The Latest Emily Winter Novel Keeping Readers Up at Night [Sponsored Content]

Palm Springs author David M. Hamlin is delighted and concerned that some fans of his latest mystery are reading it into the wee hours of the morning. “Of course, I’m delighted they enjoy the latest Emily Winter novel,” he says with his wry smile, “and I suppose it’s a huge compliment that some can’t put it down ‘til they finished, but I do hope they caught up on their sleep.”

His critically acclaimed series of Emily Winter novels has garnered this level of devotion since the first book appeared in 2016. The latest, “Killer Cocktail,” has just been published by Open Books. This coming May, Mr. Hamlin will discuss Emily and the rich cast of characters who surround her in the three Emily Winter books – all of which are informed by Mr. Hamlin’s previous work as an executive with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Latest Emily Winter Novel [Sponsored Ad]What sets Mr. Hamlin apart from other male writers in the mystery/thriller genre is that he writes from a purely feminist perspective. While Emily Winter is fiercely using all her skills to solve murders, she is also, with her female colleagues, fighting for women’s equality in the rough and tumble Chicago journalism community in the 1970s.

The issues in this novel center, initially, on freedom of speech for those who are passionately opposed to a woman’s right to privacy and choice. The story quickly becomes a murder investigation when a women’s health clinic is violently attacked.

“My goal in the Winter mysteries is to explore fundamental Constitutional issues,” Hamlin says. “Emily works in the mid-1970s when women were struggling to find their footing in professions, when a second wave, post-Suffrage, of women’s rights was exploding across the country. In part, at the heart of that explosion was the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe vs. Wade.”

Hamlin’s previous Winter mysteries explored abuse of prosecutorial power (“Winter in Chicago”) and police infiltration of activist organizations (“Winter Gets Hot”).

“Killer Cocktail” is set against the backdrop of a Chicago women’s health clinic and those who strongly oppose its protection of women’s choice. While the subject matter is controversial, Mr. Hamlin’s books are applauded for their breezy, fast-paced dialogue and rich, funny, quirky, charming characters, many of whom return in “Killer Cocktail.”

“I knew early on that Emily, like many Chicagoans, doesn’t drive, she uses busses or the El, but to get around town quickly when deadlines loom, she needs a reliable driver.   Benjamin’s Uncle Max, a cab-driving widower with a lot of time to spare, seemed the perfect choice,” says Mr. Hamlin. Also back is Emily’s champion inside the Chicago Police Department, homicide Detective Jack Potter. The Rules Committee, a group of wise-cracking, professional women, commune with Emily at their usual Riccardo’s Restaurant Friday nights for drinks and gossip. Most importantly, her loving and supportive husband Benjamin Winter is back with his eccentricities, his humor and his love.

“Sure, I guess you could say I’m driving a social agenda,” says Mr. Hamlin. “The original idea for the very first one (“Winter in Chicago”) was to help the younger family members, grandchildren, nieces and nephews understand what previous generations had done to get to the point where women are viewed as equal in the classroom most of the time. I don’t think young women should take that for granted and I don’t think they do. But it always advances the cause if one understands the history that led to the current times.  It’s an important social movement which deserves to be celebrated.”

Mr. Hamlin’s Emily Winter mysteries are available online at Amazon and other retailers as well as on his website by clicking here, www.dmhwrites.com.

 

For More Information: Sydney Weisman 323.804.3102 or Sydney@whpr.com