E2: PAINT BY MURDERS - Chapters 3-5

Paint by Murders is an original, as of yet unpublished, mystery novel. It is the first in a series of Harrisburg Homicides. It is written, hosted, and narrated by M. Travis DiNicola.

This second podcast episode includes chapters three through five - Keith and Ginger settle in to their new home quickly, with Ginger getting a job at a local florist and Keith working on a new commission of paintings. Ginger becomes concerned, however, that Keith is spending too much time alone, with their cats, and needs to get out and meet some new people.  Encouraged by Ginger, Keith visits The River Room, a small bar overlooking the Susquehanna. Here he meets the owner, Michael, a younger couple, Trevor and Rose, and an elderly lady, Jane Goodwin. Though Keith once thought Jane was a homeless lady, it turns out that she is quite well off, if not a bit eccentric, and a great fan of art. Her deceased husband, Louis, was a photographer in retirement. Jane asks Keith lots of questions about his artwork and encourages him to show his work at the Harrisburg Art Members Gallery. She also tells him about the Gray Gallery, which features the work of the late Alan Moonshine. Keith is surprised by this but it turns out that Moonshine was originally from Harrisburg. 

 
Overview: The Capital city and its art galleries, bars, restaurants, and long-held secrets are featured in this cozy-inspired mystery that is as unpredictable as the mighty Susquehanna River it sits on.

When painter Keith Reed stumbles across a dead body in a Harrisburg bookstore, he doesn’t yet know that the victim was bludgeoned with an autographed brick once used in a work by the internationally famous “bad boy” artist Alan Moonshine. Moonshine has been dead for ten years, but his dangerous legacy pushes Keith and his wife, Ginger, to try to paint a picture of what happened before anyone else is murdered, or before Keith’s narcolepsy catches him napping at the worst possible moment. 

After a local art gallery recreates a few of Moonshine’s outrageous performances, the actor who portrayed Moonshine is arrested for the crime. Keith suspects that the real killer is still on the loose in this river town: a theory that proves true when a second body is found, floating in the Susquehanna. 

Like any good amateur detective mystery there are cats, detailed descriptions of gourmet meals, unique locations, and a quirky community. However, there are also “recreations” of Alan Moonshine’s most important performances, thought-provoking observations about the contemporary art world, and genre-bending moments that bring this story alive.

Each episode of this podcast, dropping once a week, will feature subsequent installments from the novel.

If you would like more information about the project, of have comments you would like to share, please do so on the social media pages where you found this, or email me at paintbymurders@gmail.com

Thanks for listening. I hope you enjoy the story!