The Mystery of the Ming Connection

Sex Trafficking. International Art Thefts. Neo Nazis. Psychotic Criminals.Lifelong friends Sandra Troux, Bobbi Power and Lizbet Sheridan return to their hometown after widowhood, divorce and retirement. In answer to a growing question facing Boomers everywhere - Now What? - they plunge into a thrilling new life of sleuthing and adventure. Intent on a family roots search and vacation, they head to South Korea and China. A series of international art thefts and kidnappings changes everything. In Mystery of the Ming Connection - the debut novel in the Sandra Troux Mysteries - the silver sheroes encounter a rash of museum thefts of precious Ming Dynasty artifacts. The deceptive shadow of danger stalks their every move.In the neon-lit streets of Seoul, through a blinding blizzard in the heart of Beijing, into a hidden labyrinth of tunnels beneath X'ian - they follow contradictory clues and fight psychotic criminals. They risk everything to recover stolen artifacts and rescue warehoused girls in a desperate struggle against time. This mystery of connections, both hidden and revealed, takes Sandy, Bobbi and Lizbet into a dark, dangerous underworld. There, they confront and crush a neo-Nazi / Taiping Rebellion resurgence intent on world domination.This fast-paced tale is full of suspense and danger, tempered with wit, humor and a hint of romance. Bonus pages add to the historic, cultural backdrop of the story, peppered with tantalizing recipes from Korea and China.

Crystal Sharpe is the pen name of Baby Boomer co-authors Virginia Cornue and Linda Lombri. Crystal Sharpe was inspired by the famed Carolyn Keene - the pseudonym created by juvenile book publisher Edward Stratemeyer for the writers of his fictional Nancy Drew detective series. Following in this great tradition of mystery writer pseudonyms, the intent of identifying ＂Crystal Sharpe＂ as the author of the Sandra Troux Mysteries is to pay homage to the original series’ ＂author.＂ Virginia Cornue, PhD and Linda Lombri - both China adoptive single Moms from Montclair, New Jersey - met in Shanghai on a 2006 heritage tour with their daughters, now in college. Lovers of world cultures, history and mysteries, they’ve embarked on encore careers like their sleuthing Boomer sheroes. Virginia is an author and cultural anthropologist who teaches part time at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. Linda is an author, home economist and head of Lombri Writes! - her Marketing Communications firm.