A Board Game Shop Mystery
2 primary works
Book 1
The first in an ulta-charming new “quozy” mystery series starring Ben Rosencrantz, a queer 30-something English professor (and closet scifi fan) who’s returned to his hometown of Salt Lake City to run his family’s board game shop in the trendy Sugar House neighborhood – a community hotspot for players of all ages…and for killer collectors!
Back in his hometown of Sugar House running his family’s board game shop and café, Ben Rosencrantz just can’t seem to get his life to pass go, much less collect $200. Once he was a happily married English professor in Seattle. Now he’s a divorced caregiver, looking after his ill father and a Chihuahua named Beans while still figuring out the rules of retail management. At least the town has become more LGBTQ+ friendly than when Ben was a teenager—and that flower shop owner, Ezra McCaslin, enjoys flirting with him.
But despite his usual clientele of gamers, Ben is barely earning enough to keep the store running and stay on top of his father’s medical bills. Then a local toy and game collector named Clive offers him a winning strategy—to purchase a turn-of-the-twentieth-century edition of The Landlord’s Game, the realty and taxation game that inspired Monopoly, at a tenth of the rare edition’s true value. Suspicious of Clive’s shady, low-priced deal, Ben turns the offer down.
Then Clive turns up dead at the front door of Ben’s and a backpack full of $100 bills appears on his doorstep. Now Ben is the #1 suspect in Clive’s death, and unless he and Ezra can prove his innocence and find the real killer, he’ll go to jail for murder—and no amount of double dice rolls will set him free . . .
Back in his hometown of Sugar House running his family’s board game shop and café, Ben Rosencrantz just can’t seem to get his life to pass go, much less collect $200. Once he was a happily married English professor in Seattle. Now he’s a divorced caregiver, looking after his ill father and a Chihuahua named Beans while still figuring out the rules of retail management. At least the town has become more LGBTQ+ friendly than when Ben was a teenager—and that flower shop owner, Ezra McCaslin, enjoys flirting with him.
But despite his usual clientele of gamers, Ben is barely earning enough to keep the store running and stay on top of his father’s medical bills. Then a local toy and game collector named Clive offers him a winning strategy—to purchase a turn-of-the-twentieth-century edition of The Landlord’s Game, the realty and taxation game that inspired Monopoly, at a tenth of the rare edition’s true value. Suspicious of Clive’s shady, low-priced deal, Ben turns the offer down.
Then Clive turns up dead at the front door of Ben’s and a backpack full of $100 bills appears on his doorstep. Now Ben is the #1 suspect in Clive’s death, and unless he and Ezra can prove his innocence and find the real killer, he’ll go to jail for murder—and no amount of double dice rolls will set him free . . .
Book 2
The second in an ultra-charming new “quozy” mystery series starring Ben Rosencrantz, a queer 30-something English professor (and closet sci-fi fan) who’s returned to his hometown of Salt Lake City to run his family’s board game shop in the trendy Sugar House neighborhood – a community hotspot for players of all ages–until Rubik’s Cube champions become killer competitors…
Celebrating the annual Utah Pride Festival from a vendor booth, Ben and his boyfriend Ezra McCaslin give away rainbow D20 dice to promote his family board game shop, Of Dice and Decks. Too bad Ben can’t roll for success when talking to Ezra about moving in together. As his father’s caretaker, Ben has a lot of responsibilities that demand his attention, leaving him unable to take his relationship with Ezra to the next level.
Coinciding with the Pride festival is a game convention in nearby Park City—and a regional speedsolving contest between Rubik’s Cube enthusiasts. Ben and Ezra’s friend, non-binary brewery owner Kit, is one of Utah’s top five speedcubers. To qualify for the national competition, they’ll have to be one of the top three. Kit’s opponents are all legends: the retiree who became an overnight speedcube success on TikTok; a college student who inherited his father’s quick puzzle solving reflexes; and the twenty-year veteran champion Theodore Behunin—a known recluse who is Kit’s hotel roommate.
But the speedsolving tournament is canceled when Theodore’s body is found, burned to death, in his otherwise untouched hotel room. As the last person to have seen him alive, Kit is the police’s number one suspect. To prove their friend’s innocence, Ben and Ezra start an investigation, finding it easier to solve a Rubik’s Cube than to identify a killer among so many people with so many motives . . .
Celebrating the annual Utah Pride Festival from a vendor booth, Ben and his boyfriend Ezra McCaslin give away rainbow D20 dice to promote his family board game shop, Of Dice and Decks. Too bad Ben can’t roll for success when talking to Ezra about moving in together. As his father’s caretaker, Ben has a lot of responsibilities that demand his attention, leaving him unable to take his relationship with Ezra to the next level.
Coinciding with the Pride festival is a game convention in nearby Park City—and a regional speedsolving contest between Rubik’s Cube enthusiasts. Ben and Ezra’s friend, non-binary brewery owner Kit, is one of Utah’s top five speedcubers. To qualify for the national competition, they’ll have to be one of the top three. Kit’s opponents are all legends: the retiree who became an overnight speedcube success on TikTok; a college student who inherited his father’s quick puzzle solving reflexes; and the twenty-year veteran champion Theodore Behunin—a known recluse who is Kit’s hotel roommate.
But the speedsolving tournament is canceled when Theodore’s body is found, burned to death, in his otherwise untouched hotel room. As the last person to have seen him alive, Kit is the police’s number one suspect. To prove their friend’s innocence, Ben and Ezra start an investigation, finding it easier to solve a Rubik’s Cube than to identify a killer among so many people with so many motives . . .