Let’s get one thing straight: The mystery novel is the highest form of literature. At least it is for me. Nearly all the big moments in my literary life seem to have hinged on mysteries.

When I was seven and realized I could read a “real” book – one without pictures on every page – that book was The Secret of Larkspur Lane, by Carolyn Keene, featuring the immortal Nancy Drew.

When I was in my twenties and wanted to write a novel that showed psychological understanding, I happened to read Death and the Joyful Woman, by Ellis Peters. The proverbial light bulb went on. “Wow!” I thought. “It’s possible to write a book that’s fun to read and still has psychological understanding.”

When I was thirty-five I wanted to write something that was firmly grounded in my own culture, and I discovered that Tony Hillerman had laid out a map that any writer would be proud to follow, and he did it in the form of the mystery novel.

This web page, I hope, will introduce new readers to the books of JoAnna Carl and Eve K. Sandstrom and will give veteran readers of their books a peek at the books’ backgrounds.

The tenth book in the series, The Chocolate Pirate Plot, was published in October 2010. In this one, costumed pirates board pleasure boats cruising on Lake Michigan. It was a lot of fun to think up crazy events to challenge Lee and Joe. But never fear! They figure it all out.

The Chocolate Cupid Caper, 2009’s hardback, came out in a paperback edition about that time. Plus, a trade paperback containing the fourth and fifth Chocoholic books, The Chocolate Puppy Puzzle and The Chocolate Mouse Trap, was published in March 2010. This book is titled Chocolate to Die For.

In addition, I’ve turned in the next book in the series – tentatively titled The Chocolate Castle Case. Everybody seems to love chocolate!

My grandmother in her later years became a big fan of “Gunsmoke.” When I asked her why, she said, “It always has a good moral.”

That’s how I feel about mysteries. You can count on them to end right. All the questions raised in the story are answered. The good are rewarded, the bad punished. The story has a beginning, a middle, and an end – and it’s not ashamed of it. Mysteries engage the intellect, but still allow us to escape our daily troubles and tribulations.

Add a little chocolate and you’ve got literary heaven.