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Satire of the Human Condition
Pairs: This Dating Site Will Be the Death of You follows a detective in Tampa Fl who is investigating the bizarre death of a woman who invited seven peculiar men from a friendship-dating app called Pairs to the local aquarium, only to end up murdered. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Interestingly, my inspiration came from the nights my friend, who had put herself – and me – on Match so we could both find partners, texted me countless weird profile pictures of people on the site. She was infuriated, but I found it really funny. I was at a riverside Tiki bar one day trying to write an outline for my second novel when I decided to write something funny about all the pictures she sent me. That turned into Pairs (none based on actual people, but not so far off the mark either).
Each character in this story is unique and leaves readers with more questions than answers. What was your inspiration for the characters’ interactions and backstories?
Pairs is set up so that I can inspire reader involvement. The characters are purposefully vague in order to stimulate reader imagination. At the end of the book, people are encouraged to write their own ending (I have done 3), and send it to me. I may put theirs on my website (pending approval signature etc from the contributor). Pairs is also set up formulaically. Its theme is online dating. All future books have a different theme. Detective Ned is the recurring character, and he develops a backstory throughout the series, and has his own diary on CracktheCaseBooks.com.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
I hate to say this, but I just write and edit. The ideas are almost too easy since it’s farce, folly, satire of the human condition… But I would also say they are about the same thing.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
- Mishaps is out already on Amazon. It is book #2.
- Books 3 (Wrecks) and 4 (Critters) should be out by the end of 2025, and 2 more are in the works for 2026.
- A longer, more serious mystery novel should also be out by the end of 2025. All info will be announced on social media and CracktheCaseBooks.com.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
A woman searching for love. A string of online suitors. A deadly end. When a young woman’s body is discovered, Detective Ned is drawn into the murky world of online dating. The suspects? Every man in her dating history on the app Pairs. Each profile photo hides a secret: the suave charmer with a shady past, the awkward loner with an unhealthy obsession, or the too-perfect match with everything to lose..
In this sharp and satirical mystery, you hold the power to uncover the truth. Will the killer be caught in the web of lies? Choose from three gripping endings and then perhaps create your own. Submit your take to tremorinthehills@gmail.com for a chance to be featured on crackthecasebooks.com. Love might be a game, but in Pairs, the stakes are deadly.
Pairs: This Dating Site Will Be the Death of You
Cristina Matta’s Pairs: This Dating Site Will Be the Death of You is a fast-paced, offbeat murder mystery wrapped in biting satire and stuffed with eccentricity. Set in the humid chaos of Tampa, Florida, the book follows Detective Ned Jenkins as he investigates the bizarre death of Susan LaFont—a woman who apparently invited seven peculiar men from a friendship-dating app called Pairs to the local aquarium, only to end up murdered. What unfolds is a series of sharply written vignettes of these suspects, each more absurd and hilarious than the last. There’s a man wearing Batman stickers on his face, another eating endless pizza, one with a monkey, and even a guy whose profile picture is Barbie and Ken mid-coitus. Matta doesn’t just describe characters, she roasts them alive and lets them squirm in their own weirdness.
Matta’s writing is clever and self-aware. She leans hard into absurdity without tipping over into chaos, and that’s no easy feat. Her voice is confident, wickedly observant, and full of snark. The structure is tight—each chapter feels like a miniature sketch comedy piece, but it all ties back to the central mystery. Detective Ned is gruff and jaded but utterly relatable, especially as he navigates an increasingly ridiculous sea of suspects and reconsiders his own past missteps. I found myself both enjoying the mystery and savoring the wry commentary on modern dating, loneliness, and how deeply strange people can be when left to their own devices.
The story’s comedy can sometimes swallow its stakes. There were moments when I wanted more depth, more emotion, something raw. The victim, Susan, remains a bit of a mystery herself, not just in the whodunit sense but emotionally. And while I adored the wild suspects, a few felt more like clever caricatures than real people. Still, maybe that’s the point. The book is unapologetically satirical. It’s not here to hold your hand through a touching drama, it’s here to slap your face with a fish and then dare you not to laugh.
Pairs: This Dating Site Will Be the Death of You is sharp, funny, and refreshingly weird. It’s a great read for fans of Carl Hiaasen, readers who enjoy a twist on classic detective stories, or anyone who’s ever been baffled by online dating profiles. If you like your mysteries with more laughs than laments, and your characters with quirks dialed up to eleven, this book’s for you.
Pages: 67 | ASIN : B0F4SRWMB3
LITERARY TITAN 