Former Judge Tracks Mostly Murders in Fiction

What might motivate a federal administrative law judge to voluntarily “jump ship” to pursue a passion? In this case, Debra Goldstein, widow, stepmom, mother of twins, and civic volunteer retired 11 years ago to dive into penning novels.

Goldstein received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her law degree from Emory University. Then, while in Birmingham, she held United Way, YWCA, Women’s Network, Girl Scout, Temples Emanu-El and Beth-El, and Grafman Endowment board positions. She also served on the national boards of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime Worldwide where she is the latter’s president-elect.

How could one kindly grandmother with such charitable endeavors conjure up themes that are mostly about murders?

Goldstein mused about what was left behind. “Being a Federal administrative law judge required impartially applying the law to different fact patterns. The cases I litigated were more varied.”

The most significant was Marshall v. Georgia Southwestern College, an equal pay case of first impression relating to higher education. Winning this case helped propel her judicial appointment at age 36, when the average judge’s age was 58.

Explaining her move to Atlanta, Goldstein related, “A three-year-old grabbing my hand after a babysitting stint, saying, ‘Mimi, I don’t want you to go.’ I melted.”

After her husband died, she had already contemplated a move to Georgia, but her grandson’s comment tilted the scales. She laughed, “Better to move while he and his sister still like me, I’m young enough to make friends, and willing to drive Atlanta’s highways.”

During the past 12 years, she has written seven novels, a collection of short stories, and 60 short stories. The dream got derailed while she was a litigator, then judge, new wife, and mother. She wrote skits for parties, but writing a book was just “talk.” Finally, a friend challenged her to vacation at the beach with the sole purpose of writing. In three days, she wrote 85 pages longhand on yellow legal paper.

It takes Goldstein 11 months to bring a book to fruition. She’s done signings at Atlanta’s Tall Tale Books, Scottsboro’s Poisoned Pen, Nashville’s Parnassus, and Houston’s Mystery by the Book. She was also a panelist at the Decatur Book Festival and Southern Festival of Books. Planned 2026 appearances include Left Coast Crime, Malice Domestic, Bouchercon, and the Dahlonega Book Festival.

Her next project: A Southern suspense novel. Her books include:
“Maze in Blue” — an academic mystery set on the University of Michigan‘s campus during the 1970s.
“Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Player’s Mystery” — With the help of a group of retirement center mah jongg players, a young corporate attorney investigates why her mother returned after 26 years only to be murdered hours later.
“One Taste Too Many” — Sarah Blair finds being in the kitchen more frightening than murder. Married and divorced young, she’s starting over with the only thing she got out of the marriage, a Siamese cat. When her twin sister, Emily, a chef, is accused of killing Sarah’s ex-husband with a taste of rhubarb crisp, Sarah must find the murderer before being forced to take Emily’s place at a food exhibition (recipes include Jell-O in a Can).
“Two Bites Too Many” — When Emily’s restaurant plans are stymied by a banker who turns up dead, all clues point to the twins’ outspoken mother.
“Three Treats Too Many” — For someone whose greatest culinary skill is ordering takeout, Sarah must prove a friend, accused of putting murder on the menu, is innocent.
“Four Cuts Too Many” — A culinary school instructor is thought to have served up a main corpse.
“Five Belles Too Many” — When her mother is a wedding reality show finalist, a murderer crashes the wedding party.
“With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying” — 18 stories, ranging from cozy to dark that center around family and friends, sinning, and sometimes, redemption. The stories were winners or finalists for several awards.
“Candy Cane on the Case” was published in “Crimeucopia: The Not So Frail Detective Agency.”

For Goldstein’s short stories, please visit www.debrahgoldstein.com/short-stories/