When The Phone Rings At Midnight

The Fractured Man Q.C. Davis Mystery Series 3
A midnight phone call rarely brings good news. This idea sparked the opening scene for one of the Q.C. Davis mysteries, The Fractured Man. But it didn’t inspire the plot. I say “industry” because I love self-help minus the industry. Tony Robbins' book Awaken The Giant Within helped me reframe my thoughts and overcome anxiety when it was a real struggle. Other books on happiness, productivity, and success helped me make career changes and improve my relationships. But self-help has ...
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Chicago Knows How To Rebuild

Chicago Riverwalk South Loop
One reason I love writing the Q.C. Davis mysteries is they highlight what I love about Chicago, where I live. The news is full of bad news about the city (but that's what news is, right?). But Chicago also is home to fantastic restaurants, striking indoor and outdoor art, and beautiful buildings. Sometimes when I'm walking at twilight I stop and stare at the skyline and think how lucky I feel to live here. What you may not know is that this abundance of stunning (and sometime...
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New Release: The 5th Q.C. Davis Mystery Is Here

The Hidden Man (A Q.C. Davis Mystery)
The Hidden Man (New Release) He wants his father's killer found, but his secrets kept. She vows to solve the murder no matter what. Will what she doesn't know eventually kill her? Until now, Chicago lawyer Quille C. Davis has investigated crimes, but only to help her loved ones. Now she's been hired to solve the murder of a well-known class action attorney. The victim died with a secret. Quille suspects it relates to his fascination with UFOs, an interest he shared with his long-time gi...
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Fictional Detective Visits Real Chicago Restaurants

Fictional Detective Dines Out
When I started the Q.C. Davis Mystery series I wasn't thinking about restaurants. But they quickly became key to the books. Why? First, because I love dining out. Second, and more important to readers, is that sleuths need to interview a lot of people, and scenes with just questions and answers start to feel repetitive. One way to vary those types of scenes is to set them in places readers might enjoy visiting or to feature food or drinks they want to try. Now the question readers ask me ...
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A Sleuth Whose Superpower Is Listening

I didn’t set out to write a series featuring a sleuth who is kind. All I knew was that to write a private or amateur detective mystery, I needed a main character with special skills. Skills that could help her solve crimes where police failed.  My first choice about Quille C. Davis, the sleuth in the Q.C. Davis Mysteries, was an easy one. I made her a lawyer because I am one and know what skills it requires. Sleuth, Lawyer, And Former Actress Like me, Quille appears in court and handles law...
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Who Killed The Basketball Coach?

No Good Plays (A Q.C. Davis Mystery Novella) His son's basketball coach is dead. She agrees to investigate. But is it worth her life? After solving a crime but losing a friend, Chicago lawyer Quille C. Davis’ plans for the summer are to have fun, catch up on her law practice, and enjoy time on her boyfriend’s boat. Then Detective Sergeant Beckwell, who helped Quille investigate the death of someone close to her, calls in a big favor. His son’s high school basketball coach is dead, ...
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Sneak Peek at The Troubled Man (A Q.C. Davis Mystery)

The Troubled Man (Q.C. Davis Mystery 4)
Chapter One  What’s the one thing you want to do before you die? That question was printed in neon green chalk at the top of a blackboard hanging just inside Niche’s Women’s Room. I hadn’t noticed it when I walked in, but now I studied the chalkboard as I washed my hands. Ten numbered white chalk lines underneath provided spaces for restaurant patrons to write answers. It was early in the evening, and only one diner had filled in an answer. She wanted to visit the Galapagos Islands. Despite a...
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The Fractured Man Book Release Party 4/23/20

Via Facebook Thursday April 23, 2020 7:30 PM Central Please Join Spiny Woman Press and Lisa M. Lilly for a Facebook Online Book Release Party for The Fractured Man (Q.C. Davis Mystery No. 3). Video tours of settings featured in the Q.C. Davis mysteries The author reading Chapter 1 Online Quiz from The Worried Man  Quille C. Davis' Favorite Whiskey Sour recipe and more! Share your favorite cocktail recipe, tea flavor (Quille also loves tea), Chicago-based mystery, or phot...
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The Fractured Man (Q.C. Davis Mystery No. 3) Cover Reveal

The Fractured Man by Lisa M. Lilly
The cover for The Fractured Man (Q.C. Davis Mystery No. 3) features the Chicago Temple Building. The 21-floor gothic skyscraper in the heart of downtown Chicago is home to Seminar, a shadowy company whose key leader is dead. The prime suspect is a long lost friend of Quille C. Davis. In a desperate midnight call, he begs Quille to help. The Fractured Man - coming November 4, 2019. Visit here or the Q.C. Davis series page for updates.    
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Q.C. Davis Mysteries In Large Print

One thing I love about ereaders is that I can adjust the font size to make it bigger. (It's especially key now that I need reading glasses.) But sometimes I really prefer a paperback book. That's why I decided to create Large Print paperback editions of the first two Q.C. Davis mystery/suspense novels. The Worried Man (Q.C. Davis 1) The night before they plan to move in together, Chicago stage-actress-turned-lawyer Quille finds the man she loves dead in his apartment. Suspicious o...
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