loving Richard would betray his friends and coworkers because of the threat from Andreev Popov? Did he have any other choice?
12. Andreev Popov: a man without a country and a climbing body count. Can we fully understand the importance of his reputation in his mother land, or the depth of his guilt for betraying it? Or is he simply a man gone insane?
13. Much of what made Madison the independent woman she is is undermined by the truth she learns at the end of the book. How might this affect her?
14. Who would you like to see Madison with? Tex, Hudson, or Brad? Why?
From the Author
Unlike Madison Night, I didn’t grow up watching Doris Day movies. I discovered them when I was going through a rough time in my life. It was during that time I lived in a small apartment in Dallas, Texas. While I tried to remain true to the Lakewood/White Rock Lake area, I fictionalized businesses and locations to create Madison’s world. I’m sure parts of what I remember fondly no longer exist, but in my memory, they always will.
About Diane Vallere
Diane Vallere lives in a world where popcorn is a breakfast food and Doris Day movies are revered for their cultural significance. After over twenty years in the fashion industry, she now writes full time, juggling the Mad for Mod series, the Style & Error series, and the upcoming Material Witness series. She launched her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since. Visit her at www.dianevallere.com.
Don’t Miss the 2
nd
Book in the Series
THAT TOUCH OF INK
Diane Vallere
A Mad for Mod Mystery (#2)
When mid-century modern interior decorator Madison Night receives a five thousand dollar bill in the mail, she knows it’s a message from her past. Watching Doris Day movies helps with inspiration for her business, but her favorite actress can’t help when Madison’s lover comes back.
After finding a corpse at a local numismatist, she follows a circuit of rare dollars and common sense to expose a kidnapping plot, a counterfeit operation, and the true price of her independence.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
Be sure to check out Madison’s prequel novella
MIDNIGHT ICE featured in
OTHER PEOPLE’S BAGGAGE
Kendel Lynn, Gigi Pandian, Diane Vallere
Baggage claim can be terminal. These are the stories of what happened after three women with a knack for solving mysteries each grabbed the wrong bag.
MIDNIGHT ICE by Diane Vallere:
When interior decorator Madison Night crosses the country to distance herself from a recent breakup, she learns it’s harder to escape her past than she thought, and diamonds are rarely a girl’s best friend.
SWITCH BACK by Kendel Lynn:
Ballantyne Foundation director Elliott Lisbon travels to Texas after inheriting an entire town, but when she learns the benefactor was murdered, she must unlock the small town’s big secrets or she’ll never get out alive.
FOOL’S GOLD by Gigi Pandian:
When a world-famous chess set is stolen from a locked room during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, historian Jaya Jones and her magician best friend must outwit actresses and alchemists to solve the baffling crime.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
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