Joan Merrill — Writer and Producer

When the New York Jazz Society acquires a fifty-year old letter from Georgia Valentine, questions arise over the legendary vocalist’s death. Did she give herself a fatal dose of heroin, as the original investigators ruled, or did someone kill her? And if it was murder, what was the motive?
Casey moves her operation from San Francisco to New York to investigate the cold case, questioning Georgia’s musician friends, her widower, a drug dealer, a Broadway actress, a mafia boss, and the authorities who declared the death a suicide.
This quest takes Casey to New York’s most venerable jazz clubs, a Harlem nursing home, a mob-owned Italian restaurant, a lesbian bar, and One Police Plaza, home of the NYPD. She joins forces with an attractive detective from the Organized Crime unit, and, as the case progresses, so does their relationship.
With no shortage of suspects, Casey ultimately uncovers evidence revealing a surprising killer.

Click here to read a sample chapter.

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"Author Joan Merrill has produced yet another captivating mystery as part of her on-going detective series featuring SF detective Casey McKie. As usual, Ms. Merrill has masterfully woven her love of jazz and its practitioners into a tale of intrigue and revenge, all set to the beat of the blues and be-bop. A colorful, exceptionally intelligent thriller, most highly recommended."

- Carol Sloane, Jazz Singer

"A well-constructed, slickly-told detective story that follows Casey as she encounters now-ageing people who were involved in the singer’s life, among them musicians, agents, former lovers, criminals, cops, archivists, fans, all of them realistically portrayed. (By the way, the author keeps the reader guessing and I was agreeably surprised at the identity of the killer.) For fans of crime fiction and jazz, the solid background will be a distinct plus. For readers unfamiliar with the jazz world, the unusual background and richly-drawn characters will be a refreshing change. This is Merrill’s fourth Casey McKie tale (previous books reviewed here in January and June 2011 and September 2012) and this one emphatically underlines the writer’s many qualities, among which are her secure knowledge of jazz, her believable settings, and her light touch with dialogue. Definitely a good read."

- Bruce Crowther, crime novelist and jazz writer. Reprinted from Jazz Journal International www.jazzjournal.co.uk

“Listening to the audio And all That Madness It was like watching a good movie with my ears, Loved it!!!! Outstanding work from Alisa Clancy, Hey Joan Merrill, let's do it again.”

- Afrikahn Jahmal Dayvs, JaZzLine Radio and TV

To purchase: The best deal is from this website.

Autographed paperbacks are $15 with free shipping.

USB (flash drive) audiobook $15 with free shipping.

Go to The Corner Store.

Audiobook available at Audible with subscription

Paperback and Kindle are also available on amazon.com.

sayingitwithjazz.com includes 50 videos and numerous essays on the singers and songwriters of The Golden Age (1920s-1965).

Listen to the Great American Songbook with host JM Jazz (Joan Merrill) on WETF the jazz station in South Bend, Indiana on Saturday at 5 pm. Repeats Sunday at midnight.
Live stream website: jazzradiowetf.org
Listen to 80 archived shows on sayingitwithjazz.com