About A Fair Knight Slain: Murder at the Renaissance Fair by Linda LeBlanc
The bloodied body of a knight lay in a dragon swing at a Florida Renaissance Fair. If the murder remains unsolved at the fair closing in nine days, the police chief will lose the mayoral race to a drug lord. He assigns the case to detectives Sara and Ryker. Worlds apart, they’re forced to work together for the first time. She’s a former wilderness, adventure racer. He’s portly, unfit, and never left the city. She hides his glazed donuts. He chides her reclusion. Engaging in playful banter, they become closer and learn the other’s childhood traumas and painful separations.
The Renaissance village bustles with rennies and guests in colorful costumes, shops, and stages. Everywhere the air is filled with audiences cheering, the music of dulcimers and violins, and the lingering aroma of spiced meats and sugary treats.
A list of suspects unfolds as DNA and tox screen reports come in plus an imprint of the dagger guard on the victim’s body to be matched. But after-hour gatherings are the most telling. In the jousting arena, knights battle for the vacated alpha dog spot. In the Scottish camp, their strong bevy helps vanquish the Knights Invincible in a humiliating tug-of-war. A drunken Viking routed his enemy knight. In the Roma camp, smoldering jealousy and infidelity ignite among the Viking’s wife Freya, the court queen, a belly dancer, and fortune teller. The complex layers of deceit, power struggles, rivalry, and romantic intrigue intertwine the suspects in multiple twists and turns. They all loathed the knight and have personal vendettas, making it impossible for Sara and Ryker to nail one.
Only two days until closing and no arrests, Sara seeks confrontations at earlier fair venues and makes a shocking discovery that turns the investigation upside down. The killer escapes forty minutes north to the Okefenokee Swamp. In hot pursuit, she grapples with gator-infested waters, swarms of mosquitos, and poisonous snakes. Two of the drug lord’s goons who have threatened her every day chase in behind her.
Book 1 of Sara/Ryker Mysteries
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Author Bio:
My favorite university classes were in cultural anthropology. They kindled my desire to travel the world and explore different societies. I've been to 68 countries as of 2023, many places seldom visited by others such as face-to-face with mountain gorillas in Uganda, close interaction with orangutans in Borneo, the top of a tepui called Mt Roraima in Venezuela, and to the top of Cape Horn Island at the end of the world.
Born in Denver, I spent my life hiking in the Rocky Mountains. The Himalayas drew me to Nepal where I immersed myself in Sherpa culture and helped them create the country's first lodge system. Later, I led treks to the Everest Base Camp and wrote about this endemic tribe in Beyond the Summit, Everest Adventure and Romance.
The parents of Jordan Romero chose me to write his story. No Summit Out of Sight The True Story of the Youngest Person to Climb the Seven Summits tells of his adventures climbing the highest peaks on each continent. He reached the summit of Everest at age 13 and all 7 summits by 15. I wrote the entire book in first person in the voice of a 16-year-old boy. Simon and Schuster cited him author on the cover. On the acknowledgment page, Jordan gives me credit as the true writer.
I spent a summer in a Renaissance fair village. The music, costuming, and colorful rennie artisans and performers who travel the fair circuit intrigued me. It seemed the perfect setting for my mystery. A Fair Knight Slain, Murder at the Renaissance Fair
Book 1 of the Sara/Ryker Mysteries series.
When not writing or traveling, I play pickleball every day, board games, and hike.