E.J. Kindred

Writer, Mystery Reader, Quilter, and Lover of Cats

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Welcome to My Web Page!

I’m a retired Oregon attorney who traded contracts for mysteries. I’m writing the Annie Velasquez mystery series. The first instalment, In Harm’s Way, was published in 2019. You can purchase my books in paperback or ebook from all the usual online outlets, or you can also get the ebook through my publisher's store. (See links in sidebar.)

After considerable delay (entirely my own fault!), I finally finished the second book in the series. Family Secrets was published in April 2024 and is available through the same sources as In Harm’s Way.

Book 2 in the Annie Velasquez Mystery Series

Family Secrets begins shortly after the events of In Harm’s Way. Annie and her brother, Joe, have decided to rebuild their dad’s bicycle shop. What should be a straightforward building project becomes anything but when someone starts causing problems at the construction site. First, small items are stolen, then the shop itself is vandalized with spray painted graffiti and broken windows, and problems escalate from there, including vandalism at Annie’s home.

When Annie stops in at a local coffee shop, she comes face to face with her former girlfriend, Nicky Fleming, who has long been believed to have been murdered. In fact, Annie has been the person of interest in Nicky’s murder. When Annie reports sighting Nicky to her family and Portland homicide detective, Beth O’Brien, she’s met with skepticism. After all, Nicky’s family identified the body, so how could Annie have seen Nicky alive and well?

In the meantime, Annie has been approached by Mandy, a restaurant server who asks Annie to locate her long-lost girlfriend. Annie reluctantly agrees, but the information Mandy provides isn’t sufficient, so Annie has to let her know she won’t be able to help. Mandy refuses to listen and starts stalking Annie, which makes Annie wonder if Mandy is the vandal.

Is Nicky really alive? If so, where has she been and why has she reappeared? Does Detective O’Brien believe Annie about Nicky? Who is so determined to damage the new bicycle shop? Is it Mandy? Or someone else? Will Annie ever be free of the police? Will she and Beth ever get together? Has Grandma Natalie found someone who loves her? And will Annie and Joe ever be able to open Velasquez Cycles?



The first novel in the series:

IN HARM'S WAY Summary:

When her father dies in a fire and the suspected arsonist is later murdered, Annie Velasquez comes under suspicion. The police believe Annie could have killed the arsonist as revenge for the death of her father, but they don’t have evidence to arrest her. In an effort to escape the stress of being the focus of a murder investigation and to find a way to deal with her grief, Annie moved to a small town outside Portland, Oregon, where she works as a housekeeper for a wealthy doctor and his trophy wife. Annie’s peaceful life is shattered yet again when her employer is stabbed to death and she finds his body, and the live-in chef, Annie’s friend, Mo, is missing. Who killed Dr. Wentworth? What happened to Mo? Who had the most to gain from the doctor’s death? Are Annie’s suspicions correct?

Here are links to check it out and get the book or ebook!


My First Publication!

I have a story in the anthology, TIME'S RAINBOW: Writing Ourselves Back into American History.

My story is called “The Other Marie.” Marie Equi (1872 – 1952) was a fearless lesbian doctor in Oregon who was dedicated to providing medical care to poor patients. She was also a political rabble-rouser who spent time in San Quentin for opposing the USA’s entry into World War I. “Time’s Rainbow” is a wonderful anthology, edited by Lori L. Lake and Christopher "Kit" Moss.

You can get the anthology here:

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