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Flying Through Forty
ISBN#1-931742-29-4
An Amateur Sleuth Mystery
By R.P. Dahlke
Read an Excerpt
Reading Group Moderators

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The cost is $12.95, plus $3.00 shipping.

Except for the unwanted, but inevitable fortieth birthday, life is good for this ex-New York model-turned-pilot as she runs a crop-dusting business for her taciturn, widowed father and hangs with the regulars at Roxanne's Truck Café. But then Lolla's trophy red Cadillac is stolen, and crows feet and sagging thighs become the least of her problems. Probably because the police are asking how a piano playing widow, who couldn't possibly see beyond the hood ornament, was found strapped in the driver's seat and six feet under water in a local lake.

Before Lolla can blink, she finds herself romanced by the widow's hunky nephew, chased by a homicidal cross-dresser, menaced by a psychotic Chihuahua and threatened by a drug running crop-duster--who thinks she's trying to muscle in on his territory. Lolla only wants to stay alive, out of jail and away from murderous suspects.

Flying Through Forty is also available at:

Clues Unlimited 123 S. Eastbourne Tucson, AZ www.cluesunlimited.com info@cluesunlimited.com

B.Dalton Sierra Vista, Calif.

Ask for it at your local Barnes & Noble or

Reviews for Flying Through Forty

"Ms. Dahlke will quickly join the ranks of all the popular female mystery writers."
-- Marilyn Meredith, Author of Guilt by Association and Deeds of Darkness.

"The author has created a fast, funny and intelligent plot. I particularly enjoyed some of the phrasing, as when Spike the nasty Chihuahua is "running the interior like a gerbil's gymnasium as he baptised innocent passersby with ear-piercing doggy curses" - sounds just like my little pet. Highly recommended, and I am looking forward to the next "Flying" book with Lolla, Spike and Noah Bains."
-- Chris Wallace, for the DorothyL list:

" If your criteria for a good mystery includes a memorable protagonist, believable characters, a solid story with some quirky twists, and a deft writer’s touch, R.P. Dahlke’s Flying Through Forty is the book for you. Her protagonist, Lolla Bains, is hardly your run-of-the-mill professional sleuth. On the surface, she’s as down to earth as the folks at Roxanne’s café, but her past has given her more than her share of street smarts which she puts to good use when one of her acquaintances turns up dead. The chain reaction of adventures that ensue will keep you hooked to the very end. A fun story, well told."
--Dorien Grey, author of the Dick Hardesty mystery series

"When Lolla Baines turned 40, the jam hit the fan!

Recipe for Flying Through Forty: take one irascible twice divorced ex-New York model turned crop duster, one vintage Caddy submerged with a dead award-winning jam maker at the wheel, one country boy Romeo, one cross-dressing escaped prisoner, a yummy sheriff, missing money, and possible drug smuggling; mix together thoroughly with a cast of colorful characters and one ill-tempered Chihuahua; bake until you laugh out loud."
-- Sue Ann Jaffarian – author of the award-winning Odelia Grey Mystery Series


"Sometimes a book falls into your hands and you wonder, 'How can I get this book in the hands of other readers?' That's how I feel about R.P.Dahlke's book,FLYING THROUGH FORTY. By page eight, I was a fan of Lolla Bains... A drug runner, missing money and a homicidal cross-dresser make this caper fun... I hope Lolla 'Flows Through Fifty' and 'Sails Through Sixty.' I'm with her for the ride."
--Review by Sunny Frazier as printed in Poison Pen, Central Valley Sisters in Crime Newsletter

Read an Excerpt from Flying Through Forty

A couple of scenes from Modesto, California, places actually mentioned in Flying Through Forty::

Coming Soon: Flying Blind -- Read a sneak peak here!

Reading Groups

I am offering a free advance copy to any interested reading group moderator.
If the group chooses my book, I will make available discounted books for the readers.
Interested? Email me at rp@rpdahlke.com