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Some of her Cases

Francie's Creator

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Meet Francie LeVillard

Francie LeVillard is the great-granddaughter of François Le Villard, the renowned detective with the Deuxième Bureau in Paris who worked closely with Sherlock Holmes a century earlier.

Francie got her professional start on the East Coast, working in television news. But after ten years in The News Biz, and picking up a number of prestigious awards along the way, Francie decided that she’d had enough of the style-over-substance attitude that plagued the mainstream media. Especially after an ugly confrontation with the news director of her last station in Baghdad by the Bay.

She had gotten a taste of the Monterey Peninsula, and it was enough to convince her that she wanted to live on California’s Central Coast. It was there, she knew, that she would find her future path.

So she moved to a small house on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, just south of the Carmel Highlands. Her first weeks were spent settling into her new home -- making it her own -- and exploring her new community on the Monterey Peninsula. She resumed her aikido training at the local dojo, took long walks by the ocean, shopped at the farmer's market every week, and played in the kitchen.

While she kept up on the news, her focus now was mostly local, as she learned about  the who's and what's of her new home base. She also thought that she would made a dent in the towering pile of must-read books that had grown over the years.

But in no time at all, the genes of her forebear kicked in, and she found herself engrossed in – and resolving – a number of important cases. It had never been her intention, but she wound up (proverbially) hoisting a shingle that read  "Consulting Detective" above her door. It's how life works.

Francie describes herself thusly: "I look like I'm pushing forty if you look around my eyes. What I've seen has left its mark. Otherwise, I'm a very healthy looking specimen, five-seven and 135 pounds, a lot of it muscle because I train in aikido three times a week, and I eat healthy. I have a figure that men appreciate but I don't flaunt it. I have great legs, unless they're supposed to be long; they're great for moving quickly but not for marathons. My jeans aren't tight and above I usually wear a work shirt. When I go out socially or to meet clients or interview grown-ups, I'll wear something clean and quiet but attractive. None of this short skirt nonsense that makes sitting down a challenge. Atop the clothes, whatever they be, a slightly oval face with a light tan – my friend Ariane Chevasse says I have Basque coloring – and my straight dark hair is cut on the short side. Oh, and one more thing about my attire. I carry a gun. If it's everyday with nothing on the agenda, it's a seven-shot Kel-Tec P32 which I can carry in a pocket since it's less than an inch thick. If I think there might be trouble, I have a .357 S&W with a 10-shot clip in a holster on the back of my belt, with a coat long enough to hide it."
 

Supporting Players
 

The Truth Will Out

Lynn Waller, retired judge

Dr. Walter Myers, smear victim

Mark David, public relations ace

Murray Witz - attorney

Paige Hempstead, Wally's ex-wife

Stephany Klave, incoming OuCH CoS

Dixon Krobat, urologist

Melba Cheeth Krobat, Dixon's wife

Julia Meredith, transcriber

Armand Binosh, OuCH CEO

 

Heart of Wings

Harry Connivor, Francie's beau

Sheriff Telford  "Bogie" Spivac

Dominic Mercurio, restaurateur

Hector Alvarez, killer

Mona Bothcart, Bogie's secretary

Geoffrey Lucerne, Ariane's beau

Chet Garrow, Harry's boss

Lorna, a pilot who liked Harry

Roxanne, Dominic's right hand

 

Raggedy Ann

Lolly Perlis, county forensic pathologist

Ted Boros, sheriff’s deputy

Marla Ellen Duff

Marion "Cap’n Al" Albert Duff

Marja Jussila Duff

Danielle Arnoff, The Gardens

Kayaker

Cedric Langdale, kayaker

Sissy Langdale, kayaker's wife

A House Divided

Delilah Dyce, do-gooder

Franklin Hayes, candidate

Billy, barkeep at the Beach Club

Sarah, of Pastries and Petals

Sandy Horn, campaign communications director

Roger Toney, campaign advance pro

Beth Moriarty, candidate’s wife

Desmond Pritzer, campaign treasurer

Brenda Poole, candidate’s personal assistant.

Milt Cassel, reporter

Doc

Mike Olsen, FBI agent, long-time friend of Francie's; they've worked on a number of cases together, officially and not.

Angelo Crespino - Owner of Big A's Rentals; their motto is "You Wanna - We Gotta." Angelo has his ear to the ground when Francie needs information.

Ariane Chevasse, private spook; a brilliant independent intelligence agent; trains with Francie in aikido

Hurlbut "Doc" Hardwicke; a popular general practitioner who got into Congress on a fluke and is a popular Representative.

Jeremy Barrett, M.D. - Doc’s associate

Eileen Adler, Doc’s nurse for decades

Garry Debb Adler, Eileen’s son

Phil Lestrade , Police Chief of Monterey

Some of Francie's cases

– In one case, a doctor comes to her because drugs are disappearing from his office. She tells him that it is a police matter, that they can find out who was pilfering the Vicodin and OxyContin. But the doctor replies, I already know who’s doing it....

– In another, an elderly man who lives near Francie suddenly disappears. The police say it looks like a troubled young man had pushed him over the bluff to get an inheritance, but Francie has more faith in the neighbor....

– It gets very personal when a dear friend of Francie’s is shot to death by a wannabe-gang member trying to earn some cred. It turns out that the murder was based on mistaken identity, that her friend wasn’t the intended target. Francie wants justice...

– Another friend doesn’t understand why the fuel reading is off in his brand new imported car. Francie discovers that smugglers have used the gas tank to ship in a dangerous cargo. Francie teams up with the FBI to investigate...

– Francie comes up against the personification of evil in a man who charms women out of their senses. By the time the women realize that they have been seduced by a vile Lothario, he is on his way out the door, and with more than their dreams.

Francie's Creator

The author of the Monterey Mystery is Tony Seton...
local resident, broadcast journalist, novelist, teacher, photographer, public speaker, political consultant, media trainer, private pilot and beach perambulator. He penned the first Francie stories a quarter-century ago when he lived on Monastery Beach. He wrote six short stories in only two weeks. (His girlfriend was outta town.) You can learn more about Tony and his myriad other ventures at TonySeton.com.

Francie "booked"

The first volume of The Francie LeVillard Mysteries is due out next year. It will feature four new full-length short stories.

You can also read about Francie in smaller roles in The Omega Crystal and Just Imagine. (see right)

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If it needs to be said, all of the characters in the Monterey Mystery stories are fictional, except those who obviously aren't and deserve the publicity.

Monterey Mystery © 2011-2015 Tony Seton

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