Hazards in Hampshire (A British Book Tour Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Camel Press (October 15, 2019)
Paperback: Number of Pages 190

Synopsis

Moving to a quiet English village should have been tranquil, but Claire Barclay learns that even an invitation to tea can be deadly. Who killed Mrs. Paulson, the president of the local Mystery Books Club? Was the motive for murder located in the archives of the book club? The members of the books club might have reason to want Mrs. Paulson’s out of the way. She had lived in the village all her life, been involved in many organizations and societies and knew many secrets of the villagers. Was one secret too dangerous for her to keep? She had been wealthy and left her money to a member of the club. Could the legatee have been impatient for her inheritance? Who cared enough to want her dead? Claire, an expert in solving problems in her job as a tour guide, decides to delve into the archives and into the lives of the villagers—and find out.

 

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Guest Post

Today we are lucky enough to have Emma Dakin visiting and a look into what Mary Greenwood thinks about all that is going on in this book.  She has some good insight and I hope you enjoy her thoughts as much as I enjoyed her POV.

 

Mary Greenwood’s p.o.v.

Claire Barclay seems like a positive addition to our village of Ashton-on-Tinch We need new people. Heaven knows, we had blundered along with the same set of characters fulfilling their same roles for years. If I didn’t’ teach interesting young people in the local grammar school, I would find it hard to live here. Claire has her own business, a tour guiding business, so she will have the intellectual stimulation of new people with every tour and be content here. She’s probably in her mid-forties, but she has a young mind in that she is curious and interested in people. I think I’m going to like her.

Mind you, she had a rough start in his village. She found Isobel Paulson’s body after someone had murdered her. I can’t think it was Claire who murdered her. Primarily because if she had she wouldn’t have been so stupid as to ‘discover’ the body. Besides, it isn’t likely. She seems stable and businesslike. I can’t see it.

Somebody killed Isobel. I am a likely suspect as I often felt like it. She could be so critical of young people. I can’t stand that. Give them a chance. The least little thing offended her and she’d lash out verbally. I remember when Jack Appleby lost his dog. He wandered around in a daze for weeks, grieving for that charming mutt. Jack had found him dying on the road after a car hit him. Isobel thought his grief was ‘unseemly’ and told Jack to stop being so self-centered. That only added guilt to Jack’s grief. I had him after school very day for a week listening to him processing that devastating lost. He was twelve. She was cruel. Still, I visited her because my mother had, and when Mum died, I felt I should take up that burden I didn’t do it often, because she did irritate me.

Isobel didn’t like dogs so I had to leave my old Gracie at home when I went to her house. Gracie liked an outing and it seemed unfair to deprive her of it. But Isobel wouldn’t even let me in if I had Gracie. She had been an opinionated, snobbish, sometimes rude, old tarter.

But as irritating as she had been, I was sorry she’d died. It seemed as if the village would never be the same, especially since someone hated her enough to murder her and the speculation on who had done it drifted over the village like one of those spectres from a gothic novel. The police were discreet but they were a presence, especially that Detective Inspector Owens from the CID. Nothing much would get past him. The town was rumbling with theories and suppositions. Suspicion fell on everyone, even me.

 

About the Author

This is Emma Dakin’s first series, set in Britain the homeland of Emma’s grandparents. Emma channels her mother’s inherited English culture along with the attitudes and sayings of the modern Brits. She travels widely in England and at one point this May while traveling through the Yorkshire Moors she had all the tourists on a tour bus looking for a good place to hide a body. As Marion Crook, she has published many novels of adventure and mystery for young adult and middle-grade readers as well as non-fiction for adults and young adults and non-fiction on social issues. Firmly in the cozy mystery genre now, and committed to absorbing the culture and changing world of Britain, she plans to enjoy the research and the writing of cozies.

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Suspect in High Heels (High Heels Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Gemma Halliday Publishing (October 1, 2019)
Number of Pages: 200

Synopsis

When Maddie Springer—shoe designer turned amateur sleuth—tags along with her mother to the Antiques Extravaganza road show, the last thing she expects to have to do is pull her mom off of a celebrity appraiser after he calls her prized antique hatpin a phony. But things go from harried to homicide when the same appraiser is found dead just moments later—killed by Mom’s hatpin!

Now not even Maddie’s husband, LAPD Detective Jack Ramirez, can save Mom as the force’s two most bumbling detectives are assigned to the case. As if Maddie doesn’t have enough on her plate, her best friends, Dana and Marco, enlist her help to plan the most over-the-top Hollywood surprise party ever for Dana’s fiancé (who has a little surprise of his own up his sleeve), Maddie’s adorable twin toddlers are always up to no good, and the only thing that can calm her fashion-challenged and suddenly-a-suspect mom down are aura cleansing from her favorite Venice Beach psychic, Mrs. Rosenblatt. Whether they help or hurt, Maddie’s friends assist her in wading through a slew of murder suspects—none of whom are telling the truth and all of whom have ample motive to want the appraiser dead. Was it the frigid business partner with questionable ethics? The clown-collecting fan-turned-stalker? The auction house owner with a grudge? Or was the appraiser’s real business something much more sinister than his TV personality let on…and much more deadly?

Maddie and her eccentric gang of unlikely sleuths are under the gun to find out before the real killer strikes again…and Mom takes the fall!

 

 

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The High Heels Mysteries

#1 Spying in High Heels
#2 Killer in High Heels
#3 Undercover in High Heels
#3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story)
#4 Alibi in High Heels
#5 Mayhem in High Heels
#5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (novella)
#5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (short story)
#6 Fearless in High Heels
#7 Danger in High Heels
#8 Homicide in High Heels
#9 Deadly in High Heels
#10 Suspect in High Heels
#11 Peril in High Heels – coming soon!

 

About the Author

Gemma Halliday is the #1 Amazon, New York Times, and USA Today bestselling author of several cozy mystery and suspense thriller novels. Gemma’s books have received numerous awards, including a Golden Heart, two National Reader’s Choice awards, a RONE award for best mystery, and three RITA nominations. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her large, loud, and loving family.

Gemma’s path toward becoming a bestselling author was not a straight line—more like a zigzagging path filled with obstacles! Prior to putting pen to paper, she worked as a film and television actress, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, an architect’s assistant, a preschool teacher, a temporary tattoo artist, and a 900 number psychic. Luckily none of these panned out.

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Christmas Cupcakes and a Caper (Death by Cupcake)
Cozy Mystery Novella
4th in Series
Independently Published (November 1, 2019)
Number of Pages: 80

Synopsis

It’s all candy cane cupcakes and peppermint coffee until you find a dead elf on your doorstep.

Only the elf wasn’t a real elf, because elves don’t actually exist – not even at Christmas time. A college student dressed like an elf decided taking a nap in sub-zero winter temps was a good idea. It wasn’t. Anna, the pink-haired baker extraordinaire of Callie’s Cakes, is convinced the student’s death was not an accident. She drags Callie and Kristie along with her as she attempts to discover who killed the elf … um… student.

Will the gals of Callie’s Cakes find the killer before Christmas is ruined?

Cupcakes not included, although you’ll find recipes for all the delicious Christmas cupcakes Anna baked.

 

 

Review

I don’t think I have read anything by this author that I didn’t enjoy! This book is humorous and kept me engaged from the first page to the last.  I liked that it was a shorter read, it was just the right length to read before I went to sleep.

This series centers around three women that are good friends, they have hunky men that adore them and there is a cupcake shop involved with mouth-watering sweet treats.  All is going well until an elf shows up dead on the shop’s doorsteps.  It is then off to the races to find out who killed the elf and why.  The answer was a bit surprising to me and I truly didn’t suspect the killer.  Along with finding the killer, Callie is trying to figure out what is going on with her boyfriend Ben.  The answer is sweet but that is all I will say, you will have to read the book yourself to find out the answer.

Anna cracks me up – she is petite but a force of nature.  Let’s just say you shouldn’t mess with her.

This is the fourth book in the series and I didn’t read the first three but I don’t think that would keep anyone from enjoying this book, you just miss out on the character development.  I will have to go back and read the first three at some point to see what I missed.

Overall it was a great book and we give it 5 paws up.

 

 

 

About the Author

I grew up reading everything I could get my grubby hands on, from my mom’s Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew, to Little Women. When I wasn’t flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed. College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although on the odd occasion I did manage to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. After surviving the army experience, I went back to school and got my law degree. I jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic before returning to the law. But practicing law really wasn’t my thing, so I quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out running a B&B wasn’t my thing either. I polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic before following the husband to Istanbul where I decided to give the whole writer-thing a go. But ten years was too many to stay away from my adopted home. I packed up again and moved to The Hague where, in between tennis matches and failing to save the world, I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book.

 

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Reason for Concern: Mrs. B Mystery by Anita Kulina

Publisher:  Brandt Street Press (August, 2019)

Category: Cozy Mystery, Women Sleuths

Available in Print and ebook, 240 pages

 

 

Synopsis

Mrs. B is back on the case with a new mystery to solve!

People don’t vanish into thin air.  Yet no one has seen Alice since St. Mary’s Senior Center had their Supper Club outing on Sunday.  As Mrs. B learns more about her friend, the disappearance seems to involve a burglary, an emerald necklace and maybe even a motorcycle gang.

Where in heaven’s name is Alice?

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * IndieBound

 

Excerpt

Downtown Hopewell appeared to consist of three establishments. The first looked like an old-fashioned corner store. White plastic tables and chairs sat outside, apparently to allow patrons to drink the “Ice Tea” offered prominently in their signage. A large, stately oak tree shaded the building. On a telephone pole near the doorway, a poster advertised the county fair. Up above the poster sat a metal Greyhound Bus sign. The other two buildings were a doctor’s office and a bait shop.

Anne pulled up along the curb outside the store. Mrs. B pulled her purse out from under the seat.  As they got out of their car, the roar of two enormous black motorcycles made them turn and look behind them.

Two young men in leather vests parked at the curb. The shorter one, sporting a big grin and a mass of blond curls, gave a long whistle as he walked toward them. “Nine-teen sixty eight! This your car?”

“My grandson’s. He’s in the service. Afghanistan.” Anne smiled back. “I told him I’d keep it in my garage, but you have to take them out once in a while, don’t you?”

“Sure. Blow the carbon out.” He ran his hand along the fender as he circled it slowly. “Baby blue. Bay-bee blue. This is one fine car. Original upholstery?”

Anne tilted her head to consider. “I think so.”

He nodded toward Mrs. B, then held out his hand. “Haven’t seen you ladies out this way before. I’m Boom.” They both shook his hand while a large, dark man hovered over them. “This here’s Tiny.” Tiny looked at Boom, then nodded toward the ladies.

Boom said, “You ever need that Mustang serviced, you come out our way. I promise not to sneak it out for a drive. Or two.”

Anne and Mrs. B both laughed.

As the men disappeared into the store, Boom said in a loud whisper, “Matches her eyes, don’t it, Tiny? That baby blue.” Then he gave Anne a wink as the door closed.

When the bikers were out of sight, Anne whispered to Mrs. B, “What’s that say on the back of their vests?”

“M.C., it said. I’d guess it’s an insignia for a motorcycle club,” Mrs. B said. She was looking at the poster on the telephone pole. “The county fair’s today.”

“Oh, yeah. The fairground’s just over that rise.” Anne pointed. “Always had to take the kids to the county fair when they were little.”

“Me, too. Wasn’t that a long day,” Mrs. B said.

“The kids used to love it,” Anne said. “Not me, so much. All those stinky cows.”

“They did have funnel cakes.”

“Oooh, good point.”

Anne peered over Mrs. B’s shoulder at the brightly colored poster. “When I was little, I always wanted to run away to the circus, like Toby Tyler. Didn’t you?”

Before Mrs. B had a chance to answer, Boom and Tiny came back outside, each lighting a cigarette. When they got to the bottom of the steps, a woman in a white t-shirt and jeans opened the door and said, “Hey, Boom.”

He turned around.

“You going down over the hill?”

“We can,” Boom said. “Why? What do you need?”

“Tell the professor I got those solar batteries in?”

“Sure,” Boom said.

He and Tiny walked by the ladies on the way back to their bikes. Tiny was even bigger close up. Mrs. B felt like a mouse next to an elephant. As the men drove away, they both nodded toward Anne and Mrs. B. The ladies waved.

Anne said, “I can’t remember the last time I was winked at. They were good-looking young fellows, too.” She walked toward the door of the little store, then looked back at Mrs. B. “So what exactly is a motorcycle club, I wonder. Like the Kiwanis? Or do they hold races and things like that?”

“Sometimes it can be a criminals club,” Mrs. B said.

“Well, I thought those young men were nice,” Anne said.

Mrs. B had to agree. “They were very polite.”

“They were charming.” Anne wouldn’t be dissuaded. “You know, people aren’t always bad just because they’re criminals.” She opened the door and they were hit with a blast of cold air. “Remember how nice New Cannington used to be when the Mafia ran it? You never saw drug dealings or muggings or anything like that. My cousins who lived out there didn’t even lock their doors.”

 

Guest Review

Reason for Concern: Mrs. B Mystery by Anita Kulina

Review by Betty B.

When I tell you to picture a detective or a sleuth, what do you see? Probably a grizzled old, cigar-chomping, trench coat-wearing man right? The kinda guy who never sleeps, only drinks black coffee, and solves crimes by frowning at them. You probably don’t picture a little old lady who investigates mysteries in between knitting scarves for her daughter and games of pinochle at a senior center. Enter Mrs. B.

Mrs. B is just the kind of sweet old woman that you appreciate having as a neighbor. She’s friendly, thoughtful, kind and conscientious. She loves her town and her friends and doesn’t intend to give either of them up until the day she dies. This, of course, explains why she immediately feels the need to investigate when her friend goes missing. T

he story opens with Mrs. B waiting for her friend, Alice, expecting to give her a ride home. When Alice never emerges from the senior center, Mrs. B goes looking for her, only to find that no one knows where she went. Of course, Mrs. B feels compelled to find her friend, and what ensues is the main mystery of the book. Where has Alice gone? Why has no one seen her?

This novel was right up my alley in terms of a nice mystery with a good resolution and well-written, fleshed out characters. Anita Kulina’s writing is witty, interesting and the characters just feel very alive while you’re reading them. I adored Mrs. B and her inner world. So little attention is paid to older women in our society and it’s revolutionary to see one as the main character of a novel at all, let alone a mystery. It was so nice to read a story like this from the perspective of such a unique character. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

 

About the Author

Anita Kulina has been writing since she was nine years old and kneeling, pencil in hand, at the coffee table in a house very much like Mrs. B’s.  Nowadays, she writes mystery books.  When she’s not writing, she helps people tell their family stories.  Anita’s other books are Millhunks and Renegades and A Question of Devotion: A Mrs. B Mystery.

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When It’s Time for Leaving
Traditional Mystery
1st in Series
Encircle Publications, LLC (October 1, 2019)
Paperback: 274 pages

Synopsis

When his girlfriend dumps him and a dealer nearly rams him off a bridge, Al DeSantis quits the New Haven Police Department. Just as he plans to head for LA, he finds out the father who left when he was a kid has deeded him the Blue PalmettoDetective Agency in Georgia.

Al goes down to Savannah intending to sell fast and go west, but before he can, he discovers a strong, attractive detective named Maxine, a dead body on the dock—and his father, alive, suffering from dementia, and determined to help his “new partner Al” solve the crime. Al has a lot of adjusting to do when his traditional ideas are challenged as he has to act as his father’s caretaker, and finds that Maxine is his superior in the agency that he “owns.” When his father goes missing, Al and Max must team up to save his father–and capture the murderer.

 

Amazon Print *  Amazon Kindle * Barnes and Noble * Encircle Publications

 

Praise

Ang Pompano’s debut novel, WHEN IT’S TME FOR LEAVING, is a corker. Thoroughly likeable former cop, Al DeSantis, wants to get out of the crime business but inherits one that, fortunately for readers, won’t let him go. — Hallie Ephron, New York Times bestselling author CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

In When It’s Time for Leaving, debut mystery author Ang Pompano has created the most unusual and appealing duo of detectives since Holmes and Watson. —Lucy Burdette, national bestselling author of A DEADLY FEAST

Author Ang Pompano serves up the PI for the double 20s. Al DeSantis is a classic, damaged gumshoe but with a youthful energy that pulls you through the pages. —Barbara Ross, author of the Maine Clambake Mysteries and winner 2019 Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction

Crime fiction has boasted some famous fathers and sons, from Inspector Richard Queen and his son Ellery to Jim Rockford and his dad Rocky. Add to that list the unforgettable duo of Al DeSantis and Big Al—building on that tradition but with some provocative twists. Ang Pompano’s first novel proves tough-minded and warm-hearted in equal measure. A fine, multi-layered debut.—Art Taylor 2019 Edgar, Anthony, Agatha, Macavity, and Derringer Award winner

When it’s Time for Leaving is a crime thriller that delivers an atmospheric tale packed with action, suspense and some surprising twists. Pompano is a skilled storyteller who offers readers a complex mystery of chases, confrontation and introspection. The tale he weaves is, indeed a well-crafted murder mystery, set in a turbulent sea of emotions and populated with multifaceted characters. ­­­ —James Terry reviewer The Paladin Project

I like mystery/thrillers.  This one is heavy on the mystery and very little thriller aspect.  It is an enjoyable sometimes snarky read that made me smile.  The main characters were so well written I felt like I knew them. The mystery itself was wrapped in mystery as we got to know the individuals and the hidden nuances of small towns.  It was almost like watching (albeit reading) a 50/60 movie.  I personally wanted the ending to share with everyone who was guilty.  Have to leave it there, no spoilers.  Thank you for the arc!  All thoughts and opinions are my own and were unsolicited. —Cheryl M, Net Galley Reviewer

A really good and surprising mystery. The characters are great and feel like friends. I loved the snarky humor. I will definitely read more by this author. —Leah H, Net Galley Reviewer

 

 

About the Author

Ang Pompano has been writing mysteries for more than twenty years. His mystery novel, WHEN IT’S TIME FOR LEAVING will be published on October 1, 2019, by Encircle Publications. His short stories have been published in many award-winning anthologies, including the 2019 Malice Domestic Anthology, PARNELL HALL PRESENTS MALICE DOMESTIC: MURDER MOST EDIBLE. His newest story, “Stringer” will appear in SEASCAPE: THE BEST NEW ENGLAND CRIME STORIES 2019. In addition, he has written many academic pieces including one on teaching detective fiction. A member of Mystery Writers of America, he is a past recipient of the Helen McCloy/Mystery Writers of America Scholarship for a novel in progress. He has been on the New England Crime Bake Planning Committee for fourteen years and is a long-time board member of Sisters in Crime New England. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Annette, an artist, and his two rescue dogs, Quincy and Dexter.

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Risky Biscuits (A Sugar & Spice Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Iowa
Lyrical Underground (July 9, 2019)
Paperback: 190 pages

Synopsis

Former magazine editor “Sugar” Calloway’s life has taken a delicious twist since she launched a community cookbook publishing business with blue-ribbon baker Dixie Spicer. Now these amateur sleuths must solve a small-town murder—without getting burned . .

Sugar and Spice Cookbooks’ newest project is a fundraiser organized by the St. Ignatius Crack of Dawn Breakfast Club, famous for their all-you-can-eat biscuits and gravy events. But when a group member is found dead, Sugar and Spice’s priorities change from raising dough to figuring out who put murder on the menu.

The return of former badboy Nick Marchant has stirred the town’s gossips too. Add a few grudges and some old-fashioned greed over a land deal into the mix, and it’s a recipe for mayhem. And when someone serves up a second helping of murder, Sugar and Spice need to sift the guilty from the blameless, or their next breakfast may be their last . . .

* Includes delicious recipes! *

Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Kobo  ~  iBooks

 

Guest Post

Crazy About Cozies!

I came to the cozy world on a winding path. I read, no make that ‘devoured’ Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books as a child. I couldn’t wait for the next one! If asked, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you exactly what I liked about those two series. I wasn’t analyzing. To me, they were simply good stories.

Later when I got serious about writing a novel, I took some classes, joined a writing group, and began putting words on the page. It was at that point, I re-discovered my love of mysteries and began reading them again. Voraciously. I picked ones that appealed to me – the setting, characters, the premise of the story.  I hadn’t figured out that most of the books I chose were cozy mysteries.

The first full mystery that I wrote won first-place in the Daphne Du Maier Award of Excellence contest sponsored by the Kiss of Death chapter of RWA. It won, but it did not sell. It garnered many MANY nice rejection letters. But that’s another story. I hadn’t figured out that what I was writing was a cozy mystery.

Setting that book aside, I worked with a friend on a series that did go on to sell. The Pampered Pets mystery series (Desperate Housedogs, Yip/Tuck, Fifty Shades of Greyhound, Downton Tabby to name a few) went on to ten books. By this time, I had realized that what I loved to read and wanted to write was actually called a “cozy mystery.”

So, what do I love about these books?

• A bright and likable main character/amateur sleuth. Like Nancy and Trixie, they are relatable crime-solvers.
• The interesting occupations of the characters. Usually a job, but sometimes a hobby, which gives me a chance to learn a bit about something new.
• Great settings. The settings where the stories take place are places I might like to live – or at least visit.
• A supporting cast of characters that I can get to know and care about. Sometimes quirky, always unique, the people make the story for me.
• Then there’s also the absence of graphic violence and language. Yes, there’s a murder, but I simply don’t want all the details.
• Finally, the mystery itself is always a great puzzle and I enjoy trying to put the clues together alongside the amateur sleuth.

You can imagine then, that as I wrote Game of Scones (Book 1) and the just released Risky Biscuits (Book 2), that I did my best to make sure that all the Sugar & Spice mysteries contained all those six ingredients. While there’s certainly not a formula to a cozy mystery, there are certain things that we as cozy readers want.

In a cozy, the people in the story, their unique talents, their friends, family, and co-workers and the location, all mix together to bake up a great story.  For a short while, we live a world that allows us to escape. And by the last page, justice is served, and everything is put right.

In my mind, that’s why cozies rock!

 

About the Author

Mary Lee Ashford is a lifelong bibliophile, and avid reader, and supporter of public libraries. In addition to writing the Sugar & Spice mystery series for Kensington Books, she also writes as half of the writing team of Sparkle Abbey, author of the national bestselling Pampered Pets mystery series from Bell Bridge Books.

Prior to publishing Mary Lee won first place in the Daphne du Maurier contest, sponsored by the Kiss of Death chapter of RWA, and was a finalist in Murder in the Grove’s mystery contest, as well as Killer Nashville’s Claymore Dagger contest.

She is the founding president of Sisters in Crime – Iowa and a current board member of the Mystery Writers of America Midwest chapter, as well as a member of Novelists, Inc., Romance Writers of America, Kiss of Death the RWA Mystery Suspense chapter, Sisters in Crime, and the SinC internet group Guppies.

Mary Lee has a passionate interest in creativity and teaches a university level course in Creative Management to MPA candidates, as well as presenting workshops and blogging about creativity. She loves encouraging other writers and is a frequent presenter on a variety of topics at workshops, conferences, and writers’ groups.

In her day job, Mary Lee is a Deputy Chief Information Officer. She currently resides in the Midwest with her husband, Tim, and Sparkle, the rescue cat namesake of the Sparkle Abbey pseudonym. Her delights are reading and enjoying her family and especially her six grandchildren.

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Deadline with Death (Time-Slip Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Beaverstone Press (June 21, 2019)
Number of Pages: ~ 320

Synopsis

Dee Flanagan loves Irish history, bad rom-coms, and red lipstick. Dead clowns, injured time travelers, and shootouts don’t make it onto the small town reporter’s Top Ten list. After the bullets stop flying in Dunleagh Castle’s courtyard, it’s up to Dee to convince people she didn’t imagine a gunfight played out between two centuries. With the body count rising, and no one willing to believe Dee’s time travel theory, she’s forced to team up with a man who’s either a bona fide fruit cake or a police officer from the year 1919. Using her expert knowledge of the Irish War of Independence, Dee sets out to solve a century-old crime, plus a modern-day murder.

 

Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

Dunleagh, Ireland

 

The morning the clown croaked at my feet began with a cockfight and ended with a corpse. Neither covering the fight nor discovering the body was on my ToDo list. After five months of juggling my job at the Dunleagh Chronicle, a volunteer position at the museum, my history video blog, and looking after my grandmother, I finally had a free day.

Until I didn’t.

Courtesy of a virus sweeping through our offices, two of the Chronicle’s reporters were out sick. With press day looming, my penny-pinching editor was desperate enough to pay me time-and-a-half, and with a mountain of bills on my nightstand, I was desperate enough to agree. I swapped my cozy bed for Mavis, my scarlet scooter, and faced the elements of an Irish winter morning.

Under different circumstances, a spin through the countryside might have been pleasant. Today’s ride was anything but. I steered Mavis through driving rain, gale-force wind, and potholes the size of mainland Europe. The crowning glory was a near collision with a herd of cattle who’d taken up residence in the middle of the road. I seriously should have held out for double pay.

By the time I pulled up outside the tumbledown farm where the cockfight was being held, the organiser had got wind that the cops were on the way. In a spectacle of flying feathers and bouncing beer bellies, both the contestants and the spectators were fleeing the coop. I dry-heaved my way through the stench of birds and unwashed men, snapped a few shots of the mayhem, and hopped back onto my scooter. I now had less than an hour to reach my desk and write an embellished account of the non-event, and Mavis and I broke several rules of the road on our return journey.

The clock in the town square chimed ten as I hung a right and chugged up the steep road that led to Dunleagh Castle. In fifteen minutes the Chronicle’s grumpy sub-editor would emerge from his lair, demanding to know why my article wasn’t on his desk. I swore under my breath and pressed hard on the Mavis’s sluggish accelerator.

At the top of the hill, the castle loomed, dark and magnificent against the stormy sky. The sight of its grey walls and tall towers never failed to thrill my inner historian, even when I was in a hurry. From its clifftop perch, Dunleagh Castle had cast a menacing glare over the harbor for the last six centuries. While most of its original outer wall was gone, and the outer courtyard had been repurposed as a parking lot, both the castle itself and its generous gardens remained intact. Today, it housed the newspaper, the mayor’s office, the museum, a small café, and several lovingly restored rooms that were open to the public. Working for a penny-pinched weekly rag wasn’t the glamorous career I’d envisioned at university, but it paid the bills—well, some of them—and I had the privilege of working within the castle walls four days a week.

I wasn’t alone in my admiration for the castle. It had earned a well-deserved place as one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions. Even at low season, buses braved the steep incline and disgorged tour groups in front of the wooden drawbridge.

One such bus spluttered its way up the road in front of me, moving at a painful pace. I swerved to overtake it, and narrowly missed mowing down a man who was crossing the street. He leaped sideways to avoid me, and landed in a puddle.

“Hey,” he roared, glowering at me under bushy red eyebrows, “watch where you’re going.”

“Sorry,” I said on autopilot.

The word caught in my throat when I recognised the guy I’d almost rendered road kill. Charles O’Rourke, better known as Mr. Chuckles, was a popular street performer whose clown routine delighted children and tourists alike. He was also the dude I’d kneed in the nuts the previous month. I doubted I’d make it onto his Christmas card list, but then, he wouldn’t make it onto mine.

Ignoring Mr. Chuckles’s squawks about my reckless driving and general tendency to harm his person, I zoomed into the parking lot and deposited Mavis in a free space. I pulled off my helmet and yanked up the hood of my jacket. The downpour was turning into a deluge, and the brief moment between removing my helmet and getting my hood in place was all it took to turn my hair into a sodden mess.

As I exited the parking lot, my phone vibrated with an incoming call. My hand went to my pocket on reflex, but I pulled it back and kept moving. It was wet and I was late. Whoever was calling me could wait.

Before I stepped onto the road, a second tour bus pulled up to the kerb opposite. If I wanted to dodge a swarm of geriatrics, I needed to pick up my pace. I speed walked across the road and then broke into a run. With a wave of greeting to the guard on duty, I bounded over the castle’s wooden drawbridge and entered the courtyard. The cobblestoned ground was slick with rain, and puddles formed in patches where the stones needed to be replaced. Standing beside one such puddle was none other than my good pal, Mr. Chuckles. I swallowed a groan. He must have reached the courtyard just before me. Seriously, why couldn’t I catch a break this morning? With my deadline imminent, the last thing I needed was an argument with the clown.

I surveyed my surroundings. A gaggle of elderly tourists huddled in front of the castle’s main entrance, all wearing bright orange raincoats emblazoned with the name of their nursing home. If I zigzagged past them, and ran the rest of the way, I’d be at my desk in five.

In spite of the slippery surface, I accelerated into a sprint. I’d almost reached the door when the clown stepped in front of me, forcing me to stagger to a standstill. He was dressed in his full clown regalia: baggy polka dotted pants, luminous green shirt, wide yellow sash, fire-engine red wig, and a shiny red plastic nose. The addition of a leopard print rain poncho completed the look. I tried to dodge the guy, but at that moment, the second influx of tourists trundled over the drawbridge and swarmed into the courtyard en masse, nixing the option for me to sidestep my adversary. Before I’d had time to react, Mr. Chuckles was up in my face, yelling and shaking a fist.

To the casual observer, we must have appeared a comical pair. Last time I’d checked, the average Irish male stood five-feet-nine-inches tall. I barely missed the six-feet mark. I’d inherited my considerable height, sturdy build, and masses of blonde hair from my father, an American with Swedish roots. The clown, in contrast, must have been descended from leprechauns.

The little man gesticulated wildly, jumping up and down to emphasise his points, none of which were flattering, and several of which would have required a bleep censor.

“You came through the incident unscathed.” My gaze dropped to his mud-strewn legs. “Apart from your pants.”

“I ought to call the cops on you, Flanagan,” he snarled, eye level with my chest. “You’re a menace, on and off the roads.”

A hushed silence fell over the elderly tourists and I sensed several pairs of eyes upon me. I ignored them and focused on the clown. “Calling the cops didn’t work out so well for you the last time. As I recall, the encounter ended with you receiving a formal warning for sexual harassment.”

A gasp of excitement rose from our audience but the clown appeared to be oblivious to the onlookers. “That cop is your friend,” he muttered. “She’d believe any pack of lies you fed her.”

I rolled my eyes. “Dude, there was CCTV footage of you groping my butt before I kneed you in the groin. Sergeant Healey didn’t have to take my word for it.”

The clown moved closer and my stomach roiled. Everything about this creep made my skin crawl. I took a step back to regain some semblance of personal space and sought an escape route. The old folks spilling over the drawbridge surged toward the main door. Unless I wanted to shove octogenarians out of my way, my best bet was to take a detour via the museum and use their stairs to reach the corridor that connected the museum to the main castle and the offices of the Dunleagh Chronicle. First, I had to get the clown to back down and let me past.

“Look, I’m in a rush…” I tried to push past but he blocked my attempt and jabbed me in the chest with a chubby finger.

“If Dunleagh had a proper cop in charge,” he snarled, “you’d have been arrested for assault.”

“If by ‘proper’ you mean ‘male’, I doubt even the most chauvinistic man on the force could ignore the evidence on the tape.”

A churning panic warred with my rising anger, but the sneer that stretched his painted lips tipped the balance. I gritted my teeth and cast an exaggerated glance at my watch.

“Fun though this has been, I gotta get to work. Unless you want a replay of last month’s nut-crushing incident, you’d better let me past.”

Red-hot rage flickered across his face and the knuckles of his fists turned white. The misogynistic pig would love to hit me, but he didn’t have the guts to do it in front of witnesses. What he did have the guts to do was to keep blocking my way.

I bit back an oath and thought fast. In a flash, I opened my backpack and extracted a small can, being careful to conceal the logo. “Well, now, would you look at that. Is this pepper spray lurking in my bag?”

My words had an instant effect. The clown’s beady eyes widened. He leaped back, colliding with a  group of tourists.

“Why don’t you juggle a few balls for our visitors?” I winked at the open-mouthed seniors. “No pun intended.”

Giving the clown a look laced with contempt, I squeezed past. This time, he didn’t try to stop me.

 

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Zara Keane grew up in Dublin, Ireland, but spent her summers in a small town very similar to the fictional Ballybeg and Smuggler’s Cove.

She currently lives in Switzerland with her family. When she’s not writing or wrestling small people, she drinks far too much coffee, and tries – with occasional success – to resist the siren call of Swiss chocolate.

Website * Newsletter * Facebook Reader Group * Facebook * Instagram * Goodreads

 

Giveaway

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Death by Dissertation (Cassandra Sato)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Nebraska
Emerald Prairie Press (April 17, 2019)
Paperback: 355 pages

Synopsis

Ambitious Cassandra Sato traded her life in Hawai’i for a dream position as Student Affairs VP at Morton College in tiny Carson, Nebraska. She expected the Midwestern church casseroles, land-locked cornfields, and face-freezing winters would be her biggest challenges, but it’s her job that’s rapidly becoming a nightmare.

A deaf student is dead and the investigation reveals a complicated trail of connections between campus food service, a local farmer’s beef, and the science lab’s cancer research. Together with her few allies, Cassandra must protect the students caught up in the entanglement.

Dealing with homesickness, vandalism, and a stalker, Cassandra is trapped in a public relations disaster that could cost her job, or more. No one said college was easy.

Just $0.99 through June 30th!

 

Review

This was a good start to a new series about a woman from Hawaii that takes a job in Nebraska….now you have to be thinking like I was…are you kidding?  WHY?!  But later in the book, we learn why and the support she had to make the move to advance her career.  Of course, things aren’t going quite as she would have expected when a student is found dead on campus.  This book tells the journey of trying to solve the murder, keep her job, and stay alive.  Yes, you read that right, stay alive.  She has a stalker that means business.

This book is very detailed and I thought the author did a good job on character development and providing just enough information to keep the reader engaged but not so much detail that a reader might lose interest.  The mystery surprised me a little bit at the end but not too much.  There was something about this character that just stood out to me but I didn’t know this character was also the killer.  Just seemed like there was something off.

I felt for Cassandra and the prejudice she ran into in the smaller town of Carson, Nebraska.  Yes, she was different than the rest of the town but you would have hoped they would have embraced her and welcomed her diversity.  Perhaps in future books.

The book did seem to move at a slower pace until the end where it really picked up steam until the killer was revealed.  There are some comedic moments especially when she visits the farm to check on the cows wearing a suit and heels.  Someone should have told her to change clothes or at least shoes.

There are some potential love interests for Cassandra should she choose to let loose and live a little and not focus so much on her career.  Sure the career is important but so is living life.

The only strange thing I noted when reading this book was when Cassandra would slip into this Creole dialect.  I didn’t know that there was such a dialect as Hawaiian Creole but apparently so.  Some of the phrases were odd, especially when she mentioned getting “chicken skin”.  I can only assume she was referring to what most of us might call “goosebumps” but she did use goosebumps in the book so not really sure what she meant.  There is also 1 f* bomb in the book which surprised me as that is not a word commonly used in a cozy.

Overall we enjoyed the book and we give it 3 1/2 paws.

About the Author

Kelly Brakenhoff is an American Sign Language Interpreter whose motivation for learning ASL began in high school when she wanted to converse with her deaf friends. As an American Sign Language Interpreter with more than twenty years of experience, Kelly’s worked in college classrooms for fifteen different majors. From traipsing across muddy farm fields to stomach-churning medical procedures, and stage interpreting for famous figures, Kelly’s community interpreting interactions number in the thousands. Unfortunately, once she’s stepped away from the job, she usually forgets 90% of what happened. Which helps her keep confidential information safe, but also makes it really hard to grocery shop for more than 5 items without a written list.

Kelly wants to live in a world filled with peace, love, and joy, where people who can hear learn enough sign language to include deaf people in everyday conversations and work. Where every deaf child has early access to language and books with characters like them, and dark chocolate is cheap and plentiful.

When she’s not interpreting or writing, you can find Kelly cheering for her favorite Husker teams or training for half-marathons because she really likes dessert.

Her first mystery, Death by Dissertation, released April 22, 2019.

Website * Amazon * Twitter * Instagram 

 

Giveaway

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Seeing Red (A Red Herring Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Kensington (May 28, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages

 

Synopsis

If it wasn’t for art thieves, spies and killers, Alex Vlodnachek’s life would be bliss.

Her freelance career is catching fire. Her relationship with B&B owner Ian Sterling is flirty and fun. She’s even attending a glittering cocktail party at his sprawling Victorian inn.

But, to this ex-reporter, something seems “off.” And it’s not the canapés. When Ian’s father vanishes, the enigmatic innkeeper asks for her discretion. And her assistance.

Meanwhile, Alex is having the opposite problem at her tiny bungalow: People keep piling in uninvited. Including a mysterious intruder found sleeping in her kitchen. Her grandmother, Baba, who shows up “to help”—with Alex’s own mother hot on her heels.

When the intrepid redhead discovers a body in the B&B’s basement and a “reproduction” Renoir in the library, she begins to suspect that Ian is more than just a simple hotel owner.

With editor pal Trip, brother Nick, and rescue-pup Lucy riding shotgun, Alex scrambles to stay one step ahead of disaster—and some very nasty characters.

Can she find the missing man before it’s too late? Or will Alex be the next one to disappear?

 

 

Review

 

If you are looking for humor in your cozy then this is the book to check out.  Alex Vlodnachek is back solving crimes and writing freelance articles while managing her brother, mother, grandmother, a mystery baby, and Ian – the hunky B&B owner across the street.  It is safe to say that Alex has her hands full in this book in multiple ways.  Plus she keeps finding dead bodies in Ian’s freezer.  Pretty sure that isn’t where they are supposed to be found.

This book kept me on my toes with the various mysteries/storylines that were going on in the book.  Where is Ian’s dad, Hawkins?  Where did this baby come from and better yet, how did it get into a locked house?  Who is the advice columnist that Alex is covering for and why?  Will Nick’s bakery business take off?  Where are all the dead bodies disappearing to and who is killing these people?

I was glad to see Baba again in this book and she surprisingly has a way with the baby.  But when you have had several of your own children and grandchildren, she probably learned a few tricks along the way.  She still can’t cook but that is ok because there is a mystery guest that ends up staying with Alex for a while that can cook.  I’m keeping this character under wraps because it would spoil part of the book plus there is a minor mystery tied to this character that also had me scratching my head…but I had my suspicions!

I have to admit when it comes to the dead bodies I was stumped and had no idea why they ended up dead or who killed them.  The answer was quite surprising and one I never would have guessed.  There are some rough patches for Alex and Ian so I’ll be curious to see how that storyline continues in the next books.  There are actually a couple of mysteries tied to the murders so don’t think you have it figured out because you will probably be incorrect.

This book made me laugh throughout and these are some of my favorite lines:

“So we’re gonna have to take the Slutmobile.  We can’t take the Slutmobile to the baby store.  They’ll think J.B. is a slut-baby.”

“Ian, we have to call the cops!”  “And report what?  That our freezer is missing a dead body?”

“So you’re inviting me for an evening of casing the neighborhood, trespassing, and a little light stalking, followed by dessert and coffee?”  “Yup.”  “What the heck. Count me in.”

We give this book 5 paws up and can’t wait for the next book, Red Hot.

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Dana Dratch is a personal finance writer and the author of CONFESSIONS OF A RED HERRING and SEEING RED. She’s currently working on the third Alex Vlodnachek mystery adventure, RED HOT.

 

Website

 

Giveaway

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A Deadly Feast: A Key West Food Critic Mystery
Cozy Mystery
9th in Series
Crooked Lane Books (May 7, 2019)
Hardcover: 272 pages

Synopsis

National bestselling author Lucy Burdette’s intrepid food critic Hayley Snow must sniff out a killer in the ninth Key West Food Critic mystery.

Key West food critic Hayley Snow scents-es something fishy when a customer falls stone-crab cold dead on a seafood tasting tour.

Thanksgiving is nearly here, and Key West food critic Hayley Snow has just one more assignment to put to bed for Key Zest magazine before she gets to celebrate with her family and her police officer fiancé, Nathan Bransford. Then, just days later, wedding bells will ring—if death doesn’t toll first.

The sweet potatoes and stuffing will have to wait when Hayley picks up a distraught phone call from her friend, Analise Smith. On the last stop of a seafood tasting tour run by Analise, one of the customers collapsed—dead. With the police on the verge of shutting down the tour—and ruining Analise’s business—Hayley can hardly refuse her friend’s entreaties to investigate.

As if wedding jitters and family strife weren’t enough for Hayley to worry about, there’s crusty pastry chef Martha Hubbard, whose key lime pie may have been the murder weapon—but did she poison her own pie or was she framed? As the hours to Turkey Day tick away, the pressure cooker is on for Hayley to serve up the culprit on a silver platter in A Deadly Feast, national bestselling author Lucy Burdette’s taste-tempting ninth Key West Food Critic mystery.

About the Author

Clinical psychologist Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib) has published 16 mysteries, including the latest in the Key West food critic series, DEATH ON THE MENU (Crooked Lane Books, August 2018.) Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and a past president of Sisters in Crime. She blogs at Jungle Red Writers and shares her love for food with the culinary writers at Mystery Lovers Kitchen She lives in Madison CT and Key West FL.

Website* Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Pinterest​ * Goodreads

 

Check out the other blogs on this tour – some have giveaways!

May 2 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

May 2 – Mystery Lovers Kitchen – RECIPE, GIVEAWAY

May 3 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT

May 3 – Killer Characters – CHARACTER GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY

May 4 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY

May 5 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

May 6 – Elizabeth McKenna Romance Author – SPOTLIGHT

May 6 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

May 7 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

May 7 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

May 8 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 8 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

May 8 – The Conscious Cat – CHICKS ON THE CAST, GIVEAWAY

May 9 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

May 9 – Carstairs Considers – REVIEW

May 10 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 10 – Wicked Cozy Authors – GUEST POST

May 11 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

May 11 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW

May 12 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

May 12 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 13 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 14 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

May 14 – Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder – RECIPE, GIVEAWAY

May 15 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

May 15 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT

May 16 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 16 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT

May 17 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 17 – Drinks with Reads (Mystery Playground) – RECIPE