Firsts and seconds by donalee Moulton

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My new book, Melt, is a first for me. It’s the second in my new (and first) mystery series, the Lotus Detective Agency. I’ve discovered the joys, and the angst, of going deeper into characters, inventing new plots for familiar people (albeit fictional), and striving to balance the context for those who read the first book, Bind, and those who are discovering Charlene, Lexie, and Woo Woo for the first time.

It’s essential that Melt stands on its own. As part of a series, I’ve also discovered it’s essential Melt gently reminds readers – in their hearts and their minds – about what they enjoyed in the first book. 

Now the question: What happens in book three?

The answer: I have no idea.

 Until then, let me share a little bit about Melt and what you can expect.

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Melt is a mystery. Melt is a story about friendship. Melt is what happens when like minds and divergent hearts come together to prevent a seventeen-year-old boy from going to jail for the rest of his life.

At its heart, Melt is a puzzle. Luke Castle is arrested for transporting narcotics in the back of a food truck. He confesses. Everyone knows the teenager is not the mastermind behind the $6 million in cocaine nestled among 150 sacks of flour. The lead prosecutor, the defence attorney, and the reluctant detective first class hauled into the judge’s office all admit the kid is innocent. The problem is his professed guilt – a confession he refuses to recant. The legal eagles are at a loss. First question that must be answered: Why is Luke Castle lying?

At its heart, Melt is about friendship. Three women met at a yoga studio. They’re now part owners of that studio – after helping to catch a thief. Now, they’re asked to help figure out what is going on with Luke Castle, bringing new approaches and new ways of ingratiating themselves with the likely suspects: drug lord, drug lord’s sons, bitter daughter-in-law, rebellious younger brother. Lending a helping hand brings them together in unexpected and ultimately profound ways. We root just as much for these women as we do for the dealer (or dealers) to be unveiled. There is a cast of regulars, including the police detective and the yoga instructor. Each a three-dimensional, likeable, and flawed human being. (Madoff, a Westie, makes periodic appearances.)

At its heart, Melt is funny and fun to read. It’s like coming home to a steaming bowl of tomato soup on a cold winter day. Comfortable and delicious. Like a perfect downward dog.