North American writer and artist Ilze Berzins, whose list of previous books numbers a dozen, is scheduled to release her most recent mystery novel on Nov. 20.

Titled The Blood Red Teardrop, the novel will focus on the character of writer Izzie Pedersen and how she “becomes entangled in a sordid tale which threatens her life and the life of those she loves,” according to a press release from Berzins.

“Moving to her new home in Waterville, Maine, with her husband Nick and dog Laachuk, Izzie becomes entangled in a sordid tale which threatens her life and the life of those she loves,” according to Berzins. “Interspersed are her poignant memories of Paris, where she spent part of her youth, and flashbacks to Ottawa, which she doesn’t miss for a second.  And hanging over her is the spectre of a cunning killer who is determined to kill again.”

Last year Berzins released a mystery titled Aluksne, set in the Latvian town of Alūksne. Her first mystery was 1999’s Death in the Glebe, set in Ottawa, Canada. In 1997, Berzins published Happy Girl, a memoir of her attempt to repatriate to Latvia. Two years ago, she published Portrait of a Latvian Beauty, a biography of her mother, Ilze Henriete Bērziņš.

The Blood Red Teardrop runs 350 pages and is available for USD 25 from the author, who may be contacted by email at ilzeberzins@hotmail.com or through her website, www.ilzeberzins.com.