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Posts Tagged ‘the mad mad murders of marigold way’

Beaufort Titles I Will Read in 2023

Tuesday, January 31st, 2023

Hello, readers! My name is Beau Henry, and I am one of Beafort’s newest interns. As a new intern, I’m very excited to dig a bit deeper into Beaufort’s incredible list. Aside from the bestsellers like If I Did it and I Shall Live, I’m hoping to explore some frontlist titles in genres I’m not as familiar with. As someone who has mostly been interested in literary fiction, I’m hoping to get a better grasp on genres such as romance, mystery, and science fiction and to expand my reading habits. The following books are a few that I’m very excited to explore.

On top of an excellent title, the plot’s labyrinthine twists and turns look fascinating, and the sardonic humor in the narrative voice is endearing. The layers to the relationships within the novel and the warped Americana at the center of the novel are very much in line with my interests.

The tragedy of the plot is deeply layered, and the criminal conspiracy that pushes the narrative forward is appealing. I love when books have the capability to draw you in with carefully crafted narrative turns, and Hidden Falls certainly does that. The austerity of the main character’s voice adds additional weight to the themes in the novel.

As a huge grammar nerd, I am always on the lookout for new books about grammar and language. Grammar is fascinating because it allows you to view language as equations where there are right answers and wrong answers. While art is subjective, grammar is not, and I find that to be very reassuring.

As someone who finds expansive, maximalist novels to be very exciting, this historical fiction novel is intriguing. The parallels between family connections and lives marred by tragedy across decades is incredible, and I’m hoping to find out how Probert pulls off a narrative with such a vast scope.

While these four are at the top of my list, I’m looking forward to seeing the new titles that Beaufort has in store for this year!

Until next time,

Beau Henry

Writing Fiction in the Age of COVID

Tuesday, December 20th, 2022

Author of The Mad. Mad Murders of Marigold Way (October 2022), Raymond Benson discusses the concept and writing process behind his timely and darkly comedic thriller.


When the Covid-19 pandemic began, there was much discussion on social media and the like among writers, especially those who write thrillers and mysteries, regarding whether or not we should include the coronavirus in our fiction. Should fictional characters who are investigating a murder be wearing masks? Do they practice social distancing? Should they be mindful of health and safety protocols? Or do we pretend the pandemic doesn’t exist and just write the book with no mention whatsoever of a global disease that has impacted every person on the planet?

When I wrote The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way (Beaufort Books), it was very early in the pandemic. It didn’t even occur to me that writing a murder mystery with the pandemic in the background might be a concern. I came up with a darkly comic murder mystery that took place in the thick of it. In searching for the right tone for the story, I was likely inspired by Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and the works by the sardonic Coen Brothers.

It was May 2020 and my wife and I were in lockdown at home with Covid-19 raging outside. At that time, no one knew what the future would hold. There was no vaccine in sight, and there was still so much that was unknown about the virus. The geographical environment in the story mirrors where we were living (fictionalized, but yes, we live on a street not unlike “Marigold Way” and in a town very much like “Lincoln Grove”). As with most writers, my imagination, fueled by the fever dream of the paranoia and bizarre life we were leading during the lockdown, took off. The book was written over the next two to three months.

My existence at the time was pretty close to the protagonist’s (Scott Hatcher) daily life—staying home, going for walks, social distancing, wearing masks at the grocery store and such—but I certainly am not as stupid as he is! Being happily married, I was not in the rather shattered mental state that encourages him do the irrational and impulsive things that push the story forward. I had no reservations about the setting at all. History is history. Especially now, nearly three years later, the pandemic is a part of the world’s timeline and it can’t be ignored. I, for one, will have trouble buying into any novels, movies, or television shows that supposedly take place recently or “now” that do not acknowledge in some way that we’ve been through this experience.

Alas, my literary agent and I were rather shocked to receive some resistance from publishers, even though editors proclaimed how much they liked what I’d written. It took some time, but eventually we found a publisher. Luckily, the folks at Beaufort Books had no problem with the subject matter. That said, these attitudes seem to be lifting. I’m seeing more authors write tales set during the pandemic. I’m thinking of Michael Connelly and Jodi Picoult, among others.

Mind you, my book really isn’t about the pandemic. It’s merely the backdrop, the “special world” of the story that informs how the characters behave. When one is frightened, paranoid, and uncertain about the future, a person might do some crazy things. The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way is about some of those crazy things. Or perhaps it’s more about the hidden underside of suburbia and the dark recesses of the human heart. There is a labyrinth of a mystery that is the backbone of the novel, but it is placed against the larger “Mystery of Life” itself, all with a touch of down-home humor.

And a virus.


Raymond Benson

RAYMOND BENSON is the author of over forty published books. He is most well-known as the third—and first American—author of continuation James Bond novels, commissioned by the Ian Fleming copyright holders. In total, six original 007 novels, three film novelizations, and three short stories were published worldwide between 1997 and 2002. His bestselling and critically praised five-book serial, The Black Stiletto, is in development as a possible film or TV series. Raymond’s other recent acclaimed novels of suspense are Blues in the Dark, In the Hush of the Night, and The Secret on Chicory Lane.

The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way

The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way

Gold Medalist in the 2023 IPPYs for the Mystery category!

From internationally acclaimed and best-selling author RAYMOND BENSON comes a wry and darkly comedic work in which a quaint suburb of Chicago finds itself rocked by more than just the uncertainties of 2020. Perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and the twisted prose of Tom Perrotta.

For Scott Hatcher, a former television writer turned struggling novelist with a failing marriage to boot, social-distancing and mask-wearing feel like fitting additions to his already surreal life. When his wife Marie and neighbor John Bergman disappear in the middle of the raging COVID-19 pandemic, Scott is naturally mystified and disturbed, but he is also about to learn that his picturesque neighborhood hides more than just the mundane routines of suburban life.

When a fire claims the empty house for sale next door, the entire community is shocked when the charred remains of Marie and John are found inside. Stranger still, stockpiles of valuable Personal Protection Equipment, clearly stolen, were destroyed in the blaze alongside them. As the neighborhood reels from the loss, Scott and Bergman’s earthy and enticing widow, Rachel, not only find themselves under investigation for the crime, but also inexorably drawn to one another. As tensions reach a fever pitch, the tale—which is at once familiar and ordinary, yet bizarre and eerie—shows that, just like life in 2020’s uncertain times, dread and danger lurk below the hidden underside of everyday suburbia.

Fans of Thornton Wilder’s classic Our Town and films by the sardonic Coen Brothers will be captivated by the warped Americana of The Mad, Mad Murders of Marigold Way.

About: Raymond Benson

Top Finalist in the 2022 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition

Hardcover: $24.95 (ISBN: 9780825309915)

E-book: $9.95 (ISBN: 9780825308703)

Fiction/Mystery & Detective

350 pages

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