Nora Bellamy writes from New England, where she lives with her partner among an ever-growing collection of mystery novels and houseplants that refuse to behave. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, she created the Roon & Raud series after realizing how rarely older queer women appear as protagonists in cozy mysteries.
“I wanted to write about women like the ones in my own community—partners who’ve been together for decades, who aren’t about to let age slow them down,” Bellamy says. “Roon and Raud represent the kind of enduring love and partnership that deserves celebration, not just a footnote.”
Her mysteries blend humor and heart while proving that the best amateur sleuths might just be the ones with seventy-plus years of life experience behind them. When she’s not plotting the next case for her beloved characters, Nora explores New England’s coastal towns, always on the lookout for the perfect setting for murder—the fictional kind, of course.
Check out her novel, Roon & Raud and the Case of the Missing Ex-Husband.
Out Now – Roon & Raud and The Case of the Missing Ex-Husband
When seventy-something lesbians Marie “Roon” Kenne and Maude “Raud” Hayes receive a distressing voicemail from Roon’s ex-husband Hank Henderson, retirement suddenly gets complicated. Hank, suffering from CTE, has vanished—leaving behind only a cryptic message about being trapped somewhere “smelly and dark.”
Their amateur investigation takes an unexpected turn when they talk transgender teen Tristan Cho down from St. Johns Bridge. Suddenly this unlikely trio is navigating a maze of suspects: a thieving barista with secrets, Hank’s bitter second ex-wife Debbie, and his suspiciously eager son Curtis who seems more interested in his father’s valuable art collection than his whereabouts.
The deeper they dig, the more questions pile up. Is Hank in danger, or has his deteriorating mind finally led him somewhere he can’t return from? And why does Curtis keep lying about the last time he saw his father?
With irreverent humor and genuine heart, Roon & Raud celebrates queer elders, chosen family, and the wisdom that comes from decades of fighting for your place in the world. Because sometimes the family you find while solving a mystery is exactly the one you needed all along.
Coming Soon
