I MET MY GOAL. Whew.

Yesterday, as September arrived, I punched the “publish” button on “Murdermobile 4: The Fall Will Kill You,” the fourth and final book in the Portland Bookmobile Mysteries series.

My late wife, Barbara, and I co-authored the murder-mystery series over the past 10 years, writing under the pen name of B.B. Cantwell. The stories were inspired by her happy years as a bookmobile librarian in Portland in the 1990s. We last published Book 3 in November 2020, a Christmas-themed installment. It was our COVID-quarantine project, written in a six-month period when we rarely left our island.

This latest book took a bit longer, with me writing all on my own. But the project got me through a tough couple of years after her death, keeping Barbara’s spirit alive for me.

The first three books were very much an enjoyable collaboration. She was a brilliant plotter and idea person who originated most of the stories and characters. I was good at getting it all down on a keyboard and coming up with red herrings. Self-publishing through Amazon, we made a decent little pile of cash, but mostly we just loved doing it. Bookmobile librarian Hester Freelove McGarrigle and Portland Police Detective Nate Darrow became our favorite imaginary friends.

In her final months on this firmament, Barbara worked with me to plot out this fourth and final book in the series. Among other things, she wished to resolve Hester and Nate’s long-simmering romance (done!). Among other fresh storylines, “Fall” finally gets Hester to the coast to visit her brimming-with-personality parents. While a fatal fall does figure in the plot, it also happens in the fall, with a colorful Halloween theme. Who doesn’t love October?

Considering that time element, I set Labor Day, September 4, as my publication goal. Despite a hectic and busy summer, with many hours in the writing hut I beat that by three days.

Whew.

If you need a fresh and easy read for the rest of your holiday weekend, you can download “Murdermobile 4” for Kindle in less time than it takes a trick-or-treater to chew a tiny Snickers bar. And the cost is less than you’d pay for a bag of those goodies. Want it in paperback? That option is coming soon. Drop me a note and I’ll notify you when paperbacks are ready to order.

Here’s a link to the whole series, in case you missed any. In fact, if you’ve not already met Hester and Nate, you can download the original “Murdermobile,” the first book in the series, for free this Sunday through Wednesday (September 3-6). My treat, in Barbara’s memory.

Happy reading! We had fun.