Synopsis

 

‘Dark Truth’, the second in a series of three novels, is a suspenseful mystery thriller full of intrigue that will leave you guessing right until the very end.

Private investigator Joe Wilde is hired by Tom and Marie Archer to investigate the disappearance of their six-year-old daughter Laura. Joe also takes on an unusual case for a client by the name of Jack Riley. Jack believes he was framed to make it look like he was cheating on his fiancée, Claire Brooks. Claire has been the target of disturbing vandalism. As Joe helps the police investigate Laura’s disappearance, he uncovers disturbing secrets concerning the Archers and some of their neighbors. Meanwhile, the attacks on Claire become more extreme. Fearing for her life, Claire also hires Joe. As Joe continues to investigate, he puts himself in great danger.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

The conditions were near perfect; there was only a very gentle breeze. His location afforded him an ideal view of the occupant’s back garden.

He was situated on a small hill approximately 150 yards away — he was well concealed amongst some thick brush. He had been waiting patiently for nearly thirty minutes now and knew it was a case of when, not if his target came out into the back garden, especially given it was a lovely late summer’s night.

He looked at his watch; it was almost half ten — then out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw a silhouette move past the rear patio doors. He looked through the red dot sight of his rifle but there was no one at the patio door. He was glad he had recently invested in a bipod to rest his rifle on so he wouldn’t have to hold it. He wasn’t a bad shot but practising on static objects was one thing, trying to hit a moving target was a completely different proposition.

There was still no sign of movement but he was prepared to wait it out for another hour or two if need be — the pay off would be worth it. Just then he started to feel some light drops of rain on his forehead, this was the last thing he needed, if it turned into a full-on downpour that would pretty much end any hope of his target going outside.

The rain did get worse but fortunately it only lasted for fifteen minutes before it completely stopped. A few minutes beforehand his target had stood by the patio door briefly looking out across the garden, no doubt checking to see if the rain was beginning to ease. Now that the rain had stopped, surely she would be going out into the garden very shortly he thought to himself.

He got his wish soon after as just a couple of minutes later he saw the patio door slide open and his target walk slowly out onto the patio. She walked towards the end of the garden, when she was almost at the end she stopped and started looking around. He saw this as his chance — he looked through the sight and aligned the red dot right in between her eyes then gently rested his right forefinger on the trigger. He could feel the adrenaline starting to pump through his body; he needed to control his breathing so he started breathing gently through his nose.

‘On the count of three,’ he said to himself. ‘Three, two, one.’

On the count of one he exhaled and squeezed the trigger — a split second later his target slumped to the ground. He didn’t need to wait around to confirm the kill; he knew he had executed the perfect shot. He detached the rifle from the bipod then put them both in his sports holdall before making his way down the far side of the hill where he had parked his car.

 

 

About the Author

 

C.D. Steele is the author of the Joe Wilde mystery thriller series. There are at present two books in the series, False Truth which was published by The Book Guild on 28/04/21, and Dark Truth which was published by The Conrad Press on 15/11/23.

He works as an Executive Officer in the Civil Service, has a degree in Recreation Management, and lives in County Down, Northern Ireland.

 

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Synopsis

 

In the summer of 1914, 16-year-old Evan Sinclair leaves home to join the Great War for Civilization. Little does he know that, despite the war raging in Europe, the true source of conflict will emerge in Ottoman Palestine, since it’s from Jerusalem where the German Kaiser dreams to rule as Holy Roman Emperor. Filled with such historical figures as Gertrude Bell, T.E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill, Faisal bin Hussein and Chaim Weizmann, “Wages of Empire” follows Evan through the killing fields of the Western Front where he will help turn the tide of a war that is just beginning, and become part of a story that never ends.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

 

Prologue

 

 

April 18, 1911

Jerusalem

 

THE TEMPLE MOUNT was shrouded in darkness. It was the dead of night yet sounds of digging echoed within the Dome of the Rock.

Gunter von Wertheimer knew the sounds well—the steady scrape of a shovel, the bite of a pick, and the whisper of soil poured from full panniers.

Cloaked in a hooded robe, he stood in the shadow of the shrine and looked up at the sky. Among the bright points of stars, the constellation of the scorpion hovered over the Dome, the sharp stinger formed by a bright star the Arabs called Lasa’a, poised to strike.

As the digging continued, another sound whispered out of the darkness.

“It’s time.”

He knew the voice was that of his friend and fellow archeologist, Rahman B’Shara, a hulking shadow in the darkness.

“You know what you must do,” said Gunter.

“It’s strange, though,” Rahman murmured. “When Walker first came, I thought he was like the others—just another greedy treasure hunter, anxious to get his hands on the golden vessels hidden beneath the Foundation Stone. But once I joined the dig, I couldn’t believe how quickly it was progressing.”

“Do you still believe he’ll break through in the next few days?”

“No. He’ll break through in the next few hours.”

“Because of the spiritualists and clairvoyants he hired?”

“More likely, it’s the unchecked access he’s had to dig for the last two weeks. Walker has a keen sense of which Ottoman officials to bribe—starting with the Turkish governor.” Rahman turned, stepped past Gunter and whispered, “There’s no time to lose.”

“Good luck, my friend.”

“Why do I need luck?”

“You know that better than I. His guards are well armed.”

Rahman smiled, his white teeth flashing in the starlight. “We have something more powerful than their guns.”

“Indeed. We have the power of the Temple.”

“In the end, yes, but I was speaking of a power of this world—the power of the mob.”

“And what a mob!” Gunter agreed. “Thousands of pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Feast of Nebi Musa! When they hear the Temple Mount has been desecrated by treasure hunters, Walker won’t need to enter the Temple to experience divine wrath.”

“Yes! The faithful will be quick to avenge this outrage.” Rahman bolted away, disappearing into the darkness.

Gunter knew he was heading to the Muslim Quarter beyond the northern edge of the sacred precincts. After a few seconds, he heard his voice calling out, echoing among the narrow lanes.

“Sacrilege! The Frengi are breaking the foundation stone! Sacrilege!”

Within seconds, two armed Turkish guards with torches shot out of the shrine and sprinted in the direction of Rahman’s voice.

Gunter flattened himself against the smooth tiles and watched as they came to a stop, apparently despairing as they heard the words Rahman was shouting.

“Arise to vengeance! The Turks have given over the Holy Mountain to the greed of infidels. Avenge the sacrilege! Arise!”

The guards ran back into the shrine and within seconds, Gunter heard the anxious voice of Montagu Walker.

“We must get out of here double quick! Hurry! Take whatever you can carry!”

As he waited in the shadows beneath the arches of the arcade, Gunter knew that Rahman had been the one best suited to infiltrate Walker’s scheme—to expose and stop him. Walker had hired Rahman as his consulting archaeologist to give his treasure hunt the patina of a legitimate excavation—Rahman, who could trace his ancestry in Jerusalem back for a hundred generations.

Though Gunter had also been born in Jerusalem, he was the son of German Templers, and never completely trusted by the local population; suspected of working for the Germans, or the Ottomans, or both.

But Gunter served no colonial empire. He, like Rahman, was a Guardian of the Temple Mount, an order that traced its origins to a time before the holy mountain had a name, a time cloaked in the

shadowed silence before history.

A line of flaming torches appeared along the northern border of the Temple enclosure. Shouts of execration filled the air.

Walker and his crew tumbled out of the Dome of the Rock, struggling with heavy sacks, shovels and picks that scraped and clattered on the paving stones.

“Leave that stuff!” Walker shouted. “Run for your lives!”

They rushed headlong away from the mob, frantically clawing past one another.

Gunter knew they were making for a gap in the southern border of the enclosure.

The mob surged forward in pursuit, the light of a thousand torches beneath the black sky.

Walker was finished.

The passages and chambers within the Temple Mount would remain sealed, as they had been for a thousand years.

But Gunter knew that others would come—drawn by the power and mystery of Jerusalem. And he also knew that the Guardians of the Temple Mount would be watching, and they would never rest.

 

 

About the Author

 

Michael J. Cooper emigrated to Israel in 1966 and lived in Jerusalem; during the last year, the city was divided between Israel and Jordan. He graduated from Tel Aviv University Medical School, and after a 40-year career as a pediatric cardiologist in Northern California, he continues to do volunteer missions serving Palestinian children who lack access to care. His historical fiction novels include “Foxes in the Vineyard,” set in 1948 Jerusalem, which won the 2011 Indie Publishing Contest grand prize, and “The Rabbi’s Knight,” set in the Holy Land in 1290. “Wages of Empire” won the 2022 CIBA Rossetti Award for YA fiction along with first-place honors for the 2022 CIBA Hemingway Award for wartime historical fiction. He lives in Northern California with his wife and a spoiled rotten cat. Three adult children occasionally drop by.

Website

 

 

Synopsis

 

When the Gimmelmans lose all their money in the 1987 Stock Market Crash, Barry Gimmelman takes his family in their vacation RV for a wild ride through America that leads to them becoming the most notorious bank robbers of the era.

Middle child Aaron watches as his family goes from a mild-mannered reform Jewish clan to having over a million dollars of stolen money stuffed in their RV’s cabinets while being pursued by the FBI and loan sharks. But it wasn’t always like that. His father Barry made a killing as a stockbroker, his mother Judith loved her collection of expensive hats, his older sister Steph was obsessed with pop stars, and little sister Jenny loved her stuffed possum, Seymour.

At first, the family steals from convenience and liquor stores, but when they hit a bank, they realize the talent they possess. The money starts rolling in and brings the family closer together where back at home, no one had any time for bonding due to their busy schedules. But Barry’s desire for more, more, more will take its toll on the Gimmelmans, and Aaron is forced into an impossible choice: turn against his father or let his family fall apart.

From Jersey, down to an Orthodox Jewish community in Florida, where they hide out, and up to California, The Great Gimmelmans goes on a madcap ride through the 1980s. Filled with greed and love and the meaning of religion and tradition until the walls of the RV and the feds start closing in on the family, this literary tale mixes equal parts of humor and pathos with thrills.

 

 

 

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Review

 

This ride through the 80s is filled with memories of the music and the simplicity of life. Growing up in the 80s, I enjoyed the trip down memory lane with a family who is dysfunctional, from the parents down to the children. Even the extended family have their own issues. But despite this, the family comes together to commit the craziest crime, robbing a bank.

This tale is told from Aaron’s point of view. He is the middle child, 12, and trying to make his mark in the family. When the family loses everything during the stock market crash of 1987, he seeks out to prove himself on their journey to Florida. He isn’t a perfect child, but he does care about his sisters. The youngest, Jenny, is a bit of a wild child. Even at that time, it was obvious that her parents didn’t know how to take care of her or seek help for her. Steph is also a bit of a wild child but in a different way. It is her hormones that drive her actions. There is a situation that happened that wasn’t surprising to me. It would ruin a few things, so I won’t tell you what. But if you read the book, you will figure it out right away, too.

The parents, Barry and Judith, are an example of what happens when you have too much money and not enough time for each other. The stock market crash changes that, but is it for the better? They may reconnect on one level, but is it a lasting connection?

The story is filled with flawed characters, but ones that have heart and are seeking a better way, at least most of them. It may not always be the best or right way, but it is definitely a reflection of them and the times. I appreciated how the story started with Aaron as an adult and his troubled teen on a road trip. Aaron has his child listen to the book he wrote, which happens to be about his life. You don’t realize that at first, but as the book is ending, it will all make sense. Some of the storylines are predictable, and if you grew up in the 80s, you will enjoy the music references and the simplicity of life without cell phones and the internet.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and we give it 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of seven novels including THE ANCESTOR and THE MENTOR, currently in development as a film off his original script, and the YA series RUNAWAY TRAIN. He has been published in multiple languages and nominated for the Prix du Polar. After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Millions, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, LitReactor, Monkeybicycle, Fiction Writers Review, Cagibi, Necessary Fiction, Hypertext, If My Book, Past Ten, the anthology Dirty Boulevard, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Underwood Press and others.

His pilots and screenplays have been finalists in Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay contests. He is the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series and lives in New York City.

 

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Synopsis

 

A sharp-edged, supremely twisty thriller about three women who find themselves trapped inside stories they know aren’t their own, from the author of Alice and Near the Bone.

Celia wakes up in a house that’s supposed to be hers. There’s a little girl who claims to be her daughter and a man who claims to be her husband, but Celia knows this family—and this life—is not hers…

Allie is supposed to be on a fun weekend trip—but then her friend’s boyfriend unexpectedly invites the group to a remote cabin in the woods. No one else believes Allie, but she is sure that something about this trip is very, very wrong…

Maggie just wants to be home with her daughter, but she’s in a dangerous situation, and she doesn’t know who put her there or why. She’ll have to fight with everything she has to survive…

Three women. Three stories. Only one way out. This captivating novel will keep readers guessing until the very end.

 

 

 

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Excerpt

 

Allie realized she should never have agreed to this trip. Once Cam and Madison backed out on their deal and showed up with the Wonder Twins in tow, she should have said she felt sick, had to study for a test, anything to stay back in the dorm for the weekend. But she’d felt boxed in by Cam and Madison’s pleading faces, by the mocking way Brad had looked at her as she hesitated before picking up her backpack and climbing into the car.

He’d looked like he could read her mind, could see right through to her reluctance (and, if she was honest with herself, anger), like he was daring her to come anyway.
Allie knew it was stupid, knew it was childish, but she could never back down from a dare.

Besides, she was the reason for this weekend in the first place. If she had decided to stay back at school, she’d never hear the end of it.

They’d all shown up in Brad’s car—a BMW, of course, which Allie was sure his parents had bought for him. Cam and Madison had moved off campus that semester, and Cam was supposed to be driving her old Toyota. It was going to be Allie and Cam and Madison, the Three Musketeers back together again, off to a beach cottage that Cam’s parents’ friends owned and said they could use for the weekend.

Instead, there was Brad, driving his stupid rich boy car and watching her with those eyes that told Allie never to be caught alone with him. Cam and Madison had yelled from the backseat, and Allie had swallowed her annoyance and climbed in, crammed in the middle seat because “you’re the smallest and legroom doesn’t matter for you.”

Cam and Madison had whooped and shouted, slapping a paper “Birthday Girl” crown on her head and dropping a package of Hostess Cupcakes in her lap.

“Let’s get this twenty-first birthday party started!” Cam had shouted, her arm around Allie’s shoulders.

Allie had smiled, the way she was supposed to, but she didn’t miss the look Brad had given her in the mirror. Something sneaky, something snakey, something that didn’t bode well at all for the weekend.

They’d driven away from the campus, and almost immediately Steve had handed a thermos to Madison, shaking it meaningfully.

“A little juice for the party,” he’d said.

Madison had immediately opened it and guzzled a bunch, and then passed it to Allie, who didn’t want to drink alcohol at ten in the morning, and especially did not want to drink some mystery cocktail prepared by Steve. But everyone had been watching her and waiting, so she’d taken a sip and made herself not wrinkle her nose, because whatever was in there tasted like gasoline. Cam had shouted, “Yeah, girl!” and grabbed the thermos, downing a fair amount herself.

They’d passed the bottle back and forth, Allie taking only small sips, but Cam and Madison hadn’t seemed to notice. Despite limiting her intake, Allie had still dropped off to sleep in the backseat, only waking when they had pulled up in front of the cabin.

“Where the hell are we?” she’d asked, sitting up straight. Cam and Madison were out cold on either side of her. Whatever Steve had put in that bottle had packed a punch. “This is not the beach.”

“‘This is not the beach,’” Brad had said, his voice high and mocking. “I see why your GPA is so high. Nothing gets by you, Brockman.”

Cam had stirred beside her, then sat up and looked out the window. “Are we there yet?”

“Well, we’re somewhere,” Allie had said, trying to draw on her patience. She’d had no idea where Brad had driven them, and since he was the only one in the vicinity with a car, she needed to convince him to stop f*ing around and take them to the cottage.

“Is this the woods?” Cam had said. “A cabin in the woods?”

“Just like the movie!” Madison had squealed, jumping out and slamming the door behind her. Steve had followed, chasing her around the clearing in front of the cabin’s porch.
“Everyone died in that movie,” Allie had muttered. “Like, actually everyone.”

 

Excerpted from Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry Copyright © 2023 by Christina Henry. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

 

 

About the Author

 

Christina Henry is a horror and dark fantasy author whose works include Horseman, Near the Bone, The Ghost Tree, Looking Glass, The Girl in Red, The Mermaid, Lost Boy, Alice, Red Queen, and the seven-book urban fantasy Black Wings series.

She enjoys running long distances, reading anything she can get her hands on, and watching movies with samurai, zombies, and/or subtitles in her spare time. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son.

 

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Synopsis

 

Recent college graduate Holly Schlivnik dreams of being a writer, but fate has other plans. A family crisis throws her into an improbable situation and her life will never be the same. Determined to make her own luck when things don’t happen the way she plans, the irrepressible young woman takes a sledge hammer to the glass ceiling and shatters it to smithereens. The wise-cracking, irreverent transplanted Californian takes you on a raucous, rollicking rollercoaster ride of her hysterical adventures as a ladies’ apparel sales rep traveling in the deep South as she ends up finding herself along the way.

 

 

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This book releases tomorrow, November 15th. Pre-order today!

 

 

Excerpt

 

“To tell you the truth, the problem is, I kinda like Dad’s offer.” I squirmed in my chair. “But I don’t wanna make a mistake. I will screw my life up if I make the wrong choice. I’m trying to imagine myself doing the job Dad does. The adventuresome part of me says it’s cool. No school, no exams, no tedious papers to compose. I’d be experiencing life instead of reading about it. And getting paid to do it. But the realistic part of me says, are you nuts? Schlepping those heavy garment bags all over the place? And what kind of a life would I have traveling all the time? I don’t trust myself to make the right decision, and I’m driving myself crazy. I want someone else to decide, and tell me which way to go.”

Nana looked over her glasses and clucked her tongue. “Well, too bad, kiddo. Life doesn’t work that way. Let me tell you something. And the sooner you learn it, the easier your life will be. Man plans, and God laughs.”

I looked at Nana like she’d spoken in Sanskrit. “Meaning?”

Nana answered in the same indulgent tone she used when I was a toddler. “It means plan all you want, but most of the time, your plans don’t mean a hill of beans. To use your vernacular, shit happens. You’re going along singing a song, confident life is a well-planned party. But the truth is, the road to life from birth to death isn’t paved in a straight line. It’s paved with hills and valleys, U-turns, and unexpected curves. And trust me. Nothing usually works out the way you think it will. To really live life and not merely exist taking up space, you must love a good mystery, love a good adventure, and love a good challenge. Kiddo, nothing in life is as constant as change. Keep your head on a swivel, and explore all your options. Look behind you for a sense of history, to the sides for a sense of proportion, and most important, remember God screwed our heads on facing forward for a reason. To look ahead to the future. To make good decisions, you can’t be afraid to make a mistake. You will learn more from your failures than from your successes. Regret is the worst human emotion because it is the one we can usually do nothing about. Always be yourself, don’t live your life for someone else, or in terms of someone else. Trust your gut, and believe in yourself.”

When she finished, I asked, “So, what should I do?”

Nana waved that gnarled index finger at me again and smiled. “Nice try, kiddo. It’s not important what I think. It’s only important what you think. So?”

In a moment of clarity, I looked Nana in the eye and made my decision.

 

 

About the Author

 

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.

She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.

 

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Synopsis

 

Hope Lyons’ husband ran through all their money and split Portland, Oregon, forcing Hope to sell her beloved Pie in the Sky bakery and move with her two children back to charming Hope Valley, her hometown. She has been working as a waitress and pinching pennies to get their lives back on track; however, when her children win KPRL’s Spirit of Christmas vacation contest, Hope worries about the extra expenses she will incur on such a trip and turns it down. Steve Waldren, the handsome KPRL sports anchor, is now of an age where he can’t afford to have a gap on his resume. His confidence is already shaky ever since his fiancée dumped him, claiming Steve would never reach his potential. When Steve’s boss dubs Steve to be Giveaway Santa, he’s forced to accept. Steve, as Santa, readily travels to Hope Valley to award the prize. But when Hope refuses it, he’s at a loss. His boss threatens to fire him if he doesn’t convince Hope to take it, and Steve does all he can to change her mind. But Hope can be stubborn, life can be a challenge, and Hope’s children can be unpredictable. Not to mention, the truth isn’t always what it seems. Will Hope and Steve find their happily ever after? It might take a holiday miracle.

 

 

Pre-order your copy today!

 

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Review

 

This was a heartwarming story about overcoming the past and creating a new future. It also reminds us that there are families out there that need just a little help in getting by in this world.

Hope and her children have been dealt a raw hand when her husband/kid’s father decides he has had enough and takes off, leaving Hope holding everything. Hope is in a tough spot; she has to create a new life for them, pay all of his debts, and give up her dreams to forge ahead. I admire Hope for everything she deals with in this book. She is not perfect and makes some mistakes, but what person and parent doesn’t?

Steve is doing what he has done since college: sports commentary. He loves it and the statistics. But his life isn’t perfect either when his fiancee drops him, and his career is fleeting based on station management. It takes meeting Hope and experiencing Hope Valley for him to realize what is important in life.

An unsung character in this book is Lincoln, Steve’s brother. He is on the spectrum but is full of life and his rituals. I love the relationship he has with his brother. Of course, Lincoln doesn’t realize when certain things shouldn’t be said, but I love that naivety about him. Perhaps, if we were all like this a little bit, things would run smoother in this world.

There is a little bit of suspense in the book, but I won’t spoil that for you. There is definitely romance, and not just between Hope and Steve, but other characters.

This was a great book to escape into, and we give it 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber writes the nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries, the Fairy Garden Mysteries, and the French Bistro Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she pens the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes the Aspen Adams novels of suspense as well as stand-alone suspense. Daryl loves to cook, fairy garden, and read, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle who keeps her in line!

 

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Synopsis

 

15-year-old Emma Chan is an aspiring musician with her eyes aimed at the stars. Sure, she might not have won any notable competitions, but she isn’t “bad” by any means—unless you’ve met her easygoing and charming best friend, Naomi Lin, who seems to have the unique ability to accelerate Emma’s heartbeat.

On the surface, Naomi has her life together. Outside of being dubbed a child musical prodigy, she’s just another 15-year-old who likes coding, spending time with her friends, and reading celebrity gossip. But deep down, she longs to escape her life of expectations and build one that she truly desires, even if she doesn’t know what that means yet.

When the two friends team up to compete in a coding contest hosted by their childhood idol, their seven years’ worth of friendship fall into danger of being blown wide apart by deepening feelings, desperately hidden secrets, and the pressure of growing up. Emma and Naomi will have to adapt to the changing shape of their relationship, even if it means realizing that life can be so much more complicated than they imagined.

Set in contemporary Hong Kong, Stuck in Her Head is an honest story about cherishing loved ones, healing from mental illness, and, most of all, facing the ultimate challenge of the teenage experience—trying to be enough in a world that constantly demands more.

 

 

 

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Excerpt

 

Chapter 1: Musician and Wannabe

 

Emma

 

Emma peeked behind the heavy black curtains in the wings, the narrow gap of space revealing another girl onstage. In the sharp beam of light, her daisy-white dress—along with the ivory keys she was playing—shone starkly against the piano’s glossy black wood and the ebony curls in a ponytail coiling down her neck. Naomi Lin’s hands quickly jumped between two ends of the keyboard, linked by quick successions of scales. It was the same ten-page piece, brimming with thick arpeggios, that had taken Emma months to practise and twice as long to perfect and memorise, but Naomi made the music sizzle in the air, projecting rich, three-dimensional harmonic undertones that was filled the hall. Flawless, as always. Like any musician, Emma recognised this as the fruit of stacked hours of heavy toil, but it wasn’t hard to understand why Hong Kong news headlines dubbed this pianist a “prodigy.”

Deep breath, deep breath. But Emma clutched her stomach, trying to rub away the dull pain. Remember, you don’t have anything to lose. Even if you don’t win, all you’re missing out on is another fancy title to brag about on your resume. There are plenty of other opportunities out there.

But it wasn’t just about winning. She could feel her inner voice whispering from the darker crevices of her mind, the part that came most alive when the window blinds hung heavy and darkness barred the room from the outside world.

Focus, Emma. Now was not the time. The girl recited the things her music teacher, Ms. Yang, kept nagging her about: dynamics, articulation, pedalling, holding my breath during that particularly hard phrase, relaxed shoulders…

Waves of applause reverberated through the hall. Some people even stood up and whistled. Emma snapped her head back towards Naomi as the other girl bowed, before striding across the lacquered wooden stage towards her. Emma gave a mini thumbs-up.

“You did well,” she whispered.

Naomi pushed aside the red curtain. “Thanks, but I made so many mistakes. At least I got it over with.” She sighed deeply, rolling out her shoulders as if shaking off the stress. “Anyway, want to get ice cream after this? Mango?”

Just the thought of her favourite flavour made her gut flip. “I have a stomach ache right now.”

“Are you okay?” Naomi furrowed her brows.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Emma forced a weak smile. Despite the pain, the girl sheepishly indulged her friend’s concern. “If I drop dead, at least I won’t have to look at my score.”

“Emma!”

“Kidding, kidding. Just hoping I don’t crash in the middle of my performance. That would be a mortifying way to go.”

“Maybe it’s nerves,” Naomi offered. “But I’m sure it’s nothing a future full-time musician can’t handle.”

“If it ever happens,” she reminded her friend. Contrary to her words, though, she could see an image of an older her and Naomi sitting side-by-side, compiling music together on a laptop. “Not all of us have it in the bag already.”

The edges of Naomi’s smile sank. “Yeah, I suppose so.”

Did I say something wrong? Before Emma could open her mouth to speak again, the PA system blared: “Let’s all welcome our next competitor on stage, Emma Sanders!” Polite clapping ensued.

The girl glanced back at Naomi in the shadows, and saw her friend was grinning again. “Break a leg,” Naomi waved.

Emma nodded in acknowledgement. She smoothed out her indigo dress, then brushed the curtain aside.

Rows of red cushions extended into the black void of the auditorium, hundreds of lurking shadows waiting. At least neither her parents nor Ms. Yang were out there in the abyss to witness her failure. Only the faces of three strangers perched at the table below would be visible tonight, scrawling notes that would determine her fate.

One step at a time. Emma plodded toward the black and white instrument, ignoring the bile churning inside her stomach. She sat down on the black stool, and took a deep breath. In. Out. But the action had no effect. Even as the chilly air pricked her skin, making her hairs stand on end, she felt like a ghost, watching her body being pulled by invisible strings.

She could barely believe that she managed to make it across the stage. Had I bowed already? Yes, she had. Emma closed her eyes, and placed her hands on the piano. For a terrifying second, she thought her fingers would lock up and forget their roles, but as soon as she pressed the first note, the feeling vanished.

 

 

 

About the Authors

 

Kylie Wang is a Taiwanese writer who grew up in Hong Kong and is now a high school student in California. Her short works have received 30+ awards and publications, including from YoungArts, the Scholastics Arts and Writing Award, Paper Lanterns, and Bluefire. Her co-authored Young Adult novel, “Stuck in Her Head,” is coming out with Earnshaw Books in October. You can find her editing her latest short story or attending California Writers Club meetings in her spare time; or alternatively, on Instagram @kyliewangwrites.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Liana Tang is a teen writer who has been published or is forthcoming in 60+ publications. She is enrolled at the University of Toronto and plans to study English Literature. She is a Writers’ Union of Canada member, has been nominated for Best of the Net and attended John Hopkins Talented Youth English program. Her co-authored Young Adult novel, “Stuck in Her Head,” comes out with Earnshaw Books in October. You can find her at @lianatang.yantung on Instagram.

 

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Cat House (Crazy Cat Lady Mystery)
Cozy Cat Mystery
10th in Series
Setting – Portland, Oregon
Independently Published (October 29, 2023)
Number of Pages: 255

 

Synopsis

 

This Halloween, the cats are hiding, and the monsters don’t wear costumes.

Young men from the Portland-Seattle area are going missing. It’s just another sad headline to Lynley Cannon—until she starts her new cat sitting job for an enigmatic neighbor Darla, that is.

An off-limits room, a suspicious phone message involving drugs, and the sudden appearance of a missing man’s cat peaks Lynley’s interest, but how far can she go before her cat-like curiosity turns deadly?

 

 

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Guest Post

 

Featuring Lynley Cannon, hero of the Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Mysteries

 

by Mollie Hunt

 

 

My name is Lynley Cannon and I have nine cats. No, I’m not a hoarder. I just can’t pass up a cat in need, and as long as I can care for all of them and give them an environment of plenty, it can’t be considered hoarding.

I know a lot about cats, though I am always learning more. Did you know that petting a cat can lower your blood pressure, or that many cat (and animal) advocates, including myself, have chosen to live a vegan lifestyle? How about the fact that cats don’t taste sweets or see the color red? It’s said their little vocal cords can produce up to one hundred different sounds. “Meow” to that! In ancient Egypt, cats were worshiped as gods, and as you may have heard on the internet, they have never forgotten it.

I’m what people call a cat person, and sometimes, a crazy cat lady, but I’m not quite crazy yet, I swear. I do find myself in a lot of mischief, however. It’s not my fault. I’m curious as any one of my cats, and that curiosity has consequences.

For example, I recently decided to take a job cat sitting for a woman in my neighborhood. In all my sixty-some years, I’d never thought about working as a cat sitter before, but there was something about the flyer on the cat shelter bulletin board that caught my eye. Whether it was the photo of her extensive clowder posed on a white sofa or the picture of her house which I recognized from my walks around the block, I’m not certain. All I can say is her plea made me curious, and before I knew it, I was embroiled in something that went far beyond sitting with cats.

Last summer I took on another job I’d never done before as a live-in foster mom to a diva cat who happened to be the only occupant of one of Portland’s most prestigious mansions. Winter Orange, Winnie for short, was a ward of Friends of Felines cat shelter where I volunteer. Her person had died, though it quickly came to light the man had been murdered. And there I was, stuck in the middle of deception and intrigue trying to take care of a cat!

There have been other incidences as well where my curiosity brought me trouble and even danger.

I got sealed in a subterranean tunnel with a handsome feline archaeologist who couldn’t find a way out.

I helped solve a locked room mystery and clear a cat of the murder rap, but only after I was almost killed myself.

I infiltrated a group of vigilante cosplayers to discover who did away with their leader Captain Cat. The situation turned out to be more deadly than I could ever have expected.

And the list goes on.

My teenage granddaughter Seleia presses me to be more careful. Sometimes I think she wants me to stay at home watching television and sipping chamomile tea like other women my age. Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.

I don’t intend to get myself into any more tomfoolery, however, and I have a plan to keep busy with a new and harmless hobby. My best friend and shelter buddy Frannie DeSoto has become a member of a quilting club, and she wants me to join too. I’m not much of a seamstress, but she promises I’ll figure it out as I go. The group specializes in cat-themed designs, so it sounds like it’s right up my alley. And what possible trouble, beyond poking myself with a needle, could I get into making quilts?

 

To read more of Lynley’s adventures, check out the Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Mystery Series. Books need not be read in order—just pick a topic that appeals to you and go!

 

 

About the Author

 

Cat Writer Mollie Hunt is the award-winning author of two cozy series: the Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries featuring a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, and the Tenth Life Paranormal Mysteries involving a ghost cat. Her Cat Seasons Sci-Fantasy Tetralogy presents extraordinary cats saving the world. She recently released a COVID memoir, which she calls “a tale of a plague and politics, of depression and inspiration, and an ode to the very real and healing presence of cats.” In her spare time, she pens a bit of cat poetry as well.

Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, Willamette Writers, and the Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA). She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like her cat lady character, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.

 

 

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Synopsis

 

The year is 622 A.D., and the Persian and Byzantine empires have been fighting a war in the deserts since before she was born…

Asana’s life has been one of turmoil and change. Every year found her uprooted and brought to another foreign land to live an austere life in a garrison with her father, an officer in the Persian Army. But the middle of a war is no place for such a gentle soul.

Before long, she is swept away from her family and forced to flee on the back of her beloved horse. Fate leads her into the hands of a handsome and mysterious Roman soldier who sequesters her in a beautiful palace in the heart of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine empire.

She begins to fall for him, and at last it seems as though she may have found an oasis of happiness in her war-torn world. That is, until news of a Persian army marching toward the city upends her life again, setting in motion an unstoppable chain of events that bring the story to its breathtaking and tragic conclusion…

 

 

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About the Author

 

Born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, J.F. Hughes graduated college with a degree in Business. He works full-time as a property manager and moonlights as a music teacher. Creative at heart, Hughes has been actively pursuing his passion for writing and is excited to launch his debut fiction novel, The Gardens of Byzantium.

 

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A Parfait Crime (A Five-Ingredient Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
9th in Series
Setting – Chesapeake Bay
Kensington Cozies (October 24, 2023)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages

 

Synopsis

 

A granddaughter-grandfather sleuthing duo take on a perplexing new case in the latest culinary cozy mystery, sure to appeal to fans of Diane Mott, Joanne Fluke, and Katherine Hall Page.

At the site of a fatal blaze, Val’s boyfriend, a firefighter trainee, is shocked to learn the victim is known to him, a woman named Jane who belonged to the local Agatha Christie book club—and was rehearsing alongside Val’s grandfather for an upcoming Christie play being staged for charity. Just as shocking are the skeletal remains of a man found in the freezer. Who is he and who put him on ice?

After Val is chosen to replace Jane in the play, the cast gathers at their house to get to work—and enjoy Grandad’s five-ingredient parfaits—but all anyone can focus on is the bizarre real-life mystery. When it’s revealed that Jane’s death was due to something other than smoke inhalation, Val and Grandad try to retrace her final days. As they dig into her past life, their inquiry leads them to a fancy new spa in town—where they discover that Jane wasn’t the only one who had a skeleton in the cooler . . .

Includes delicious five-ingredient recipes!

 

 

 

 

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Guest Post

 

Staging an Agatha Christie Play Can Be Murder

My Five-Ingredient Mysteries feature café manager Val solving murders in a Chesapeake Bay town with her livewire grandfather, the Codger Cook. Each book has five suspects, five clues, and Granddad’s five-ingredient recipes. The 9th book in my series, A PARFAIT CRIME, has just come out.

My latest book is focused on a community theater production of Agatha Christie’s THE MOUSETRAP. ​​Val joins her grandfather in play rehearsals, replacing cast member Jane, who died in an arson fire. Sweet Jane was known for her parfaits. After skeletal remains are found in her storeroom freezer, Val and Granddad must solve a crime with as many layers as a parfait and with echoes of the crimes in THE MOUSETRAP. When their search for a killer takes them to an upscale spa, they learn that Jane wasn’t the only one hiding her past.

To follow the mystery in my book, you don’t need to be familiar with THE MOUSETRAP.  You’ll learn a little about it, but my book doesn’t contain any spoilers about the play. You’ll have to see or read it to find out who the murderer is at a snowbound guesthouse.

I saw THE MOUSETRAP performed twice many years ago. To prepare for writing about it in my book, I delved into its script. My research also included reading Agatha Christie’s autobiography and Julius Green’s CURTAIN UP – AGATHA CHRISTIE: A LIFE IN THE THEATRE.

 

 

Here are five fun facts that I discovered about Christie as a playwright.

1. Agatha Christie is the bestselling fiction writer of all time, but that’s not the only record she holds. Her play, THE MOUSETRAP, is the longest running stage production in the world. It opened in London in 1952 and is still drawing crowds.
2. Early in her career Christie allowed other writers to adapt her books for the stage. She disliked their plays, believing they stuck too closely to the novel’s plot. So she decided to write her own dramatic adaptations. When she adapted the books in which Hercule Poirot solves the mystery, she removed him from the play because he used up too much stage oxygen.
3. Her most successful plays were based on stories that Poirot wasn’t in: AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, THE MOUSETRAP, and WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (her personal favorite).
4. Christie once wrote, “I find that writing plays is much more fun than writing books.” With plays she didn’t need to write long descriptions of places and people. Nevertheless, she wrote 74 novels, 66 of which are mysteries.
5. On the day she died, London’s West End theaters dimmed their lights for one hour.

When Christie licensed THE MOUSETRAP for production, she specified that no film version could be made of it until the play’s London run was over. Don’t bet on a movie of it anytime soon. There are no restrictions on performing the play in school, community, and repertory theaters. If you’re lucky, you can see a local theater production of it. And if you’re really lucky, you’ll see it in London.

 

 

About the Author

 

Maya (Mary Ann) Corrigan writes the Five-Ingredient Mysteries featuring café manager  Val and her live-wire grandfather solving murders in a Chesapeake Bay town. Each book has five suspects, five clues, and Granddad’s five-ingredient recipes. In the 9th book of the series, A Parfait Crime, Val and Granddad rehearse an Agatha Christie play with a cast that includes murder suspects. A Virginia resident, Maya has taught college courses in writing, detective fiction, and literature.  When not reading and writing, she enjoys theater, travel, trivia, cooking, and crosswords. Visit her website for book news, easy recipes, and mystery history and trivia.

 

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