Mistletoe, Mutts, and Murder (Samantha Davies Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Setting – The series takes place in Wings Falls, New York, a small town in upstate New York about 45 minutes north of Albany
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gemma Halliday Publishing (December 3, 2024)
Digital ~250 Pages

Synopsis

Christmas is coming and children’s book author, Samantha Davies, and her lovable dachshund, Porkchop, are caught up in the holiday festivities in beautiful upstate New York. Sam’s parents, Chuck and Barbara, who have been enjoying their retired life in sunny Florida, have flown into Wings Falls to spend the holidays with Sam and meet her new boyfriend, Detective Hank Johnson. Sam is also busy hosting this year’s Christmas party for the Loopy Ladies, Sam’s rug hooking group.

The Loopy Ladies know how to party and are enjoying an evening eating, drinking, and making merry… until Santa crashes the party. Unfortunately, this Santa is Sam’s next-door neighbor who her parents have had a long-running feud with. When not playing the local mall’s not-so-jolly old St. Nick, Leo Sayers is a newspaper reporter, and he announces to the group that he’s written a damning article accusing Sam’s dad and his close friend, Herb Feinstein, of some very shady dealings in their past. To preserve peace on earth—and among the Loopy Ladies—Chuck and Herb escort Leo from the party.

Only, not long after being sent on his way, Santa is found dead—lying in the snow, run over by a plastic reindeer, with a string of Christmas lights around his neck! Are Sam’s father and Herb now on the naughty list? If Sam can’t prove them innocent of murdering Santa, she’s afraid their stockings will contain handcuffs and a one-way ticket to prison this year!

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Guest Post

HI, I’m Samantha Davies, but you can call me Sam. I’m a freelance writer for children’s magazines and have just published Porkchop the Wonder Dog, starring my very own wonder dog, a reddish-brown dachshund named Porkchop. We live in Wings Falls, a small town in upstate New York

Besides my writing career, I also co-own the Do Drop Inn Funeral Parlor with my ex-husband George. Since our divorce, George and I tolerate each other, mainly because he’s beholden to me for financing his dream of owning a funeral parlor which I made possible with an inheritance from an uncle of mine. I’m quite fond of the monthly checks I get from the business. This income allows me to pursue my career as an author and to scroll through eBay for deals on designer purses, a weakness of mine.

After my divorce from George, I swore off men for life, except for Porkchop, of course. At least I thought I had until a tall, dark, and handsome detective on the Wings Falls Police Force, Hank Johnson. entered my life and not in the usual way, either. We were introduced at a murder scene when I stumbled across the very dead body of the owner of the town’s pet shelter. Wings Falls Police Force was in need of a lead detective and were able to lure Hank away from Albany PD, He wanted a slower pace of life, but little did he know that murder would follow him to a small town in upstate New York. And eventually into my life and arms.

After discovering this first murder victim, I gained the reputation of the go-to person when someone was in need of proving themself innocent of a crime. Why me? It seems people believe that with the investigative skills I employ when doing research for the articles I write I can help solve the crimes they’re accused of. I try to tell them that researching the life cycle of a dragon fly doesn’t qualify me to be a crime buster. Do they listen to me? No. I decided early on that I wasn’t going to don my deer stalker cap without calling on my Watson, my dear Southern Belle cousin, Candie Parker.

Candie is the sister I never had and vice versa. Growing up, we spent summers together on our Memaw and Grandpop Parker’s farm in Hainted Hollar, Tennessee. They raised her after her parents were killed in an automobile accident when she was five years old. While we’re as close as two people can be she and I are complete opposites. Her middle name, I swear, is “bling”. She never met a rhinestone she didn’t like while I prefer my tee shirts and yoga pants. When we’re out questioning a person, we think might be involved in a murder, she will apply the full force of her Southern charm with her sexy Southern drawl and mesmerizing violet eyes. She could make Santa Claus confess to a crime.

Enough murder talk. Right now I’m dreaming of spending the evening snuggled on my sofa with my two favorite males Porkchop and Hank. Porkchop snoozing on the end of the sofa, Hank with a chilled bottle of beer in his hand and me resting my head on his muscled chest clutching a glass of wine.

About the Author

Syrl, a retired teacher, lives in upstate New York with her husband and two lively dachshunds. She writes the Samantha Davies Mystery series featuring Samantha Davies and her loveable dachshund, Porkchop. When not writing, she is busy hooking, rug hooking, that is, and enjoying her family. Her newest book, number six in the series, is Mistletoe, Mutts and Murder.

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