Ramona author to introduce new mystery novel at Saturday book signing

Ramona author Joyce T. Strand will introduce her new mystery novel, “Fair Disclosure,” at Unicorn Books and Gifts, 738 Main St., on Saturday, November 9, from 3 to 5 p.m.

Strand will be available to sign copies and discuss the new mystery.

Set in the backdrop of investor greed, “Fair Disclosure” is Strand’s third mystery to feature publicist Jillian Hillcrest as the heroine sleuth.

Jillian and ex-husband Chad are enjoying a play at a community theater when a scream interrupts the production when a bludgeoned volunteer is discovered.

The victim is someone Jillian interviewed for a job at her company, so she becomes involved, drawn deeper by a second murder, an irate investor, the participation of law enforcement amateurs, an increasingly unreliable assistant and suspicious trading of her company’s stock.

Meanwhile, Chad is pressuring Jillian to say “yes” to a second marriage.

Strand, much like her fictional character, served as head of corporate communications at several biotech and high-tech companies in Silicon Valley for approximately 25 years. Unlike Jillian, however, she did not encounter murder. Rather, she focused on publicizing her companies and their products. She received her doctorate from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and her bachelor’s from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Penn.

She lives in Ramona with her two cats, a collection of cow statuary and art, and her muse, the roadrunner.