Young Adult Cozy Mystery
Date Published: 6/23/25
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
With no good options, Sara enters the contest and finds herself at a fabulous mansion up against eight formidable opponents, each with a dark secret and all racing to solve seven levels of riddles and puzzles.
After a contestant’s body is discovered, Sara contemplates dropping out when another package arrives, its chilling contents making clear she’s at the center of a dangerous game with deadly consequences if she quits. But what it doesn’t say is—what happens if she wins?
Interview with B.T. Polcari
What is your favorite part of the book?
This is such a tough question because there are so many fun parts to the book. However, if I can only pick one, since the story revolves around a very exclusive contest at an exquisite estate called El Sueño, it would be Chapter 7 where the nine contestants have their first mandatory dinner together at the mansion. I love this chapter because the reader gets a first real glimpse at how the contestants will be interacting with each other, and there is a fun appearance by El Sueño’s crazy chef.
Does your book have a lesson? Moral?
When I wrote the book, there was not a lesson I was intentionally trying to drive home to the reader. With that said, in retrospect, things are never what they seem to be. Ever.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
Most came from my imagination. There are two real-life characters: Mauzzy and Bertie, the two dachshunds in the story who share their names with the real pups. Mauzzy’s character is 100% based on him, while Bertie is somewhat based on him (you’ll understand when you read the book). Also, the main character is loosely based on a real person who I took poetic license with to develop a fun multi-layered character with some over-the-top traits combined with real-life positive attributes.
Of all the characters you have created, which is your favorite and why?
By far my most favorite character is Mrs. Majelski, who has been in all three books in the series. And it’s not just me—many of my readers love Mrs. M. She is an octogenarian mystery woman with a very colorful past and a knack for showing up at just the right times in each story. I thoroughly enjoy writing her into scenes because there is so much I can do with her character. Consider that the little old lady effortlessly pumps iron in the gym; runs on the treadmill and through parking lots and garages; maniacally works the elliptical without breaking a sweat or loss of breath; nimbly clambers up walls in a rock-climbing room; deftly wields a blowtorch; is a part-time bouncer at Sunny Time’s Stein Room; drives a tricked-out monster truck with a full gun rack; knows how to hack security systems ranging from residential to high-end commercial ones; has shadowy links to international syndicates and intelligence agencies; and more. Even my developmental editor said, “I still wanna be Mrs. Majelski when I grow up.” How can I not love the old lady!!
What character in your book are you least likely to get along with?
Karsh Azarian, one of the contestants. He is an egotistical, pompous, arrogant jerk. And then some. We wouldn’t last ten minutes together in a room.
What would the main character in your book have to say about you?
Hopefully that I’m a good writer! Seriously, I think she would appreciate my recognition of her intelligence, problem-solving skills, and dogged determination. But the minute she says these wonderful things about me, there is no doubt whatsoever she would take big-time exception to and go on and on about my portrayal of her driving “skills,” her extreme lack of athleticism and clumsiness (and I’m being nice), and her tendency—at times—to overreact.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
I go to great lengths to write each book as a standalone mystery while still making connections between each book. This is very difficult to do without giving things away, but I feel it is important since in the last two books I have been focused on “ageing up” the main character, who is a college freshman in the first book. At some point in her development, I won’t feel the need to make these connections, but not now. So, I put a lot of effort into making sure the subtle connections are quietly tucked away in the story.
About the Author
B.T. Polcari is a graduate of Rutgers College of Rutgers University, an award-winning mystery author, and a proud father of two wonderful children. He’s a champion of rescue pups (Mauzzy is a rescue), craves watching football and basketball, and, of course, loves reading mysteries. Among his favorite authors are Richard Osman, D.P. Lyle, Frederick Forsyth, and Michael Connelly. He is also an unapologetic fantasy football addict. He lives with his wife in scenic Chattanooga, Tennessee.
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