Description

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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 . . .

About the Author

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CJ Connor (he/they) is the author of queer romances and cozy mysteries, including the Board Game Shop Mystery series. Active in both the writing and LGBTQIA+ communities, they are a mentor for Author Mentor Match, an EBSCO NoveList advisor, and a member of the Utah League of Writers. They are also the co-leader of a LGBTQIA employee affinity group and a contributor for Book Riot. When they are not writing, CJ Connor can be found perusing art museums, listening to angsty folk music, stress knitting, and attending weekly gatherings for board game enthusiasts with their husband, an amateur board game designer. They live in the Salt Lake City area with their dog, Yoda. Visit CJ Connor online at CJConnorWrites.com.

Praise For…

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Praise for Board to Death by CJ Connor
 
"The game is most certainly afoot in this delightfully queer cozy (quozy?) mystery. [...] Board to Death had me dusting off my board game collection and reinstituting family game night. I can't wait to read more from C.J. Connor!" —Olivia Blacke, author of Killer Content
 
"Witty dialogue, tight plotting, and a charming lead make CJ Connor’s Board to Death the best debut cozy I’ve ever read. Connor makes the high stakes, obsession-fueled world of rare board games come to life—and English professor-turned-games dealer Ben Rosencrantz is a hero you’ll want to follow for many years to come. A great mystery but so much more than that. This is a sensational novel.” —Zac Bissonnette, author of A Killing in Costumes
 
"With a winsome reluctant hero at the heart of the story, Board to Death is an entertaining mystery imbued with delightful geek and game culture, set in a dicey, nuanced Salt Lake City." —Jennifer J. Chow, Agatha and Lefty Award-nominated author of Death by Bubble Tea
 
"Peppered with fun facts about board game history, this quozy is filled with witty banter and a community of wonderfully diverse characters. This book sets the stage for a great series." —Vivien Chien, author of the Noodle Shop mysteries
 
"Featuring an effortlessly diverse cast, authentic anxiety rep, and a chihuahua who will steal your heart, CJ Connor's debut is a delightfully gay and geeky game of murder." —Misha Popp, author of the Pies Before Guys mystery series