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Karen Neary Smithson

Karen Leigh Charles

Mystery Author

&

Artist

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About Me

My Bio

Writing had never been on my radar. My passion was art--I wanted to be a painter--but not a starving artist. So I experienced a variety of careers such as a child advocate, a human rights commissioner, and an art educator. Somewhere along the line I began writing and found the act of creating my own world magical. I still paint and my work has been exhibited in local galleries and shows. I'm also a numismatic and am crazy about ancient coins of the Hellenistic period and the Roman Empire. I've been known to pop up as an extra in Baltimore based movies and television shows. I love the beach and spend many hours there planning and writing my stories. I live with my husband and three rescued turned show cats in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Death in Disguise

Teenage girls are being murdered in Los Angeles. Four in one week. The latest victim isn't like the others--not a runaway or prostitute--but a nanny working for a celebrity couople. and this has Sibeal "Beth" Getty, perplexed.

Beth, and Irish born fashion model gifted with an uncanny sixth sense, ws acquainted with the nanny and knew of her aspirations to become as actress. The veiled motive for the deaths haunt Beth and after reading the nanny's stolen diary, she is h ell-bent on unraveling the mystery surrounding the slain teens.

But she doesn't know the first thing about conducting a murder investigation, that's her detective husband's line. With a healthy dose of determination and  her intuition in high gear, Beth forges onward. She begins to link unconnected details and stumbles into a tangled web of deception that makes clear, nothing is as it seems. Help comes from an unexpected source when Beth's self-centered actress friend offers a lead and a hand in solving the crime. As Beth inches closer to detecting the murderer's true identity will she be the next victim on the killer's list?

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Death in Disguise is a brilliantly wtitten mystery that pulls the reader head-first into the pages with an eclectic array of well-drawn characters. The story unfolds at a rapid pace and builds intrigue and suspense. The ending will blow you away.

~ Kim Hamilton, author of Accidental Lawyer

A stunning debut! Death in Disguise had me hooked from the first page. With a varied cast of characters, and one twist after another, fasten your seat belts for a thrilling ride!

~ Shawn Reilly Simmons, author of the Red Carpet Catering

   Mysteries

Death in Disguise is everything I could ever want in a mind boggling mystery. I was pulled in from the beginning and amazed by the ending, which I never saw coming. There are several plots going on at the same time in this very well written, exciting book. I really loved Death in Disguise.

~Trudi LoPresto for Readers' Favorite

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Green Typewriter

This is how I started writing, on a portable, manual typewriter!

 

Many moons ago...

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