D.R. Ransdell
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Originally from Springfield, Illinois, I settled in Tucson, Arizona, where the sun is strong and pools are inviting. On the weekends, I play in a mariachi band.
I write humorous fiction—mostly murder mysteries. In my latest, The Cézanne Chihuahua, an American art teacher goes for a dream vacation in the Côte d’Azur, but his summer gets complicated when he’s accused of murdering his best friend. I also have a murder mystery set in my ancestors’ town near Turin, a paranormal mystery set in Tucson, and a series about a mariachi player who has the bad luck of obnserving way too many crimes while he’s at gigs. My Campanello Travels novels feature two sisters with vagabond shoes. Rachel favors Greece, but her sister Gina wins a trip to Thailand, so off they go! In the latest novel, Olive Envy, Gina flies to Orvieto to learn Italian, but instead she learns about family revenge. Next she’ll travel to Japan, but that won’t work out smoothly either!
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Mariachi Meddler
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Soft-Boiled Mystery
Playing in a mariachi band is murder! Andy Veracruz leads a mariachi band in Southern California, but when the owner leaves town, the restaurant turns to chaos. Andy sidesteps Rolando’s flirtatious wife, but when Yiolanda is implicated in a colleague’s death, the musician isn’t sure whether to help her or turn her in. The more Andy learns, the more trouble he finds. A sleuth by accident, he would rather work on new songs than spend restless nights following leads. He goes to his lookalike brother for advice, but why is he too stubborn to listen? 
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Island Casualty
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Soft-Boiled Mystery
Not every Greek island is a paradise! When Andy Veracruz flies to Greece for a holiday, the California native expects to spend afternoons swimming and nights making love. But at an outdoor café, he meets a fellow traveler who accidentally leaves behind a package. Before Andy can return it, the man disappears. Andy tries to enjoy time with his girlfriend, but he starts doing undercover work in a bouzouki band. He soon realizes that he’s not safe anywhere on the island, and neither is anyone else. He vows not to take any more vacations, but what can he do to uncover the truth and protect his friends? 
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Dizzy in Durango
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Soft-Boiled Mystery
Missing women, abandoned children, and a crazy mariachi fan add up to further trouble for amateur sleuth Andy Veracruz in this humorous modern-day murder mystery. After a fellow traveler disappears in Mexico City, Andy can’t concentrate on vacationing. Worse, he’s saddled with two children who aren’t his, an angry would-be girlfriend, and a self-appointed younger brother who is more reckless than he is. No wonder he starts seeing double! But when he tracks a killer to a ranch in Southern Arizona, there’s no turning back. 
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Substitute Soloist
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Soft-Boiled Mystery
A reckless concertmaster, a determined conductor, and a priceless violin turn Andy Veracruz into a substitute soloist in this humorous murder mystery. Who knew that being a soloist would be the easy part? At his first concert in Tucson, Arizona, the orchestra nearly falls to pieces, but Andy takes control. Impressed with his quick thinking, the conductor recruits Andy for a European tour to secretly chase after a missing violinist. The amateur sleuth relishes the challenge, but at every step he imagines that his girlfriend will discover and expose his double purpose. Worse, despite all the hours spent rehearsing, how will he explain himself when his fellow musicians realize that he’s a fraud? 
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Brotherly Love
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Soft-Boiled Mystery
Andy Veracruz routinely faces danger and betrayal, but none of his past experiences prepare him for his latest challenge—teaching! When he agrees to help his girlfriend mount a Vegas show featuring her original songs, he never expects to train junior musicians to accompany them. Nor does he expect Rachel to demand a personal commitment. After the theatre manager is kidnapped, Andy loses what’s left of his concentration. Despite aid from his lookalike brother and a quick-thinking cousin, how can the amateur sleuth hope to stage a worthwhile show? This humorous mystery proves once again that “the show must go on,” one way or another. 
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Amirosian Nights
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Women's Travel Fiction
Haunting melodies, moonlit beaches, and a handsome bouzouki player spice up a summer holiday! Rachel Campanello takes a break from her mariachi band in Tucson to travel to Amiros for a relaxing Greek vacation. She’s fallen in love with the sounds of the bouzouki and the mystery of a language she doesn’t know. Between laps in the Aegean and evenings at the taverna, she expects to find inspiration for her own songwriting. The summer is no vacation for the islanders, however. When the musicians threaten a strike, Rachel offers to help out, but she never expects to fall for the band’s star musician. 
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Thai Twist
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Women's Travel Fiction
An elephant statue, a long-lost relative, and a charming native add up to a chase through Thailand! Gina Campanello is delighted to learn that she’s won a trip for two to Thailand, but there’s a catch. Since she’s underage, she has to bring an adult. Her sister Rachel is ecstatic at the prospects of traveling to Asia, but she buys so many guidebooks that Gina worries she’ll spend her whole vacation being dragged between temples and museums. Once neighbors ask Gina to deliver a package to a long-lost relative, however, she embarks on a more personal journey—one that includes forgotten histories, beautiful beaches, jealous rivals—and one handsome native. 
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Carillon Chase
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Women's Travel Fiction
In this humorous travel novel, Gina Campanello is thrilled when Happy Travels offers her a paid internship. While traveling between jungle palaces and island paradises, the college sophomore envisions writing profiles that will secure her a spot in the School of Journalism. Maybe the publishing company will send her to Paris! Instead Gina is assigned to the Midwest. What? She’s dismayed at the thought of visiting miles and miles of cornfields, but she finds one perk: Her trip will coincide with the yearly International Carillon Festival in Springfield, Illinois. The city’s bell tower is famous, and Gina becomes intrigued after she makes virtual friends with Vlinder Van de Velde, the festival’s top-billed musician. Before Gina and company reach the capital city, however, Vlinder disappears from view. After he misses his first concert, Gina realizes the Dutchman is in trouble! It’s up to Gina and her friends to rescue Vlinder and save the festival before it’s too late. 
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Olive Envy
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Women's Travel Fiction
Learning Italian is one thing. Sharing a microscopic apartment with a chatterbox is another. After Gina finds a peaceful garden outside a wine and cheese shop, she makes friends with Tony, a fellow Italian American who is running the place for his uncle. Tony becomes Gina’s local guide to everything around town, including the best cafés and shops. He knows the history of the town and most of the gossip. But nobody avoids making enemies, including Tony’s uncle. When his rivals work to overthrow the shop, Gina dives into the action, learning more about friendship, loyalty, and revenge than she ever expected to. Create your own study abroad session by joining Gina in her latest travels! 
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