Between A Rock and a Hard Place by Debbie De Louise
Publisher: Solstice Publishing
Approximately 330 pages

Synopsis

Librarian Alicia McKinney has put the past behind her…

Two years ago, Alicia discovered both a terrible truth and lasting love with John McKinney in the small town of Cobble Cove, New York. Now a busy mother of twin babies and co-author of a mystery series, Alicia couldn’t be happier.

Alicia’s contentment and safety are challenged…

Walking home alone from the library, Alicia senses someone following her, and on more than one occasion, she believes she is being watched. Does she have a stalker? When the local gift shop is burglarized, the troubling event causes unrest among Alicia and the residents of the quiet town.
John and Alicia receive an offer they can’t refuse…

When John’s sister offers to babysit while she and John take a much-needed vacation in New York City, Alicia is reluctant to leave her children because of the disturbances in Cobble Cove. John assures her the town is safe in the hands of Sheriff-elect Ramsay. Although Alicia’s experience with and dislike of the former Long Island detective don’t alleviate her concern, she and John take their trip.

Alicia faces her worst nightmare…

The McKinneys’ vacation is cut short when they learn their babies have been kidnapped and John’s sister shot. Alicia and John’s situation puts them between a rock and a hard place when the main suspect is found dead before the ransom is paid. In order to save their children, the McKinneys race against the clock to solve a mystery more puzzling than those found in their own books. Can they do it before time runs out?

Guest Post

The Story Behind the Cobble Cove Mystery Series

When I present author talks at libraries and bookstores, people often ask how I got started in writing. Since I’ve been writing for over thirty years, the answer is often lengthy and a bit convoluted as I’ve written in many forms and mediums throughout different periods of my life. I would much rather discuss how I came to publish my first mystery series.

 A Stone’s Throw did not start out as the first book of the Cobble Cove mysteries. I initially thought of it as a standalone romantic suspense novel; but, after it was published, readers reviewed it as a cozy mystery. Then, as people kept asking if I was planning to continue the story, I decided to write a sequel. Between a Rock and a Hard Place was published this past October by Solstice Publishing. I have almost finished writing the next book tentatively titled Written in Stone. I feel the uniformity of the common phrases and euphemisms involving rocks and stones and their correlation to the storylines of each mystery further unite the books

In A Stone’s Throw, the title refers to how all locations in the small town of Cobble Cove are only “a stone’s throw away.” The title of Between a Rock and a Hard Place symbolizes the struggle the characters face in a situation that seems insurmountable no matter what they do. For Written in Stone, I chose the title because the plot resolves heavily around writers.

A Stone’s Throw takes place near Thanksgiving and introduces the main characters, the town, and a library cat, Sneaky, and golden retriever, Fido, who play minor but charming roles in the books and also help with clues on occasion. Between a Rock and a Hard Place occurs a year and a half later during December. It introduces more characters including two babies, a couple of college students, and a young girl who is ill. Many of the characters from the first book return; two of them with interesting personality changes. This book involves three crimes – robbery, kidnapping, and murder – not necessarily by the same perpetrator. In the upcoming book, there are new characters again mixed in with the regulars as some of their stories further develop as the new mystery unravels. As cozies, all three books feature no violence or sexual explicit scenes and focus on the characters.

The Cobble Cove mysteries basically evolved through reader request and the quirky and creative characters who seemed to insist that their stories continue. I don’t know how many more books there will be in the series, but I have lots of ideas and hope that there will be many more.

In addition to writing the series, I’ve also created a blog hosted by Sneaky, the Siamese library cat in the books. He “interviews” cat characters from cozy mysteries and other types of cat books. Visit Sneaky’s blog.

I’ve also just begun the monthly Cobble Cove Character Chats on Facebook where, on the first Wednesday of each month, a new character from the series answers questions posted by readers.

About the  Author

Debbie De Louise is a reference librarian at a public library on Long Island and has been involved with books and writing for over thirty years. She received the Lawrence C. Lobaugh, jr. Memorial Award in Journalism for her work as Features Editor on the Long Island University/C. W. Post student newspaper, the Pioneer. More recently, Debbie received the Glamour Puss Award from Hartz Corporation for an article about cat grooming that appeared on Catster.com. She has published a short mystery in the Cat Crimes Through Time Anthology and two novels,CLOUDY RAINBOW and A STONE’S THROW, the first book of her Cobble Cove cozy mystery series. Her short stories, THE PATH TO RAINBOW BRIDGE and DEADLINE appear in the anthologies, REALMS OF FANTASTIC STORIES and PROJECT 9, Vol. 2 published by Solstice Publishing. She is currently working on a psychological thriller, the third Cobble Cove Mystery, and a new pet-related cozy series. She lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter, and two cats.

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