Bogey Nights by Marja McGraw

First Line: The far off cry of the sirens turned into a frantic wail as they neared Good Joe's Honky Tonk, sending a chill down my spine and panic rising up my throat.

Pamela Cross is right to feel that panic. She and her husband Chris have just watched their 1940s-themed restaurant burn down to the ground. Fortunately they quickly find an old house that can be converted to a new forties-style eatery and hope that their chef as well as the wait staff and the band that provides the live music will still be available when the new place opens.

Renovations are progressing at a good pace until a body is discovered, buried in the basement of the old house since 1943. With no business to run at the moment, Chris and Pamela have plenty of time to do a bit of research into the old murder-- with the blessing of an overworked Detective Janet Riley. With the best of babysitters in Constance Hargood, the couple can have peace of mind that their son, seven-year-old Mikey, will be well taken care of while they're playing private eyes. What they don't realize is that-- even though all the suspects may be old-- they can still be deadly.

I was in the perfect mood for this fun-loving book. Yes, Pamela and her Humphrey Bogart lookalike husband Chris play amateur sleuths, but they don't ignore everything else in their lives. In fact, I think the author's depiction of her characters' family life was one of the things I enjoyed most as I read Bogey Nights. Their two dogs Sherlock and Watson have a piece of the action, they make friends with Detective Riley and her dog Friday, they deal with Mikey's adventures at school-- and they keep up with all the hundreds of details involved in getting a new business up and running. In so many of the mysteries I read, I never get a true feeling of family or "connected-ness" with the characters. It's almost as if they have no lives outside of solving crime. Not so with Pamela and Chris Cross, and I was surprised at how refreshing that is.

The mystery is a corker, with plenty of twists and turns, but I thought I had it all figured out as I turned the pages. Then I had that moment... that moment when a reader has a light bulb go off over her head with a glaring neon sign that flashes, "Hold the phone, cupcake. You're not as smart as you think you are!" Sure enough, I had plenty of things figured out-- but not the most important one.

I was also pleasantly surprised at the relationship that the couple had with the detective on the case-- even to the point of their becoming friends. I did become concerned with the amount of work Janet Riley was allowing them to do, but McGraw addressed my worries very nicely by book's end.

If anything at all bothered me about Bogey Nights, it was the overuse of two idiosyncrasies. Pamela has a tendency to roll her eyes (I do that rather well myself), but there were times that she did it so much that I was afraid her eyes would get stuck in the back of her head. And Chris? Maybe it's because I've never been a Humphrey Bogart fan, but Chris just turned that upper lip of his under too much. Looking like Bogey? Fine. Talking like Bogey? No problem. Using 1940s slang? Copacetic. But please don't wear that lip out, Chris. You're going to need it! However, those were very minor annoyances that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. In fact, I'm going to be looking for the others in this series!

Bogey Nights by Marja McGraw

ISBN: 9781610090087

Dark Oak Mysteries © 2011

Paperback, 230 pages

Cozy Mystery, #1 Bogey Man mystery

Rating: B

Source: Publicist

Scene of the Crime with Author Marja McGraw!

I've long been a believer that, if you want something to thrive, then you need to support it, to nurture it. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I would soon be telling you about a small independent press with a love of crime fiction. That small company is Oak Tree Press, and its headquarters are located in Taylorville, Illinois... just a few miles from the small farm town where I was born and raised. More information on Oak Tree Press is in the pipeline, but starting today and over the coming weeks, I'm going to be showcasing some of their authors and their books that are available.

This week, I'd like to introduce you all to Marja McGraw. She's the author of two mystery series: the Sandi Webster series featuring a young P.I. with attitude, and the Bogey Man series in which Chris and Pamela Turner run a 1940s-themed restaurant and find all sorts of mysteries along the way. Tomorrow you'll be able to read my review of Bogey Nights, the first in the Bogey Man series, but I thought I'd introduce you to Marja first.

Marja McGraw

Little did I know until I started doing a bit of research that Marja lives here in Arizona, too, so I'm thrilled to have you all meet an Arizona author. As always, I've provided a few links so you can learn more about this talented writer and connect with her if you're so inclined:

Marja's website

Marja's blog

Marja on Facebook

Marja on Goodreads

Now let's move on to the fun part of this post-- the interview!

What was the very first book you remember reading and loving? What makes that book so special?

Once I learned how to read, it seems like I loved almost every book I ever read. My all time favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird. It was an adventure and in some ways reminded me of my own childhood, minus the crime and court scenes. I lived in a small town and we had old barns and plenty of places to get in trouble. It seems like most kids have a Boo living somewhere in their town, too. I admired Atticus and I enjoyed Gem, Scout and Dill. The children reminded me of my childhood friends, although my childhood didn’t take place in the 1930s. I’m not that old – yet.







Outside of your writing and all associated commitments, what do you like to do in your free time?

I’m a writer. Free time? I’ve almost forgotten what that is. However, we go ATVing (All Terrain Vehicle), I enjoy photography, and of course, reading. We have two Yellow Labs who demand (they’re very demanding) lots of attention. They keep us laughing. I enjoy getting together with friends. Gosh, I never realized how boring I am.


If I were to visit your hometown, where would you recommend that I go? (I like seeing and doing things that aren't in all the guide books.)

River Regatta

I live in a small town in the desert, and yet it seems like there’s always something going on. We’re right across the river from Laughlin, Nevada, so there are casinos to visit and shows to see. We have a yearly River Regatta, the River Run (motorcycles as far as the eye can see), a Bluegrass Festival, a lake and river for boating, fishing contests and all kinds of things. Some of our locals are trying to put together a first yearly book fair. There’s something for everyone, including a lot of heat. Not in the guidebooks? I’d take you ATVing and we’d visit a site where Indian artifacts have recently been discovered. I’d take you to Secret Pass, a place where the Indians used to hide out from the military. We’d go out into the desert and enjoy the scenery and the trails.

[One of the very things Denis and I love to do in our Jeep here in Arizona. You speak my language!]


You have total control over casting a movie based on your life. Which actor would you cast as you?

Sally Field

I’m laughing because I can’t imagine an actor wanting to be cast as me. As a matter of fact, I can’t imagine a movie being based on my life. Putting that aside, Sally Field might work. She can do drama and comedy, although she’d have to work on being a klutz. Draw your own conclusions.


Who is your favorite recurring character in crime fiction?

It’s a toss-up between Molly Murphy from the Rhys Bowen books and Amelia Peabody from the Elizabeth Peters books. I guess those aren’t really crime fiction. I like Dirk Pitt but I guess you wouldn’t call those crime fiction either. Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn from the  Tony Hillerman books. Hmm. Jennet Ferguson from the Dorothy Bodoin books. Maybe Diane Fallon from the Beverly Connor books. Wow! I can’t narrow it down to one character. Savannah Reid from the G.A. McKevett books. That’s the toughest question I’ve been asked in a long time.


If you could have in your possession one signed first edition of any book in the world, which book would that be? Why that particular book?

It would have to be To Kill a Mockingbird for the  same reasons I listed it as my all time favorite book. It entertained me, contained great characters, and had an excellent storyline and heart. I wish authors like Harper Lee had written more stories.


How did you celebrate when you first heard you were to be published? What did you do the first time you saw one of your books on a shelf in a bookstore?

After I peeled myself off the ceiling and my feet finally touched the ground, my husband and I went out to dinner and celebrated with good food and a glass of wine, which is a big deal for me because I don’t drink. After that I celebrated by ordering several copies of the book.

The first time I saw my book on a shelf I grabbed my camera and took a picture of the shelf. I had quite an audience, too. However, it was at a library, not a bookstore.


Name one thing on your Bucket List.

I’d like to discover a ghost town that hasn’t been seen in over a hundred years. I let one of my characters in another series, Sandi Webster, do that in Old Murders Never Die. I was living vicariously through her in that story. Can you imagine what you might find in a deserted town like that? Everything from history to maybe an old tea pot. The mind boggles at the discoveries to be made.

[You really speak my language. One of the things Denis and I did on our honeymoon was to track down old ghost towns... and now I really need to read Old Murders Never Die!]


You've just received a $100 gift card to the bookstore of your choice. Which bookstore are you making a bee-line for?

Too funny. We only have one bookstore in town, so I’d head to Hastings. I wouldn’t have the patience to drive any distance to another town. Las Vegas is about an hour and a half away, and it’s the closest larger city. Definitely Hastings.

Available Now!

Thank you so much for spending this time with us, Marja. It was a pleasure to be able to get to know you a little better.

May your book sales do nothing but increase!

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Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for my review of Marja's first Bogey Man mystery, Bogey Nights!