What’s more painful than a leg injury from the war in Afghanistan? In Death Also Tangos, Max Manning, the police chief in New Bern, NC, can’t decide which hurts more–his leg or his heart when Olivia Lovette, his childhood sweetheart, calls to report an intruder. Olivia has inherited her aunt’s decaying ballroom built in 1880. Fred Bannon and Amanda Murphy, drug smugglers with ties to the Irish Mafia, want to tear the ballroom down and build high-end condos. They try to sabotage the renovation of the ballroom and attempt to lay the blame on a homeless veteran, Andrew Holmes.

But friends of the ballroom are devoted to saving it. Jack Porter had loaned Aunt Grace money to save the ballroom from auction, but now Olivia is deeply in his debt. Carlo, an Argentine artist and tango teacher, is creating a lasting memorial to his late wife by painting her portrait on the ballroom wall. In addition, he befriends Andrew and teaches him to dance despite his badly injured feet.

When Max’s new detective, Margo Saunders, makes a connection between the intruder at Olivia’s house, the attacks on the ballroom, and the murder of her brother five years ago, Fred Bannon sets explosives outside the ballroom, determined to blow it up. Instead, Fred is found dead in the alleyway behind the ballroom.
Will Max and Margo find the killer? And will Max again win Olivia’s heart?

About the Author:

In this first novel, Margaret Oberhausen Ryan writes about characters who find strength, healing, and love in the discipline of ballroom dance. Like her characters, the author also found solace in dance when she began ballroom dancing lessons at Rivertowne Ballroom in New Bern, NC, after the death of her husband of forty years. As a retired high school English teacher, Ms. Ryan turned to writing as a hobby and is presently working on a second novel. She lives in Chocowinity, NC, with her husband Joe.