Death at the Dock: An Alyssa Chalmers Historical Mystery
by Carmen Radtke
About Death at the Dock
Death at the Dock: An Alyssa Chalmers Historical Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting - Portland, Oregon, in 1862
Independently Published
Publication date : February 27, 2026
Print length : 191 pages
Digital ASIN : B0GGSRKWDK
Will be available in Paperback too.
A sharp tongue. An even sharper mind. A Victorian sleuth criminals overlook at their peril.
1862. A new home in a prospectors’ town, a new life, and two steadfast admirers: Alyssa Chalmers’ future is secure among her friends.
But when Captain Moore sends a message, begging for her help, she can’t say no.
With the doctor and the First Officer by her side, she travels to Portland, Oregon. She finds a situation worse than she feared. Two of the captain’s crew have gone missing and the local marshal is adamant they simply jumped ship. Even the discovery of a body is unable to change his mind.
Captain Moore knows better. He is convinced that something sinister is going on, and he needs sharp-witted Alyssa and her sleuthing partners to figure it out.
But dark secrets and vices are lurking everywhere. Alyssa needs all her wits to figure out who to trust - and how to save the missing men before there’s another murder.
Death at the Dock is the third mystery in this captivating series that transports readers back to the 1860s, with a heroine determined to make her own way in a society made for men. Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy and Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody.
About Carmen Radtke
Carmen has spent most of her life with ink on her fingers and a dangerously high pile of books and newspapers by her side.
She has worked as a newspaper reporter on two continents.
When she found herself crouched under her dining table, typing away on a novel between two earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, she realised she was hooked for life.
The shaken but stirring novel made it to the longlist of the Mslexia competition, and her next book and first mystery, The Case OfThe Missing Bride, was a finalist in the Malice Domestic competition in a year without a winner. Since then she has penned several more cozy mysteries, including the Jack and Frances series set in the 1930s. The cozy midlife witch series featuring Bex Merriweather and her cat familiar are the latest addition to her literary output.
In real life, she’s only spilled blood once, when she swatted a fly, and even that was an accident. Although she’s a devoted cat servant, her feline companion doesn’t talk. Yet.
Carmen now lives in Italy with her human and her four-legged family.
INTERVIEW
1.
When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’m not sure when I figured out that you could actually be a
professional writer, but I’ve been devouring books since I was five. When I was
six, my dad brought home a very old, very heavy typewriter for me. Those keys
were incredibly hard to move, yet I happily typed away on bad poems about
spring.
My conscious decision to become a writer, or rather a journalist,
came when I was 17, watching “All The President’s Men”. I spent a long time as
a newspaper reporter covering local news, including crime.
2.
How long does it take
you to write a book?
That depends on the book! My first, Walking in the Shadow, took a
year. I was working as a relief reporter at the time, and because it was
inspired by a true event, the research was extensive.
These days, from idea to research to first draft takes around
three month. Even though it’s fiction, I can’t bring myself to play fast and
loose with facts. I wanted Alyssa to give a nickel to a boy, but she couldn’t
because the coin didn’t exist yet in 1862.
3.
What is your work
schedule like when you're writing?
Does procrastination count? If I don’t have other jobs going on, I
start around 10am, sticking to the same start as during my journalist years. I
don’t use AI and I’m mindful of the eye strain, so usually I average around
2000 words until I’m tired. I try to end each session with a short note to
myself what’s going to happen next. That helps!
4.
What would you say is
your interesting writing quirk?
I have a soft toy by my side, an emerald green six-legged Loch
Ness Monster. Nessie is cute, and she reminds me that suspension of disbelief
allows you to accept truth even when things may not be real. Also, my cat likes
to have a soft toy to snuggle up against.
Another, not as cute, habit is that I might suddenly act out
dialogue I hear in my head. Remember the famous line “Pay no attention to the
man behind the curtain”? It’s a bit like that.
5.
How do books get
published?
I have some with a small publisher, who I queried via email, but
mostly I self-publish these days. I’m always nervous about my editor’s notes,
although they’re consistently small and useful, but excited about ordering
covers. And designers work with my input! How awesome is that?
6.
Where do you get your
information or ideas for your books?
My first books all started with something I saw or read. For
Walking in the Shadow, my very first novel, it was stumbling upon the remains
of New Zealand’s leprosy camp on Quail Island, and having a picnic there. I
couldn’t get those pictures out of my head, so I started researching. Nowadays,
I have characters popping into my head and talking to me in the middle of the
night.
I have files and notebooks filled with sentence fragments that not
always make sense in retrospect, because I’ve forgotten the context.
7.
When did you write your
first book and how old were you?
I was in my late thirties when I wrote Walking in The Shadow and The
Case of the Missing Bride, with mentoring from the New Zealand Society of
Authors. Getting them published took another few years!
8.
What do you like to do
when you're not writing?
Apart from catering to my cat, I love walking by the water,
exploring new places, visiting museums and the theatre, and of course reading
and watching movies. I used to do tap dance, but there’s sadly no class here in
Italy where I currently live.
9.
What does your family
think of your writing?
Erm. The less said, the better. My sister read one book and told
me, “It’s actually really good”, in a slightly surprised tone of voice.
10.
What was one of the most
surprising things you learned in creating your books?
That everything works out in the end! Small things that I’ve written
without much thought turn out to become important later on, and the same goes
for characters who appear unplanned. In Death at the Dock, Big Wullie and his
ma Peggy are two such people. I never stop being surprised!
11.
How many books have you
written? Which is your favorite?
I can’t play favourites! They’re all close to my heart. So far,
I’ve written 21 novels and six novelettes or novellas.
12.
Do you have any
suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
The
best advice I ever had: First get it written, then get it right. Don’t judge
what you’re writing in the first draft. I spent days agonising because a
paragraph that had sounded brilliant at 3am in my head looked clunky on the
page.
The
second is borrowed from Hemingway. Stop every session while you know what’s
going to happen next and make yourself a note. That way, you won’t get writer’s
block.
Having
a cat or dog to keep you company while writing is optional, but recommended.
13.
Do you hear from your
readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I
love hearing from my readers. The first ever message was from a man, who simply
wrote, “I dig Alyssa” (me too, mate, me too!) Others have said, they’d love to
switch places with my characters, or that they wished they were their friends. The
best messages are when a reader tells me that my books have helped them through
difficult times. We all need escapism!
14.
What do you think makes
a good story?
Anything that makes you wonder about things, or laugh, or become
angry on behalf of characters. If you can lose yourself in it, it’s a good
story!
15.
As a child, what did you
want to do when you grew up?
Among my earliest plans was to become a vet (influenced by James
Herriot’s books and the tv show) until I realised I can’t cope with the
inevitable loss of patients.
16.
What Would you like my
readers to know?
If you’ve read and liked any of my mysteries, please tell your
friends! And me, please (or other writers you love). It makes all the
difference to us!
Author Links:
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
