Cruel Candy (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Independently published (December 5, 2017)
Paperback: 280 pages

Synopsis

Estes Park, Colorado: picturesque mountains, charming shops, delightful bakeries, a cozy bookstore… and murder.

Winifred Page and her corgi, Watson, move to Estes Park to hit the Reset button on life. Fred is about to open her dream bookshop, and the only challenges she anticipates are adjusting to small-town life, tourists, and living close to her loveable mother, Phyllis, and hippy stepfather, Barry.

When Fred steps into her soon-to-be-bookshop for the first time, she expects dust bunnies and spiders… not the dead body in the upstairs kitchen. The local police have an easy suspect—Barry.
Determined to prove quirky Barry innocent of murder, Fred puts on her detective hat, and with Watson by her side, she explores her new town and gets acquainted with her fellow shopkeepers. Could one of her friendly neighbors be the real culprit? And what would be the motive for killing the owner of the Sinful Bites candy store? The secrets Fred discover put her at odds with the local police sergeant and threaten her cozy future in Estes.

With snow falling outside, all Fred wants to do is curl up by the fire with a good book and Watson snuggled at her feet. But before she can begin her new life and put her plans for her bookshop into action, Fred and Watson have a mystery to solve…

(This culinary cozy mystery includes a recipe for delectable lemon bars.)

Full Series

Cruel Candy (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Traitorous Toys (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Bickering Birds (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Savage Sourdough (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Scornful Scones (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Chaotic Corgis (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Quarrelsome Quartz (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Wicked Wildlife (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Malevolent Magic (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Killer Keys (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Perilous Pottery (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Ghastly Gadgets (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Meddlesome Money (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Precarious Pasta (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Evil Elves (Cozy Corgi Mysteries)

Review

Colorado is where it is happening with new beginnings, Edibles, and murder.

This is the first in this series and it won’t be the last that I read.  This book was chock full of interesting characters, curious scenarios, dogs, and a mystery.  Fred (Winifred) is moving back to Estes Park after a divorce (6 years ago so not recent) and a falling out with her business partner in a publishing house.  Her first day in town she manages to make an enemy from the sweets shop next door all because of who she is related to and who also happens to own the building.  Fred is off to a shaky start but thankfully not everyone feels the same way about her moving to town and planning to open a bookstore in what was a taxidermy shop.  When Opal, owner of the sweets shop, ends up dead in Fred’s new shop and her stepfather Barry is suspected, all bets are off and Fred is on the case.

This book was engaging and the gears in my brain were turning trying to uncover who was the killer.  While I suspected the one character it wasn’t very strong and until facts were revealed at the end did I truly understand the motivation of the killer.  Because Fred’s father was a police detective, I believe she felt that she had to jump in and help solve the case.  Sure her stepfather was being held as a suspect which seemed pretty unlikely considering Barry is a hippie and it was highly unlikely that he would kill anyone, much less Opal.  The first police officer to question Fred is an Officer Green and it is very evident that she has it in for Fred without giving her the benefit of the doubt.  Thankfully there is a detective, Branson Wexler that is a bit more open-minded.  Could it be because he also finds Fred attractive and might want to date her?  As the killer is being revealed you have to wonder why Fred would find herself with the killer especially if she suspected this character?

I love dogs, so the addition of Watson, Fred’s Corgi, made for a well rounded book.  The conversations between Fred and Watson, well really just Fred talking to Watson since he cannot reply, were amusing and her devotion to her dog was admirable.  Watson could be persnickety in who he appeared to like and it didn’t always make sense, but that is a dog for you.

There are many minor characters that I imagine will play bigger roles as this series continues and I look forward to learning more about them in future books.  And the book ends with a delicious lemon bar recipe, so make sure to take notes.

Overall we enjoyed this book and give it 4 paws up.

About the Author

Reading the Cozy Corgi series is pretty much all you need to know about Mildred. In real life, she’s obsessed with everything she writes about: Corgis, Books, Cozy Mountain Towns, and Baked Goods. She’s not obsessed with murder, however. At least not at her own hands (nor paid for… no contract killing here). But since childhood, starting with Nancy Drew, trying to figure out who-dun-it has played a formative role in her personality. Having Fred and Watson stroll into her mind was a touch of kismet.

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Giveaway

The author is graciously giving 1 winner a copy of any of the ebooks in her series.  Please see the list above or start with Cruel Candy which is the first in the series.

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January 6 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

January 6 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

January 7 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – SPOTLIGHT

January 7 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

January 8 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

January 8 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

January 9 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

January 9 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

January 10 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 10 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

January 11 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW

January 11 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

January 12 – My Journey Back-The Journey Back – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 13 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

January 13 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

January 14 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

January 14 – FUONLYKNEW  REVIEW

January 15 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

January 16 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 16 – FUONLYKNEW  REVIEW

January 17 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 17 – ebook addicts – REVIEW

January 17 – FUONLYKNEW  REVIEW

January 18 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

January 19 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEWS

Synopsis

When single mom and recent widow Cameron Chandler takes a much-needed job at Penny-wise Investigations, a detective agency conveniently located in a suburban shopping mall, she grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Her first case is to locate a runaway girl, something her predecessor had been pursuing before he disappeared. Following in his footsteps, the trail leads to a survivalist camp on a remote island in northern Puget Sound. Armed with only a Swiss Army Knife and her quirky on-the-job training as a suburban sleuth, Cameron uncovers more than she bargained for. She soon finds herself in a fight for her own survival in this lighthearted mystery set in Seattle and the San Juan Islands to the north.

Excerpt

From Chapter 1 Employed at Last!

IT WAS THE ONLY STORE in the mall that didn’t invite shoppers to take a look inside. Sandwiched between Ye Olde Candle Shoppe and Sew What?, its mirrored storefront looked impenetrable. Images rebounded off the mirrors, challenging passers-by to guess what went on inside. I slowed down to guess.

It was then I saw the “Help Wanted” sign to the right of the pale oak door. Although I had never bothered to check out the place before, the sign drew me like a powerful magnet.

“Hey, watch it,” an angry voice said. An elderly woman in a hot pink sweat suit pushed past me, leaving no doubt that I had violated one of the mall’s unwritten traffic rules. You don’t cut across the wave of bodies, you go with the flow. I mumbled an apology and stepped out of the mainstream.

The name of the shop was painted in a cobalt blue arc that spanned three quarters of the mirror: “Penny-wise Investigations.” Within the arc in smaller, straight line print was: “Discount Detection.” Lower down and to the right was a tiny griffin emblazoned in gold next to “P.W. Griffin & Associates. Vigilance you can afford.”

A detective agency in a shopping mall? Suburban sleuthing for the middle-class consumer? No way, I said to myself. This isn’t for me.

I backed away, sidestepped around a strolling shopper, and found a seat on a glossy faux wood bench next to a long blue planter full of green plants apparently sustained by the fluorescent rays of overhead lighting. I reached out and fingered one of the plants. Artificial. I tapped the heavy looking planter. Plastic, and hollow. Everything fake and empty, like my life.

The bench faced the shopping mall detective agency. I found myself staring at the mirrored storefront wondering how many of the ordinary people rushing about intent on their shopping ever considered hiring a private investigator. That older woman in the black checked polyester slacks with the gray cardigan, for example. Would she go into the agency and ask them to check on her grandchildren to see which one deserved to inherit her house and all of her personal belongings? And what about that woman in the tight jeans and jaunty sweater who looked as though she had just stepped out of a beauty shop—suppose she wants to know whether her husband is cheating with his executive assistant? Or the pregnant woman riding herd on the little girl who was pulling at her tights to keep them up, might she be lured by a conveniently located discount detective agency if her husband ran off with their child?

I sat there, resting my feet, trying not to feel depressed. “Sale” signs and “Specials” leapt out at me like accusing fingers. If YOU had a job, they seemed to say, then you too could be part of the great American consumer phenomenon.

But I didn’t have a job. And in the last few months I’d heard nothing but reasons why I wasn’t a good fit for this job or that. “Sorry, but since you don’t have administrative skills…” “Sorry, but since you aren’t experienced creating Excel spreadsheets and graphs…” “Sorry, you’re overqualified.” “Sorry, you’re under-qualified.” “Sorry.” My PhD in liberal arts wasn’t a springboard to any of the jobs that were out there. I had reached a professional dead-end that was threatening to make a cul-de-sac out of my entire life.

My eyes went back to the “Help Wanted” sign just an Olympics broad jump leap away. I didn’t know anything about being a private detective. But maybe they wanted a receptionist. The sign didn’t say. I looked away, then remembered the article that had appeared on my refrigerator that morning, held in place by a magnet shaped like a goose wearing a bonnet. The headline read: “Lower standard of living for single mothers.”

Review

Take one widowed mother and a discount detective service located in a mall and you have this series that is bound to charm the reader.

There was so much to like about this series so I will start with some of my favorite characters. Cameron is a widow with a PhD yet no job to go with it trying to manage two children and a busybody mother who thinks that Cameron just needs to find a new husband. All Cameron knows is that she needs to find a job. You have P.W., the head of the discount detective business that is a bit of a mystery herself. Many of the people working for her have tried to unearth who she really is but to no avail. Yuri is Cameron’s main teacher at the PI agency, showing her the ropes and assisting with her first case. Yuri is a crazy driver and I was very glad that I wasn’t physically in a car with him. Will is like Q in the Bond movies – all sorts of gadgets that might help out on any case. He can be something of a trickster.

I have to credit Cameron for taking on a career field that requires observation and deductive reasoning. Sure I’ve read mysteries for years but that doesn’t mean I should be a PI. I chucked on her first day on the job and her choice to wear heels. Everyone forewarns her that P.W. isn’t going to like the shoe choice. Thankfully it is only her first day so she won’t have to chase after suspects quite yet.

Cameron’s first case is a missing person’s case but it evolves into so much more including some radical Survivalists on one of the San Juan Islands in Washington. This is where the action really heats up and some interesting twists and turns occur. I was spellbound throughout the book and stayed up a little too late the first night because I had to know what happened next.

If you like witty, quirky, and a little crazy then this might be a mystery you will want to read.

We give this 5 paws up.

About the Author

In a world filled with uncertainty and too little chocolate, Charlotte Stuart, PhD, has taught college courses in communication, gone commercial fishing in Alaska, and survived being the VP of HR and Training for a large credit union. Her current passion is for writing lighthearted mysteries with a pinch of adventure and a dollop of humor. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys watching herons, eagles, seals and other sea life from her Vashon Island home office.

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Synopsis

The last thing gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister needs in her life is more drama–or more murder . . .

Poppy thought her toughest challenge this winter would be sticking to her Paleo diet and filling all her orders for her gluten-free goodies, but now she has to choose between two suitors. She’s not the only one with boyfriend drama. Aunt Ginny’s long-ago high-school beau, Royce Hanson, a retired Broadway actor, has returned to Cape May, New Jersey, to star in a Senior Center staging of Mamma Mia. Leaving Aunt Ginny to wonder: What’s his motivation?

Slated to open February 13th, the problem-plagued production seems to be cursed–with stolen props, sabotage, and even a death threat. But when a cast member plunges to his death from a catwalk, it soon becomes clear a murderer is waiting in the wings. Now Poppy, Aunt Ginny, and a supporting cast must take center stage to catch the killer–before it’s curtains for someone else . . .

Includes Seven Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!

Review

This is a fantastic series so I was super excited when Libby asked me to review her book before the release date of 12/31/19.  And I’ll just let you know (if you haven’t read my other reviews in this series) that I am Team Gia.

So much to say about this book – it made me laugh, it kept me guessing regarding the crime, and it had me rooting for Poppy to make a decision regarding who she wants to date between Tim and Gia. (see my note above….GIA!!!)

What I always enjoy about this series – the relationship between Poppy and her Aunt.  It is wacky, yet caring, all at the same time.  Poppy never expected to be running a B&B but it was the only way to save the family home.  Then there are her aunt’s friends – the Biddies as they are called in the book.  They remind me of the Jewish old lady stereotype that you see in movies and such, they are all in your business, offering advice you may not want, and sometimes just being a nuisance.  But at other times they can save your bacon…or your life!

I chuckled at the theater production that is the main focus of this story and where the murder occurs.  Imagine a bunch of senior citizens performing Mamma Mia (cue ABBA music).  Since I have seen the movie I could picture these people singing and dancing and it is a comical performance.  While I won’t give away too much, let’s just say opening night didn’t quite go according to the script.

Besides the usual murder, there are several other sub-plots occurring at the same time.  There is the case of who is leaving bad reviews for anything that Poppy touches (her B&B, Gia’s coffeeshop, Tim’s restaurant).  The answer should be obvious but I have to admit I didn’t think about this character.  You will also meet some guests of the B&B and there is something not quite right.  It is a very minor plot but it adds to the dimension of the story.  Aunt Ginny reconnects with her first love from high school, an adopted child looking for his birth parents, and Poppy trying to extract herself from a potential relationship with Iggy, the pianist for the musical.  All of these bring the story together and provide depth for several characters.

I haven’t even touched on the food mentioned throughout the book.  Poppy may not have formal training but she is a skilled baker and the recipes leave my mouth watering.  I may be ok having gluten, but these recipes intrigue me and I want to try a few of them out.  I’m glad the recipes are provided at the end.

There is a love triangle and I am hoping that the next book will have Poppy choosing one of the men interested in her.  Both men in this book have demonstrated their feelings for her and she has some clarity at the end regarding their feelings for her.  So, Poppy, it’s time to choose!

I do want to share this one line that really made me laugh and you won’t understand it unless you read the book and then you might have the same reaction as me:

“He said to tell you now you’re even for touching his Skywalker.  I don’t even want to know what that means.”

Overall we give this book 5 paws and can’t wait to figure out what is in store for the gang.

About the Author

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No Way to Die: A Ming Dynasty Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Drum Tower Press, LLC (April 18, 2019)
Paperback: 210 pages

Synopsis

Through mystery and intrigue, No Way To Die transports the reader into the complex and engaging world of early Ming China.

When a peddler finds a partially mutilated body of a stranger, the unlikely duo of a young scholar and a local women’s doctor once more join forces to discover who killed him and why. In probing the highly gendered world of early Ming China, unanticipated questions surface, complicating their investigation.

As their case rapidly transitions into the unexpected, they find all roads leading away from the victim, forcing them to consider alternate routes. Was the death the result of inexorable bad karma and beyond their purview, or merely the result of mortal foul play? Was the murdered man the intended victim? If not, who was and why? The investigation leads to a growing list of potential suspects: a lustful herbalist, an unscrupulous neighbor, a vengeful farmer, a jealous husband, a scorned wife, and a band of thieves. Who is innocent and who is the culprit? To solve the murder and bring peace to the victim’s spirit, the duo must untangle the truth and do it before the murderer strikes again.

Guest Post

My readers have asked why Shu-chang in the A Ming Dynasty Mystery series seems to be so concerned with taking the third national examination. After all, as a young man, he seems to be doing alright. He’s teaching at a small school and is respected by the people in the town. Isn’t that enough?

Here’s why Shu-chang isn’t satisfied:  No Way to Die, A Ming Dynasty Mystery, the second in the series, is a historical novel set in late 14^th century Imperial China. For hundreds of years before that and even through to the modern period, China was what we call a meritocracy. That is, in spite of being ruled by an emperor, men achieved power and wealth through their own abilities, not through birth. In order to get the best and brightest to work for the government, the emperors set up a three-tiered examination system. Whoever passed each examination level received recognition and special privileges from the emperor. Everyone who passed the third level received the most significant privileges. For example, they were relieved of paying taxes on their family farms and other properties. They also had special status and protections where the law, even criminal law, was concerned. Anyone who passed the examinations was automatically considered among the local elite and treated as local leaders. Finally, the gold ring was reserved for those who passed within the top 5 to 10 percent or so of the third national examination. These men were automatically placed into government positions, such as magistrates of local districts. Their fortunes were all but guaranteed.

This examination system meant that even the poorest of men, if they were hard-working and bright, could become powerful and gain great wealth. In A Ming Dynasty Mystery series, Shu-chang is a young man of a poor, peasant family. His father and uncle sacrificed everything so he could study. He wasn’t expected to do any work on the farm. His father’s dream was for Shu-chang to pass the third examination and achieve fame for the family. In Deadly Relations, the first book in the series, Shu-chang had just taken the second examination when he found out that his father and uncle were murdered by a criminal gang who had attacked their small village. Destitute and with no support, he takes a job teaching in a small clan school in a nearby town. There he joins his maternal cousin, the local women’s doctor, in solving crimes plaguing the town. His crime fighting continues into No Way to Die.

While successfully assisting the community in achieving justice, Shu-chang is plagued by the thought of not being a filial son. Of not accomplishing the two things necessary for him to honor, respect, and achieve justice for his father and uncle: to hunt down their murderers and to achieve his father’s dream of his raising the family out of poverty by passing the third national examination. No matter how successful he is at helping his community and achieving justice for others, without succeeding in these two goals for his own family, he is a failure.

About the Author

P.A. De Voe is an anthropologist with a PhD in Asian studies and a specialty in China. She has authored several stories featuring the early Ming Dynasty: The Mei-hua Trilogy: Hidden, Warned, and Trapped; the A Ming Dynasty Mystery series with Deadly Relations and No Way to Die; Lotus Shoes, a Mei-hua short story; and a collection of short stories: Judge Lu’s Case Files, stories of Crime & Mystery in Imperial China. Warned won a Silver Falchion Award for Best International Mystery; Trapped was a finalist for an Agatha Award and for a Silver Falchion Award. Her short story, The Immortality Mushroom, (a Judge Lu story) was in the Anthony Award-winning anthology Murder Under the Oaks edited by Art Taylor.

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A Fatal Fondness (Mary MacDougall Mysteries)
Historical Mystery
4th in Series
Conger Road Press (November 15, 2019)
Paperback: 268 pages

Synopsis

It’s September 1902, and Mary MacDougall has fulfilled her greatest dream—opening her own detective agency. But this achievement doesn’t come without complication.

Mary’s father insists that an older cousin come to work with her—as both secretary and minder. Jeanette Harrison pledges to keep the plucky sleuth away from danger, as well as from her unsuitable suitor Edmond Roy. This arrangement, embarrassingly, makes Mary the only detective in the state with a chaperone.

The new agency’s first cases hardly seem to portend danger or significance. There’s the affair of the nicked napkin rings…the problem of the purloined pocket watch…and the matter of the four filched felines.

Mary and Jeanette have not the slightest notion that one of these modest little jobs will blow up into the most consequential and perilous case of the heiress-sleuth’s budding career. What begins in triviality mushrooms into disappearance, betrayal, international intrigue, and murder. As she learns more and more, Mary’s prospects for making the acquaintance of an assassin’s blade improve exponentially.

Witty, fast-paced, and enthralling, A Fatal Fondness—the fourth tale in the series—delves deeply into Mary’s world and paints the portrait of an unconventional young woman ever-ready to defy propriety for the sake of justice.

“In the spirit of Nancy Drew and the Corner House Girls… [The author] captures the turn-of-the-century period perfectly, when young women like Mary were trying to burst out of Victorian expectations to become their own person.” —Mary Ann Grossmann, St. Paul Pioneer Press

Guest Post

The Sears Roebuck Catalog: Writing About the World of 1902

By Richard Audry

My Mary MacDougall Mysteries are all set in the Midwest—mostly in Minnesota—soon after the turn of the 20th century. The first two stories (novellas) take place in 1901 and the third and fourth (full-length novels) in 1902. This is a world just on the cusp of modernity.

The typewriter is well established in offices all over America by then. Telephones are not exactly commonplace, but their numbers are growing steadily. Horseless carriages are still a novelty, but any well-to-do person could certainly afford one. President Roosevelt takes his first ride in one in 1902. Scientists and physicians are beginning to gain familiarity with x-rays for medical diagnosis—sometimes learning the hard way that the invisible rays can injure and kill. Scotland Yard has started using fingerprints to identify criminals. The Wright Brothers’ first flight is only a year away.

While these products and technologies were all revolutionary, they aren’t the most important aspects of describing everyday life in the early 1900s. When I started writing about my young detective, I needed to know what were the things Mary MacDougall might use or wear around the house, out-and-about, at parties, or traveling. In my new mystery, A Fatal Fondness, I again found myself relying on the 1902 version of the “wish book” that almost every American household received in the mail annually, until it ended 26 years ago—the Sears Roebuck catalog.

What kind of watch did Mary have? She wears a chatelaine watch, a pendant timepiece that’s pinned at the waist. “Our Latest Genuine French Enameled Chatelaine Watch for $8.00. The case is gold filled, beautifully enameled in either blue, ruby red or green. The chatelaine [the decorative pin] matches the watch. The movement is an imported one, made in Switzerland, perfectly trued and adjusted.”

Men in 1902 wore shirts, but Mary and other women did not. Nor did they wear anything called blouses. At least there’s no such thing in the Sears catalog. They wore shirtwaists, a shirt-like garment that the catalog calls “waists.” They might be made with percale, sateen, or silk. “Ladies High Grade Waist. Made of good quality mercerized sateen, tucked in front with strap of same material; finished in a bolero effect; neatly trimmed with small buttons; high standing collar made of same material; flaring cuffs; bishop sleeves; plaits in back.”

When Mary spends a day at the university and attends a football game, she doesn’t just wear a skirt, but a walking skirt. “Very Good Value in a Walking Skirt,” says Sears. “We make a specialty of this skirt and we can positively say that it is the best value for the money; it is made of gray diagonal cloth, a cotton and wool mixture; flounced bottom neatly trimmed with hair cording as shown.”

Now when Mary and Jeanette are being driven around Duluth by the MacDougalls’ factotum Bill, it’s easy enough to call their vehicle a “carriage.” But I wanted something that sounded more particular to the era, more old-fashioned. Happily, Sears offers various conveyances for you to hitch your horse to. Wagons are the work vehicles and buggies are the two-seaters. A surrey is just the thing when more than two need a ride. In fact, Mary’s father expresses exasperation that Mary and her brother want an Oldsmobile, when they had just purchased a new surrey the year before.

And the first time Mary enjoys an excellent cup of cocoa at a little bakery/café, her server proudly boasts that they only use Van Houten’s finest powder—featured in the catalog’s food section.

Of course, some of the items that play a role in the new novel I found via good, old-fashioned Googling. How would Mary and her sidekick Jeanette prepare tea in an office without a gas burner? Well, an early electric teakettle was available at that time. One of the characters has a bad leg. And what does she take to relieve the pain? She reaches for her little white box of Bayer Heroin pills. Yup. Heroin. Back then it was an ordinary over-the-counter medication.

About the Author

Richard Audry is the pen name of D. R. Martin. He is the author of the Mary MacDougall historical mysteries (four titles) and the King Harald canine cozy series (three titles). Under his own name, he has written the Johnny Graphic ghost adventure trilogy, the Marta Hjelm hardboiled mystery Smoking Ruin, and two books on some of his favorite authors: Travis McGee & Me and Four Science Fiction Masters.

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Death on the Danube: A New Year’s Murder in Budapest (Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Traveling Life Press (November 28, 2019)
Print Length ~200 Pages

Synopsis

Who knew a New Year’s trip to Budapest could be so deadly? The tour must go on – even with a killer in their midst…

Recent divorcee Lana Hansen needs a break. Her luck has run sour for going on a decade, ever since she got fired from her favorite job as an investigative reporter. When her fresh start in Seattle doesn’t work out as planned, Lana ends up unemployed and penniless on Christmas Eve.

Dotty Thompson, her landlord and the owner of Wanderlust Tours, is also in a tight spot after one of her tour guides ends up in the hospital, leaving her a guide short on Christmas Day.

When Dotty offers her a job leading the tour group through Budapest, Hungary, Lana jumps at the chance. It’s the perfect way to ring in the new year and pay her rent!

What starts off as the adventure of a lifetime quickly turns into a nightmare when Carl, her fellow tour guide, is found floating in the Danube River. Was it murder or accidental death? Suspects abound when Lana discovers almost everyone on the tour had a bone to pick with Carl.

But Dotty insists the tour must go on, so Lana finds herself trapped with nine murder suspects. When another guest turns up dead, Lana has to figure out who the killer is before she too ends up floating in the Danube…

Introducing Lana Hansen, tour guide, reluctant amateur sleuth, and star of the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series. Join Lana as she leads tourists and readers to fascinating cities around the globe on intriguing adventures that, unfortunately for Lana, often turn deadly.

Feel-good stories about friendship, travel, and celebrating new experiences. Coming soon: Books 2 and 3 in the Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series!

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About the Author

Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, raised in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, she moved to Darwin, Australia, before settling in the Netherlands. Her background in journalism, multimedia development, and art history enriches her novels. When not writing, she can be found in a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning her next research trip.

Jennifer’s love of travel, art, and culture inspires her award-winning mystery series—the Zelda Richardson Mysteries and Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries—and standalone stories.

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Lone Star Literary Life EXCLUSIVE!

Lone Star Literary Life is honored to present the cover

of the fifth book in the Gethsemane Brown Mysteries

by Alexia Gordon & Henery Press.

To be released March, 2020

PRESENTING . . .

Synopsis

Romance is in the air. Or on the ‘gram, anyway.

When an influencer-turned-bridezilla shows up at the lighthouse to capture Insta-perfect wedding photos designed to entice sponsors to fund her lavish wedding, Gethsemane has her hands full trying to keep Eamon from blasting the entire wedding party over the edge of the cliff.

Wedding bells become funeral bells when members of the bride’s entourage start turning up dead. Frankie’s girlfriend, Verna, is pegged as maid-of-honor on the suspect list when the Garda discover the not-so-dearly departed groom was her ex and Gethsemane catches her standing over a body.

Gethsemane uncovers devilish dealings as she fights to clear Verna, for Frankie’s sake. Will she find the killer in time to save Frankie from another heartbreak? Or will the photos in her social media feed be post-mortem?

EXECUTION IN E

TO BE FEATURED ON

LONE STAR BOOK BLOG TOURS

MARCH, 2020

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About the Author

A writer since childhood, Alexia Gordon won her first writing prize in the 6th grade. She continued writing through college but put literary endeavors on hold to finish medical school and Family Medicine residency training. She established her medical career then returned to writing fiction. Raised in the southeast, schooled in the northeast, she relocated to the west where she completed Southern Methodist University’s Writer’s Path program. She admits Texas brisket is as good as Carolina pulled pork. She practices medicine in North Chicago, IL. She enjoys the symphony, art collecting, embroidery, and ghost stories.

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Death By Library (Pismawallops PTA Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Independently Published (December 6, 2019
Number of Pages — ~280

Synopsis

The library can save your life… can it kill you, too?

JJ has a new job at the library, which ought to make her happy. But with all those books to shelve, the PTA to run, and a 16-year-old son to raise, there’s never enough time to spend with her sweetheart, police chief Ron Karlson. That’s especially true with Thanksgiving on the horizon and her mother coming to visit, not to mention the PTA’s Holiday Bazaar looming ahead.

When things turn deadly in the library stacks, JJ needs some answers fast, before she loses her job—or her life. She’s determined to learn everything about the victim, and for once the library doesn’t hold all the answers. JJ and Kitty may have to face the ultimate peril: a visit to Mrs. Halsey, the oldest—and crankiest—person on the island.

Amazon – Apple Books – Smashwords – Kobo –  B&N

About the Author

After a lifetime of reading, and a decade or more of slinging books at the library and herding cats with the PTA, Rebecca began to turn her experiences into books of her own, publishing her first in 2012. That failed to quiet the voices in her head, but seemed to entertain a number of readers, so she wrote some more, which generated still more voices. Despite the unlimited distractions provided by raising sons to the point of leaving home (and preparing to move without forwarding address if necessary to retain that empty nest), not to mention the mountains that keep calling (very hard to resist the urging of something the size of the Sierra Nevada), she has managed to pen a total of 9 books so far.

For those who enjoy murder and mayhem with a sense of humor, Rebecca’s Pismawallops PTA mysteries (Death By Ice Cream and Death By Trombone, Death By Adverb, and Death By Library) provide insights into what PTA moms are really like. If you prefer tall tales and even less of a grip on reality, visit Skunk Corners in The Ninja Librarian and the sequels Return to Skunk Corners and The Problem of Peggy. For those who’ve always thought that fantasy was a bit too high-minded, a stumble through rescues and escapes with Halitor the Hero, possibly the most hapless hero to ever run in fear from any and all fair maidens, should set you straight.

Why does Rebecca write so many different kinds of books (there’s even an alphabet picture book in the mix!)? We could argue that it’s because she has a rich lifetime of experience that requires expression in—squirrel!

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Scarlet Fever: A Novel (“Sister” Jane)
Cozy Mystery
12th in Series
Ballantine Books (November 26, 2019)
Hardcover: 304 pages

Synopsis

Winter blizzards bring a flurry of cases to solve in this riveting new foxhunting mystery featuring “Sister” Jane Arnold and her incorrigible hounds from New York Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown.

Frigid February air has settled into the bones of the Blue Ridge Mountains, making for a slow foxhunting season, though “Sister” Jane Arnold’s enthusiasm is not so easily deterred. With the winter chill come tweed coats, blazing fireplaces—and perhaps another to share the warmth with, as the bold hunting scarlets worn by the men in Sister Jane’s hunting club make the hearts of women flutter—until someone’s stops entirely.

Harry Dunbar, a member of the Jefferson Hunt club with a penchant for antique furniture, is found with his skull cracked at the bottom of the stairs to a local store. There are no telltale signs of foul play—save for the priceless (and stolen) Erté fox ring in his pocket. Sister and her hounds set out to uncover the truth: was this simply an accident—a case of bad luck—or something much more sinister?

Steeped in the deep traditions of Virginia horse country and featuring a colorful cast of characters both two- and four-legged, Scarlet Fever is another spirited mystery from Rita Mae Brown.

Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound

About the Author

Rita Mae Brown is the bestselling author of the Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries; the Sister Jane series; the Runnymede novels, including Six of One and Cakewalk; A Nose for Justice and Murder Unleashed; Rubyfruit Jungle; and In Her Day; as well as many other books. An Emmy-nominated screenwriter and a poet, Brown lives in Afton, Virginia, and is a Master of Foxhounds and the huntsman.

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Ghosts of Painting Past (An Aurora Anderson Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Henery Press (November 19, 2019)
Paperback: 264 pages

Synopsis

It’s Christmastime in the quiet Los Angeles County city of Vista Beach, home of computer programmer and tole-painting enthusiast Aurora (Rory) Anderson. The magic of the season fills the air as residents enjoy school concerts, a pier lighting ceremony and the annual sand-snowman contest.

During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Rory plans on painting ornaments to sell at the local craft fair and joining in on the holiday fun. But she finds the season anything but jolly after the house across the street is torn down, revealing a decades old crime. Past meets present when her father is implicated in the murder.

Fearing for her father’s future, Rory launches her own investigation, intent on discovering the truth and clearing his name.

Amazon Kindle – Amazon Paperback – Kobo

About the Author

Sybil Johnson’s love affair with reading began in kindergarten with “The Three Little Pigs.” Visits to the library introduced her to Encyclopedia Brown, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and a host of other characters. Fast forward to college where she continued reading while studying Computer Science. After a rewarding career in the computer industry, Sybil decided to try her hand at writing mysteries. Her short fiction has appeared in Mysterical-E and Spinetingler Magazine, among others. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in Southern California where she enjoys tole painting, studying ancient languages and spending time with friends and family.

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