Organized for Scheduled Sabotage: Organized Mysteries, #3

By Ritter Ames

Who knew planning a calendar photo shoot could be so dangerous…?

Kate and Meg contract to organize location opportunities for a photo shoot featuring a bestselling calendar author. Even better, they learn the royalties from the annual calendars help fund an animal rescue program in their state of Vermont.

Until acts of sabotage start… Followed by murder.

As the police look for suspects, Kate and Meg find their lives suddenly upended by chaos and their own reputations at risk—along with their client's.

Now, it's not enough to fulfill the terms of their contract. They must also find a way to save their client and her rescue program, too.

Can they accomplish all that and avoid finding their next work outfits are matching orange jumpsuits? Or worse...?

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ORGANIZED FOR SCHEDULED SABOTAGE

"Another chance to solve an organized mystery with Kate and Meg? Yes, please!... Already looking forward to the next adventure!" Ellie's Reads

"The plot was well-paced and the author added some great twists. I was surprised by the actual murderer. I enjoyed all the organizational tips that started each chapter." Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book

Organized for Scheduled Sabotage is the third title in the popular Organized Mysteries series from USA TODAY bestselling author Ritter Ames, which features a small town New England setting and interesting characters, along with humor, strong family and friendship ties, and absorbing cozy mysteries.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ritter Ames
• Release date: Oct 16, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386207641

Ritter Ames

Ritter Ames is the USA Today bestselling author who writes the fast-paced suspense Bodies of Art mystery series and the cozy Organized Mysteries series. She focuses most of her time and writing energies on globe-trotting the world via her keyboard to create memorable characters and fascinating fiction novels for readers. 

Book preview

Here’s what critics are saying about Ritter Ames’s Organized Mysteries series

A DELIGHTFUL NEW COZY mystery series starring an intriguing heroine—Kate McKenzie. Twists and turns abound, entertaining the reader throughout! I loved it and look forward to the next installment. Ritter Ames is a new star on the cozy set! 

~ Michele Scott, bestselling author of the Wine Lovers Mystery Series, featuring Nikki Sands

"Organized for Murder is a very enjoyable first in a new series. Ritter Ames really hit it out the park with this debut, and with her organizational tips included (throughout the book and at the end), I know this is one book I will be hanging onto. If you haven't discovered this series yet, I highly recommend picking it up." 

~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews 

"Organized for Murder by Ritter Ames is the first in a new cozy mystery series, Organized Mysteries. This is a quality cozy mystery. The story is well-written and the mystery kept me guessing. This is a great start to a new series, and one I am looking forward to revisiting. Great characters, fantastic writing, and a clever mystery all combine to make a really wonderful book."

~ Brooke Blogs 

I AM A HUGE LOVER OF cozy mysteries, and this by far is one of my favorites. I loved the premise of the main character Kate being an organizer and I loved all the organizational tips that I picked up throughout the story.

~ Doctor's Notes

THE PLOT WAS WELL PACED and the author added some great twists. I was surprised by the actual murderer. I enjoyed all the organizational tips that started each chapter.

~ Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book 

THE STORY, VERY CLEVERLY put together, never tips the reader who actually kills Amelia. Ritter Ames keeps ratcheting the suspense...It was thoroughly enjoyable with well-developed, 3-dimensional characters.  ~ BookTalk with Eileen

I LIKE THE MAIN CHARACTER, Kate, and her sidekick/neighbor Meg, as well as both of their families. I look forward to seeing the characters develop more as the series proceeds. The organizing tips are actually pretty useful...I have to admit made me think about adding them to organization of my own home. If you enjoy cozy type mysteries, I think you'll enjoy this light fast read.  ~ Murder Most Cozy

I LOVED THAT KATE WAS happily married since most cozy sleuths are single. She also had twins, and that is unusual too. I loved the relationship between her and her family, and between her and Meg. There were plenty of twists and laughs, and lots of situations that had me thinking I knew what was going on. But then I’d be thrown for another loop, and I’d have to start over trying to figure out whodunnit.  ~ I’d Rather Be at the Beach blog

THE CHARACTERS ARE well written and stay true to who they are from the beginning to end of the book and they feel real as if you could meet the in real life...The author...had me constantly trying to figure out who the murder was until the end of the book.

~ Hiding from My Kids blog

"RITTER AMES CRAFTED a clever plot for this cozy mystery, with a plethora of possible suspects, each with plausible motives for murder. My suspicions ping-ponged back and forth between a handful of Nethercutt family members, but never for a moment settled on the true culprit. (Brilliant!) Organized for Murder is a great read – engaging and full of memorable characters that leave the reader eager to return to Hazelton, Vermont for more mysteries (and tips) from Kate McKenzie."  ~ ~ Girl with Book Lungs blog

THE CHARACTERS ARE well-developed and likable. Ames has created realistic characters with their various problems and faults. She doesn’t make Kate a stuffy organizer without problems. She makes her down-to-earth with worries and concerns readers can relate to.

~ Mason Canyon on the Thoughts in Progress blog

THIS BOOK REALLY THREW me for a loop!  I was guessing clear up to the very end, and...I really like when a book does that...This book was not predictable at all!  The organization tips in this book are also great and will be really useful.

~ Melina’s Book Blog

THE CHARACTERS ARE well developed, and I thought Kate handled investigating in a methodical way, which fit her character perfectly. Her friend, Meg, is a great sidekick. 

~ Socrates Book Reviews blog

__________________________________________

ORGANIZED

for

SCHEDULED

SABOTAGE

__________________________________________

by

Ritter Ames

ORGANIZED FOR SCHEDULED Sabotage

By Ritter Ames

ebook edition

Copyright © 2017 by Ritter Ames

Cover design by Lyndsey Lewellen

http://www.ritterames.com

.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

BOOKS  by  RITTER  AMES

The Frugal Lissa Mysteries cozy series

Frugal Lissa Finds a Body

Coming soon—

Frugal Lissa Digs Up a Body

Frugal Lissa Hunts a Body

The Organized Mysteries cozy series

Organized for Murder

Organized for Homicide

Organized for Scheduled Sabotage

Organized for S’more Death

Organized for Masked Motives

Organized for Picnic Panic

The Bodies of Art Mysteries traditional series

Counterfeit Conspiracies

Marked Masters

Abstract Aliases

Fatal Forgeries

Bronzed Betrayals

AUTHOR

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

I LOVE WHEN AUTHORS GIVE a little backstory info on how they came to write particular books, and since Organized for Scheduled Sabotage has a little story of its own, I thought I'd share it.

A wonderful friend...I'll call her Carolyn Haines (wink, wink)...thought it would be fun for Kate and Meg to be involved in a job where they had to organize an author who wrote yearly organization calendars, but who (just maybe) wasn't as organized as her calendars implied. Well, since this good friend...Carolyn...has her own animal rescue in real life, instead of the character being disorganized I made the main character in this book, Liz, just a very committed, very busy woman with a lot of irons in the fire—including an animal rescue farm where she took care of every kind of animal. I was even able to include the four miniature goats my father used to raise (I miss those little cuties so much. I have so many goat stories I could share. Trust me). And featuring one of my favorite kinds of cookies this time—with my recipe—was fun as well.

Being able to incorporate Kate's minor phobias with the animals was a lot of fun, too, and I loved being able see Meg step up whenever Kate needed backup. Their friendship is one of the things I like best about writing the Organized Mysteries series. I also love writing the interactions between Kate and her husband Keith. The kids (both human and of the goat varieties this time) are an added benefit. And I enjoy watching Kate & Meg solve the murder and save the person the police suspect. It all makes writing often feel like I'm not even working. Can't wait to get the next one polished up and out for everyone to read, but in the meantime be sure to read the first chapter of Organized for S'more Death that's excerpted at the end of this book, Organized for Scheduled Sabotage. Happy reading, everyone!

CHAPTER ONE

Memo

STACKED IN YOUR FAVOR, LLC

KATE MCKENZIE, CEO (Chief Executive Organizer)

MEG BERMAN, VIP (Very Indispensable Partner)

BUSINESS PLANNER FOR MAJOR JOB # 3

DATE Monday, July 15th

9:00 A.M. TO 2:00 P.m. – Meet with Liz Tillman, business calendar author, on her Vermont animal rescue farm located near the New Hampshire border. Hired by her publisher to facilitate photoshoot for upcoming calendar release. From what publisher’s assistant said, author may not be as organized as her calendars imply. Will reserve judgment until more info is known. Besides calendar, Tillman runs a full-time rescue and is married with children, so need to show small business & family organization too. At present, no more specifics known.

KATE MCKENZIE PULLED her van onto the rutted driveway and the view changed from rural country road to picturesque farm with white railed fences and a weathered red and gray barn. A quintet of horses, each a different shade of brown, grazed quietly in the pasture that ran along the left side, the majestic animals taking turns raising their heads to watch the van pick its way among the dips and ruts in the graveled road. As they neared the white frame house snugged under a couple of hundred-year-old oaks, a long-eared red hound and a chocolate Labrador retriever loped into sight. They neared the turnaround in front of the broad single-story house and each dog let out several deep woofs to announce the van’s arrival.

Isn’t this a pretty setting? Kate asked her friend and co-worker, Meg Berman.

Almost worth the long drive out here, Meg replied. We’re nearly in New Hampshire.

Kate owned Stacked in Your Favor, an organization business she’d started in their Hazelton, Vermont hometown. Meg, her next-door neighbor, had become her go-to person to help with any extra work. When Kate was hired to organize the home office of recent New York Times bestselling calendar author, Liz Tillman, to ready everything for a photo shoot, Meg jumped at the chance to ride along. So, Kate knew her line about the drive was not really a complaint.

Besides, someone needs to watch your back, her neighbor added. And keep you out of trouble.

There it was. An unspoken reference to the partners-in-crime nickname her family and Meg’s had recently given to the women. It was all teasing, she knew, but Stacked in Your Favor was barely a name on letterhead before people were more often talking about the murder investigations the two had become involved in than about the new business.

Getting everything done for the photo shoot will keep us too busy to stumble onto anything else, Kate replied.

Tillman’s publisher set everything up, though the women’s schedules had been difficult to bring together. This was the first date when everyone could successfully meet at the author’s place, a fifty-acre farm north and east of Kate’s Hazelton, Vermont home. The photo shoot was only a week away and the organizer was feeling the pressure.

Do we need to worry about the dogs? Kate asked. Her family had only recently acquired a pet, a large loveable cat who was rather lazy most of the time. While she was getting used to the lively pair of dogs at Meg’s house, Kate wasn’t particularly adept yet at knowing which canine breeds were more aggressive than others.

Meg shook her head and her red curls danced. Nah, the hound doesn’t look threatening, and Labs are mostly known for their ability to lick a person to death.

I’ll trust you on this. Kate turned off the engine and pushed her sunglasses up to hold her blonde bob away from her face.

The women climbed from the van and the dogs took turns sniffing their shoes and pant legs. At the same time, a tall woman rounded the back corner of the squat farmhouse and strode toward them, her short dark hair half-hidden by a hat. As she walked, she finished rolling one denim sleeve to her right elbow, then she brushed both hands on the sides of her jeans. Hi, I’m Liz. I hope you’re Kate and Meg.

Kate stepped forward and extended a hand, I’m Kate. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.

Liz took a second to look at her right palm. They’re mostly clean. Sorry. I’m babying a sick colt in the barn. The place is filled with straw and dust.

If you need to go back—

No, all done for now. Liz shook Kate’s hand, then Meg’s. She directed them toward the back door. Hope you don’t mind the back entrance. I have coffee inside, tea, water. My middle son made cookies last night, too. She smiled and led the way. He’s quite the baker. Here, this way. We’ll go through the mudroom.

The sun hit them full on when they turned to the back of the house, and lovely dark pink roses climbed the wall beside a dark green Dutch door. Before Liz opened the door, she stopped with her hand on the knob, holding it rather than turning. Guess I’d better start apologizing now. My house is a ‘lived in’ home. I have three boys and a husband, a lot of rescue animals, and I’m not the type to get up each morning and think ‘what can I clean first?’ I don’t know what my publisher told you, but I’m not a little-Susie-homemaker type.

"Your publisher just told us we needed to get your office set up so it would photograph well for your next