Synopsis

 

When a dead body is discovered lying barefoot in a restaurant parking lot, detectives Angela White and Paul Conley are called in to investigate the strange and disturbing crime. The victim turns out to be Jay Sharma, the hotshot CEO of a famed AI company and tech powerhouse. Jay’s distraught wife can’t imagine who could want to kill him. But the deeper White and Conley wade into the evidence, the longer the suspect list grows.

The detectives soon come face-to-face with the dark and sordid world that lies just under Silicon Valley’s polished and pristine exterior. From jealous ex-lovers to rival tech giants, Jay has created powerful enemies, all of whom would be happy to see him dead–and all of whom have solid alibis.

White and Conley hit dead end after dead end. And when blackmail schemes and copycat murders come into play, finding Jay’s killer becomes increasingly more urgent. Can they catch a break, or will a murderer go free in Silicon Valley?

 

 

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Read for free via Kindle Unlimited

 

 

Review

 

When Jay is found dead in a parking lot, the police investigate but are thwarted at nearly every turn. Nearly every suspect or witness is omitting facts and derailing the investigation into his death. Then others start dying. Is this the work of a serial killer? A copycat? Will they be able to figure out who killed this man? There are several storylines to follow throughout this novel.

I thought the author did a good job of hiding the killer because I certainly didn’t expect the outcome. Of course, when you don’t have all of the facts because all of the characters are lying, well it would be hard for anyone to do their job. But I think that is what made the story interesting because we don’t have all the facts and those facts are slowly revealed throughout the book.

I was surprised that once the killer was revealed that did not end the story. There was MORE! The last 10% definitely had some twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting. Let’s just say that everyone got what was coming to them in the end.

I could see this turning into a series featuring the detectives White and Conley. Although, a revelation at the end would make that not possible unless something changes. Or perhaps it would just mean a new path for the detectives. I enjoyed their banter and friendship and I think that interaction made them a stronger team.

If you like mysteries with twists, definitely give this book a whirl. We give it 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Vineet is a tech professional by day and has been a lifelong fan of mysteries, be it in books or on screen. He enjoys writing and creating a world of suspense that leaves his readers guessing until the end. With his debut novel, Barefoot in the Parking Lot, and the follow-up short story, The Stick, he has fulfilled his dream of becoming a published author. He lives in San Jose, California with his wife and twin boys and hopes to keep writing for years to come.

 

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Synopsis

 

Jews being Jewish: that’s the subject of Jennifer Anne Moses’s new collection of short stories. Whether in Tel Aviv, suburban New Jersey, or the Deep South, the characters who populate the pages of The Man Who Loved His Wife grapple with God, their loved ones, fate, death, hope, Hitler, transcendence, and the 4000 year old history of Judaism. With a Yiddish sensibility born of passion, an eye for detail, and a deadpan sense of humor reminiscent of Singer, Salinger, and Tillie Olsen, Moses captures singularly Jewish and wholly human characters as they live and breathe through their stories. A secular Israeli loses his son twice, first to ultra-Orthodoxy and then to war. An elderly survivor of Nazism living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, believes his dog to be the reincarnation of his long-dead sister. Meanwhile, in Queens, an adolescent boy mistakes love for magic and brings his family to the brink of catastrophe. Lovely, tender, and hard to put down, these are short stories that leave you yearning for more.

 

 

B&N * Amazon * BAM

 

 

 

Praise

 

Few others writing today explore as profoundly the stress of childhood, adolescence, and parenthood on the second and third generations of East European immigrants—the Jewish family in its American incarnation—as Jennifer Anne Moses. — Sol Gittelman, author of From Shtetl to Suburbia: The family in Jewish literary imagination.

At their finest the stories in Jennifer Anne Moses’s The Man Who Loved His Wife have the wit, whimsy, and surreal wonder of Chagall paintings—but a dark, depraved Chagall whose angels are as deeply flawed as they are grittily earthbound. — Peter Selgin, author of Drowning Lessons and The Inventors.

The wonderful stories in Jennifer Anne Moses’s The Man Who Loved His Wife play the heartstrings like a harp, striking deep chords of pathos and passion to wild chords of hilarity. Seldom does such essential wisdom come in such an entertaining package. — Steve Stern, author of The Frozen Rabbi.

Jennifer Anne Moses is our century’s Bernard Malumud or Saul Bellow. With warmth, tenderness, and wit, she captures the essence of the modern Jewish experience in the family, the workplace, and the bedroom. It leaves you hungry for more. — Gabrielle Glaser, author of American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption

 

 

Review

 

I always enjoy reading a book about a culture that I know little about. This book shares insight into the Jewish community, their history, and their way of life. But these are also stories of what everyday people experience and you might find yourself in the same situation or know someone that had these experiences. These stories are real life and I think that anyone would be able to relate or even identify with the various characters and their situations.

These stories also bring out a range of emotions for the reader. I felt joy, sadness, sorrow, and even a little anger. This is the mark of a good book in my mind when it touches many of the emotions and drags the reader into the story and the well-being of the characters.

We give the book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Jennifer Anne Moses is a multi-genre author whose books include Food and Whine, The Book of Joshua, Bagels and Grits, Visiting Hours, Tales from My Closet, and The Art of Dumpster Diving. The Man Who Loved His Wife is her first collection of short stories. Her essays and short stories have been widely published and anthologized. She’s also a painter. She is the mother of three grown children, and lives in Montclair, NJ, with her husband of more than three decades and their two bad dogs.

 

Website

 

 

 

 

A Glimmer of a Clue (A Fairy Garden Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Publisher: Kensington (June 29, 2021)
Paperback: 336 pages

 

Synopsis

 

Courtney Kelly has a shop full of delights, a cat named Pixie, a green thumb—and a magical touch when it comes to garden design. But in Carmel-by-the-Sea, things aren’t all sweetness and fairy lights . . .

 

When Courtney’s friend Wanda gets into a ponytail-pulling wrestling match in public with a nasty local art critic, Courtney stops the fight with the help of a garden hose. But Lana Lamar has a talent for escalating things and creating tension, which she succeeds in doing by threatening a lawsuit, getting into yet another scuffle—in the midst of an elegant fundraiser, no less—and lobbing insults around like pickleballs.

 

Next thing Courtney knows, Lana is on the floor, stabbed with a decorative letter opener from one of Courtney’s fairy gardens, and Wanda is standing by asking “What have I done?” But the answer may not be as obvious as it seems, since Wanda is prone to sleepwalking and appears to be in a daze. Could she have risen from her nap and committed murder while unconscious? Or is the guilty party someone else Lana’s ticked off, like her long-suffering husband? To find out, Courtney will have to dig up some dirt . . .

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo

 

Bookshop * Indiebound * Mysterious Galaxy

 

Murder by the Book * Target * Kensington Books

 

 

About the Author

 

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

 

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Giveaway

 

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EL PASO SUNRISE

 

& EL PASO SUNSET

 

by Louis Bodnar

 

 

Publisher: Morgan James Fiction

 

Pub Date: September 24th, 2019 | January 5th, 2021

 

Pages: 292 | 238

 

Categories: Thriller / Terrorism / Conspiracy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

El Paso Sunrise

 

From a Constitutional Republic to a Marxist Dictatorship led by a Muslim President in a Second American Civil War 

“Kill him,” the gravelly voice said on the speaker to the cream of the Russian and Muslim terrorist assassination squad infiltrating America from Canada and on their way to El Paso to kill lawyer Steven Vandorol.  Steven was leading the Texas prosecution of Federal government corruption and with national implications before the fall presidential election.

El Paso Sunrise is the first of two stand-alone novels that together tell a grand story of love, passion, intense hate, violence and horror all brought keenly alive against the intentional radical transformation of America in a Second American Civil War by progressives, Muslim radicals and the American Left from a Constitutional Republic.  It is also a portrayal of a future with the literal choking of Canada, Great Britain, Europe, the Middle East, particularly the sovereign State of Israel by Islamist radicals, ISIL, Hezbollah, Hamas and the spreading cancerous malignancy of a worldwide Muslim Caliphate.

Steven Vandorol had it all but lost everything when he fell hard from grace in the ultra-rich Sunbelt.  Escaping to Washington, D.C., he found himself embroiled in evil, corruption, sexual obsession and addiction but, confronting his own demons, found peace and serenity in El Paso.

Then stunning Vanessa Carson, Steven’s attorney friend and confidant amid the evil of D.C. brings her sunshine smile back into his life in El Paso and together as one, face their worst nightmares or rape, kidnapping and murder during the ultimate crises of a second American civil war started by powerful forces and only Steven and Vanessa stand in their way . . .

While El Paso Sunrise is a graphic story of evil in this world, it is also a timeless love story about goodness, faith, grace and friendship blossoming during a national emergency — a clarion call to the world to remember what truly matters — asking the question . . .

Can Steven force his own country and government to face their own demons before it’s too late?

 

 

 *LouisBodnar |Amazon | Barnes and Noble

 

 

El Paso Sunset

 

Within El Paso Sunset, Steven and his friend, Vanessa Carson, face their worst nightmare of rape, kidnapping, and murder during the ultimate crisis of a Second American Civil War started by dark, sinister, and shadowy forces and only Steven and Vanessa stand in the way. El Paso Sunset is the second and continuation of two stand-alone novels that together make a story of love, passion, obsession, intense hate, pure evil, violence, and horror, all brought keenly alive against the panorama of the radical transformation of the great American Constitutional Republic.

 

 

*Louis Bodnar | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

 

*Special Discount if you buy both books through Louis Bodnar’s Website

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE, PART ONE FROM

 

EL PASO SUNSET

 

BY LOUIS BODNAR

 

 

She was parked on the corner of Wilmot and Parkland Street in the west El Paso Walmart Supercenter parking lot. It was packed with almost a thousand cars of all shapes, sizes, and colors, but the majority were white, the norm in El Paso as citizens sought that color’s protection against the burning sun.

It was early afternoon in the unusually hot late December day. People were coming and going, shopping for New Year’s Day festivities and imminent football-watching parties.

Her targets were in a neighborhood three blocks away. She had scouted the home and the neighborhood near Coronado High School several times in the evenings. She was ready to carry out her assignment as a professional who did all her jobs very well. She enjoyed her work immensely and derived great satisfaction from it. She was a killer.

She was in a nondescript white Nissan Sentra with darkly tinted windows, gray interior, its engine idling, and the air conditioning on full blast—right in the middle of the parking lot next to cars almost identical to hers. She glanced at the car’s digital clock. 1:10 p.m. It was time. She had allotted one hour for her job. She was a very thorough professional.

She turned off the engine, stepped out of the car, locked the doors, and started walking toward Wilmot Street.

She could have easily passed for a high school senior. Her long, dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore mirror-dark black sunglasses, their large lenses hiding most of her face, and a Dallas Cowboys hat. With no makeup on except for lip gloss, she was gorgeous. She wore a Coronado High School Thunderbird football jersey, sweatpants, and black Nike running shoes. A 9mm Beretta M9 semiautomatic, with silencer, was tucked against the small of her back on a belt, hidden by the jersey.

She also had a North Face backpack containing a nylon face mask, lip gloss, surgical gloves, and two extra clips of ammo. She was ready and getting a little excited as she always did before an assignment.

The sun was straight up in the sky, brilliant and white hot. Its glare made it hard to see in the burning haze.

She slowly walked across the parking lot, passing cars radiating and reflecting the sun. She couldn’t ignore the acrid smell of hot asphalt and gasoline. She seemed to be walking in a sun-city hell until she reached Wilmot Street. Looking both ways, she saw no cars coming, so she walked across to Parkland Street. She walked slowly to the right and continued down the block. All appeared deserted except for an occasional tricycle or other toys in the driveways. No one was braving the oppressive midday heat.

These streets had large, well-kept homes with long driveways and sprawling, landscaped lawns filled with desert plants, succulents, and silvery rock, which was, again, the norm in El Paso. Mesquite and acacia trees, plentiful all-around, gave shady respite from the searing sun.

The homes were large, mostly white and gray stucco with large windows, many with boxlike sun-reflecting awnings. Spanish modern architecture was prevalent in this expensive and ostentatious part of west El Paso.

She casually turned up on Vista del Sol and walked to number 1055, her final destination. She stopped and looked all around, turning slowly and scanning the nearby homes and the entire neighborhood. She checked the mailbox, opening it with the back of her hand. The mail had apparently been delivered as the box had a few envelopes. As she closed it back again the same way, she looked across the street. All window blinds were down. She could see the heat rising from the rooftops, the sun still blinding. She shaded her eyes to check again: all deserted, all garage doors down. She was completely alone.

She followed the cement walkway to the side of the house, took out the gloves from the backpack, put them on, and went through the gate to the backyard. As she closed the rough, cedar gate behind her, she noticed the backyard was completely surrounded by an eight-foot privacy wooden fence.

The backyard was large and ran the entire length of the house. It had two large, old elm trees that canopied most of the yard, lowering the temperature by twenty degrees at least. The landscaping was exquisite, with brick flower beds full of succulents and cacti, all professionally arranged. A huge rainbow playset sat between the trees. With its plastic slides and swings and a wooden playhouse on top, she thought it was probably very expensive.

The patio was to the right and was covered with a huge Sunshade retractable awning. She also noticed a massive built-in barbeque grill, two tables, chairs, two chaise lounges, and a small, plastic kiddie pool half full of water.

She walked to the glass patio doors, which had heavy, light tan curtains drawn, and tried the sliding glass door. It was unlocked, so she slid it open. All was dark and cool inside. She stepped in and was shrouded by the curtain. She stood behind it and waited. She knew no one was home. After a few seconds, she backed to an opening and was inside the family den.

She took out the sheer nylon mask, hesitated a moment, then put it back in the backpack. I won’t be needing a mask, she thought and smiled. She walked into the kitchen. Getting a glass from a cabinet, she filled it with water from the dispenser on the fridge, opened the door, got out a pear, and sat down on a bar stool. She took out the Beretta, tightened the screw-on silencer, chambered a round, put the weapon on the counter, took a drink, bit into the pear, and chewed as she waited.

 

Starting 6/27/21, click to continue reading chapter one on Chapter Break Book Blog

 

 

 

 

Louis Bodnar is a retired attorney currently living in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, with his wife Joan.  As a naturalized American citizen, he was born in Vilshofen, Germany, immigrated to Brazil with his mother and brother, and came to America in 1958.

He was educated in the United States in Oklahoma, receiving an undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma, and was a candidate for an LLM in International and Comparative Law at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.

 

Website | Amazon | Facebook | Twitter

 

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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

 

ONE WINNER receives autographed copies of the two-volume set of the El Paso books.

 

(US only; ends midnight, CDT, July 2, 2021)

 

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

 

 

 

Visit the  Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page

for direct links to participating blogs, updated daily,

or visit the blogs directly

 

 

6/22/21	Excerpt Book One	Texas Book Lover
6/22/21	BONUS Promo	LSBBT Blog
6/23/21	Review Book One	Forgotten Winds
6/24/21	Guest Post	It’s Not All Gravy
6/25/21	Dual Review	Bibliotica
6/26/21	Excerpt Book Two	StoreyBook Reviews
6/27/21	Excerpt Book Two	Chapter Break Book Blog
6/28/21	Review Book Two	The Clueless Gent
6/29/21	Author Interview	Hall Ways Blog
6/30/21	Dual Review	Reading by Moonlight
7/1/21	Series Spotlight	Missus Gonzo

 

 

 

 

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Maxed Out (The Owl’s Nest Mysteries)

 

by C.S. McDonald

​Adult Fiction, 184 pages

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Publisher: McWriter Books

 

 

Synopsis

 

The Owl’s Nest Couturier Shoppe is a huge success! Business is booming and Alexa Owl’s love life is heating up. Yet much to the seamstress’s dismay, Detective Bobby Starr is suddenly back again! Bobby isn’t your everyday gumshoe. Rather, he’s an angel who’s trying to earn a place in Saint Peter’s Guardian Angel Squad. He’s required to solve murders he had left unsettled from when he walked the earth in order to be accepted into this prestigious group. Of course, they will need to return to the time period in which the murder took place, and again, Alexa is a reluctant time traveler. Oh, and there’s one more little problem—this time, Bobby’s brought along a friend, Maxi Krogen, and she’s no angel!

 

 

Amazon * B&N

 

 

Review

 

Alexa is back helping Angel Squad wannabee, Bobby Starr, solve a murder. This is actually the second of three that Bobby has to solve to be admitted to Saint Peter’s Angel Squad.

I really enjoy the time-slip with Alex traveling back to the 1950s to help search for clues and uncover the murderer. It helps that she can do some research on her computer in the present before being pulled into the past. I can only imagine how fascinating it would be to visit another time period, especially with the clothes considering Alexa’s chosen profession.

Alexa and Bobby are trying to figure out who killed Maxi’s husband that she was framed for and died in prison accused of his murder. The answer was definitely not one I saw coming and I don’t think there were many clues that would point the reader in that direction. However, Maxi was not a nice ghost. She was rude, mean, and manipulative. What happens to her once the truth is uncovered was also a bit surprising.

Alexa’s romance with Cliff continues in this book. They seem like a good couple but their relationship is a very minor part of the storyline.  Perhaps in the next book, the author will expand upon that relationship.

All of the characters are fun, some are whimsical, and most are down to earth. There is a good balance and flow from Alexa’s story to the minor sub-plots with Winnie and Holden.

Knowing that Bobby has to solve three murders before becoming a part of the Angel Squad leaves me wondering if this will be a three book series only or if there will be more and Alex helps Bobby in his new duties if he makes the squad.

We give this book 4 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 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

 

 

Giveaway

 

 

Autographed copy of MAXED OUT, plus other gifts (USA only) (ends Jul 23)

 

MAXED OUT Book Tour Giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strangled by Simile (Chalkboard Outlines)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing (May 23, 2021)
Number of Pages 258

 

Synopsis

 

Southern transplant Emma Lovett and best friend/colleague Leslie Parker can hardly believe it: it’s Emma’s third year at Thomas Jefferson High School, and in addition to an amazing year with boyfriend Hunter Wells and Leslie’s brand-new love interest, they’ve gotten all the way through Homecoming with no one dying.

Oops.

At the end of October, Emma finds the strangled body of Charlie Foreman, one of Leslie’s favorite nemeses. And the first clue implicates Leslie in the crime! To make things worse, Emma’s feeling a little oogy: tired, dizzy, and something’s up with her eyes. What’s going on?

All Emma and Leslie are trying to do is find new methods for teaching the youth of America, hopefully using lessons from The Great Bard—their hero—William Shakespeare.

But someone has a different idea: more schooling in murder.

 

 

Amazon  – Kobo – B&N

 

 

 

About the Author

 

“Kelley Kaye” taught High School English and Drama since 1992 in California, then Colorado and now Cali again, but her love for storytelling dates back to creating captions in her high school yearbook. Maybe back to the tales she created for her Barbie and Ken—whatever the case, the love’s been around a long time. She’s married to an amazing man who cooks for her, and they have two funny and wonderful sons.

 

Website * Facebook * Twitter * BookBub * Amazon * Goodreads

 

 

Giveaway

 

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Framed and Frosted (Cupcake Catering Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher: Cinnamon & Sugar Press (June 22, 2021)
Number of Pages: 323

 

Synopsis

 

Framed and Frosted, the third book in the Cupcake Catering Mystery series, finds cupcake caterer, Emory Martinez, working at a Laguna Beach society Fourth of July soiree, with her sister and their new employee, Sal. With a host that seems intent on accosting both catering employees and guests alike, things go from bad to worse when he accuses Sal of murdering his long-dead son.

As the crescendo of exploding fireworks overhead becomes the backdrop for cupcakes and champagne, a deadly murder occurs. Can Sal and Emory explain why the cupcake the host ate, after shoving a trayful of buttercream frosted cupcakes onto Sal, resulted in his death? Or will the guests and detective alike believe that Sal is a murderer? Emory and her octogenarian employer, Tillie, whip into action to find out who framed Sal after being frosted by the victim.

Includes recipes!

 

 

Amazon

 

 

Review

 

Cupcakes are my second favorite dessert behind pie…but a very close second. So this series has me salivating at each page turn and I am dreaming of cupcakes at every turn.

Emory is a very likable protagonist and while she has been dealt a few blows, she bounces back. She is lucky to live with Tillie (Matilda to her son) and these two can get into a little bit of trouble as they show us in this book by working to solve the mysteries themselves. But if they hadn’t chosen to look into the murder then an innocent man would be in jail and who knows what other tragedies would have fallen upon Emory or her sister Carrie’s catering business.

This story does pack in a lot of sub-plots including a handsome young lawyer, a new police detective, Emory’s relationship with Randall, and the continued search for Emory and Carrie’s long-lost sister. Despite all of these other things happening in the book, they only add to the story and do not detract at all. I was amazed at how the author kept everything flowing smoothly and wove each story succinctly into the major plot.

The story does take a little bit from the headlines and mixes it in such as the racism towards the catering employee accused of murder. While this isn’t anything new, it does remind me of what we see happening in the world today.

This is a fantastic series so definitely give it a whirl but start with the first book to get a handle on all of the characters and the backstories of each. We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Kim Davis lives in Southern California with her husband. When she’s not spending time with her granddaughters she can be found either writing stories or working on her blog, Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder or in the kitchen baking up yummy treats.  She has published the suspense novel, A GAME OF DECEIT, and cozy mystery, SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION and CAKE POPPED OFF. She also has had several children’s articles published in Cricket, Nature Friend, Skipping Stones, and the Seed of Truth magazines. Kim Davis is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

 

Webpage * Facebook * Twitter * Blog * Goodreads * Pinterest

 

 

 

Giveaway

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Synopsis

 

Willy Cherrymill and his stepdaughter Lacey are deeply bruised by a past brimming with unanswered questions. It’s been thirty years since May DuBerry, Willy’s young wife and Lacey’s mother, abandoned them both leaving Willy to raise Lacey alone.

Lacey Cherrymill is smart, stubborn and focused. She’s also a single mother to a young daughter recently diagnosed with a devastating illness. The last thing she needs to think about right now is the betrayal that rocked her childhood. Reluctantly, she has returned to her rural beginnings, a former dairy farm in the Maryland countryside, and to Willy, a man steeped in his own disappointments and all the guilt that goes with them.

Together they will pool their wobbly emotional resources to take care of Tasha, all the while trying to skirt the issue of May’s mysterious disappearance. But try as she might, Lacey can’t leave it alone. Just where is May DuBerry Cherrymill and why did she leave them, and how is it that they have never talked about the wreckage she left behind?

 

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * IndieBound

 

Excerpt

 

“The stench of the burning leather seeps from the stove and Lacey has no choice but to breathe it in, recognizing that her mother’s secrets are now her own, that she has filled her lungs with the bitterness of it and the blood that courses her veins has oxygenated on a story that she alone bears the burden of, her heart pumping a tragedy through arteries, invading the threads of capillaries so that May’s story is both deep within Lacey and rising to flush her cheeks.”

–from A HAND TO HOLD IN DEEP WATER 

 

About the Author

 

Shawn Nocher (pronounced No-Shay’) is a mentee of Michael Glaser, Elise Levine, William Black, and Richard Bausch. Her compelling short stories have appeared in numerous literary magazines, including SmokeLong Quarterly, Pithead Chapel, Eunoia Review, and MoonPark Review, and she won an Honorable Mention from both SmokeLong Quarterly and Glimmer Train. Having graduated with an MA in writing from Johns Hopkins, Shawn is currently working there teaching Graduate Independent Studies and Fiction Workshops. She is also currently at work on her second novel, THE PRECIOUS JULES.

 

Author Website * Twitter * Instagram

 

 

 

Synopsis

 

Gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister is about to see the ugly side of beauty expos…

Easter weekend on the Jersey Shore is hopping. Poppy’s Bed and Breakfast is busier than ever, but she needs to leave things in the hopefully capable hands of Aunt Ginny–and paws of Figaro the black smoke Persian. She’s selling her paleo muffins and keto cookies at the Health and Beauty Expo in Cape May’s Convention Hall. Normally sharing a booth with the love of her life would be a treat, but she’s recently discovered secrets that throw her new romance into chaos.

But more secrets are about to be exposed at the expo. In his keynote address, prominent cosmetic surgeon Dr. Lance Rubin reveals his breakthrough anti-aging technology. Unfortunately, someone has one-upped him with a truly foolproof anti-aging formula: murder. With the plastic surgeon dead under his own UV mask, and bedlam reigning in the hall and back at the B&B, Poppy needs to follow a twisted trail marked by glowing footprints to unmask a killer…

 

 

This book releases June 29th, 2021. Available for pre-order now!

 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo

 

 

Review

 

This is such a fun series and I couldn’t wait until the next edition in Poppy’s story was available to us…ok, it hasn’t been released yet but many thanks to the author for sharing an early copy so I didn’t have to wait too long.

As we discovered at the end of the previous book, Wine Tastings are Murder, Poppy decided that Gia was the man for her over Tim. However, she was in for quite a surprise when she learned that Gia was still married and his wife has shown up to try and reconcile. This definitely creates tension between Gia and Poppy and we see that throughout the whole book and both parties aren’t 100% honest with each other and trust has to be earned. Thankfully, the situation is resolved in this book and doesn’t drag onto the next installment. You will have to read the book to find out how this comes to fruition and Gia and Poppy are able to truly move forward in their relationship.

To top things off, Gia and Poppy are running a booth within the Beauty Expo that has come to town featuring Poppy’s gluten-free items and Gia’s coffee beverages. However, even that does not run smoothly for him with Tim nursing hurt feelings over losing Poppy to Gia and Gigi trying to cast aspersions on Poppy’s Paleo items. Gigi is not a likable character and has never been but she seems to ratch it up a level in this book.

There is of course a murder or two to be solved. There are some twists I didn’t expect and just when you think you know who the bad guy is, a new clue or scenario appears which caused me to rethink my original thoughts. I didn’t figure out the killer and this person wasn’t on my radar. There are quite a few possibilities and all with legitimate reasons but not enough to kill anyone. To top it all off, Poppy works with a long-time rival, Amber, to help solve the crime. Amber is a police detective and has always been a thorn in Poppy’s side. The animosity between the two can be seen throughout the book, but Poppy rises above it to help her out of a jam. Will this change their “friendship?”

And then there is a side story regarding Poppy’s best friend, Sawyer. I wondered if she was getting into trouble but the truth came out and it was like a weight was lifted from Sawyer’s shoulders because she didn’t have to mislead Poppy. It is an awwww type of situation so don’t worry about it causing any rifts.

The snark is still there and Joanne is quite the character with a biting wit. Of course Aunt Ginny is still causing trouble and even Figaro (the cat) has a love interest in Portia, a show cat.

This is such a fun series and I recommend starting at the beginning to truly follow the personal stories of Poppy, Tim, Gia, Ginny, and the biddies.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Libby Klein graduated Lower Cape May Regional High School sometime in the ’80s. Her classes revolved mostly around the culinary sciences and theater, with the occasional nap in Chemistry. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that forced her to remove gluten from her kitchen and adopt a Paleo Diet. Now her life revolves around coffee and bacon. When she’s not feeling sorry for herself that she can’t eat bread, she writes from her Northern Virginia office while trying to keep her cat Figaro off her keyboard. Most of her hobbies revolve around eating, and travel, and eating while traveling.

 

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Synopsis

 

“In a feat of razor-sharp journalism, Zimberoff asks all the right questions about Silicon Valley’s hunger for a tech-driven food system. If you, like me, suspect they’re selling the sizzle more than the steak, read Technically Food for the real story.” —Dan Barber, the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Eating a veggie burger used to mean consuming a mushy, flavorless patty that you would never confuse with a beef burger. But now products from companies like Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Eat Just, and others that were once fringe players in the food space are dominating the media, menus in restaurants, and the refrigerated sections of our grocery stores. With the help of scientists working in futuristic labs––making milk without cows and eggs without chickens––start-ups are creating wholly new food categories. Real food is being replaced by high-tech.

Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley’s Mission to Change What We Eat by investigative reporter Larissa Zimberoff is the first comprehensive survey of the food companies at the forefront of this booming business. Zimberoff pokes holes in the mania behind today’s changing food landscape to uncover the origins of these mysterious foods and demystify them. These sometimes ultraprocessed and secretly produced foods are cheered by consumers and investors because many are plant-based—often vegan—and help address societal issues like climate change, animal rights, and our planet’s dwindling natural resources. But are these products good for our personal health?

Through news-breaking revelations, Technically Food examines the trade-offs of replacing real food with technology-driven approximations. Chapters go into detail about algae, fungi, pea protein, cultured milk and eggs, upcycled foods, plant-based burgers, vertical farms, cultured meat, and marketing methods. In the final chapter Zimberoff talks to industry voices––including Dan Barber, Mark Cuban, Marion Nestle, and Paul Shapiro––to learn where they see food in 20 years.

As our food system leaps ahead to a sterilized lab of the future, we think we know more about our food than we ever did. But because so much is happening so rapidly, we actually know less about the food we are eating. Until now.

 

 

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My thoughts

 

I haven’t delved into this book yet but it sounds fascinating. I love anything having to do with food and this book takes a look into how the food industry is changing. More people are eating less meat and eating more of a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. I know several people like this and over the course of time and being a part of the Abrams Dinner Party, I have been privileged to review some cookbooks that feature dishes that have no animal products in them. Granted, you could easily add meat to the dishes or serve as a side dish, but they continue to show us how what we eat doesn’t have to be laden with animal products and there are many easy and delicious recipes that will satisfy even the pickiest eater.

I have read the intro to this book and appreciate the author’s honest words about how she started down this path, books written by past authors that started the awareness, and how “Big Food” and “New Food” are trying to turn things around. Let’s be honest, Americans have horrible eating habits for the most part and we don’t always pay attention to what we are eating and don’t read labels of processed foods. I can say I’m guilty of this as well. While I try to cook from scratch most of the time, I am just as guilty of using processed foods to cut some corners or when in a time crunch. This doesn’t mean that our diet is horrible, it just means it could be better.

I am looking forward to reading more about how Silicon Valley will take other items such as algae, fungi, pea protein, and cell-based meat and make them fit for human consumption. How will this look for us in the future? Will we become more plant-based consumers or will meat still play a role in our diet? This book will give you more of an insight. Perhaps we will agree with her findings or disagree and continue on the path we are on. Only time will tell.

I think this book will be a must-read for those concerned about the future of our food and the impact of the industry to bring us these items.

 

 

About the Author

 

IT ALL STARTED WHEN I MOVED TO NEW YORK.

When I left San Francisco, it was to follow my ambition of becoming a writer. This was 2011. I lived on the Lower East Side, biked and walked everywhere, earned an MFA in nonfiction from The New School, and, like all writers, wondered how to pay the bills.

Compared to New York, San Francisco was a suburb. But that suburb set the stage for life now. During my decade-plus working in San Francisco’s tech scene, I witnessed first hand the booms and busts of the Internet. I steeped myself in computer code, Silicon Valley clichés, and branded polar fleece jackets. I understood how the web worked but it was no match for my other love: food.

In grad school, food always seemed to wend its way into my stories. Sometimes it was to highlight what I came to think of as my unique superpower: I could see through food, a skill that came from living with Type-one diabetes for decades. Sometimes it was to bring readers along on my travels––dinner at a Kyoto ryokan, trailing a baker at 4:30am, or visiting a French chocolatier at his Queens production facility.

it wasn’t until I blended my two pasts–food plus tech––that my career took off. My first taste of the sector was when I discovered smart people targeting solutions for food waste. Then I followed the incubators supporting New Foods. Since then, I’ve written on the promise of fake eggs, the potential of peas, and how artificial intelligence saved a winery. My work has appeared in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wired, Time, Bloomberg Businessweek, Insider, and many more publications.

My decade living in San Francisco, and working in tech, helps me understand the rush to invest in today’s food startups. I know well from experience not to get swept up in the frenzy. My hard-earned belief in technology is matched by an equally precious hope for foods that come from the natural world. These days you can find me in Northern California where I’m burning off the calories I eat with mountain hikes and seaside cycling.

 

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