Beyond a Reasonable Duck

A Simpato Mystery from Claudia H. Long

Small-town politics. Missing ducks. One very inconvenient murder.

Sal DeVine is ready to put the past behind her. After a suspension engineered by her ex-husband, she's finally set to resume practicing law in the wine-growing town of Simpato. With the annual Pato Parade and the town's famous Duck Dessert festival on the horizon, summer should be a celebration.

Instead, a scheduling blunder puts the two beloved traditions on a collision course. Tempers flare, outside protesters descend on town, and the festivities take a deadly turn when one of the demonstrators is found floating in the church's duck pond. Then the town's ducks vanish without a trace.

As suspicion spreads through Simpato, Sal must navigate feuding neighbors, political agendas, and plenty of questionable motives. Armed with sharp legal instincts and an eye for the truth, she'll have to uncover the killer before the next victim is someone she knows.

Packed with clever twists, quirky characters, wine-country charm, cannabis-cookie-selling nuns, and enough bad duck puns to ruffle a few feathers, Beyond a Reasonable Duck is another delightfully entertaining installment in the Simpato Mystery Series.

Praise for The Simpato Mystery Series

“A good old-fashioned mystery with just the right amount of wit, humor and long-held secrets.”
​—Denise Allan Steele, author of Rewind

About the Author Claudia Hagadus Long is the author of seven novels, including the deeply emotional mystery series featuring Zara and Lilly: Nine Tenths of the Law and Our Lying Kin. Her books span centuries and topics, including the poetry of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (Josefina's Sin), the Hidden Jews of Mexico during the Inquisition (The Duel for Consuelo), women in the mining industry in 1753 (Chains of Silver), women in the labor movement in 1920s San Francisco (The Harlot's Pen), and the legacy of inherited trauma as a daughter of a Holocaust survivor. Her humorous mysteries are “sisters-books, family scandals with a mystery flowing through them.”

Saturday, Oct 17, 11AM PDT | Copperfield's Books • Calistoga, CA

MEET & GREET: Celebrate the Launch of Beyond a Reasonable Duck at Copperfield's Books

Meet and greet with Napa author Claudia H. Long featuring book 3 in the Simpato Mystery series - Beyond a Reasonable Duck! Drop by Copperfield's Books Calistoga store on Saturday, October 17 between 11:00am-1:00pm to meet the author and have your books signed.

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