LeGarde Mysteries

For Immediate Release: Contact Aaron Paul Lazar at:  (585) 733-7357 or Todd Fielding at (585) 343-7134

 

GROVELAND — Aaron Paul Lazar, a Livingston County, N.Y. mystery author, announces the release of his second book, Upstaged, scheduled for October 2005.

 

Upstaged is the second book in “The LeGarde Mystery Series.” The founding book of the series, Double Forté, was released in January 2005.

 

Joyce Handzo of In The Library Reviews (inthelibraryreview.com), states “Readers will be thrilled to return to the world of Gus LeGarde in this second book of the series! There is a gentleness and charm within these pages.”

 

In Upstaged, readers join Gus LeGarde and Camille Coté as they battle a psychotic saboteur during a vibrant production of their high school musical. The book features a disturbed stage mother, a deviant predator, and a twisted saboteur who lurks backstage, terrorizing the drama club with deadly, psychotic games.

 

Lazar gathered material for Upstaged while his daughter, Melanie, took part in a high school production of Bye, Bye, Birdie.  “The entire production amazed me.  The art of taking a group of relatively scattered young people and creating a cohesive, dynamic, entity was astounding!  It haunted me until I was able to capture it in a book.”

 

Lazar created a musical of his own after running into obstacles while attempting to gain rights to use existing musicals.  “I decided to write my own lyrics and storyline after becoming frustrated with the roadblocks.  I became inspired by the plot and decided to write another LeGarde Mystery based on it.  (Portamento, the seventh book in the series.)”

 

The setting of the novel is based in fictional East Goodland, New York and the Keuka Lake area.

 

“Since my daughter, Allison, has attended Keuka College in the Finger Lakes region, I’ve been in love with that lake.  We visit the wineries at every opportunity and adore the scenery and restaurants in the area. Bully Hill Winery actually gave me permission to use their outdoor deck as a background to the dinner scene where Camille reveals a blockbuster of a surprise.”

 

Aaron Paul Lazar resides in Upstate New York with his wife, three daughters, two grandsons, mother-in-law, two dogs, and three cats.  After writing in the early morning hours, he works as an electrophotographic engineer at NexPress Solutions Inc., a part of Kodak’s Graphics Communication Group, in Rochester, New York. 

 

Upstaged (ISBN 1-4137-7258-7) is available for pre-order at the publisher's website, http://www.publishamerica.com/shopping/index.htm.  The book will also be available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Borders online stores and by visiting Lazar’s website at www.legardemysteries.com.

 

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For immediate release: Contact Aaron Paul Lazar at (585) 243-4689; or Todd Fielding at (585) 343-7134
 
GROVELAND, NY — Double Forté, a chilling mystery novel written by Western New York author Aaron Paul Lazar, will be released by Publish America in mid-January.
 
According to the author's website, http://www.legardemysteries.com/, the book is set in Upstate New York's Genesee Valley and is packed with memorable characters, hair raising chase scenes, and touching family moments. 
 
Lazar refers to the book as a “country mystery,” and says “the book spans several levels.  It involves a family that successfully deals with loss, grief, recovery, and newfound love.  It’s packed with poignant vignettes involving children, animals, gardens, music, art, gourmet cooking, and lush descriptions of the Genesee Valley.  These vignettes provide the ‘country’ backdrop for the murder mystery that engulfs the LeGarde family.”
 
Ray Edinger, author of Fury Beach: The Four-Year Odyssey of Captain John Ross and the Victory, said the book is "an absorbing tale of love, intrigue, and murder." He also said that Lazar "is a master at capturing detail.  Whatever the scene, from the chit chat while washing dishes at a church social, to sinking toward certain death at the bottom of an icy lake in Maine, Lazar artfully crafts imagery that vividly grows in the reader’s imagination.”
 
Lazar, 51, lives in Groveland, Livingston County, NY with his wife, three daughters, and two grandsons.  His family, past and present, remains an inspiration to his work, which was recently featured in the Livingston County News. 
 
Although he planned to write a mystery series someday, it began much sooner than anticipated after the loss of eight friends and family who died in a five-year time period.  “I needed a release to deal with the loss,” said Lazar “and started writing.  I included characters to honor my grandparents and my father.  Creating scenes with them was almost like ‘visiting’ with my lost loved ones.  It was great therapy!”
 
Double Forté chronicles the spine tingling exploits of fictional character Gus LeGarde. LeGarde, a college professor and widower, faces bewildering emotions when he falls for Camille, the vivacious, dark-eyed daughter of his secretary.  Yet dark and troubling events in her past cause her to rebuff Gus's affections.  Romance glimmers, however, as both become embroiled in an adventure when Gus discovers a mute child shackled to a bedpost in a secluded cabin.  The mystery turns deadly when the child's kidnapper escapes on a snowmobile that tumbles into the deep Letchworth Gorge.  When Gus's little grandson disappears and threats arrive against Camille, the fate of the villain is questioned.  The story charges ahead as threats from the murderer lurking in the wintry woods plague the LeGarde family.
 
Lazar’s second book in the mystery series, Upstaged, has been accepted for publication.  Prolific to the point of obsession, he has completed five additional books in the series and is currently working on the eighth book that features the LeGarde family.
 
Lazar’s passions include vegetable, fruit, and flower gardening; preparing large family feasts; and photographing his family, gardens, and the magnificent Genesee Valley.  He also enjoys cross-country skiing; playing a distinctly amateur level of piano, and spending time in art museums with the French Impressionists. 
 
After writing in the early morning hours, Lazar works as an electrophotographic engineer at NexPress Solutions, Inc., a part of Kodak's Graphic Imaging Group in Rochester, New York. 
 
Double Forté is currently available to order through PublishAmerica.com, Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com.  More information on the book’s release can be found on his website at www.legardemysteries.com.  

 

 

 

Nocturne by Donizetti from the opera, Don Pasquale, is performed by Melanie Lazar (sophomore at the Eastman School of Music) and tenor Nathan Oakes.  Piano accompaniment thanks to A. David Hurd.