Welcome to Where Everybody Knows Your… Alibi – where we get to know the
fictional towns we’d happily move to… if they didn’t have such a suspicious body count.
(but does that really matter?)
I’m thrilled to welcome Rosalie Spielman this month. Whether you’ve met her through her delightful Hometown Mysteries series, her contributions to the Aloha Lagoon Mysteries, or one of her many appearances in the cozy mystery community, chances are you’ve already discovered her warmth, wit, and love of storytelling.
Rosalie’s path to becoming a multiple (yes, MULTIPLE!) award-winning author has been anything but ordinary. Her experiences as an Army brat, Army officer, and spouse have taken her across the globe, introducing her to people from all walks of life – experiences that have undoubtedly influenced the communities and memorable characters that fill the pages of her books.
When she’s not writing, Rosalie is busy connecting with readers and fellow authors. She’s a founding member of Facebook’s Murder, They Write, and the host of You Know the Spiel!, where her enthusiasm for books and the cozy mystery genre shines through.
Let’s chat with Rosalie about New Oslo, Idaho, population 852, where the Hometown Mysteries take place.
I’m already in love with New Oslo, Rosalie. But I’m sure there is so much I don’t know about it.
What’s the very first thing a newcomer learns about the town…whether they want to or not?
To be careful crossing Main Street, since it is also State Route 8. Not only is it the main route for the logging trucks from the lumberyard at the end of town, but a lot of folks “just driving through” may not slow down. Deputy Petunia “Freddie” Frederickson and her sergeant, Bob White (aka Quail Boy) are right there on Saints and Sinners Corner, though, so watch out! Saints and Sinners Corner is nicknamed that due to the proximity of the church, a law office, and the police station on three of its corners.
Saints and Sinners Corner! Ha!
Who officially runs the town, and do they know it?
The Prunn Sisters, Eugenia and Olive, and yes, they definitely know it. These ninety-year-olds (originally the Apfel sisters, before they married the Prunn brothers) run the New Oslo Historical Society and Museum (and attached antiques shop) with their tiny, gnarled fists. Ginny is the former Kindergarten teacher for New Oslo, while Olive was the high school principal, and they know everyone, dead and alive. There is no escaping these two!
I can’t imagine getting anything past those two!
If the town had a motto, what would it really be?
“Usually murder-free.”
What’s the one place everyone ends up hanging out?
The High Octane Café, a refurbished gas station complete with the retro pump ding-ding for a door chime. The proprietors, Sean and Lindsey Bimbeau, have been in town for over a decade, but still are considered newcomers (we don’t talk about where they’re from), but they fed their way into everyone’s hearts.
What smells, sounds, or sights instantly tell you that this place is home?
The Palouse region is known for its rolling hills, patchworked by crops and punctuated by groves of pines. The smell of recently cut hay in the late summer, the pines in the early morning, the freshly turned earth out in the spring fields are smells that take you back to childhood and define home. It was hard for Tessa Treslow to decide to stay in the area after her retirement from the US Army, but once she experienced a few of these, she remembered where home truly is for her.
It sounds absolutely lovely!
What’s the most beloved comfort food in town – and who makes it best?
Most of the women are scratch cooks around here, but if you want some cheesy, Idaho-potato-y comfort, the cheese fries at the High Octane are the bomb!
You had me at “potato” and “cheese.”
What’s a small daily ritual that says, “This is life here”?
For Tessa and her Aunt Edna, they like to start their day with a coffee on the porch of their farmhouse, watching the sunrise over the rolling hills while Tessa’s boxer dog, Vince, sniffs around the yard. Then they get to work on whatever automotive project the Band of Sisters Services (BOSS) have for that day. The Shecanics have work to do! (Which sometimes includes solving a murder.)
That is awesome! You go, girls!
What’s the town’s worst-kept secret?
That there’s the occasional murder…
Well… it happens…
Is there someone who insists they “never gossip,” but somehow knows everything?
Becky Baker of Becky’s Good Hair Salon always has news. She gleans it through her clients’ chatter, of course, but also her keen observation skills.
Fantastic salon name!
How do residents convince themselves that living here is perfectly safe despite the uh… murders?
The murderers are always brought to justice by the county sheriff’s office – and maybe a little help from Tessa and her friends.
Who would absolutely notice if something – or someone – was out of place?
When the Old Coots, Hank and Hollis, take up their positions on their bench outside the historical society, you’re not going to get past without stopping to chat. Hank’s eyes and Hollis’ ears don’t miss a thing, and together, they are like the gargoyle guardians atop a cathedral. They watch all. And then they tell the Prunn sisters.
Haha! What a great description!
What annual event brings out the best in everyone?
New Oslo Pioneer Day in early June is enjoyed by people county-wide. It’s a celebration of the founding of New Oslo, so there’s special displays at the museum, a parade that includes classic cars, a pie silent auction (which could also be – and is – considered a competition), and a charity fun run. And sometimes a murder.
What tradition would confuse outsiders but is perfectly normal to locals?
Not necessarily a tradition, but an occurrence: Magnus the Moose makes occasional appearances, ambling through town, eating greenery, stopping traffic, basically being a nuisance that no one would dream of chastising. The bull moose is unconcerned with the human townspeople while they are typically in awe of him. Occasionally, his “girlfriend” wanders through with her babies the size of a Volkswagen. (The tradition would be getting out of their way!)
I would love to see Magnus! But from the safety of my home…
Is there someone who always finds themselves in the middle of the town’s shenanigans?
Ever since she moved home after retiring from the army, Tessa has stumbled across – literally, sometimes – several dead bodies. Enough that Roxanne, the dispatcher, knows why she’s calling as soon as she sees her number.
What a quirky, fun town! Thanks, Rosalie, for sharing the insider information about New Oslo, Idaho.
Check out New Oslo in Rosalie’s newest release – HOMICIDE ON THE RANGE – Hometown Mysteries #6
HOMICIDE ON THE RANGE by Rosalie Spielman
From author Rosalie Spielman comes a wild western homicide!
US Army retiree Tessa Treslow is ready for a much-needed and romantic getaway with her boyfriend, Nick, to volunteer on a dude ranch for recovering combat veterans in Montana. What she gets instead is a whole crew from her little town of New Oslo, Idaho, tagging along. Her BFF Freddie, aka Deputy Frederickson, her aunt Edna, and the Prunn sisters are happy for a little vacation as well, but little do they realize, it’s not going to be the rustic, idyllic visit to the range that they think it will be.
The other volunteers at the ranch are a variety of characters, from a jealous wife, to a multi-limb amputee, to a blast from Tessa’s past, and a combative and unpleasant ranch cook. When the cook ends up dead along with sides of beef in the walk-in freezer, Tessa realizes the one of them is also a murderer! With Freddie stranded in town, Tessa teams up with the New Osloans—the only ones she can be sure didn’t commit the crime—to take a closer look at the other volunteers. They soon learn that each and every cowboy wannabe knew the cook for more than just her buttery cooking, and each of them had a motive to want her dead.
To make matters much worse, not one but two wildfires are closing in on the ranch and cutting them off from the outside. What results is a locked-room style mystery where the crew from New Oslo are unsure which will prove more dangerous—a murderer or the wildfires!
Mystery Woman Sleuth | Mystery Amateur Sleuth [ Gemma Halliday Publishing, On Sale: May 26, 2026, e-Book, ISBN: 2940196370342 / ]
Buy HOMICIDE ON THE RANGE: Kindle | BN.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Rosalie Spielman
Rosalie Spielman is a mother, veteran, and retired military spouse. She was thrilled to discover that she could make other people laugh with her writing and finds joy in giving people a humorous escape from the real world. She writes cozy mysteries for the multi-author Aloha Lagoon mystery series and her own Hometown Mystery series, both with Gemma Halliday Publishing.
She currently lives in Maryland with her husband in a rapidly emptying nest. For more information on her books or to subscribe to her newsletter, go to her website, follow her Facebook page (Rosalie Spielman author), or join her Facebook group. Rosalie strives to provide you a cozy escape…one page at a time.
Hometown Mysteries | Aloha Lagoon Mystery | Aloha Lagoon Mysteries | Hometown Romance
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About Annie McEwen
Annie McEwen writes the Northwoods Mysteries, inspired by the pine forests and sparkling lakes of northern Wisconsin, where she spent childhood vacations and still visits family today.
A former farm kid, Annie now lives in rural Indiana with her husband. Their children and two young grandsons live nearby, making grandparenting her favorite role. Their home also includes four fur babies—two of whom appear in her books.
When she isn’t writing, Annie enjoys trash-to-treasure projects, gardening, working as a radiological technologist, and connecting with readers and fellow authors.
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