Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate:
A WWII Tale of Political Shenanigans and Snookery
(Mrs. Odboddy Mysteries)
by Elaine Faber
The Sure-Fire Cozy Mystery Template of Conniving Candidate
Let’s pretend for a minute, you’re an author seeking to unlock the secret of how to write a successful cozy mystery novel. After analysis of numerous cozy mysteries, a certain template emerges.
Your heroine must be a beautiful, blonde female, about 30 years old, recently divorced with, or without child. She must have a dog or a cat. The pet doesn’t have to solve crimes, but it helps…
Her sweetheart, (who resists a committed relationship) is somehow connected to an inept law enforcement agency, which provides access to information usually withheld from the public.
She must have a quirky sidekick, to balk at her every good intention.
She also needs an unusual profession or hobby. The best ones have already been snagged by multiple popular mystery writers. These include book store owners, catering services, travel agents, writers, detectives, caterers, librarians, etc.
For any hope of a successful series, our heroine needs a career or hobby that hasn’t been done to death, but gives her access to numerous nefarious criminal activities. In the end she must succumb to her own ego, use terrible judgment to expose the adversary, and at the last moment, preferably be rescued from surefire death by her boyfriend or her dog.
So, let’s see if Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate fits the template for a successful cozy mystery.
Agnes Odboddy is an elderly, retired, WWI undercover agent, now fighting WWII from the home front. She has a cross-eyed Siamese cat and sponsors a displaced carnival tiger; though in Conniving Candidate, neither is called upon to rescue her from a death defying situation.
She is engaged to a retired FBI agent, and her good friend is inept Chief Waddlemucker of the Newbury Police Department. By virtue of her determination to bring all Nazi spies or conspiracies to heel, the unusual job or hobby category works. The need for a quirky sidekick is covered by her granddaughter, Katherine, who lives with her and works as a beautician at the Curls to Dye For Beauty Salon and moonlights at the Whistlemeyer Mortuary doing hair and makeup for the ‘dearly departed.’
In this fifth Mrs. Odboddy mystery/adventure, Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate, whimsical and unpredictable Mrs. Odboddy runs for a vacant Newbury City Council seat. Her political opponent is a scoundrel who will stop at nothing to discourage her from continuing the campaign. Multiple issues arise that would convince any normal person to ‘thrown in the towel,’ but not Agnes.
In the intriguing subplot, Katherine’s ex-fiancé, having left her at the altar the previous year, returns, to declare his undying love. When he helps overcome multiple problems, how can Katherine kick him to the curb?
Of course, there is a death-defying final scene, when Agnes attempts to put an end to the skullduggery that challenges her campaign and threatens her family.
So, for a successful cozy mystery, I think it works! What do you think?
Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate.
Check out other Mrs. Odboddy adventures on Amazon:
Mrs. Odboddy-Hometown Patriot, Eccentric Mrs. Odboddy envisions Nazi spies and conspiracies around every corner.
Mrs. Odboddy-Undercover Courier, Mr. O carries ‘secret documents’ by train to President Roosevelt.
Mrs. Odboddy-And Then There was a Tiger, Agnes seeks the missing war bond money.
Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings, Mrs. O seeks a permanent home for a displaced tiger.
Thank you Elaine for visiting today.
Keep reading for more information about Elaine and her new book.
About Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate
Mrs. Odboddy and the Conniving Candidate: A WWII Tale of Political Shenanigans and Snookery (Mrs. Odboddy Mysteries)
Historical Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – California
Publisher : Elk Grove Publications (October 6, 2024)
Paperback : 262 pages
ISBN-10 : 1940781337
ISBN-13 : 978-1940781334
Digital ASIN : B0DJN676F3
As the war continues to rage in Europe, Election Day approaches in Newbury. Among other inequities, the Newbury City Council makes it difficult for local women to obtain business licenses even for home-bases businesses. Mrs. Odboddy decides to run for the vacant city council seat, but she has no idea what political obstacles she will face. The trouble starts, first with disasters in her home, to violence and racism against her friends, and then theft charges are filed against her!
To make matters worse, her granddaughter’s old boyfriend has returned to town declaring his unwanted, undying love. His heroic responses to multiple adverse events affecting the family make it difficult for Katherine to send him packing.
Agnes suspects her political opponent is behind all the trouble, including the state’s attempts to remove their beloved ward, Mattie. It seems that Agnes is up against a conniving opponent who will stop at nothing to prevent her winning the election. How can she prevail against such sinister deeds? Is winning an election worth it when her family is at risk?
Join Agnes as she faces overwhelming odds in her efforts to bring much needed change to Newbury.
About Elaine Faber
Elaine is a member of Sisters in Crime (SIC), Northern California Publishers and Authors (NCPA), and Elk Grove Writers Guild (EGWG). She has published eleven cozy mystery novels, a humorous historical fiction series, a cozy cat mystery series, an anthology of short cat stories, a paranormal mystery, and multiple short stories published in twenty-one independent anthologies.
Three of Elaine’s “Mrs. Odboddy” fiction novels have won NCPA book awards. Her cat novels have received Cat Writers Association Excellence in Writing Certificates, and she has won numerous awards for her short stories through various venues and contests.
Elaine volunteers at the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop in Elk Grove, CA. She lives with her husband, and Truffie, who contributes inspiration for many of her cat-related stories and novels.
Author Links: Website Facebook
Purchase Links
– Amazon
Also written by Elaine Faber
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Thanks for sharing my novel and all the promotion of other books. I know your readers would enjoy this story.