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FELONIOUS FINALE (an Owl’s Nest Mystery) Book Tour Giveaway

Review & #Giveaway – A Felonious Finale by C.S. McDonald #cozy #mystery

Posted in 5 paws, Cozy, Giveaway, mystery on December 7, 2023

Synopsis

Alexa Owl has one burning question: Who killed Bobby Starr?

Out of the blue that ornery angel, Detective Bobby Starr, shows up at The Owl’s Nest Couturier Shoppe. Much to Alexa Owl’s surprise, Bobby doesn’t need her help. Rather, he’s brought along someone else who wants to qualify for Saint Peter’s Guardian Angel Squad. Saint Pete has delegated this new inductee to solve a murder to get into the group, and it’s a doozie: Who killed Detective Bobby Starr? How can Alexa turn this assignment down?

Back in the 60s, Bobby’s fifth wife, Katherine was a diva in a community operetta company. During a performance of The Merry Widow, Bobby was forced to stand-in for a member of the chorus who fell ill. Only, Bobby’s first performance would be his last! The suspects are hitting all the notes as this mystery comes to crescendo!

Amazon * Audible * BookBub

Review

This is the last of this series (unless we are surprised later!), and I am sad to see it go. I have enjoyed Alexa Owl’s trips to the past to help angels solve crimes.

In the first few books, Alexa helped Bobby Starr solve murders that hadn’t been solved during his life. This time around, he brings another probationary angel to Alexa, and they are to solve Bobby’s murder. The kicker? It is her boyfriend Cliff’s grandfather, who recently passed away. But these two make a good team, just like Alexa and Bobby did in the first books. There is a variety of potential suspects, and when the whole truth is revealed, there are more people involved than you might have guessed.

I liked the relationship between Winnie and Louie. It was a sweet story and a reminder that everyone needs companionship.

I enjoyed this final book in this series as it wraps up a few things for Alexa personally. We don’t see Bobby as much in this book; he is working on his own case for the Guardian Angel Squad. But he pops in now and then to help out Alexa and Slater. I tried to figure out who Bobby’s killer was, but it was a surprise in the end. There are a few chuckle-worthy moments in this book.

While I hope that we might see another in this series, if this was to be the last book, it ended well. I can’t complain at all.

We give this book 5 paws up.

About the Author

For twenty-six years, C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer. During that time, she choreographed many musicals and an opera for the Pittsburgh Savoyards. In 2011, she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014, she added the pen name C.S. McDonald to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries to that expansion. She decided to write the cozy mystery series that everyone, including teens and tweens, can read and enjoy. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries has nine books, with a tenth slated for 2021. The books are also available on audio, narrated by Maren Swenson Waxenberg. Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh. The female protagonist, Alexa Owl, is much different from Fiona Quinn. The Owl’s Next Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy! Ms. McDonald resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Giveaway

Autographed copy of A FELONIOUS FINALE (an Owl’s Nest Mystery) (one winner) (USA only) (ends Dec 15)

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Guest Post & #Giveaway – Secrets Don’t Sink by K.B. Jackson #mystery #newseries

Posted in Giveaway, Guest Post, mystery on December 5, 2023

Secrets Don’t Sink: A Chattertowne Mystery
Traditional Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Chattertowne, Washington- a small riverfront community in the Pacific Northwest
Level Best Books (July 4, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 308 pages

Synopsis

Loose lips may sink ships, but bodies and secrets will always float to the surface.

Audrey O’Connell has returned from Portland to her hometown of Chattertowne, Washington, a place where gossip is currency but knowing when to stay tight-lipped is priceless. Procuring a part-time job at the local newspaper to keep an eye on her impetuous sister following Vivienne’s latest romantic scandal, Audrey is assigned a feature series for the upcoming festival which has her digging through the town archives in search of anything interesting. When her former boyfriend Marcus is found floating dead in the marina not long after reaching out to her in hopes of utilizing her research skills, her investigation reveals his conspiracy theories about Chattertowne and corruption within its leadership might not have been so crazy after all.

As she plumbs the depths of the town’s 150-year history, she discovers that beneath the façade of this idyllic hamlet lie secrets long-submerged–including within her own family–and finds herself in the crosshairs of those who guard them.

Now with three dead bodies, an intense case of aquaphobia, and a narrow window before her deadline, Audrey looks to City Manager Holden, octogenarian historian Mildred, and her enigmatic almost-boyfriend Darren to help her discover the truth that will forever change her and Chattertowne.

Amazon

Guest Post

Creating a Cozy Bubble

Why I love using themes in my books

Hi, I’m Kate (K.B.) Jackson and I write mystery adventure books for kids and mysteries for grownups. My middle grade series is Sasquatch Hunters, about a trio of kids looking to explore the woods near their Pacific Northwest home for evidence of Bigfoot. Book one, The Sasquatch of Hawthorne Elementary released earlier this year. My first adult mystery Secrets Don’t Sink is the first in the Chattertowne Mystery Series. Next year, my new mystery series Cruising Sisters debuts with book one Until Depths Do Us Part.

One of the things I love most about writing these series is that I get to create these cozy bubbles in which everything fits a certain theme. I’ve come to realize I’ve been doing this since I was very young.

When I was six years old, I received a doll house for Christmas. The décor was Edwardian, maybe a little later. The father wore a sweater vest and a tie, the mother wore pearls, and the children were all very well behaved. I spent quite a bit of time (and my allowance) crafting a home for this family where it was Christmas every day. I even made some of my own accessories and decorations.

As I got older, I played less with the doll house and more with my Barbies. In my Barbie land, she was always on vacation in L.A. I mean, she had to be, right? She had the Malibu beach house. She also had an RV and a convertible purple Corvette that she used to travel around. She went swimming in a big bowl I’d taken from the kitchen, she’d sunbathe, get her hair done (Always a mistake), and play tennis.

Of course, in the background, the appropriate music was always playing. Christmas classics for the doll house, Beach Boys for Barbie and pals.

Once I had kids, this morphed into how I decorated their rooms. When my eldest daughter was five, she was really into forest animals, so guess who got an entire room decorated like a forest? We have four children, so there was a lot of decorating and redecorating.

My husband used to say if I had my way, our home would be like Disneyland, where each section represented a different theme. He wasn’t wrong.

In order to keep our home from looking like a carnival funhouse, I shifted my efforts to holidays and birthdays, specifically tablescapes. Each birthday or holiday had an accompanying theme, often with coordinating music and food to go with it.

How does this relate to my writing? I love to write to theme.

My Sasquatch Hunters Series is almost exclusively Pacific Northwest, so there will always be allusions to this area, it’s weather and the vibe that creates, and the scenery. In book two, The Sasquatch of Harriman Lake, the kids explore the woods surrounding fictional Harriman Lake and nearby real-life Bavarian village themed Leavenworth. In book three, they go to Scotland at Christmastime, so I flew to Scotland last spring to research and fully immersed myself in all things Scotland and Scottish Christmas traditions for two months. I also created a playlist for that series that you can find here: Spotify Playlist

For the new Cruising Sisters series, because it’s about two sisters in their fifties traveling the world while living on a cruise ship—think Love Boat meets Murder She Wrote with a touch of Golden Girls—I get to fully explore these global destinations and their culture, food, and traditions. While the first book Until Depths Do Us Part is set in the icy waters off the coast of Alaska, book two takes place on a journey to Yokohama, Japan, and book three is a cruise from New Orleans to Haiti. I’m currently writing book three and have really enjoyed remembering my trip to New Orleans about fifteen years ago, where I literally ate my way across that city full of history and music and warmth. That’s infused in every aspect of the book.

For Chattertowne, much of the theme surrounds the water. Audrey, my protagonist, having aquaphobia while residing in a riverfront community presents a constant challenge, especially when her former boyfriend’s body is found floating in the marina. I’ve played a lot with the idea that secrets—keeping them, sharing them, submerging them—are part of any small town, and people will go to extreme lengths to protect their own, even if they’re happy to share others’.

Secrets Don’t Sink is an homage to small towns…the people, the traditions, the gossip, the beauty, and the ways that being a part of that community can sometimes feel like you’re part of a big messy family. Where bad things sometimes happen, but you can be assured that you’re surrounded by people who’ve known you, who are in your corner and will always look out for you.

Going forward, book two carries on with that theme, this time set in autumn in Chattertowne, where Audrey attends the high school football game and the homecoming parade, and all your favorite characters return, along with some interesting new ones.

I have a sneaking suspicion book three in the Chattertowne Mysteries series will be set at Christmas because I can never get enough Christmas!

I hope you enjoy these cozy bubbles I’ve created in each of my series because I’ve really enjoyed creating them.

About the Author

Kate B Jackson (KB Jackson) is an author of mystery novels for grownups and mystery/adventure novels for kids. She lives in the Pacific NW with her husband and has four mostly grown children. A part-time genealogist, she loves to craft stories with elements of history and family dynamics.

Website * Facebook * Instagram

X (Twitter) * Goodreads

Giveaway

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Guest Post & #Giveaway – Knitmare on Beech Street by Peggy Ehrhart #cozy #mystery #recipe #excerpt

Posted in Cozy, excerpt, Giveaway, Guest Post, mystery, Recipe on December 2, 2023

Knitmare on Beech Street (A Knit & Nibble Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series
Setting – Charming fictional town of Arborville, in northern New Jersey
Kensington Cozies (November 28, 2023)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages

Synopsis

Knit and Nibble member Pamela Paterson, and her best friend, Bettina, stumble on a body in a once grand Victorian house when they join a group welcoming new residents to Arborville—and must figure out if old secrets killed the new neighbor . . .

When Pamela, Bettina, and their friends show up at the Voorhees House to greet its new owner, they’re met with a most unwelcome sight: a dead body on the kitchen floor. Tassie Hunt just inherited the old Victorian, which had been occupied by a reclusive widow for many years and had a reputation for being haunted. But Tassie would have been unlikely to be spooked since her career involved debunking such paranormal phenomena.

Her demise sets off a new flurry of gossip and ghostly speculation in the New Jersey town, of course—and it’s tempting to think spirits were indeed involved considering there’s zero evidence so far of foul play. A nosy neighbor reports strange lights and sounds, and a man obsessed with the Victorian era starts photographing the place from the street. But it won’t take long before Pamela and Bettina are moving in on a killer . . .

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Bookshop.org * Kobo

Excerpt

Pamela led the way down the steps, down the narrow concrete path, and along the sidewalk, until they reached another concrete path. From this path, steps led up to another porch, smaller and with a plainer railing, onto which the back door opened.

Saying “I’ll try again,” Marlene hefted the gift basket and headed up the steps. As she pressed the doorbell, the rest of the group joined her on the porch one by one.

Marlene turned away after a few minutes and much enthusiastic pressing of the doorbell. “No answer,” she murmured. “And I was sure ANGWY was clear about the date and time.”

She shrugged, edged past the others, and started down the steps. Bettina, however, stepped closer to the door and tipped her head to peer at the doorframe. “I’m not sure it’s closed all the way,” she said and gave the

door a tentative push.

The door swung open easily. After a shrug and a glance at the other women, Bettina raised a stylishly shod foot and stepped over the threshold.

“Tassie?” Her voice rang out with a cheerful lilt. “Hello? It’s the ANGWY committee.”

She disappeared inside, but a moment later she was back in the doorway. Her cheer had vanished, leaving her face a wan canvas that made her careful makeup appear garish.

Ignoring her heart’s sudden lurch, Pamela took a few quick steps and joined her friend in the doorway. Bettina backed up against the door, anchoring it in a fully open position, and Pamela slipped past her into the kitchen.

A woman lay sprawled on the ancient linoleum, a slender blonde woman wearing a light cotton robe printed with small flowers in shades of blue and lilac . . .

Guest Post & Recipe

Lemon Icebox Cake

In Knitmare on Beech Street, Karen Dowling serves Lemon Icebox Cake when she hosts the Knit and Nibble knitting club. It’s a summery dessert that suits the book’s June setting. Nell Bascomb, the group’s oldest member, recalls that her mother grew up in a household where, before the invention of modern refrigerators, perishables were kept cold in a literal icebox, with blocks of ice delivered by an iceman. The icebox backed up against an outside wall with a little door in it, and a card in the window notified the iceman when ice was needed and how much.

She also notes that in an era before air conditioning, people would be reluctant to heat up their huge stoves, and thus their kitchens, in the summer—but, then as now, people still liked their desserts. Thus was born the icebox cake, though the early icebox cakes would be merely chilled and not frozen.

I hope you like this one!

Ingredients:

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 cups heavy cream

3 lemons

1 11-oz box vanilla wafer cookies

1 cup lemon curd

1 heaping tbsp. granulated sugar

Notes: You are only using the peel of the lemons. You can save the peeled lemons in a plastic bag for another project or juice them and freeze the juice.

Lemon curd comes in a jar and looks like jelly, but I found mine in the Baking aisle at my supermarket.

Directions:

You will need an 8” x 12” (or thereabouts) baking dish (though you won’t be baking your creation).

You will be creating three layers with the cookies. I’m not sure whether boxes of vanilla wafers always contain exactly the same number of cookies, but the box I bought contained 80. I used 28 for my bottom layer and 26 for each of the other two layers.

Zest 2 of the lemons and set the zest aside.

In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.

Add the heavy cream and beat until soft peaks form.

Fold in the lemon zest.

In order to prevent the cookies from sliding around as you begin to assemble the icebox cake, spread a bit of the cream cheese mixture on the bottom of your baking dish. Top it with a layer of the cookies.

Top the cookies with about a third of the cream cheese mixture, using a table knife or rubber spatula to spread it evenly.

Smooth 1/2 cup of the lemon curd over the cream cheese layer.

Layer more cookies, cream cheese mixture, and another 1/2 cup of lemon curd. Finish with a last layer of cookies and the last third of the cream cheese mixture.

Cover the icebox cake with plastic wrap or foil and freeze it for at least 3 hours. Transfer it to the refrigerator an hour before you plan to serve it, or let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes—though it’s also good straight from the freezer.

Make candied lemon peel for garnish:

Using a vegetable peeler, remove long strips of lemon from the third lemon.

Heat 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan, add the granulated sugar and stir until it dissolves, then add the strips of lemon peel. Boil for about 1 minute, cool, and refrigerate the peel and sugar syrup in a small container.

When it’s time to serve your lemon icebox cake, leave it in the baking dish to cut servings and lift them out with a spatula. Slice the lemon strips into narrow slivers and use them to garnish the servings.

Leftovers should be refrigerated or frozen if you want to keep them longer than a few days.

Enjoy with friends and family!

About the Author

Peggy Ehrhart is a former English professor with a doctorate in Medieval Literature. Her Maxx Maxwell mysteries, Sweet Man Is Gone(2008) and Got No Friend Anyhow (2011), were published by Five Star/Gale/Cengage and feature a blues-singer sleuth.

Peggy is currently writing the Knit & Nibble mysteries for Kensington Books. Her amateur sleuth, Pamela Paterson, is the founder and mainstay of the Arborville, New Jersey, knitting club, nicknamed Knit and Nibble. Knitmare on Beech Street is book #10 in the series. Peggy herself is an avid crafter, dating from her childhood as a member of the 4-H Club in rural Southern California.

Peggy is a longtime member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She regularly attends mystery-writing conferences and participates in conference panels. She also gives talks on mystery fiction at libraries and other venues in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

Website * Yarn Mania Blog * Goodreads Blog

Giveaway

Review & #Giveaway – The Enigma Series by Breakfield & Burkey #LoneStarLit #LSBBT #mystery #TexasAuthor #TexasBook #MagnoliaBluffseries

Posted in 4 paws, Giveaway, mystery, Review on December 1, 2023

MAGNOLIA BLUFF

CRIME CHRONICLES

Seasons 1 & 2

by

The Underground Authors

Scroll down for a giveaway!

Each stand-alone book in this multi-author crime novel series is set in the fictitious, beautiful little Texas Hill Country town of Magnolia Bluff. Each author writes in their preferred sub-genre to allow readers to experience humor, dark dilemmas, suspense, romance, thrills, and spills — told through good storytelling that will keep readers awake past their bedtime, trying to find out whodunit.

Season three of The Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles begins in January 2024. Stay tuned.

Purchase the Books

JJ and Jo find the ideal spot to escape their busy work lives—Magnolia Bluff offers Flower Bed & Breakfast, a quaint country destination within the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

They pull up to the picturesque building only to discover a crowd of citizens anxiously awaiting a special podcast created by a group of local women to start. Flower B&B is the sponsor of today’s show in this multi-day series. The couple works through the human log jam. As they check in, they learn that a cyber-attack may prevent the show from airing.

JJ, a technology guru, is convinced by Jo to help the group meet their broadcast promise. While he’s working on the issue, Jo spots a girl in the crowd with fear in her eyes who flashes the international help sign. The teenager vanishes into the throng. Fearful young people signaling for help strikes too close to home for Jo.

Their romantic vacation becomes a journey from one crisis to the next as these vacationers help the evangelizing ladies even as risks multiply. Threats expand to include all the podcasters, the show location owners, and suspected missing teens.

Amazon

Read for Free via Kindle Unlimited

Meet JJ and Jo, a Brazilian super couple that has found their way to Magnolia Bluff. It is a good thing, too, because they have stumbled onto a mystery that leads to uncovering a human trafficker.

This series is unique. There are multiple authors writing this series, and they all use the town and characters. Each book adds an additional character and brings in new aspects of this tiny hamlet. The main location of this book is the Flower B&B, where JJ and Jo had planned to relax and unwind from their stressful lives, but hackers trying to bring down a local podcast called for JJ’s expertise as a cybersecurity specialist. Jo may be a supermodel, but she has experience as someone who was caught up in a trafficking situation, and not in a good way. However, that allows her to connect with the young women they rescue and create a bond with them.

I enjoyed the humor, tension from the neighbor (aka the trafficker), and watching JJ and Jo fall deeper in love with each other. The interactions with the townspeople are what I love to see in a small town. Caring, nosy, and welcoming to those who want to be a part of the community.

While there isn’t a murder to solve, there is danger that abounds thanks to these criminals in town. I really enjoyed watching the story unfold and good winning over evil.

We give the book 4 paws up.

JJ and Jo learn privacy doesn’t exist for them. They return to Magnolia Bluff to check on their friends and recapture the small-town anonymity. In Magnolia Bluff, no one suspects their fame.

They discount the status as urban legends in favor of acceptance and a quiet, peaceful life. After all, a supermodel needs time and space to recharge between jobs. A geek wants time to adore his wife.

Does Magnolia Bluff hold the answers to their prayers?
Will their desires get clouded by a hidden secret?

Past, present, and future collide in a perfect storm no one expected. JJ and Jo take action to uncover the truth. Chief Tommy Jager likes them, but he feels they’re a lightning rod for trouble and disruption.

Who will live or die to prevent the truth from being exposed? The answers may be in the graveyard with the fresh flowers on the gravestone.

Amazon

I picked up this book to read not long after I finished The Flower Enigma. This is a continuation of JJ and Jo’s life and foray into Magnolia Bluff, Texas. This is a year or so later, and JJ and Jo are celebrating their one year anniversary. They decided to revisit Magnolia Bluff and Flower B&B. A lot has happened in this town, and the young women they rescued in the previous book are now living happier lives.

JJ and Jo have decided they want to purchase a vacation home in this little town. I can’t blame them; I want to live in this town too. However, purchasing the property can be a little bit tricky. Plus, there are signs of tampering. Why? What secrets does this property hold?

I feel bad that JJ and Jo never get to have a relaxing vacation when they visit Magnolia Bluff. They are thrust into helping to solve crimes. They do have some great sleuthing skills and are able to uncover information to assist the police in solving a few mysteries. Jo turns out to have a wicked backhand when handling a skillet. There are several scenes that made me laugh tied to that skillet.

While I had my suspicions about a character or two, I wasn’t sure why. There was just something off. Once all was revealed, it made a lot of sense.

I enjoyed all of the descriptions of the town and surrounding area. The descriptions were on point, and I could envision the scene in my mind. If it doesn’t make you want to travel to the Hill Country, I don’t know what will.

This story is full of rich characters, humor, and suspense. A nice addition to the Magnolia Bluff Chronicles series.

We give this book 4 paws up.

Charles Breakfield is a 25+ year technology expert in security, networking, voice, and anything digital. He enjoys writing, studying World War II history, travel, and cultural exchanges. He also enjoys wine tastings, wine-making, Harley riding, cooking extravaganzas, and woodworking.

Rox Burkey is a 25+ year applied technology professional who excels at optimizing technology and business investments for customers worldwide with a focus on optimized customer experiences. She writes white papers and documents with a marked preference for fiction.

Together they create award-winning stories that resonate with males and females, young and experienced adults, and bring a fresh new view to technology possibilities today.

Series Social Media

Website ◆ Facebook◆ Twitter ◆ YouTube

Rox Burkey Social Media

Website ◆ Twitter ◆ Facebook ◆ Goodreads ◆ BookBub

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

THREE WINNERS:

1^st: $25 Amazon gift card

2^nd & 3^rd: eBook bundles of first 18 books in the series

(US only; ends midnight, CST, 12/8/23)

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page

For direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily,

or visit the blogs directly:

11/27/23	Boys’ Mom Reads	10 Million Ways to Die	Review
11/27/23	Reading by Moonlight	Death Wears a Crimson Hat	Review
11/27/23	Hall Ways	Series Spotlight
11/28/23	The Plain-Spoken Pen	Death in the Absence of Rain	Review
11/28/23	StoreyBook Reviews	Eulogy in Black and White	Review
11/28/23	LSBBT Blog	Series Spotlight
11/29/23	Forgotten Winds	The Great Peanut Butter Conspiracy	Review
11/29/23	Carpe Diem Chronicles	Only the Good Die Young	Spotlight
11/29/23	It’s Not All Gravy	When Bad Things Happen to Good Mice	Review
11/30/23	Rox Burkey Blog	You Won’t Know How. . .or When	Review
12/01/23	StoreyBook Reviews	The Flower Enigma	Review
12/01/23	Writing and Music	The Killer Enigma	Review
12/02/23	Reading by Moonlight	Men Lying Dead in a Field	Spotlight
12/02/23	The Clueless Gent	The Shine from a Girl in the Lake	Review
12/03/23	Jennie Reads	The Dewey Decimal Dilemma	Review
12/03/23	Forgotten Winds	The Dog Gone Diamond Dilemma	Review
12/04/23	Chapter Break Blog	Justice	Spotlight
12/04/23	The Plain-Spoken Pen	Bye Baby Bye	Review
12/05/23	Shelf Life Blog	Texas Summers are Murder	Sneak Peek
12/05/23	The Book’s Delight	Born and Bred Texan	Review
12/06/23	It’s Not All Gravy	Who Killed Lilly Paine?	Review
12/07/23	Hall Ways	Second Chances	Review
12/08/23	The Page Unbound	A Chance of a Ghost	Sneak Peek

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Guest Post & #Giveaway – Spiked Punch by Lesley A. Diehl #cozy #mystery

Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, Guest Post, mystery on November 29, 2023

Spiked Punch (Maddie Sparks Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Upstate New York
Camel Press (November 14, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 248 pages

Synopsis

On the other side of seventy, Maddie Sparks decides to spice up her life by changing her writing interests from cozy mysteries to romance. She also determines her appearance should reflect this transformation in her writing career. A sassy new haircut and more fashionable clothes complete the newer Maddie Sparks. Before she can begin this new chapter in her life, a stabbing death in the quiet country village she has made her home shocks the town’s residents.

When her son is accused of the murder, Maddie and the acting county sheriff come together to find the real killer. Their relationship soon blooms into more than one of shared determination to solve the murder. As they enjoy a hike in a nearby park, someone shoots the sheriff, barely missing Maddie. Another killer could be loose in the area, and the person may be closer to Maddie than she realizes. Maddie discovers parts of herself she didn’t know existed: real life romance with the sheriff, a talent for sleuthing and room in her life for a fuzzy, orange cat named “Spike.” This recent lease on life may be more exciting and more dangerous than Maddie expects.

Amazon * B&N * Kobo

Guest Post

Why I love cozy mysteries

Lesley A. Diehl

Cozy mysteries are almost part of my DNA. I began reading the genre in grade school when I discovered Nancy Drew and the Dana girls as well as Cherry Ames. These tales were not labeled as cozies, but that is what we’d call them today. They subscribe to the same guidelines of our contemporary cozy mystery. I graduated from these books, mainly written for a younger audience to Agatha Christie who employed the same approach to the mystery story. But what about them captures my attention?

There are three aspects of the cozy mystery that appeal to me: the characters, the setting, and the puzzle.

Characters, characters, characters

Some argue that cozy mysteries are character driven, but that’s not the entire story. It’s the kind of characters that inhabit the cozy mystery that is significant. Readers often find themselves in the cozy protagonist. She is usually a female, someone whom we feel we know immediately, a friend, a relative, maybe ourselves. We admire her because she has courage. She takes the kind of action we might wish we could take. She’s curious and possesses the ability to ask snoopy questions without overly offending people who might have something to hide. The reader trusts her and understands that so do the people she interacts with. While she might trespass on territory that is dangerous, she is smart enough to finagle her way out of tight situations. She’s a brilliant detective without the license or the uniform.

She has friends and family who love and support her, sometimes not without reservations. The author usually provides an entire cast of characters we want to know better. The villain is usually someone who is also part of the community in which the protagonist lives. Along with the protagonist, readers find reasons to trust as well as doubt all the suspects in the story.

The characters in a cozy mystery are reasonable, i.e., people like those you already know, no superheroes, serial murderers, corporate executives and usually no high-ranking politicians. They are just folks you live among, the mayor, a librarian, a teacher, business owner, retiree next door, e.g., folks from a community setting or people who have reason to come into that setting.

A small place

It doesn’t have to be a village, but cozy mysteries are usually set in a small geographical area that is defined by the people living within it having knowledge and interaction with each other. It could be, for example, a neighborhood in a larger city. The setting allows the protagonist access to sources of information and individuals known to her. People talk with those they know and reveal by way of body language and seemingly unimportant information, evidence pertinent to solving a murder.

If writing a cozy mystery series, the writer must find a way to bring characters into the setting in order to provide likely suspects. For example, the town might be a seasonal tourist attraction, or a community close to a city where those working in the city live. Venues close to the community like museums, festivals, and summer playhouses provide settings for community members to mingle with those outside their area, an opportunity for murder or for a murderer less intimately attached to the community. Another way writers handle an overabundance of murders in a small village is to move one of the books in the series to a new location, e.g., a vacation spot, for a few weeks or longer.

I like to take places where I’ve lived and make them the basis for a setting. All of these locales have been small towns. I prefer to change aspects of the community such as street layouts, names of businesses and town names so I can freely play with where events occur in the village.

Who did it?

I love writing and reading cozy mysteries because the puzzle, whodunit, is cognitively fascinating. Along with the protagonist being someone like the reader, the protagonist shows her intellectual faculties by lacing clues together to finally reveal the killer. It’s challenging, it’s fun, and it keeps the reader’s mind sharp. The reader becomes a kind of silent partner with the protagonist, sometimes seeing a clue before she does, sometimes missing the significance of it altogether and usually being happily surprised when the protagonist makes whole all those pieces of information spread tantalizingly throughout the book.

Solving the crime is much more satisfying than doing a crossword or other word puzzle because the clues and the solution have both emotional and cognitive context. Satisfied you saw that clue and what it meant in determining the identity of the killer? Or did you miss that one? What a clever gal our protagonist is to see the lie for what it was. In the cozy mystery the reader cheers for the protagonist when she uncovers the killer. And she always uncovers the killer. The world of the cozy mystery is a just world where satisfaction is emotional, intellectual and legal. It’s the kind of world we need to live in if only in the escape of the novel.

In essence the cozy mystery leaves the reader with a sense of things being set right. These mysteries are a pleasure to read as well as a pleasure to write. Add a bit of humor as I do in Spiked Punch and there’s the added delight of a good laugh along the way. So sit back with a cuppa and enjoy the read!

About the Author

Cows, Lesley learned growing up on a farm, have a twisted sense of humor. They chased her when she went to the field to herd them in for milking, and one ate the lovely red mitten her grandmother knitted for her. Determining that agriculture wasn’t a good career choice, instead, she uses her country roots and her training as a psychologist to concoct stories designed to make people laugh in the face of murder. “A good chuckle,” says Lesley,” keeps us emotionally well-oiled long into our old age.” She is the author of the Eve Appel mysteries from Camel Press, as well as several cozy mystery series and numerous short stories.

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Review & #Giveaway – Eulogy in Black and White by Caleb Pirtle #lonestarlit #lsbbt #mystery #TexasAuthor #TexasBook #TheUndergroundAuthors

Posted in 4 paws, Cozy, Giveaway, mystery, Review on November 28, 2023

MAGNOLIA BLUFF

CRIME CHRONICLES

Seasons 1 & 2

by

The Underground Authors

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Season three of The Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles begins in January 2024. Stay tuned.

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Death Stalks a Small Town.

Magnolia Bluff waits.
With apprehension.
With dread.
With terror.
May twenty-third is coming.
Somebody always dies on May twenty-third.
Why?
No one knows.
A killer walks in the shadows.
The killer is ready to strike again.

Amazon

This mystery is a little different from other books that I have read. The protagonist, Graham Huston, is a man of few words, and it is evident from his writings and his speech. He doesn’t believe in using flowery language to describe anything. He writes in short, concise sentences, yet he gets his message across. Scattershot journalism is how they refer to it in the book. It is almost like reading poetry with short sentences. However, at the same time, the story feels jerky, at least until you get used to the author’s writing style. I have seen some refer to it as bullet prose; they wouldn’t be wrong.

Graham is a man with a troubled past. It takes us some time to learn why he has come to Magnolia Bluff. Once we do learn these facts, we can feel the weight on his shoulders and the burden he has been carrying. He didn’t plan to stay in town, but a job cleaning in the newspaper office led to his investigation into the May Twenty Third killings. Who is killing these people? What is the connection? And, of course, who is doing the killing? The answer will surprise you.

I enjoyed trying to decipher the clues along with Graham. There aren’t many until he stumbles across the final clue to close the case. Once I gleaned enough information, I started to suspect one person. Of course, I was wrong, but for another reason. However, the clues didn’t end there, and while I suspected what that last clue might be, I wasn’t 100% sure it was the right answer.

I found the characters engaging. They were all typical of a small town, but that isn’t a bad thing. Everyone knows everyone else’s business, so watch what you do, or you will end up in the paper!

At the end of the day, there was justice and peace for those who needed it.

I have wanted to read this series for some time. This is the second book in the series, but you don’t need to read them in order, but it might help. I’ll let you know once I work my way through the rest. We give this book 4 paws up.

Caleb Pirtle III was the author of more than eighty books. Pirtle was a graduate of The University of Texas in Austin and became the first student at the university to win the National William Randolph Hearst Award for feature writing. Several of his books and his magazine writing have received national and regional awards.

Pirtle was a newspaper reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and served ten years as the travel editor for Southern Living Magazine. He was editorial director for a Dallas custom publisher for more than twenty-five years. Pirtle passed away in August, 2023.

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2^nd & 3^rd: eBook bundles of first 18 books in the series

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Visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page

For direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily,

or visit the blogs directly:

11/27/23	Boys’ Mom Reads	10 Million Ways to Die	Review
11/27/23	Reading by Moonlight	Death Wears a Crimson Hat	Review
11/27/23	Hall Ways	Series Spotlight
11/28/23	The Plain-Spoken Pen	Death in the Absence of Rain	Review
11/28/23	StoreyBook Reviews	Eulogy in Black and White	Review
11/28/23	LSBBT Blog	Series Spotlight
11/29/23	Forgotten Winds	The Great Peanut Butter Conspiracy	Review
11/29/23	Carpe Diem Chronicles	Only the Good Die Young	Spotlight
11/29/23	It’s Not All Gravy	When Bad Things Happen to Good Mice	Review
11/30/23	Rox Burkey Blog	You Won’t Know How. . .or When	Review
12/01/23	StoreyBook Reviews	The Flower Enigma	Review
12/01/23	Writing and Music	The Killer Enigma	Review
12/02/23	Reading by Moonlight	Men Lying Dead in a Field	Spotlight
12/02/23	The Clueless Gent	The Shine from a Girl in the Lake	Review
12/03/23	Jennie Reads	The Dewey Decimal Dilemma	Review
12/03/23	Forgotten Winds	The Dog Gone Diamond Dilemma	Review
12/04/23	Chapter Break Blog	Justice	Spotlight
12/04/23	The Plain-Spoken Pen	Bye Baby Bye	Review
12/05/23	Shelf Life Blog	Texas Summers are Murder	Sneak Peek
12/05/23	The Book’s Delight	Born and Bred Texan	Review
12/06/23	It’s Not All Gravy	Who Killed Lilly Paine?	Review
12/07/23	Hall Ways	Second Chances	Review
12/08/23	The Page Unbound	A Chance of a Ghost	Sneak Peek

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Guest Post & #Giveaway – Crime and Parchment by Daphne Silver #cozy #mystery #excerpt

Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, Guest Post, mystery on November 28, 2023

Crime and Parchment: A Rare Books Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Fictional town of Rose Mallow, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay
Level Best Books (November 21, 2023)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 226 pages

Synopsis

Rare books librarian Juniper Blume knows this much… an ancient Celtic manuscript shouldn’t be in a Maryland cemetery. But that’s exactly what her brother-in-law claims.

Last year, Juniper saw the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells in Ireland. She learned how their bejeweled covers were stolen centuries ago, never to be seen again. So how could they have ended up in Rose Mallow, a small Chesapeake Bay town? Being Jewish, the Book of Kells might not be her sacred text, but as a rare books librarian, the ancient book is still sacred to her, making it important to Juniper to find out the truth.

Rose Mallow is the same place where Juniper used to summer with her sister Azalea and their grandmother Zinnia, known as Nana Z. Ever since Nana Z passed away, Juniper’s avoided returning, but her curiosity is greater than her grief, so she heads down in her vintage convertible with her rescue dog Clover.

Juniper discovers that her sister Azalea has transformed their grandmother’s Queen Anne style mansion into the Wildflower Inn, backing up to the Chesapeake Bay. Although Juniper isn’t much of a cook, Azalea has kept their grandmother’s legacy alive, filling the house with the smells of East European Jewish treats, like sweet kugels and tzimmes cake. Will coming back here feel like returning home or fill Juniper with a deeper sorrow? Can she apologize to her sister for not being there when she was needed most?

Amazon

Excerpt

My 1965, robin’s egg blue convertible backfired as I parked in front of the Wildflower Inn. The noise set off Clover barking in the backseat. Not exactly the quiet homecoming I’d hoped for. I jumped out of my Karmann-Ghia – or “KG” as I’d nicknamed her – to check under the hood, hoping I wouldn’t need to get the roadster serviced yet again. No idea where that money would come from.

A screaming, ranting madwoman poured out of a neighboring house. Maybe in her late seventies, she brandished a large umbrella. I dropped the hood to find the umbrella pointing at me. Clover – all twenty pounds of him – jumped out and started growling.

“Easy, boy,” I said.

“You shoot something off, Missy? Here to cause trouble? Because I’m on the board of the Friends of the Rose Mallow Police.” the woman said. She wore a perfectly fitted Mamie Eisenhower pink skirt suit with enormous pearls – straight out of the 1950s. Her white bouffant billowed around her head. She reminded me of a researcher I’d helped earlier that day at the Library of Congress. That woman had been a murder mystery author looking for books about early detectives. This woman looked like she wanted to murder someone – namely me.

Guest Post

Inspiration Unveiled: The Real Towns Crime and Parchment

In my new cozy mystery Crime and Parchment, everything takes place in the fictional town of Rose Mallow, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. I thought it’d be fun to share two of the real towns that inspired the creation of Rose Mallow: North Beach and Chesapeake Beach. While the towns are connected by a boardwalk along the west coast of the Chesapeake Bay, each has its own flavor and style.

North Beach features a great boardwalk, charming homes, quaint stores, and even a cute town park. Although it’s only about an hour south of Washington, DC, it feels like worlds away being on the water. I particularly love the small beach for kids to play and explore in the Bay itself.

Just down the boardwalk is the sister town of Chesapeake Beach. Once upon a time, this was a resort town for people escaping the heat and humidity of Washington, DC in the summer. The Chesapeake Beach Railway brought visitors to enjoy the water, grand hotels, amusement parks, and other summer escapes.

Several majestic houses back directly to the boardwalk that connects the two towns. These beautiful historic homes provided me with the inspiration for the Wildflower Inn in Crime and Parchment. Many of the houses are older ones, including several dating back over a hundred years. Some are Queen Anne style like the Wildflower Inn, while others are smaller summer cottage types. I’d be happy to stay in either, but which would you prefer?

I hope you can tell why these two towns are some of my favorite places, not just in Maryland but anywhere. Both are full of history and character, along with that gorgeous waterfront. What are some of your favorite places to visit? Are any near you?

About the Author

Daphne Silver is the author of the Rare Books Cozy Mystery series. She’s worked more than twenty years in museums and has the great fortune of being married to a librarian. When she’s not writing, she’s drawing and painting. She lives in Maryland with her family. Although she’s not much of a baker, she won’t ever turn down a sweet lokshen kugel.

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#Mystery Spotlight & #Giveaway – Cry Wolf by Lark O. Jensen #cozy

Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, mystery, Spotlight on November 21, 2023

Cry Wolf (An Alaska Untamed Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Alaska
Crooked Lane Books (November 7, 2023)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages

Synopsis

Perfect for fans of Paige Shelton, an Alaskan tour guide is bracing for winter when she realizes that the wolves aren’t the only predators on the prowl.

With boat tours off the coast of Alaska shut down for the winter, tour guide Stacie Calder is joining the dedicated team at the Juneau Wildlife World, a wild animal sanctuary. Along with Sasha, her husky companion, she’s prepared to spend the long season in the scenic park. But not everyone is so chipper about the newcomers—least of all, Stacie’s new manager, Oliver Brownling. He constantly gives Stacie a hard time, specifically because she brought Sasha along with her. That is, until his mauled body is found in a remote part of the sanctuary containing wolves.

When it becomes clear that a human was responsible for the brutal murder, all eyes are on Stacie. Encouraged by her friend, Officer Liam Amaruq of the Alaskan State Troopers, Stacie is resolved to find the murderer but knows that her investigation will be difficult with the long suspect list she’s made. Did the sanctuary director plot to get rid of Oliver? Or maybe it was one of Oliver’s coworkers, upset over a missed promotion? Stacie wonders about some of the newer employees, especially since Oliver’s personality made it easy to make enemies.

With the weather worsening, Stacie and Sasha are forced to stay at the sanctuary with the wolves—and her colleagues. As the storm gets worse, it’s clear that this killer has a taste for blood and may strike again. Will Stacie be able to find the murderer, or will the hunter become the hunted?

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Crooked Lane Books

About the Author

Lark O. Jensen is the pseudonym of Linda O. Johnston, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer. Lark wrote Bear Witness, the first Alaska Untamed mystery for Crooked Lane Books, in 2022, and the second in the series, Cry Wolf, has just been published. Linda has also written the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series, the Superstition Mysteries for Midnight Ink, the Pet Rescue Mysteries, and Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime. Linda additionally writes for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, and her stories often involve dogs.

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#Mystery Spotlight & #Giveaway – Under the Cocoon Moon by Kathleen Bailey #cozy

Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, mystery, Spotlight on November 19, 2023

Under the Cocoon Moon: An Olivia Penn Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Virginia
Rhino Publishing LLC (November 7, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 394 pages

Synopsis

A dead body in the woods … A rare sapphire is missing … The connection changes her life forever.

Olivia Penn is looking forward to spending time with her friends and family over the holidays in her hometown of Apple Station, Virginia. The Christmas season’s spirit has sparked a new romance, and all is looking merry and bright, until she is mistaken for a dead woman.

When a stranger makes a wild accusation involving the parents of the man she’s falling for, Olivia faces a no-win situation. As evidence mounts supporting the claim, a mysterious murder occurs near his father’s cabin that attracts the attention of the FBI. Wedged between mother and son, Olivia investigates to clear his family’s name while matching wits with a legendary thief.

With the clock ticking, Olivia must set a trap using herself as the bait or the killer may disappear without a trace. Her new love hangs in the balance, and her life is on the line. Justice will hinge on sixty minutes and a phone call.

Will the call be answered? Or will the thief recover the sapphire and silence her forever?

If you like Clue, Nancy Drew, and small town, cozy mysteries with heart and humor, a charming cast of characters, and a twisty plot, you’ll love Under the Cocoon Moon, the third book in The Olivia Penn Mystery Series.

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About the Author

Kathleen Bailey is the award-winning author of The Olivia Penn Mystery Series. She writes mysteries with heart and humor that keep to the traditional and cozy sides of crime. Kathleen has degrees in English, psychology, and physical therapy. She previously worked as a pediatric physical therapist for over twenty years with children who have special needs. She now spends her days plotting and sleuthing in Virginia where she lives with her husband and adorable feline fur baby. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the James River Writers.

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