Books By Judy Fitzwater

No Safe Place
ISBN: 0-373-51405-0
May 2006

Elizabeth Larocca’s story begins:

"I should never have married Stephen Michael Larocca. I knew it when he and I were standing in front of the minister, I knew it when I kicked him out of my life, and I damned well knew it when his body turned up again–-after I’d buried the son of a bitch."

So Stephen hadn’t died in a skiing accident in Colorado. He was murdered, and someone stole his body hoping to find something. But what? Elizabeth’s worst fears are about to be realized as Stephen’s secret world spills into her life. Within hours she receives a phone call: Stephen’s belongings in California have been searched and his colleague is on his way to Washington, D.C. Someone believes she has possession of whatever the murderer is seeking. She must flee and so must her twenty-four-year-old daughter Cara who is about to learn that the father she adored has lied to her all her life.

NO SAFE PLACE is an action/adventure thriller that begins in Washington, D.C., moves to Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Mexico, and Vancouver, British Columbia, as Elizabeth and Cara try to stay alive long enough to unravel the mysteries of Stephen Larocca. What kind of man was he? Which of his colleagues can they trust, who murdered him, what are they so desperate to find, and what does it all have to do with the disappearance of a Colorado Senator’s son?

"An exciting tale from start to finish..."
--Romantic Times Book Club

"NO SAFE PLACE is an entreating thriller....fans will wonder who is friend and who is foe until the final shocking twist."
--Harriet Klausner

"An intriguing mystery with taut suspense, NO SAFE PLACE should not be missed."
-- Jennifer Bishop, Romance Reviews Today

Dear Reader,

The character of Elizabeth Larocca first came to me when I was toying with the idea of what might have happened in my own life if I had married the wrong man but loved him anyway. What would I have done if I'd found myself swept into his dangerous world and I had a twenty-three-year-old daughter who was right in the midst of it? Would I hate him? Could I find a way to forgive him? And to what lengths would I go to protect my child?

I drew on my experiences as a mother with two daughters who have made the transition from children into trusted friends. The give and take of those relationships, the admission that we are all only human, and, even as parents, don't always know the right thing to do are part of what makes this book special to me. I tell my children that we may grow older, but inside we never age. We gather wisdom but we never become infallible, and sometimes the wisest thing we can do is trust our children's decisions.

Elizabeth was scarred by her relationship with her husband Stephen and scarred by the loss of her sister. I wanted her whole as I would any dear friend. I loved writing her story. It was a great adventure. I invite you to come along.

-- Judy Fitzwater

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Dying to Get Her Man
ISBN: 0-449-00641-7
May 2002

Bride-to-be Suzanne Gray is found frozen to death on her lover's grave, a suicide note tucked in her lace glove. Suicide? Mystery writer Jennifer Marsh thinks otherwise. But setting out to discover what really happened to Suzanne proves more difficult than Jennifer could have imagined when beautiful Belle, an old flame of Sam Culpepper, appears to reclaim Jennifer's man. Jennifer is determined to find out why Suzanne never made it to the altar--and to keep Belle from even trying. Passion and commitment have never been so vexing...or deadly.

"...a clever plot...the solution to the mystery is a kicker..."
--The Mystery Review

"Bright and snappy..."
--Romantic Times

"A fun read."
--Glynco Observer

"Fitzwater tells a great story..."
--I Love a Mystery

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Dying to Be Murdered
ISBN: 0-449-00640-9
May 2001

A Murder in the Making!

Expecting her imminent demise, society matron Mary Bedford Ashton is paying novelist Jennifer Marsh $1000 a week to live in her historic mansion and record everything that happens there. The old lady, perhaps demented, believes that Jennifer's detailed record will prove her death to be murder, however cleverly disguised.

Jennifer finds plenty to write about: a sinister housekeeper, threatening notes, screams in the night, a bloodstained bed--and Jennifer's own bedroom door, which unfortunately for her, locks only from the outside. It's a case to die for. And if Jennifer doesn't get a grip on it fast, she may do just that...

"If you've missed your Nancy Drew books [a Jennifer Marsh mystery] is the next best thing, in an adult package. And looking very, very good."
----Joe Hartlaub, AOL Book Report

"I loved Dying to Be Murdered and wish I had the next one already!"
---- Robyn Glazer, About.com. Mystery Book Reviews

...[Fitzwater] has an elegant and smooth writing style, with descriptive flowing prose and witty, real dialogue....Dying to Be Murdered is funny, entertaining and enjoyable. However, it is also compelling, suspenseful and thought provoking. The plot is a choreographed puzzle and it is up to Marsh to fit the pieces together, or risk becoming a victim."
----Phillip Tomasso III, The Charlotte Austin Review Ltd.

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Dying to Remember
ISBN: 0-449-00639-5
August 2000

Jennifer Marsh's high school reunion is truly a nightmare. Among her classmates: overweight ex-jocks handing out business cards; former cheerleaders fast becoming clones of their mothers; class beauty Sheena Cassidy, more narcissistic than ever; and bad boy Danny Buckner, Jennifer's unforgotten first love. Missing, of course, is Jimmy Mitchell, whose haunting disappearance on prom night twelve years ago remains a chilling mystery. All that's needed to make the evening a complete disaster is murder--an oversight soon gruesomely remedied by person or persons unknown. Trapped in the dangerous thick of it is Jennifer, knowing too much to suit a killer...and dying to remember enough to save her own life.

"Fitzwater comes through with an imaginative plot, hilarious secondary characters (the critique group, mostly aspiring romance writers, is a hoot) and good red herrings to throw readers off the track."
--Publishers Weekly

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Dying for a Clue
ISBN: 0-449-00426-0
October 1999

Jennifer Marsh thinks getting some real investigative experience will be good for her writing--and helping private eye Johnny Zeeman track down the birth parents of adopted teenager Diane Robbins seems like a safe place to start. But when a late-night rendezvous explodes into murder, Jennifer has second thoughts...too late. For her presence at the crime scene makes the news--and puts her high on a killer's hit list. Her only escape is to plow headfirst into the deadly mystery of Diane Robbins' true identity...and to determine why someone will kill to keep it buried.

“DYING FOR A CLUE is a fast-paced, easy read that is entertaining and beguiling.”
--Romantic Times

“Fitzwater...obviously has fun with her characters...”
--Publishers Weekly

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Dying to Get Even
ISBN: 0-449-00386-8
January 1999

Edgar's Down Home Grill is flourishing, but the reprehensible owner, Edgar Walker, is finito. Jennifer Marsh finds his body--and catches her dear friend Emmie, Edgar's former wife, nearby, gripping a bloody knife.

Jennifer knows that Emmie could never kill anyone. Edgar's current wife, however, with her lush body and scheming brain, fits the bill. But unless Jennifer and her writers' critique group can figure out who's been plotting murder, Emmie's neck will be in the noose...and reluctant witness for the prosecution Jennifer will be the one to tighten it!

“...with this eccentric gang, Fitzwater once again offers an entertaining read.”
–-Publishers Weekly

“...a satisfying yarn that develops Jennifer Marsh as someone to reckon with, in spite of herself.”
–-The Mystery Reader

“In Dying to Get Even are the seeds of a very funny parody of genre writing....Jennifer and her friends are a genial bunch--and one can't help but root for them.”
–-Bill Peschel, Rock Hill Herald

“...one of the funniest new mystery authors since Janet Evanovich....see why mystery fans are still laughing!”
–-Meritorious Mysteries

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Dying to Get Published
ISBN: 0-449-00294-2
September 1998

What does it take to get a book contract? That's the lament of every unpublished author--including aspiring murder-mystery novelist Jennifer Marsh.

After submitting eight diligently crafted manuscripts to every prominent publisher in New York, Jennifer has collected enough rejection letters to wallpaper a room. But that doesn't stop her from concocting one killer of a scheme for her next novel.

Suddenly Jennifer's lifelong love affair with crime fiction brings her face-to-face with real-life murder....

“In a roller coaster of hilarity, Fitzwater has crafted three-dimensional characters with warmth, realism, and wickedness.”
-- The Snooper

"A sprightly novel, Dying to Get Published will entertain all writers...[It] offers a word to the wise: Never thwart a mystery writer, published or unpublished."
-- Carolyn G. Hart

“Enjoyable reading for writers hoping to break into the mystery field.”
-- Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

“Jen’s a warm, intelligent character, and Fitzwater provides an entertaining (and for aspiring writers, frustratingly familiar) look at the world of writing and publishing.”
-- Publishers Weekly

“Judy Fitzwater has come up with a highly original motive... Fitzwater’s characters are...fascinating...she has created an ambitious woman with murderous intent, who is also lovable and sympathetic.”
-- The Mystery Review

“...funny, fast-paced...Jennifer is presented as intelligent and full of initiative...the supporting characters are a hoot. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing.”
-- The Mystery Reader

“Fitzwater skewers everybody in the publishing business...and has fun doing it. The reader will enjoy the ride.”
–-Glynco Observer

“...it’s dynamite.”
–-Murder Most Cozy

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