Paint Me a Crime (A Rose Shore Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Okanagan Valley in BC, Canada
Touchpoint Press (June 13, 2023)
Paperback : 252 pages
Synopsis
Art curator Jessamine Rhodes has left behind her gig at a prominent gallery in the city to open her own community art center in the small town of Rose Shore. She’s all set to host an extravagant opening watercolors class and has even booked a famous artist to teach it. Gabriella Everhart brings along her priceless painting Tranquil to showcase as the centerpiece of the event.
The opening class is just wrapping up when suddenly Tranquil disappears before Jessamine’s eyes. Next, the lights of the art center flicker out and leave the crowd in complete darkness as a scream pierces the air. To her horror, Jessamine’s flashlight reveals that prestigious art collector Victor Carlisle has been murdered, and now her dreams are as shattered as the champagne glass found near the scene.
Determined to save her now teetering reputation, Jessamine sets out to search for answers and the missing painting on her own. She has invested everything into her art center and is too anxious to step back and do nothing. Along the way, she teams up with a handsome paramedic who seems to have his own reasons for wanting justice for Victor’s tragedy.
Amazon * B&N * Amazon CA
Character Guest Post
Mrs. Connors, Jessamine’s nosy neighbor, shares about the day Jessamine moved to Rose Shore.
Oh, hello. You obviously must be new to Rose Shore if you don’t know who I am. My name is Clara Connors, and I just have to tell you all about my new next-door neighbor. She is moving in right this minute! I’ve heard from the ladies in my book club that her name is Jessamine Rhodes, and she moved here from Vancouver. They say she was a fancy art curator at some fancy gallery or something like that. I have no idea what led her to Rose Shore, but you bet I’m going to find out. My best friend Beatrice thinks it must have been a broken heart, but I think Jessamine must have wanted to get out of the big city. I could never live anywhere so stuffy! Anyway, I’m usually right about these types of things. Intuition, you know. Beatrice is well-meaning, bless her heart, but she doesn’t have the same intuition as I do.
Jessamine looks to be about my son’s age, maybe in her early thirties, and there’s no ring on her finger, so I wonder if… or maybe Jackson Yeung who lives on the other side of Jessamine. Maybe I could encourage a little rendezvous between them—what is it that the kids say these days? Wink-wink? Yes, that’s it. A little rendezvous, wink-wink. I’m going to bustle over there right now and tell him to help Jessamine carry in her heavy boxes and furniture from the moving truck. Poor girl can’t do it by herself in this summer heat.
Oh, dear, was that a dog bark? Did that girl bring a dog with her? Yes, there it is, running around the front yard like it owns the place. I’m terribly afraid of those creatures. They bark and bite and knock people over. I might need to play match-maker, er I mean, friendly neighborly welcome wagon later when that animal is inside Jessamine’s cottage. I’ll go pick some flowers from my back garden as a welcome gift, and then I’ll update you later with what I’ve learned about her. Bye-bye, now.
About the Author
After having called many places around the world home, Holly Yew has settled in the Okanagan, BC with her husband, son, and two rescue dogs. When she’s not writing or reading, she’s playing the piano, watching Star Wars, or enjoying a Dole Whip in Disneyland.
Holly is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers. She loves connecting with other writers and bookworms on social media.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram
Giveaway
Sounds like a book I will enjoy.