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Chapter 1 of Death by Discount Reading and interview on Live from Prairie Lights
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Mary Vermillion is the author of the Mara Gilgannon mystery series. Like her sleuth, Vermillion once deejayed at a small-town radio station and then made her home in Iowa City. Currently, she is an Associate Professor of English at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids. Her first novel, Death by Discount—a finalist for two Lambda awards—portrays Wal-Mart’s impact on small-town America. Her second novel, Murder by Mascot, provides a darkly comic look at homophobia and sexual violence in the world of Division I college basketball. Mary will teach three courses on mystery writing in the Iowa Summer Writing Festival: Mystery Characters (July 12-13), Clues to Effective Mysteries (July 19-20), and Creating Characters for a Mystery Series (July 20-25).
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Murder by Mascot Dave DeVoster, University of Iowa star hoopster, is found dead beneath a statue of Iowa 's mascot, his blood dripping from Herky-the-Hawkeye's curved beak. Arrested for the murder is the director of the Iowa City Women's Center, Anne Golding, who led a protest against the university when it allowed DeVoster to remain on the Hawkeye squad despite charges that he'd raped another UI athlete—a player on the women's basketball team. To the rescue comes radio talk-show host Mara Gilgannon. She is not only Anne's ex, but also an avid fan of Bridget Stokes, an assistant coach of the women's team. Mara soon butts heads with overprotective parents, tight-lipped players, university administrators, and Bridget herself, whose interest in protecting her team's heterosexual image may mask motives much darker. Buy now from your local independent bookstore
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Death by Discount Thirty-something Mara Gilgannon finds herself back in her dinky hometown of Aldoburg, Iowa, helping her Aunt Zee keep her struggling radio station alive while unraveling clues surrounding the murder of Glad, Zee's longtime partner. Mara begins to suspect that Glad's vocal opposition to a Wal-Mart opening in the town, an issue that has sharply divided Aldoburg, may have more to do with the murder than was originally supposed. But nothing is ever simple--especially when a beautiful police officer catches Mara's eye. Buy now from your local independent bookstore
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