Diana Poole has never been much of an actress, unlike her mother, but she's made enough to restore her California home. One day she spots a woman outside her home waving to her, the woman steps into oncoming traffic and is killed. The next day an armed man demands to know what happened to the dead woman's Scorpion. Diana has no idea what the man means, but a quick check of the accident scene turns up a jeweled scorpion, one Diana remembers seeing her mother wearing. Who was the dead woman and what did the Scorpion have to do with her death? COMING OCTOBER 25, 2016 PREORDER NOW
Diana Poole just wants to make a living acting, but betrayal and murder keep getting in her way. BUY NOW		The short story collection of Diana Poole, actress and unintended sleuth, is now an eBook. BUY NOW
The indomitable duo of Claire Conrad and Maggie Hill, the female version of Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe, have been reissued. BUY NOW		The second Clare Conrad / Maggie Hill novel is now available as an eBook. BUY NOW

"I took a deep breath and slipped inside as quiet as a piece of silk. On the hall landing gold-streaked mirrors reflected my lurking image over and over. A small crystal chandelier glittered above me. I heard a gasping sound, stepped toward the living room and stopped dead…"– Hold a Scorpion

• New York Journal of Books says, "Hold a Scorpion, the latest in a line of perfectly crafted thrillers featuring Diana Poole…" Read the review.
• "Sharp dialogue. Engaging mystery with likable characters. Definitely add Melodie Johnson-Howe's Hold a Scorpion to your reading list." - Read David Crammer's review at CriminalElement.com.
• See Melodie's interview with The Mercury News.
• Check out upcoming events.
• Read "A Conversation with Melodie Johnson Howe".

Video: Melodie talks about writing and Hollywood

"City of Mirrors is slick and smart with a 'Chinatown' vibe, only funnier and with an insider's view of Hollywood, a place that 'has the attention span of a coked-up executive producer,' a place where people live in ‘Technicolor’ and then 'fade to black.'"– The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel