Mysteries
The Josephine Fuller Series:
My mystery-writing motto, Self-Esteem Through Murder, began to develop on the day I threw a book I was reading against the wall.
One of my favorite mystery authors had decided it would be funny to have her heroine hesitate to get into an elevator with an old woman who "must have weighed at least 200 pounds."
Elevators are tested at 2000 pounds, so the joke was that a woman (but not a man) who weighed over 200 pounds was a monstrous burden that might cause the elevator cable to part and both parties to plummet to a horrible death. This was about prejudice, not pounds. I suddenly knew I wanted to write a book about a woman who accepts her body and doesn't allow anyone to intimidate her.
When the character began to "speak to me" she introduced herself with the first line from LARGER THAN DEATH, "My name is Josephine Fuller, and I've never weighed less than 200 pounds in my adult life, not counting the chip on my shoulder."
Josephine wins the job of her dreams, but she also has to deal with a killer who targets plus-sized women in the series opener, LARGER THAN DEATH.
In the second book in the series, LARGE TARGET, Josephine travels to San Diego to encounter a slain defense contractor a kidnapped admiral and a world-class dysfunctional family.
In the third Josephine Fuller mystery, AT LARGE, Jo encounters two men from her past, finds the dead body of the woman who broke up her marriage, and becomes a suspect.
In A TON OF TROUBLE, Jo visits the California wine country after getting a note from filmmaker Wolf Lambert. She discovers a dead body in one of Wolf's wine barrels, and her friend, Thelma, a super-sized porn star, is the prime suspect. Caught in the midst of a feud between powerful wine families in the valley, Jo finds herself literally under fire from a gun-toting would-be charity client. She also needs to make her boyfriend understand that her involvement with the plus-sized porn industry is purely innocent. Will Jo be able to dig herself out of this Ton of Trouble?
Praise for the Josephine Fuller series:
A 2010 shout out from Psychology Today!
At one time, a heavy heroine in a novel was considered unusual—well, a novelty. But we're seeing overweight female protagonists in fiction more and more, perhaps yet another sign that society as a whole is getting real—acknowledging that people come in all shapes and sizes. Perhaps one day an overweight protagonist in a novel won't even merit a mention.
We're not there yet, however, so in the meantime we wanted to recommend some of our favorite novels with heavy heroines. They're real, sympathetic people with real-life challenges.
In these novels, sometimes weight is an issue... sometimes not...
The Josephine Fuller series by Lynne Murray: Larger Than Death, Large Target, At Large, A Ton of Trouble. Full-figured Josephine works as an undercover cop. Book one begins with this great sentence: "My name is Josephine Fuller, and I've never weighed less than 200 pounds in my adult life, not counting the chip on my shoulder."
Praise for Larger Than Death:
"Murray brings a refreshing approach to storytelling, developing realistic characters and believable relationships."
—Booklist
"Written with a rare and entertaining clarity, and unique comic imagination."
—San Francisco Examiner
"Finally! Great character, terrific concept. Josephine Fuller is...self-confident, self-accepting, strong. Wonderful!"
—Kathleen Swanholt, editor of Mysterious Woman Newsletter
"Josephine Fuller is truly a woman of substance: wry, perceptive, richly alive, and unapologetically independent."
—Marilyn Wallace, author of Lost Angel
"Lynne Murray has developed a bold and gritty heroine. The fresh, sassy voices
of both Jo Fuller and her creator are welcome additions to
the mystery shelves."
—Selma Eichler, author of Murder Can Wreck Your Reunion
"Larger Than Death has more twists and turns than the curves of its
amply endowed heroine. Delicious reading!"
—Cheri K. Erdman, author of Nothing to Lose & Live Large!
Praise for Large Target:
"With plenty of action & a bit of humor thrown in, Large Target provides
plenty of XXL entertainment."
—Rocky Mountain News
"This modern mystery makes for a fun, fast read."
—Mode Magazine
"Jo is highly likable and finely drawn."
—The Washington Times
"Make room for Josephine Fuller, a private investigator who is a woman
of substance in more ways than one."
—BBW Magazine
"Large Target is an enjoyable novel of murder and mayhem."
—Romantic Times
Praise for At Large:
"Investigator Josephine Fuller is a large woman, but no challenge is too big for her."
—The Oklahoman
"At Large is filled with hilarious dialogue, comfortable old friends and a great
love triangle. Grab a cup of tea, sit in front of the fireplace, and follow Jo as she sets out to solve this latest puzzle."
—BBW Magazine
"Josephine Fuller charms the reader with her wry, self-deprecating humor and her passionate defense of the underdog."
—Donna Andrews, author of Murder with Peacocks
"This one is a winner, the kind of read you don't want to put down unless the house is on fire."
—Lee Martindale, Rump Parliament Magazine
"A large dose of fun carefully entwined in a rip-snorting mystery."
—Crescent Blues
Praise for A Ton of Trouble:
"Typical good humor and panache."
—Publishers Weekly
"Frequent humor, a titillating subject matter, and crazy characters
guarantee a good time for readers of this fourth Josephine Fuller mystery."
—Library Journal
"Both size and sass...Jo's dinner with Ambrose, the elegant gay assistant to her wealthy employer, is itself worth the price of admission."
—Booklist
"Her cops,
thugs and private-eye friends are all believable... Fuller's attitude about her weight is
anything but self-deprecatory, and as it turns out, her knowledge about the
psychology of big women—and their admirers—is a key to solving this engrossing
mystery."
—January Magazine
"A Ton of Trouble is a ton of fun."
—Midwest Book Review
© Lynne Murray