Lynn and Alfred Tale

"A delight for mystery lovers and celebrity fans alike. Skillfully intertwining elegance and corpses, humor and pathos, Deserving of Murder earns a well-deserved standing ovation from even the most discriminating of audiences." -Michael Giorgio, author of A Week of Criminal HappinessIt's January 1947, and Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt, well-known acting couple, invite six theater people-writers, actors, spouses-to Ten Chimneys, their rural Wisconsin estate, to work on a play. But once there, a blizzard strands them far from town without telephone service, though heat and electricity are still working.All goes well until the second night when one of their guests is shockingly murdered. As more and more secrets emerge, Lynn and Alfred realize one of their company must be the murderer. Everyone has means. Everyone has opportunity. And everyone seems to have motive. Before the storm lessens enough for the snowplow and the authorities to arrive, Lynn and Alfred must keep everyone calm, even as they work to ferret out the killer.Deserving of Murder delivers mistaken identity, multiple motives by a cast of unique characters, darkness and weather, to say nothing of numerous twists and turns. All which serve to lead characters, and readers, on a wild romp through a house containing plenty of places for a murderer to play hide-and-seek. Will time run out and the killer escape or, worse, kill again?

"A thrilling read this, the dual narrative with its vivid contrasts makes for a terrifying chiaroscuro. Bravo!" -Kerry Greenwood, author of the Corinna Chapman seriesIn late-1930s Europe, not everyone is attentive enough to see what the future holds-certain war. In Prague, however, prescient Jaroslav Blaschka is desperate to transport his family's wealth beyond the reach of the Nazis. In New York, Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt are still confident enough to travel on their annual trek to Paris. As these three lives come closer and closer together, they are all pulled into Hitler's maelstrom, encountering a multitude of terrors and horrors.Once their paths cross, the Lunts attempt to carry out Jaroslav's wishes, while he disappears into the turbulence and looming death of World War II Europe. Moving from Czechoslovakia, Germany, France, England, New York City, and, ultimately, to Ten Chimneys, the Lunts' Wisconsin home, Lynn and Alfred must face the final showdown with Hitler's henchmen, struggling to survive while hoping against hope Jaroslav will do the same.

"Mary Ann Noe deftly blends historical fiction, espionage, and theater in this tension-laden WWII tale, vividly capturing the hazards of wartime travel, the resilience of Londoners under siege, and the shadowy world of intelligence work." -Cam Torrens, award-winning author of The Tyler Zahn suspense novelsOn stage, actors can become anybody. And Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt want to use their acting skills to help a world ravaged by World War II.Getting to a war zone itself is fraught with peril-U-boats prowling the Atlantic, planes shot down, storms on the high seas. Once safely in London, the Lunts dedicate themselves to supporting the populace by volunteering as air raid wardens and hospital orderlies, and most especially through their cathartic dramas. The tensions of wartime and constant vigilance amid crushing fear and nightly bombings leave the city reeling.But in the most important performance of their lives, Lynn and Alfred take on the roles of spies to ferret out a suspected Nazi collaborator. He has the potential to destroy Allied secret plans for an invasion across the Channel. Invited to the suspect's isolated manor house, the Lunts play a cat-and-mouse game, teetering on a razor's edge to find proof of the man's dangerous dealings with the Germans.