Murder in Cabbagetown
Toronto Auctioneer Finds Clues to Solve Case
by Marlene Ritchie

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Life for Lisa Spencer has been a little boring recently. As an auctioneer in Toronto, she’s had her share of interesting clients and expensive and sometimes even exotic lots to auction, but as of late, nothing seems to pique her interest. Take her regular client, Dr. Alistair Huntington, interested in having her appraise his collection of Grenfell mats and art-glass. The appraisal seems routine until she finds Huntington dead in his bedroom and pieces of his collection missing. Lisa suddenly finds herself a suspect in Huntington’s murder investigation and in pursuit of the real killer. From Cabbagetown to Chinatown, Lisa’s own investigation will take her all over Toronto, but the last place she expected to find a connection was with her own family! Life for Lisa Spencer had been a little boring recently...

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Marlene Ritchie was born and raised in the small town of Laurelville, Ohio. Her early life found her teaching in both the United States and Japan as well as becoming a registered nurse. She assisted Emma N. Plank to write Working with Children in Hospitals, a text addressing the non-medical needs of hospitalized children. After marrying she moved to Canada where she and David founded Ritchies, an iconic Toronto auction house, which they managed for twenty-seven years until it was sold in 1995. Next she taught in China and since retiring she’s spent her time volunteering, tutoring, ballroom dancing and of course, writing. She’s enjoyed eight years of being published by Child Research Net, an internet journal out of Japan and in numerous other journals as well as being awarded Arts grants for a collection of short stories and a memoir of her year in China. Her writing is influenced by her colorful, multi-faceted life and the laughter, tears and joy of being a mother. This is her first murder mystery novel.

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Marlene Ritchie