Murder’s Legacy

 

A Tori Winters Mystery, Book 2

 

By Anita Dickason

 

 

 

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

 

 

Mystery / Women Sleuths

Publisher: Mystic Circle Books

Coming February 16, 2023

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Secrets that defy time!

An inconceivable disaster brings Tori Winters’ plans for the historic house she inherited to a traumatic standstill. A section of the escape tunnel built by her great-grandfather, a notorious Dallas gangster, has collapsed. Within the rubble, there is a gruesome discovery. A skeleton with a bullet hole in the skull.

The shocking cave-in triggers an ominous scheme to condemn her property as accusations arise that the tunnel is dangerous.

Embattled, Tori soon discovers that more than the destruction of the house is on the line. It seems she can’t escape the past. It keeps clawing its way into her life with deadly consequences.

Who hides in the shadows with a motive for murder?

And … is Tori the target?

 

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Award-winning Author Anita Dickason is a twenty-two-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. She served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics detective, advanced accident investigator, tactical officer, and first female sniper on the Dallas SWAT team.

Anita writes about what she knows, cops and crime. Her police background provides an unending source of inspiration for her plots and characters. Many incidents and characters portrayed in her books are based on personal experience. For her, the characters are the fun part of writing as she never knows where they will take her. There is always something out of the ordinary in her stories.

In Anita’s debut novel, Sentinels of the Night, she created an elite FBI Unit, the Trackers. Since then, she has added three more Tracker crime thrillers, Going Gone!, A u 7 9, and Operation Navajo, which are not a series and can be read in any order, and Deadly Business, a crime thriller.

As a Texas author, many of Anita’s books are based in Texas, or there is a link to Texas. When she stepped outside of the Tracker novels and wrote Not Dead and the Tori Winters Mysteries series, she set them in the small Texas communities of Meridian and Granbury, respectively.

 

 

 

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Synopsis

 

Alene Baron is dealing with frustrated employees, closed schools, and a homeless man who harasses customers outside the door of her café.

Then, two dead bodies turn up in the burned remains of buildings owned by the husband of Alene’s best friend and pastry chef, Ruthie. Both bodies are wearing jackets that once belonged to Ruthie and crumbled in the pockets are the café’s distinctive wrappers. At the same time, Alene’s uncle, a convicted felon, has resurfaced after disappearing for 22 years. It’s all too much for the owner of the Whipped and Sipped Café.

 

 

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Praise

 

“Readers looking for mysteries well steeped in both culinary traditions and realistic conflicts between career and family will relish this multifaceted investigative piece, which draws readers in from the start with its realistic balance of intrigue and life challenges.-D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review

“If you are looking for a slightly different take on a culinary cozy mystery, this is the debut to read.”-Carstairs Considered

“Warm and cool, sassy and savvy, GP Gottlieb has written a murder mystery that is as interesting as the family dynamic itself — exploring its alliances, intrigues, and the possibility of how people can protect, surprise, and, quite literally — kill each other. A fun, delicious read!”- Marcy Heisler, theatrical lyricist

‘Gottlieb sets the stage beautifully for readers, and with providing the list of characters in the beginning, you have your own little cheat sheet of sorts.  And with all the twists and turns in Smothered, you will be grateful to have the list so that you can keep track of everyone and check off those you believe are innocent.  However, when the real killer is revealed, I’m sure you will be as shocked as I was because I’m certain they weren’t even on your radar.”- Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

‘Smothered’ won the silver medal in the mystery category from the CIPA Evvy Awards.

 

Review

 

I always enjoy going back to Chicago and the Whipped and Sipped Cafe. While not a vegan, I can appreciate all of the dishes that are created here by the talented pastry chef Ruth, who is also Alene’s best friend.

The book is set at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, so I’m sure you can imagine what that has done for Alene’s business and the mindset of everyone. The cafe is not bustling with customers. It is takeout only from online orders. Alene’s children are restless, and Blanca, who watches the children and takes care of Cal, caught Covid and was in the hospital for a short time. The book brings back the memory of what it was like and the regulations from the cities and government.

The mystery to be solved is who is burning buildings under construction. To top it off, a body was found in the rubble. Who is this person, and why were they there? Frank, Alene’s boyfriend, is helping to investigate with his partner Lee. Lee doesn’t seem to know how to communicate with people and turns a lot of them off with his brusque manner. He may be smart and notice small details, but you have to know how to talk to witnesses to get the results and information that you need to solve a case.

There is also the introduction of Alene’s Uncle, Finn. He disappeared many years ago and sporadically kept in touch with his brother Cal, Alene’s father. There are mixed emotions about a reunion based on events of the past from Cal’s perspective. I can’t blame him if he feels like Finn took the wrong path and didn’t honor his commitments over the years. But that is their issue to resolve.

A fun feature of the book is the discovery of a hidden basement in the cafe. Since the building was built in the 20s, it was most likely used as a speakeasy during prohibition. I loved watching that revelation unfold.

We can’t forget the relationship between Frank and Alene. There are hints of marriage down the road since, with young children, that is the only way they can live together in Alene’s eyes. One roadblock is Frank’s daughter, Rhona. She sounds like a handful at 21 and more than what Frank wants to deal with, but there aren’t really any other options other than kicking her out since her mother doesn’t want anything to do with her daughter either. But he is a caring father and doesn’t want to see anything happen to her.

While you don’t have to read the first two books in this series to understand the relationship of all of the characters, it might be beneficial to truly understand all of the nuances of the main characters.

This is a solid story in this series, and we give it 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

G.P. Gottlieb has been a musician, a teacher, and an administrator, but she’s happiest when she’s writing recipe-laced murder mysteries. GP Gottlieb has always experimented in the kitchen and created her own delicious vegan cookies and cakes. She is also an interviewer for the New Books in Literature podcast channel.

Gottlieb is the mother of three grown children and lives with her husband in Chicago.

 

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Synopsis

 

Jason Brinkman’s career at a big Los Angeles law firm is over because he refused to sleep with his senior partner. He’s moved to sleepy Sea Cliff on California’s Central Coast to begin again. He has a struggling solo law practice and a promising romance. When kids discover a body in a storm drain, his new life begins to unravel.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

Jason was about to open the e-mail from The Totten Trust Bank of New York when he heard pounding on his office door. He went to it, flipped the lock, and stood aside.

Rory stormed in, eyes burning and face flushed. She ripped off her baseball cap. “Brinkman, you fucker, you’re trying to screw me out of my father’s money!”

“I’m not trying to—”

“My partner’s an FBI agent—”

“I don’t want your—”

“And the FBI will hit you like a ton of bricks if you steal a dime!”

Rory was four inches shorter than Jason, but stretched on her toes, she was very much in his face. Her whole body shook and her cheeks turned scarlet as she raged at him. “Goddamn shyster lawyer…stealing my money…I trusted you…I earned it…you can’t imagine what I went through…he owes me….” Specks of spittle flew from her mouth. Her breath, normally sweet, reeked of stomach acid.

Jason let her rant until she ran out of steam. When she finally took a breath, he said, “I was dog-tired yesterday afternoon. Up all the night before, and then had an early court appearance in Santa Luisa. I went home and slept.” He put both hands on her shoulders and pushed down hard, until she stood flat-footed. Holding her at arm’s length, he said, “Anyway, we both hold the keys to the puzzle, as you point out.”

The tension ebbed slowly from her body and her usual air of self-confidence began to return. “Like Frodo and Gollum in Lord of the Rings,” she muttered. She wore a black warm-up suit and running shoes, and unlike the other times he’d seen her, seemed unconcerned about her appearance. Although he was certain he was free from her spell, he couldn’t deny she was stunning even in drab athletic gear.

He beckoned her to follow him around the bookcase to his desk. “I did start to contact some of the banks,” he began as they walked.

“What?” she shrieked. “You just told me—”

“Christ, Rory, will you let me explain! I wanted to see what kind of responses I’d get.” He turned to face her, speaking patiently. “Banks have so many privacy restrictions these days, and we don’t have anything to prove we’re entitled to access Geraldo’s accounts.”

“Uh-huh,” she said with an edge in her voice, “so what’d you find out? Anything useful?”

“Pretty much what I expected. We need a password or some kind of authorization. Here. See for yourself.” He gave her his handwritten list.

“Your writing’s too hard to read.”

“Alright, I’ll translate. The first one is Commerce Bank, and they require a power of attorney or a court order. The next is Farmers & Mechanics….” He read the rest of the list.

“There’s no way Geraldo gave you power of attorney or any kind of authorization.”

“You’re right. No way.”

“How long will it take to get a court order?”

“A couple of weeks after I file the papers.”

“Why so long? I can’t…don’t want to wait forever.”

“It may be longer,” he said. “I heard the Probate Judge just retired.”

“Well, why can’t we figure out the passwords? We have Geraldo’s alphanumeric code.”

“That’s ten characters,” Jason said, thinking out loud. “Passwords can be any length, but they’re usually six or eight, and we don’t know which six or eight he’d have used for any particular bank. Or, whether he’d have mixed numbers and letters, or capitals and lower case. Or, used fewer characters.”

“Can’t we just try different combinations?”

“Yeah, we could try that…maybe on one of the banks that doesn’t seem important…but you probably get just one bite of the apple in this kind of situation.”

“You mean where strangers are trying to get information about a dead person’s account?”

“Exactly.”

 

 

Review

 

This mystery has many twists and turns that kept me wondering what could possibly happen next, who killed Geraldo, and would Jason keep his ethics and morals in check.

The book is peppered with a variety of characters from the despicable to endearing, but mostly on the former end of the scale. However, all of these characters make the book flow and adds dimension to the storyline. Plus, it gives you a lot of suspects!

I felt for Jason and everything that he was going through with his soon to be ex, the woman he was dating, his law practice, and just life in general. He knows what he wants and doesn’t want, and in the end, will he get it or will he do the right thing? This is one of those moments where you have no idea what I’m talking about and I can’t really say much more because it would spoil the ending.

The story does take some time to reveal all of the details, yet the book leaves us hanging without any real resolution. We know how the murder happened and a few other details, but it left me with more questions than answers. Perhaps the author was setting this up to have a sequel?

There could be some triggers if that sort of thing has an effect on you when reading from child pornography and drug use are two main ones.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Jack Cameron is a retired lawyer who lives on California’s Central Coast with his wife and two cats. He spent his career writing about the crises or issue of the moment and now writes mysteries and short stories. He always imagined having a solo law practice in a small town like Sea Cliff, the setting for The Storm Drain Murder.

 

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Synopsis

 

The Cold War and the Beat Poets of North Beach collide in 1958 San Francisco in Peter Kageyama’s noir thriller about a Japanese American private eye investigating the mysterious goings on at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.

SAN FRANCISCO, 1958. World War 2 veteran, Katsuhiro, “Kats” Takemoto is a Nisei, second generation Japanese American and the private detective for those who don’t get noticed by the police or get the attention of traditional private eyes. The city is exploding with population growth and creative expression as the Beat poets and artists fill coffee shops and galleries. When a young Beat poet enlists Kats to keep his family from being pushed out of the Bayview Heights neighborhood by a shady developer, Kats learns that the conspiracy to take over the land around Hunters Point runs deep into Cold War fears and politics. Kats takes on the US government, the Navy, unscrupulous businessmen and the west coast mafia as he and his friends race to find the truth.

Award winning author Peter Kageyama’s debut novel brings the post-war San Francisco scene to life with historic characters including Jimmy Stewart, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, Alfred Hitchcock and Shig Murao, along with the dynamics of racial identity for Japanese Americans finding their footing again in America following the war and internment.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

Katsuhiro Takemoto watched the man who was watching the woman. Voyeurism wasn’t unusual for Kats. As a private detective, he spent too much time quietly observing the lives of others. Today was different. Today he knew the man he was watching.

Fort Point, under the Golden Gate Bridge, was where tourists, lovers, and even the locals came for the spectacular view of the bridge and the bay. It was unusually empty today, but Kats wasn’t looking at the scenery. The tall man in the dapper gray suit and brown hat kept his distance as he watched the woman walk toward the embankment’s edge. He didn’t need to conceal himself, as the woman was focused on the bouquet of flowers she held in her white, gloved hands. Even at this distance, Kats knew she was beautiful. Her hair was platinum blond and swept up, and she wore a dark blue dress that flattered her high-heeled walk.

She stopped at the elevated edge and began to slowly pick apart her bouquet, throwing the flowers one at a time into the cold water below. The gray-suited man shifted back and forth as if he was trying to puzzle out the meaning of this gesture. As the last of the flowers fell from the woman’s hands, she purposefully turned toward the bay and jumped into the water.

The man stood stunned for a moment but then rushed forward to where she had stood. Throwing off his coat and hat, he approached the water and prepared to leap.

“Cut!” came the voice over Kats’s shoulder. Instantly the empty park was filled with activity. Production assistants rushed forward, the stuntmen and stunt women crawled back up the embankment, and costumers grabbed the coat and hat as the park transformed into a Hollywood movie set.

Kats turned his attention to the gray-suited man who had turned and was walking back toward the camera and the large presence sitting there. Alfred Hitchcock, the acclaimed film director, sat talking with his cameraman and his assistants. “That was fine, James. I believe we have what we need,” Hitchcock said in his unmistakable voice. Never one to lavish praise on even the finest actors, everyone knew that was Hitch’s way, especially the man in the gray suit who was an old hand at dealing with the demanding director.

Jimmy Stewart, America’s favorite male actor for over a decade, smiled as he approached the director. Even though the reshoot of this scene could probably have been done with a stand-in, Stewart was happy to reprise the scene and the character he had inhabited since late summer. “How about some b-roll of me swimming in the bay?” quipped the actor with a smile.

Hitch elongated his already elongated face, “Thank you, James. We are quite done with San Francisco.” Production delays and these reshoots had put Hitchcock behind schedule, and everyone knew he was feeling pressure from the studio. He was anxious to return to the controlled confines of Paramount Studios in Hollywood to finish his film.

Kats quietly stood back as several folks approached the actor and attended to various bits of business. Eventually Stewart broke away and, turning to Kats, smiled and said, “What do you think?”

“I thought I was going to have to jump in after you.” Stewart laughed, and Kats smiled at the face familiar to everyone in America. Kats was still amazed that he and this American icon had become friends over the past several months. The movie had brought them together.

 

reprinted with permission

 

 

About the Author

 

Peter Kageyama is the author of For the Love of Cities: The Love Affair Between People and Their Places, the follow ups, Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places, and The Emotional Infrastructure of Places. In 2021, he released For the Love of Cities REVISITED, a revised and updated version of his award-winning book.

In 2023, his debut novel based on the post-internment life of his parents was released by St. Petersburg Press.

Peter is a special advisor to America In Bloom and was a Senior Fellow with the Alliance for Innovation, a national network of city leaders. He is an internationally sought-after community development consultant and grassroots engagement strategist who speaks about bottom-up community development and the amazing people who are making change happen around the world.

 

 

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Synopsis

 

Roxy Constantine is the jam queen of Shavano, Colorado. But her social life is a bust, and she’s still recovering from a bad experience as a line cook in Denver. Things improve when she meets tasty local chef Nate Robicheaux, but she’s also fending off the attentions of another local, Brett Holmes, who won’t take no for an answer. When Brett threatens to derail Roxy’s career, the two have a very public fight. A few days later, Brett is found murdered in his restaurant kitchen, and suddenly Roxy’s a prime suspect. Now Roxy must find the truth about Brett and his murderer before the town of Shavano decides her reign as jam queen is over for good.

 

 

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Review

 

I enjoy discovering new towns in cozies. The towns are usually small, filled with interesting characters, and a killer. And not just one killer, but many, especially if it is a longer series!

Shavano, Colorado, seems like a quaint and quiet town, and Roxy is back home and has become the jam queen. But what brought her back is an incident that shook her to her core and has her wary of men. That is until she meets Nate. Nate also had an incident in his past that brought him home too. What neither expects is to become potential suspects in the murder of Brett Holmes.

When you read this book, you will quickly realize that Brett is not someone you would want to know or associate with. He is sleazy, conceited, and a bully. Maybe he doesn’t deserve to be killed, but sometimes some characters just need to go away in one way or another. There are a few suspects, but it takes some sleuthing by Roxy and her bestie Susa to uncover the truth.

We see Roxy talking to various potential suspects, but the clues are few and far between. Once the killer was revealed, it probably should have been an obvious answer based on other factors, but I just didn’t see it. I don’t think that the book really points the reader in any specific direction in regard to the killer. I would have liked to have seen a few more clues or even some red herrings. However, very little of the information pointed in any specific direction.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Roxy and Nate progress. However, I wonder if there is a potential triangle coming with Chief Fowler. Only future books will tell.

I loved reading about all the jam flavors. While I’m not a jam maker, I would have loved to have seen a few recipes included in the book.

This is a good start to a new series, and I look forward to future books and visiting Shavano again. We give this 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of romance. Her newest series, the Folk, is a paranormal series from Soul Mate Publishing set in Colorado. Meg’s Konigsburg series is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love trilogies are set in the Colorado Rockies (all are available from Entangled Publishing). Along with contemporary romance, Meg is also the author of the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers.

 

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Snuffed Out (Magic Candle Shop Mystery)
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting –   Savannah, GA
Crooked Lane Books (January 10, 2023)
Hardcover 304 Pages

 

Synopsis

 

Twin sisters Tabby and Sage co-own a candle shop, but will it all go up in flames in Valona Jones’ series debut, perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Bailey Cates.

30-year-old fraternal twins Tabby and Sage Winslow own The Book and Candle Shop in Savannah. Sage is hot-headed and impulsive while Tabby is calm and collected, making them the perfect partnership. When one of their customers is found murdered, from a blow to the head, that partnership is put to the test.

Blithe McAdam had been seen in a heated argument with shop clerk Gerard, which immediately makes him suspect number one. The twins are convinced of Gerard’s innocence and start digging into Blithe’s past. But no one is cooperating. The neighbor who found the body isn’t talking, medical examiner Quig won’t give any details about the autopsy, and nasty rumors begin surfacing about the drowning of Blithe’s father years earlier—evidence that could seal Gerard’s fate.

Tabby and Sage dig desperately for the truth. But it’s not only their friend who’s in peril. With the clock ticking, the twins find themselves in the grip of an unseen and deadly energy that has seeped into their midst—and in the sights of a ruthless killer.

 

 

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Guest Post

 

Aromatherapy candles by Valona Jones

 

Can you resist cinnamon-scented air? Most of us respond to pleasing aromas. It’s no wonder we love to gather in kitchens, when the scent of delicious food draws us in.

The smell of fresh bread baking and a favorite stew simmering on the stove make my mouth water. The scent fills me with hunger and builds a sense of anticipation for the reward of savoring the dish. The enticing scents of coffee brewing, brownies baking, or even food grilling over charcoal will trigger desire/hunger in nearly everyone.

With that said, it’s easy to see why scents became paired with candles.

How many times have we sought out a special flower, blooming shrub, or evergreen tree? Fragrances catch our notice, they reel us in. As a bonus, scents play on our emotions, evoke strong memories, and even teach us things we like or to avoid. That natural response is both innate and primitive.

For as long as I can remember, my family used many candles. They were decorative and functional as we lived in a coastal area fraught with strong storms and frequent power outages. Bayberry scented candles were popular for holidays, as was apple cinnamon, and I still associate those aromas with home.

Some scents energize us physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Some, like lavender, are known to calm and relax people, while others may enhance thinking or clarity, though those responses may be highly individual. There are essential oils associated with relieving multiple human conditions including end-of-life ones, and fyi candles aren’t the only means to infuse the fragrance in the air. Diffusers, atomizers, steamers, baths, hot cloths on faces, and massages also help to disperse essential oils into breathable vapors.

According to the National Institute of Health, “Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils from plants (flowers, herbs, or trees) as a complementary health approach. The essential oils are most often used by inhaling them or by applying a diluted form to the skin. Many essential oils are used in aromatherapy, including those from Roman chamomile, geranium, lavender, tea tree, lemon, ginger, cedarwood, and bergamot.”( https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/aromatherapy )

In addition, many consider aromatherapy to be an alternative medicine. Today’s medical profession even has scientific articles where this helpfulness has been documented.

The fictional Book and Candle Shop, located on Bristol Street in Savannah, Georgia, is featured in my A Magic Candle Shop Mystery series. The shop is known for their excellent products, particularly their aromatherapy candles. The way the candles are made in the shop’s stillroom is similar to other aromatherapy candle making, with the exception of an extra step. First Auntie O and then Tabby Winslow learned how to imbue good energy in her candles as she crafts them. That process means that the candle imparts goodness to those nearby throughout the entire burn.

In “Snuffed Out,” the story opens with a dissatisfied customer who felt no added oomph from the last shop candles she bought. Turns out that Auntie O forgot to tell Tabby about that extra part as it came to her so intuitively, she didn’t think of it as a candle making step. Once Tabby corrects her process, she makes perfect aromatherapy candles.

But it’s too late for Blithe McAdam. This distraught customer’s showdown in The Book and Candle Shop goes viral online. Worse Blithe is murdered, and the cops put Tabby’s shop clerk, Gerard, at the top of their suspect list. With twins Tabby and Sage very new to owning and running the shop, they can’t afford to lose Gerard. Tabby vows to investigate and set things right.

 

 

About the Author

 

Valona Jones writes paranormal cozy mysteries set in Southern locales. Her work blends mystery and the unexplained, along with a sprinkle of romance. A former scientist, she’s drawn to the study of personal energy. She sharpened her people-watching skills as a lifelong introvert and thankfully had a bank vault full of personal observations when she began to write fiction. Her forthcoming release, Snuffed Out, A Magic Candle Shop Mystery, is slated for January 10, 2023, release. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She lives in coastal Georgia, where time and tide wait for no one.

 

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Giveaway

 

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Dial M for Meow (Bookshop Kitties Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st In Series
Setting – Green Meadow, Indiana
Gemma Halliday Publishing (January 10, 2023)
Number of Pages 153

 

Synopsis

 

When children’s book author, Christy Bailey, receives a call from her aunt Betty to help out at her bookshop, she drops everything to go. Christy packs up her two cats—Milton and Pearl, the stars of her children’s mystery books—and leaves busy Philadelphia for tiny Green Meadow, Indiana. The timing of the call is perfect, as Christy’s letch of an ex-boyfriend has just cleaned out her savings, leaving Christy with a pile of unpaid bills and a desire to start over. And what better place to do that than a charming small town in Middle America?

But when Christy reaches her aunt’s bookshop, instead of small town hospitality she finds a dead body! Even worse, her aunt is passed out in the corner, hands covered in blood. The dead woman is an old frenemy of her Aunt Betty, and while Christy knows her aunt is innocent, the local detective isn’t so sure. With Milton and Pearl prowling for clues, Christy is determined to find the real killer and clear her aunt’s name… before her story ends in tragedy!

 

 

 

Amazon

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people’s recliners. Not that the cats couldn’t get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else’s.

Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying.

Ruth’s husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her despite her insistence all of her books have at least one cat in them.

 

 

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Giveaway

 

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Rivalry Gone Wrong: A Cheer Moms Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Seris
Setting – Southern Illinois
Independently Published (January 10, 2023)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 105 pages

Synopsis

 

These cheer moms are not content to sit on the sidelines.

 

Abby Winters is not your typical cheer mom. She doesn’t have time to micromanage her daughter’s competitive cheer group. She’s got her business, Scoops Ice Cream Shop, to run.

But when a rival team’s coach turns up dead and all signs point to murder, Abby wants to make sure her daughter is safe.

Can she catch the killer before they strike again or is the culprit going to murder the competition?

 

 

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Read for Free via Kindle Unlimited

 

 

Review

 

This was a fun short read filled with mystery that I certainly didn’t figure out until the end.

I live in Texas, and cheer is a big thing here, including the moms that might go a little crazy with all that is involved. I definitely saw that to a minor degree in this book. I was actually more fascinated with Abby’s ice cream shop, The Scoop, and the various ice cream flavors she created. I hope to see more of that in future books.

While Abby doesn’t intentionally set out to solve the murder of a cheer coach, she does manage to ferret out information from the other moms, and it isn’t until one final clue is revealed near the end do all of the pieces fall into place.

There is even a potential budding relationship between Abby and Detective Barrett, if not romantically, then definitely a friendship. Future books will reveal all.

I am looking forward to future installments in this new series, and we give it 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

As a child, L.C. thought she would either be a truck driver (thanks to Jerry Reed in Smokey and the Bandit) or work at Taco Bell (her favorite restaurant as a child). As she grew older, she realized her talents lay in other areas, and for the last several years has been a college professor teaching business and English.

Through all her career choices, she has continued to have a passion for writing stemming from childhood, where, as an only child, she developed a vivid imagination.

She is proud of her vast experiences in life, from barrel racing to being on the dance team for a semi-pro basketball team, to being a mom of 2 amazing kids.

She decided to follow her dream as an author in 2009 and has worked her way up to having 5 fans (maybe 6 now). She often tells her family and friends that no one is safe from his or her ventures slipping into her books. She lives in Indiana with her husband, kids, and two very spoiled dogs.

 

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Moving is Murder: A Salem Falls B&B Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Middle Age is Murder Cozy Mysteries)
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting –  Fictional town of Salem Falls
Independently Published (December 25, 2022)

 

Synopsis

 

A new hometown. A murdered aunt. Mysterious talking animals. Divorce just turned interesting.

Ellie Byrne’s pending divorce from her cheating husband threatens to leave her broke and homeless. But when she inherits a bed and breakfast in the unique town of Salem Falls, her prayers may be answered.

That is, until she finds out her aunt didn’t just die on the property, she was murdered. And shortly after Ellie arrives, she finds herself the target of threatening messages and hostile attitudes from almost everyone in town. And after someone chucks a rock through her window, she begins to fear for her life.

Can Ellie discover which one of them offed her aunt? Or will the bed and breakfast she’d hoped would provide a fresh start put her in the grave?

If you love middle-aged heroines, talking pets, and quirky small town settings, you’ll love book 1 in this charming paranormal women’s fiction cozy mystery series.

 

 

 

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Review

 

This new cozy series really pulled me in and kept me guessing until the end.

I really liked Ellie’s character. Part of it is probably her age, she is around 50, but the other part is that she realized that she needed a change from the disaster of her life and her soon to be ex-husband. She was lucky that an aunt remembered her and the good times they had when she was young and left her entire estate to Ellie. This came at an opportune time, but not everything is as they think. Aunt Susie was murdered, but they don’t know who, how, or why. Then, Ellie is threatened, and this makes her even more determined to figure out who is behind everything. And as it is with most cozies, she tends to put herself in harm’s way when trying to uncover the truth.

I loved the paranormal side of this book. While we don’t really how HOW it happened, Ellie is able to talk to Cleo and Lola, her new pets. Apparently, this was something they could do with her aunt as well. Perhaps it is an inherited trait? Cleo and Lola make the book very interesting with their personalities. Cleo is very bossy, which isn’t too surprising since she is a cat. Lola is laid back and likes to bark at everything, and I do mean everything.

I also liked Ellie’s friend, Mia, from her old town. Mia comes to town to help Ellie, but there is more to the story that we don’t find out until near the end of the book. I suspected the truth long before it was revealed.

The mystery was engaging. There are many suspects but only one killer. I never guessed who it was until right before it was revealed, and I mean right before…like sentences!

This is going to be a fun series in this small northeastern town. I can’t wait to visit again and see what the gang is up to.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Award-winning author Nellie H. Steele writes in as many genres as she reads.

Addicted to books since she could read, Nellie escaped to fictional worlds like the ones created by Carolyn Keene or Victoria Holt long before she decided to put pen to paper and create her own realities.

When she’s not spinning a cozy mystery tale, building a new realm in a contemporary fantasy, or writing another action-adventure car chase, you can find her shuffling through her Noah’s Ark of rescue animals or enjoying a hot cuppa (that’s tea for most Americans.)

 

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Synopsis

 

A device that can save a life is also one that can end it

 

Kadence, a new type of implanted defibrillator, misfires in a patient visiting University Hospital for a routine medical procedure—causing the heart rhythm problem it’s meant to correct. Dr. Kate Downey, an experienced anesthesiologist, resuscitates the patient, but she grows concerned for a loved one who recently received the same device—her beloved Great-Aunt Irm.

When a second device misfires, Kate turns to Nikki Yarborough, her friend and Aunt Irm’s cardiologist. Though Nikki helps protect Kate’s aunt, she is prevented from alerting other patients by the corporate greed of her department chairman. As the inventor of the device and part owner of MDI, the company he formed to commercialize it, he claims that the device misfires are due to a soon-to-be-corrected software bug. Kate learns his claim is false.

The misfires continue as Christian O’Donnell, a friend and lawyer, comes to town to facilitate the sale of MDI. Kate and Nikki are drawn into a race to find the source of the malfunctions, but threats to Nikki and a mysterious murder complicate their progress. Are the seemingly random shocks misfires, or are they attacks?

A jaw-dropping twist causes her to rethink everything she once thought she knew, but Kate will stop at nothing to protect her aunt and the other patients whose life-saving devices could turn on them at any moment.

 

 

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Review

 

This is the follow-up book to Fatal Intent featuring Kate Downey. While this book can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the first book to understand more about Kate’s background and the relationships between various characters.

I really enjoyed this story and the twists and turns that threw Kate and the others into turmoil. I was intrigued by the storyline and the AICD devices (Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator ) that were causing issues and killing people. This is something you could imagine seeing in the headlines of the daily paper or on the news. While I am not a medical professional, I felt like the details were accurate to real life, and since the author is a physician, you would hope so!

The pace doesn’t stop in this book. There are times that it slows down, but otherwise, it is fast-moving and kept me on edge, but in a good way. I liked the interactions between Kate and Christian. Her aunt is a crack-up and wants to jump into solving the mystery with both feet. I have to say that Aunt Irm’s intuition seems to be spot on, but I won’t say in regards to what because that could spoil part of the story.

I started suspecting one major plot twist, but not until close to the end. Something just didn’t seem to add up, but I couldn’t put my finger on anything specific.

I hope that we see more in this series from the author. I remember thinking after I read the first book hoping there would be a second. It took a few years, but well worth the wait.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

Excerpt

 

“You aren’t gonna let me die this time, are ya, Doc?”

Oh boy.

So started my Wednesday, with about the worst line any anesthesiologist can hear from a patient in preoperative holding.

“This time?” the nurse said.

“Last time my heart decided to dance a little jig instead of pumpin’ my blood.”

Sitting close beside Mr. Abrams, his wife squeezed her eyes closed. “Abe, tell Dr. Downey the whole story.”

“I read about it in your chart last night,” I said. “Last time they tried to fix your hernia, your heart needed a jump start.” To the nurse I added, “V fib,” a chaotic heart rhythm that usually requires electrical shock to convert back to a normal rhythm. “It happened when they were putting you to sleep and they canceled the case.” Instead of a hernia operation, Mr. Abrams ended up with a very different procedure that day—placement of an automated internal cardioverter defibrillator, or AICD. A device implanted in his chest to detect and treat the problem should it recur.

“Your AICD hasn’t fired, right?” The device had been checked by cardiology the day before.

“Right. Rosie watches it like a hawk huntin’ a rodent.” He nodded to his wife, who slipped her phone under the book in her lap.

“I completely understand,” I said to her, nodding at the hidden phone. “My aunt has the same AICD, and I can’t stop checking the app either.” Maybe a downside of the novel AICD, the Kadence communicated through the patient’s phone to the cloud, where I could view status reports on my beloved Aunt Irm’s heart. “I don’t expect any problems this time, but we’re ready if your heart decides on another jig.”

“Dr. Downey, I need to ask a favor.” Mrs. Abrams didn’t look at me, or at anyone. She gripped her paperback as if it would fly open.

“Call me Kate.”

“Come on, Rosie, let the doc do her job,” Mr. Abrams said.

She ignored him. “Dr. Yarborough is his cardiologist. She said if he could keep his phone during the operation, she would be able to watch his AICD.”

I generally like to honor requests. This one required a caveat. “I’ll make a deal with you. We’ll keep the phone close for Dr. Yarborough as long as you promise not to watch the app.”

Her sparse gray eyebrows drew together.

“During surgery, there’s electrical noise that can confuse the AICD. I don’t know what it might report and I don’t want you frightened.” Sometimes we turn off AICDs during surgery, but this operation was far enough away from the device implanted near his left shoulder that the noise shouldn’t cause a problem. What she might see on the app, though, I couldn’t predict.

She nodded uncertainly.

Eric, the anesthesia resident assigned to work with me on the case, arrived with a small syringe of a sedative. “What do you think about some happy juice?”

“I think my wife needs it more than me,” Mr. Abrams said.

Her lipstick appeared to redden as her face paled.

“Unfortunately, it goes in the IV,” Eric said with a kind smile for her. “We’ll take good care of him.”

“You’ll watch his blood sugar,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am.” Eric unlocked the bed.

“And be careful with his AICD.”

“We will.” He unhooked the IV bag from the ceiling-mounted pole and attached it to one on the stretcher.

Tears dampened her eyes as Mrs. Abrams stood and leaned down to kiss her husband’s cheek.

“I’m gonna be fine, Rosie. Don’t you worry. I’ll be huntin’ by the weekend, and we can try out that new squirrel recipe before our anniversary.”

“We are not serving squirrel stew for our fiftieth anniversary,” she said.

Eric and I exchanged a smile.

“Oh now, you wait and see.” Mr. Abrams patted his wife’s hand.

“What’s squirrel taste like?” Eric pushed the bed from the wall.

“Tastes like chicken.” Mr. Abrams laughed loudly. “No, just kiddin’ with ya . . .” As they turned the corner, the voices faded. I stayed behind to reassure Mrs. Abrams.

“I can’t lose him.” Eyes squeezed shut, a sob escaped.

I wrapped an arm around her ample shoulders and waited. I knew that feeling; had lived that feeling; had lost.

“I’m sorry.” She dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

“No need to apologize. Last time scared you. Tell you what, once he’s asleep, I’ll give you a call and let you know it went fine.”

That calmed her. We walked together to the main doors, where I directed her to the waiting room. I turned the opposite direction to not let her husband of fifty years die during a hernia operation. No pressure there.

In the OR, we helped Mr. Abrams move to the operating table. After applying monitors and going through our safety checks, Eric held the clear plastic mask over his face and said, “Pick out a good dream.”

“Oh, I got one.” He winked at me. “I’ll try to behave this time, Doc.”

“I’d appreciate that.” I maintained eye contact and held his hand as I injected the drugs to put him off to sleep. Despite having induced anesthesia thousands of times, I always experience a tense few moments between the time the patient stops breathing and when the breathing tube is confirmed in the windpipe. During those couple of minutes, if we couldn’t breathe for him, there’s a real, if remote, chance the patient could die. Not a failure to save, but, in essence, a kill. Anesthesia is unique in that. We take people who are breathing fine, mess it up, then fix it, so the surgeon can correct the real problem.

When Mr. Abrams’ induction proceeded without incident, I felt an extra sense of relief and was happy to share that with his wife. The operation, too, went well, and an hour later, he awoke from anesthesia, gave a sleepy smile, and said, “How’d it go, Doc?”

“Fine. No more hernia. Are you in any pain?”

He shook his head. “Nope, you done good.”

 

 

About the Author

 

Tammy Euliano writes medical thrillers. She’s inspired by her day job as a physician, researcher and medical educator. She is a tenured professor at the University of Florida, where she’s been honored with numerous teaching awards, nearly 100,000 views of her YouTube teaching videos, and was featured in a calendar of women inventors (copies available wherever you buy your out-of-date calendars).

When she’s not writing or at the hospital, she enjoys traveling with her family, playing sports, cheering on the Gators, and entertaining her two wonderful dogs.

 

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