The next four authors to pitch their books at the Bouchercon First Novelists speed-dating event were:

GAYLE CARLINE

I had become acquainted with Gayle Carline in May when we both took Dani Greer’s online blogbooktour class. We finally met face-to-face when she sat down to pitch her novel, Freezer Burn, to the group. I’ve already read this excellent debut, so am happy to recommend it.

“Peri Minneopa has heard her name mangled a thousand ways and hates them all. What she does like are clean houses, and dirty martinis. She recently traded in her housecleaning business for a P.I. license, seeking low-risk assignments. Her timing seems perfect when she cleans a former client’s freezer and finds a severed hand inside, wearing an expensive ring.”

Published by Echelon Press, Freezer Burn is available from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and can be ordered through most booksellers.

KATE CARLISLE

Kate Carlisle‘s debut mystery is called Homicide in Hardcover (to be followed in February by If Books Could Kill).

“Brooklyn Wainwright is a skilled surgeon. Sure, her patients might smell like mold and have spines made of leather, but no ailing book is going to die on her watch. The same can’t be said of Abraham Karastovsky, Brooklyn’s friend and former employer. On the eve of a celebration for his latest book restoration, Brooklyn finds her mentor lying in a pool of his own blood.”

Homicide in Hardcover is published in mass market paperback by Signet and may be purchased from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and other booksellers.

MARGARET FENTON

Little Lamb Lost is the title of Margaret Fenton‘s debut mystery.

“Birmingham social worker Claire Conover honestly believed she could make a difference in the world until she gets the phone call she’s dreaded her entire career. One of her young clients, Michael, has been found dead and his mother, Ashley, has been arrested for his murder. And who made the decision to return Michael to Ashley? Claire Conover.”

Oceanview is the publisher. Little Lamb Lost is available through amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and other booksellers.

CONNIE DIAL

After 25 years with the LAPD, Connie Dial has a great background for a mystery writer. Published by The Permanent Press, Internal Affairs is a “gritty tale of murder and intrigue in Hollywood” and will soon be followed by Connie’s second novel, The Broken Blue Line.

“Jim McGann, a deputy chief with the LAPD, goes out for his morning jog, only to find a cop car parked in front of his house. In the trunk is the mutilated body of Alexandra Williams, a police officer who had been having an affair with McGann.”

Find Internal Affairs at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Please drop in tomorrow for more debut novels of mystery and mayhem introduced during Bouchercon’s 2009 First Novelists speed-dating event.