Winnie Archer's Bread Over Troubled Water Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Winnie Archer here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway.

Thanks Winnie and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Bread Over Troubled Water Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Winnie!  

Excerpt

Olaya slowed her steps and surveyed Mae and Taylor, and for a second, I thought she might stop to intercede. She didn’t, though. She nodded to Felix, then carried on, almost purposely blind to the inner workings of the kitchen. The fabric of her palazzo pants snapped against her legs as she marched into her office, a space big enough to hold only a small desk and chair, a mounted bookcase, and a mini filing cabinet. She held the door open for me. I slid past her and sat in the single, ladder-backed chair facing her desk. “What’s going on?” I asked, more concerned now that I saw the dark circles around her eyes set into her drawn and pallid face. In the time I’d known Olaya, she’d never raised her voice to anyone. It wasn’t in her nature, except that I’d just witnessed it, and in front of customers no less.

She drew in a slow, shaky breath. She exhaled and said, “Oh, Ivy. Life, it is not always good.”

I’d also never heart Olaya speak so forlornly. It shook me. “What do you mean? Are you okay?”

“Me? Yes, yes. It is my brother, Guillermo, and my cuñada—my sister-in-law, Alessandra.”

I couldn’t help but react. I knew Olaya’s two sisters, Consuelo and Martina, but none of them had ever mentioned having a brother and a sister-in- law.

Her lips quivered unexpectedly, and her eyes glazed. “They . . . they were in an accident a few days ago,” she said. “Both . . . both are dead now.” I’d also never known Olaya to be a particularly religious person, but the moment the words left her lips, she crossed herself, holding together her thumb and forefinger as she pressed them against her forehead, her chest, then from her left shoulder to her right shoulder. She muttered some- thing in Spanish before adding, “God rest their souls.”

Shock and sadness surged through me. An accident. Her brother and sister-in-law, gone in the blink of an eye. I cleared my throat, swallowing my emotions. “I’m so sorry, Olaya. Can I do anything to help?”

“Guillermo and Alessandra, they have . . . had . . . one child. She is my goddaughter, Pilar,” she said, pronouncing the i like a long e, rolling the r at the end. “She is fourteen.”

“Oh no,” I breathed. I knew what it was to lose a parent. And she’d lost two. My heart instantly broke for the girl.

Olaya rubbed the center of her forehead with the tips of her fingers. She let out a deep sigh. “We are her family now. She is coming here. To stay.”

“Do you need to go get her?” I stood up and slung my camera strap over my shoulder. “Where do they live? I can drive you.”

Olaya shook her head. “No, Ivy, pero I thank you. Consuelo and Freddy, they will bring her from San Diego. Soon. Very soon.”

I sat back down, dropping my bag to the floor. “Okay. So what can I do?”

She heaved a heavy sigh. “I am not a mother, Ivy. None of us are. Only Guillo and Alessandra had a child.”

Oh God. She was worried about how she’d be able to parent her niece. “You’re a natural, Olaya. She must already love you —”

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bread Over Troubled Water (A Bread Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – California
Kensington Cozies (November 29, 2022)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496733568
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496733566
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09TX2QMZY

Rising cozy mystery author Winnie Archer cooks up her latest installment in her delightful and delicious Bread Shop Mystery series.

Photographer Ivy Culpepper is soon to make a home with her husband-to-be in the California beach town of Santa Sofia — but the Yeast of Eden bakery remains her second home. It’s not just a place to work, but a community. And now one member of the community has been murdered . . .

A regular who used Yeast of Eden as a workspace, Josh Prentiss always turned heads with his startlingly good looks and thousand-watt smile. But Ivy can’t help noticing one morning that he seems distracted and off his game. Later, during a visit to the park where she and Miguel plan to hold their engagement party — with plenty of baked goods on the menu — her rescue pug, Agatha, sniffs out Josh lying in a bed of poppies…scone cold dead.

There’s no reason for Ivy to get involved. She’s busy enough holding down the fort as the shop’s owner, Olaya, cares for her recently orphaned niece, not to mention the stress when a new employee is fired and storms out in a rage. Then a band of rabble-rousers starts picketing the bakery, claiming that Olaya’s sourdough roll is what killed Josh — and Ivy hears some salacious gossip about her beloved boss. She doesn’t think there’s a grain of truth to the seedy rumors — but to prove it, she’ll have to start sleuthing. 

 

 
 

 

 

About Winnie Archer

Winnie Archer is the nationally bestselling author of the Bread Shop Mystery series, as well as the Lola Cruz Mysteries and the Magical Dressmaking Mystery series written as Melissa Bourbon. A former middle school English teacher, lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos, and the youngest of their five children. Visit Winnie Archer online at www.MelissaBourbon.com!

Author Links Website: http://www.melissabourbon.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaBourbonWinnieArcherBooks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookishly_cozy/

Purchase Links: Kensington – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound 

 

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/028877921449

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

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Maria DiRico's Long Island Iced Tina Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Maria DiRico here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway.

Thanks Maria and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Long Island Iced Tina Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Maria!

Excerpt

Mia had a good reason for the delay in de-plastic-ing her furniture. Business at Belle View Banquet Manor, the catering hall she ran with her father, was brisk. The May and June calendar had boasted weddings every weekend, as well as smaller events, July was going well, and August looked to be a repeat of the previous successful months. Two murders at the manor in early spring hadn’t hurt business and may have helped. It’s like they say, Mia thought to herself while showering, the only bad publicity is no publicity. She toweled off, then headed to her bedroom, stepping over the prostrate Doorstop. Mia pulled on a pair of black linen capri pants and a snug purple tank top. She sniffed the air, suddenly redolent with the scent of butter and Italian sausage. “Mia, vieni,” her grandmother yelled from the apartment below in the two-family home the women shared. “Come. I made breakfast.”

“Sto arrivando,” Mia yelled back. “I’ll be there in a minute.” There was no animus in either woman’s voice.

Yelling to each other was simply the way the Carina family had always communicated. Mia scurried down the stairs and made her way through a small foyer into her grandmother’s modest first floor digs. Elisabetta Carina, dressed in her uniform of tracksuit and sneakers, stuck a fork into a sausage sizzling on top of her forty-plus-year-old oven and deposited it on a bed of fried onions and peppers already gracing a plate next to a pile of buttery scrambled eggs. Mia took a seat at the room’s decades-old dinette set. Elisabetta tore a hunk off a loaf of fresh Italian bread and added it to the plate, which she placed in front of Mia. “Mangia. Eat.”

“Si. Grazie, Nonna.” Mia dug into the heavy breakfast, vowing to follow it up with a lunch of carrot and celery sticks. At least one meal in her day needed to be low-cal and less artery clogging.

Elisabetta fixed herself a plate and took a seat across from Mia. “Did Minnie call you?”

“Yes. She and Linda are gonna host a baby shower for Nicole at Belle View.” Mia sawed off a chunk of sausage and speared it, along with some peppers and eggs. “I’ll finally get to meet the infamous Tina.”

“Tina. Puh.” Elisabetta made a stink face, then spit, as Minniguccia had done earlier. “Puttana. She stole Ron from right under poor Linda’s nebbia. Linda’s an angel. Never says a bad word about her. But we know what she is, a—”

“Puttana,” Mia chorused with her grandmother. “I’ve heard that word more in the last hour than in my entire life. I almost feel sorry for this Tina.”

A look of horror crossed Elisabetta’s face. She threw her hands in the air. “Marone, no! Never even think that. We are, what, how do you kids say it? We’re Team Linda.”

“Linda’s insisting Tina be invited to the shower, so I think she’s made her peace with the situation. So, it’s more like we’re Team Minniguccia.”

“This is why I don’t like sports,” Elisabetta grumbled.

“Too many teams.”

 

 

 

 

 

Long Island Iced Tina (A Catering Hall Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Publisher: Kensington (February 23, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 1496725352
ISBN-13: 978-1496725356
Digital ASIN: B089NCJ9NS




Mia Carina is back in the borough of Queens — in charge of the family catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor, and keeping her nonna company. But some events — like murder — are not the kind you can schedule.

Mia’s newly pregnant friend Nicole plans to hold a shower at Belle View — but Nicole also has to attend one that her competitive (and mysteriously rich) stepmother, Tina, is throwing at the fanciest place in Queens. It’s a good chance for Mia to snoop on a competitor, especially since doing a search for “how to run a catering hall” can get you only so far.

Mia tags along at the lavish party, but the ambience suffers at Nicole’s Belle View shower when a fight breaks out—and then, oddly, a long-missing and valuable stolen painting is unwrapped by the mom-to-be. Tina is clearly shocked to see it. But not as shocked as Mia is when, soon afterward, she spots the lifeless body of a party guest floating in the marina.

Italian recipes included! 

 
 

 

 

About Maria DiRico

Maria DiRico is the pseudonym for Ellen Byron, author of the award winning, USA Today bestselling Cajun Country Mysteries. Born in Queens, New York, she is first-generation Italian-American on her mother’s side and the granddaughter of a low-level Jewish mobster on her father’s side. She grew up visiting the Astoria Manor and Grand Bay Marina catering halls, which were run by her Italian mother’s family in Queens and have become the inspiration for her Catering Hall Mystery Series. DiRico has been a writer-producer for hit television series like Wings and Just Shoot Me, and her first play, Graceland, appears in the Best Short Plays collection. She’s a freelance journalist, with over 200 articles published in national magazines, and previously worked as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart, a credit she never tires of sharing. A native New Yorker who attended Tulane University, Ellen lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.

Website – https://www.ellenbyron.com/catering-hall-mysteries

Chicks on the Case – http://chicksonthecase.net/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CateringHallMysteries/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ellenbyronla

Purchase Links – Amazon – B and N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound

 

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

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Amy Pershing's A Side Of Murder Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Amy Pershing here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway.

Thanks Amy and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join A Side Of Murder Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Amy!

Excerpt

“Okay, so here’s how it’s gonna go down.”

I looked sternly at my dining companions, who were eyeing me warily over the rims of their wine glasses. They were not used to me looking at them sternly.

“We order one meat, one vegetarian, one seafood and one pasta entree.”

“Pasta doesn’t count as vegetarian?”

That was Jenny, a mother of three with the body of a sixteen-year-old that she proudly claims is the result of her dedicated meat-and-potatoes-only diet. She was probably worried that I was going to make her order eggplant.

“No. Pasta doesn’t count as vegetarian,” I explained. “Some restaurants like to think it counts as vegetarian, but that’s how vegetarians get fat. That and too much cheese. No, a real vegetarian entrée is about vegetables. Maybe with grains or legumes, but the focus is on vegetables, like a ratatouille.”

“Sorry I asked,” Jenny muttered to Miles, who was sitting next to her and had been quietly entertaining himself by checking out the other patrons at the Bayview Grille. “What’s a legume anyway?” she asked him.

Miles looked at her like she’d just arrived from Mars. Miles is a farmer. What he doesn’t know about legumes isn’t worth knowing. “Beans, lentils, chickpeas, that kind of thing,” he said. “How do you not know that?”

Jenny shuddered. “I don’t eat ‘that kind of thing.’ ”

I tried to continue with their instructions. “Appetizers can be anything you like…”

“Well, hallelujah,” Miles said. He poked Jenny in the side with one massive elbow, almost knocking her off her chair. “I’d like that cutie pie over there at the bar.”

I ignored him.

“Anything you like,” I repeated, “but it needs to make sense with your entrée.”

“I’m lost,” said Helene, running a ring-bejeweled hand through her mane of silver curls. Helene was Fair Haven’s new librarian. I’d known her exactly 24 hours and couldn’t imagine anyone less like a librarian.

“I’ve been eating out for 40 years,” she said, “and I never once worried if my appetizer made sense with my entrée. I don’t even know what that means.”

I sighed. Well, no one had ever said writing restaurant reviews for the Cape Cod Clarion was going to be easy. Actually, I reflected, that wasn’t true. I was the one who had said it would be easy.

I tried to clarify. “It means that if you’re having the hanger steak for your entrée…”

“That’s mine!” Jenny said, suddenly all in. “I call I claim the hanger steak.”

I call I claim? What is she, six?

“And a half dozen Wellfleet oysters to start,” she added.

Jenny always had oysters to start. And, as these were Wellfleet oysters, which are universally acknowledged to be the best on the Cape (and all Cape Cod oysters are awesome), I was surprised she wasn’t starting with a dozen.

“That’s fine,” I said. “A classic pairing.”

I turned back to Helene. “If, like Jenny, you’re having the hanger steak,” I explained, “you don’t want to order the barbeque sliders as a starter.”

She nodded thoughtfully. At least Helene was taking this seriously. But then she ruined it by saying, “Actually, barbeque followed by steak sounds yummy.”

I gave up.

“I’ll order for all of you,” I announced. “And once we get our food and you’ve had a chance to taste and consider your choices, I will discretely exchange plates with each of you, one by one, and sample each dish. Then we’ll discretely switch back again. We’ll go clockwise around the table, starting with Helene.”

“I’m lost again,” Helene fake-whispered to Miles.

“Don’t you worry, honey,” he said. “Wait until she gets a glass or two of wine into her. Then we can do whatever we want.”

He grinned at me, looking exactly like the overgrown five-year-old he was. If five year olds had big, hairy lumberjack beards.

I began to worry for real. My dining companions were definitely not taking my first foray into restaurant reviewing seriously enough. And Miles was right about the two glasses of wine. I was a notoriously cheap date. But I was also the night’s designated driver, so no worries there.

“No wine for me,” I said firmly, more to myself than to Miles. “Even if it kills me.”

A poor choice of words, as it turned out.

 

 

 

 

 

A Side of Murder (A Cape Cod Foodie Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Berkley (February 23, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 0593199146
ISBN-13: 978-0593199145
Digital ASIN: B087PL9HHF

Beautiful Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is known for seafood, sand, surf and now … murder.

Samantha Barnes was always a foodie. And when the CIA (that’s the Culinary Institute of America) came calling, she happily traded in Cape Cod for the Big Apple. But then the rising young chef’s clash with another chef (her ex!) boils over and goes viral. So when Sam inherits a house on the Cape and lands a job writing restaurant reviews, it seems like the perfect pairing. What could go wrong? Well, as it turns out, a lot.

The dilapidated house comes with an enormous puppy. Her new boss is, well, bossy. And the town’s harbor master is none other than her first love. Nonetheless, Sam’s looking forward to reviewing the Bayview Grill — and indeed the seafood chowder is divine. But the body in the pond outside the eatery was not on the menu. Sam is certain this is murder. But as she begins to stir the pot, is she creating a recipe for her own untimely demise?

“Cape Cod provides a stunning background for a debut that offers the ideal combination of mystery, romance, and recipes.” Kirkus Reviews

“An exquisite Cape Cod setting, a shamed but resilient chef, murderous secrets, and a long-buried but still steaming romance… Amy Pershing’s debut mystery will leave you longing for a seaside vacation, complete with fried clams and the next book in her charming series.” Lucy Burdette, national bestselling author of THE KEY LIME CRIME

“This is one of the freshest, funniest murder mysteries I’ve ever read. I fell absolutely in love with Samantha Barnes — the brave, sarcastic, crime-solving, relatable heroine we’ve all been waiting for. A Side of Murder is a rich, satisfying meal that delights from beginning to end, and Amy Pershing is a wonderful and clever author.” Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestselling author of EAT PRAY LOVE and CITY OF GIRLS

“A delicious mystery lovingly set in Cape Cod featuring a cast of charming characters. Amy Pershing writes with a fresh fun voice that will delight cozy fans. Chef turned restaurant critic Samantha Barnes proves a clever sleuth whose helpful cooking tips will be a big hit with culinary readers.” Krista Davis, New York Times bestselling author of the DOMESTIC DIVA mysteries

 

 

 

 

About Amy Pershing

Amy Pershing is a lifelong mystery lover and wordsmith who spent every summer of her childhood on Cape Cod. In her previous incarnations she was an assistant editor at Viking Penguin, a restaurant reviewer for Playbill magazine’s Restaurant Reporter, and a journalist at the Rome (Italy) Daily American before eventually going on to lead employee communications at a global bank. A few years ago (with the final college tuition bill paid), she waved goodbye to Wall Street in order to write full time (and spend more time sailing on Cape Cod!). A Side of Murder is the first book in the Cape Cod Foodie mystery series featuring Samantha Barnes, a disgraced but resilient ex-chef and the world’s most reluctant YouTube star. While Sam tries to balance her new job as the local paper’s “Cape Cod Foodie” with her complicated love life, a posse of just-slightly-odd friends, a falling-down house and a ginormous puppy, she also discovers a new talent – a propensity for falling over dead bodies … and for solving crime.

Website: https://amypershingauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amypershingauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amypershingauthor/?hl=en

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20632873.Amy_Pershing

Purchase Links

Amazon – Barnes and Noble – Bookshop.org – Books A Million – Indiebound – Target – Hudson Booksellers – Powells

 

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/028877921169

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

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Alexis Morgan's Death By Intermission Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Alexis Morgan here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway.

Thanks Alexis and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Death By Intermission Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Alexis! 

EXCERPT CHAPTER 2

It was no fault of Gage Logan’s, or his deputies, but one of Abby’s biggest regrets was how much circumstances had forced her to learn about police procedures since moving to Snowberry Creek. However, since she was in charge of tonight’s event, she had no choice but to help get the investigation off on the right foot.

She also needed to stay strong until she could surrender control of the situation to Gage and bolt for the sanctuary of her home. Once there, her plans included a stiff drink—or maybe several—to be followed by a good cry in the shower. Until then, she drew a calming breath and continued talking. “I’ll stay up here with my mother to make sure the crime scene doesn’t become more contaminated than it already has been.”

When Tripp finally managed to get a word in, the ensuing roar coming from his end of the call had her holding the phone out at arm’s length until he ran out of breath. If she were forced to pick a winner in tonight’s Shout at Abby McCree Contest, Tripp would take the grand prize. Not only had he hollered at her on the phone, he would soon have physical proximity, giving him an unfair advantage over the chief of police. Gage had left right after the movie ended, so all he could do was rail at her over the phone until he’d finally hung up to rally his troops. As soon as she told Tripp what they’d discovered, he snarled several of those words he always ended up apologizing for as he pelted up the slope with Owen Quinn in hot pursuit.

It was hard to judge how well her mother was handling the situation as they waited for the two men to reach them.

Realizing her mother still had on the bloody gloves, Abby pointed the flashlight at her mother’s hands. “Why don’t you peel those off? I’m guessing Gage will want them.”

Her mother stared at the bloody gloves and shuddered.

After she stripped them off, Abby held out a clean glove from her pack. “Here, stick them inside this.”

Then she glanced back down the hillside. “Please don’t get upset with Tripp for anything he might say or do when he gets here. He doesn’t take it well when stuff like this happens to me.”

Her mother latched on to Abby’s arm, her facial expression a volatile mix of emotions. “And you think I’m any happier about it? Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this the fourth dead body you’ve found since you moved here?”

The fact that her mom spoke in a low voice didn’t make her worry and anger any less potent than that of the police chief or the man who was now only a few yards away and closing fast. Feeling a bit defensive, Abby said, “It’s not like I go looking for trouble, especially this kind.”

She aimed that comment at her mother, but Tripp was the one who responded. “Maybe not, but it sure seems to find you anyway.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Death by Intermission (An Abby McCree Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Publisher: Kensington (January 26, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1496731255
ISBN-13: 978-1496731258
Digital ASIN: B087Z9CVW8

Abby McCree spends a summer showing family films under the stars — only to end the season with an unexpected slasher flick.

Ushered once again onto another committee by the mayor of Snowberry Creek, Washington, Abby is tasked with keeping the box office receipts of the town’s Movies in the Park nights. Cut to the director’s chair from where she’s suddenly organizing the summer’s last feature. From the opening scene through the final credits, Abby feels she’s earned nominations for best volunteer, best movie date with her tenant Tripp Blackston — and best daughter for ignoring her mother Phoebe’s own movie date with Owen Quinn.

Unfortunately, Abby and the others are treated to a post-credits scene: the body of local insurance agent Mitchell Anders. This discovery is followed by a plot twist revealing that the murder weapon comes from Owen’s food truck. With her mother’s boyfriend suspected of murder, Abby starts her own investigation determined to shine a spotlight on the real killer. 

 

 

 

About Alexis Morgan

Alexis Morgan is the USA Today bestselling author of over forty-five novels, novellas, and short stories that span a variety of genres: American West historicals (as Pat Pritchard); paranormal and fantasy romances; contemporary romances; and cozy mysteries. A RITA® Award-finalist, Alexis Morgan is a member of RWA and Sisters in Crime. She lives in Washington State and can be found online at AlexisMorgan.com.

Author Links

Website – http://www.alexismorgan.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AMorganAuthor
Twitter – https://twitter.com/Alexis_Morgan
Blog – http://www.alexismorgan.com/snowberry/index.html

Purchase Links – Amazon – B and N – Kobo – GooglePlay – IndieBound 

Giveaway

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Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

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Victoria Gilbert's A Deadly Edition Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Victoria Gilbert here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway.

Thanks Victoria and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your A Deadly Edition Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Victoria!

Excerpt

Richard paused on the path that led into the trees surrounding Kurt’s manicured backyard. “To be honest, I really just wanted a moment alone with you.”

“To do what, exactly?”

“Kiss you properly, for one thing,” he said, pulling me behind the screen formed by a tall lilac bush before proceeding to do so.

Some time passed before I was aware of anything besides the two of us, but at one point, as Richard lifted his lips from mine, I caught a glimpse of something moving through the trees to my right. There was a flash of purple amid the green undergrowth. I stepped back, pulling free of Richard’s arms. “Someone’s out there, walking through the woods.”

“Probably a guest getting some air.” Richard turned to follow my gaze. “Wait, that’s Adele. What the heck is she doing, tramping through the woods?” He frowned. “She’s had some balance problems lately, and when I talked to her earlier, I noticed she was wearing pretty flimsy heels. She has no business hiking across uneven ground.”

“That is odd. Kurt doesn’t clear his woods either. He says he likes to allow them to remain natural for the benefit of the wildlife. So trying to navigate that area in heels has to be rough.”

“Good way to break a leg.” Richard rubbed his jaw with his clenched fist.

“Speaking of Kurt, there he is, popping out of the woods on the other side of the yard.” I glanced up at Richard. “What’s going on here? Some strange game?”

“A secret assignation?” Richard widened his gray eyes. “Kurt and Adele have known each other for a long time . . .”

“True, but they’re old enough not to have to sneak into the woods for a rendezvous. Anyway, I’ve never gotten the impression that they were that close, and Adele could just as easily stay after the party if they wanted private time alone. Who would know, or care?”

“No one, I suppose.” Richard’s gaze followed Adele as she crossed the yard and entered the house through the back door.

Kurt, who’d paused at the edge of the yard until Adele went inside, waited a few additional minutes before following her. As he opened the back door, I was surprised to see my brother stroll around from the other side of the house. That’s right, he went out for a walk for some reason, I thought, reaching for Richard’s hand.

“This is starting to remind me of one of those French farces— people coming and going from all directions.” Richard’s fingers curled around mine.

Looking over the area as if to make sure no one was watching, Scott also used the back door to enter the house.

“It is peculiar,” I said, “but I’m sure there’s some reasonable explanation.”

A loud crash silenced Richard’s response.

“Sounds like it came from that direction,” he said, dropping my hand to sprint down the path.

I followed, running to match his longer strides. The path curved off to the right, ending at a wooden garden shed.

Richard paused, grabbing the edge of the half-open door. “Hold on,” he said as I reached him. “We should be careful. It could be some sort of wild animal, and if we back it into a corner, it could turn violent.”

“But it also could be hurt,” I said, pulling the door wider to peer inside the shed. “Can’t see much.”

There’s something on the floor.” Richard pointed toward a large, shadowy object sprawled across the center of the small room.

I backed away. “Not a bear, I hope.”

“It’s not moving. Maybe just some tarps that tipped off that top shelf.” Richard grabbed a rake that was propped next to the door.

As he crept closer to the shadowy object, holding the rake like a weapon, I stepped in behind him and moved to the side to allow light to spill in through the door.

It was a tarp — a cracked blue tarp dusted with mold. But it was draped over something else. Richard tentatively reached out and flipped up an edge of the thick plastic covering.

I gasped as an expensive leather shoe was revealed.

We both rushed forward to fling back the rest of the tarp. Then stood in silence, holding hands, as we stared down at the body of Oscar Selvaggio.

 

A Deadly Edition: A Blue Ridge Library Mystery
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (December 8, 2020)
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1643854762
Kindle ASIN: B085N3KN7L
 
'Til death do us part" could be closer than the bride realizes in Victoria Gilbert's tantalizing fifth Blue Ridge Library mystery."

The pursuit to acquire a rare illustrated book turns deadly, and on the eve of her upcoming wedding, library director Amy Webber is drawn into a web of treachery and betrayal that could derail her happy day--and maybe just claim her life.

Planning a wedding can be murder -- sometimes literally. At a party celebrating their upcoming nuptials, Taylorsford, Virginia library director Amy Webber and her fiancé Richard Muir discover the body of art dealer Oscar Selvaggio--a bitter rival of their host, Kurt Kendrick.

Both had been in a heated battle to purchase a rare illustrated volume created by William Morris's Kelmscott Press, so suspicion immediately falls upon Kurt. Amy knows that Kurt has a closet-full of skeletons from his past -- but she can't believe he's guilty of murder.

Amidst an avalanche of wedding preparations, Amy begins an investigation with the help of her aunt Lydia Talbot and the new mayor of Taylorsford, Sunshine "Sunny" Fields. Much to Lydia's dismay, her boyfriend, art expert Hugh Chen, becomes convinced of Kurt's guilt and launches an investigation of his own. As the case hits painfully close to home, the stakes become impossibly high--and the danger all too real. 

 

 

About Victoria Gilbert

Raised in a historic small town near the Blue Ridge Mountains, Victoria Gilbert turned her early obsession with books into a dual career as an author and librarian.

Victoria writes the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, the Booklover’s B&B series, and the upcoming Hunter and Clewe traditional mystery series for Crooked Lane Books. She has also published fantasy with Snowy Wings Publishing.

A member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Victoria is represented by Frances Black at Literary Counsel. She lives near Winston-Salem, NC with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.

Author Links

Website (includes blog): http://victoriagilbertmysteries.com/

FB author page: https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaGilbertMysteryAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VGilbertauthor

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Gilbert/e/B071ZQZN1P

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriagilbertauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16912697.Victoria_Gilbert

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - IndieBound

Blue Ridge Library Mystery series

A MURDER FOR THE BOOKS: http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/titles/a-murder-for-the-books/

SHELVED UNDER MURDER: http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/titles/shelved-under-murder/

PAST DUE FOR MURDER: http://www.crookedlanebooks.com/titles/past-due-for-murder/

BOUND FOR MURDER: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/612101/bound-for-murder-by-victoria-gilbert/

A DEADLY EDITION: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647523/a-deadly-edition-by-victoria-gilbert/9781643854762/

Booklover’s B and B series

BOOKED FOR DEATH: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622813/booked-for-death-by-victoria-gilbert/

RESERVED FOR MURDER (preorder): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/659504/reserved-for-murder-by-victoria-gilbert

Giveaway

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Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/a-deadly-edition-a-blue-ridge-library-mystery-by-victoria-gilbert

 

 

 

Jo Cassie Mcrae's The Light Catcher Murders Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Jo Cassie Mcrae here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway.

Thanks Jo and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join The Light Catcher Murders Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Jo! 

Excerpt

Picking her way through the broken glass again, Kate slipped up behind Lucy. She gave the beleaguered deputy a sympathetic smile and gently took hold of Lucy’s elbow. “Lucy, dear. Do you think you might want to calm down? This officer is going to do his best to find out who did this and why. He isn’t the bad guy here.”

Lucy wheeled on her. “He doesn’t have to look far to find out who did this. If he’d just listen to me and quit asking irrelevant questions! I’ve been telling him that it has to be Stewart Wilson. You saw how Stewart behaved after the festival. He’s a horrible, angry, vindictive man! Did you see how he ripped into my mural? The bastard! If I could get my hands on him, I swear I’d rip into him the same way!”

The deputy’s eyebrows shot up, and he shifted uneasily, his pen hovering over his notepad. Kate’s grip on Lucy’s elbow tightened, as did the smile she showed the deputy. “I’m sure Ms. Celek didn’t mean that, Deputy Green,” she said. When Lucy started to disagree, Kate squeezed her arm so tightly that Lucy let out a little yelp of pain. “She’s understandably distraught. If you have more questions for her, might I suggest that you give her some time to collect herself? I’m sure she’ll be more helpful when she’s feeling a bit more rational.”

“Rational?” Lucy flinched again under the renewed fierceness of Kate’s grip and did not finish what she had been about to say.

“Actually,” Deputy Green said, “I think that’s all I need for now.” He closed his notebook and turned his attention to the crime scene photographer who had just arrived.

Kate pulled Lucy a few yards away, putting some distance between her and the scene, then turned a mildly reproachful look upon her fuming friend.

Breathing audibly, Lucy glared right back at Kate. The expression on her friend’s face aroused all of Lucy’s defensiveness, and she folded her arms across her chest. “What?” she demanded.

Kate sighed. “Do you have to work today, Lucy?”

“No. I scheduled a vacation day because I thought I’d be wiped out after the festival. Little did I know I’d be destroyed.”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think? I can see where this would upset you —”

“I’m pissed, Kate. Thoroughly, absolutely, completely pissed. Don’t start giving me that ‘be reasonable’ or ‘keep perspective’ stuff because I’m so not in the mood!”

Kate pursed her lips. “You’re huffing like a steam engine, Lucy. If you don’t calm down, you’re going to explode.”

“You’re an odd one to be telling me to calm down. Of all the people I know, you’re the least patient with ineptitude, and he’s as inept as they come!” She had shifted her glower back to Deputy Green.

“Yes, well, at this moment, I’m more concerned with keeping you out of trouble than anything else. Besides, Deputy Green isn’t inept, just inexperienced with this sort of thing. And you certainly weren’t helping the situation with your ranting. Instead of being helpful, you flustered him.”

A storm cloud settled on Lucy’s face. “Fine,” she said, though it was clear she was anything but.

“Oh, do stop behaving like a petulant child,” Kate said impatiently.

Lucy’s mouth dropped open. She felt as if she had been slapped, which was just what Kate had intended.

 

The Light Catcher Murders (Kate Atherton Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Independently published (August 15, 2020)
Paperback: 323 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8675418930
Digital ASIN : B08FXWFCLJ
 
Kate Atherton’s idyllic retirement is going well…if you don’t count the two murders, the mysterious drone, and her photographer friend who manages to poke a hornet’s nest of criminal activity, that is.

Nestled in the scenic Texas Hill Country, the cozy town of Wheaton Creek seemed to Kate Atherton an idyllic place to escape the world’s harsh realities. And then there was the first murder.

Kate once enjoyed a long, successful career with a specialized, highly secret federal intelligence agency. Crises in both her personal and professional life drove her to early retirement and, ultimately, to Wheaton Creek, the perfect place for her and her former-military husband to escape what had come to feel like a world made up of wars, hatred, fear, and untimely death. And, at first, the escape was all Kate had hoped for. Then murder came to Wheaton Creek — a crime that a corrupt county sheriff seems determined to pin on Kate’s photographer friend, Lucy Celek.

Lucy’s work has been chosen to appear at a prestigious photography festival, a festival that could take her from amateur to professional standing. All goes well until the gallery displaying her work is broken into, and one of Lucy’s photographs is vandalized. A week later, the man Lucy suspected of destroying her photograph — a fellow photographer who was angry that his own work was not chosen by the festival committee — is murdered. Faced with a sheriff who shows little interest in expanding his list of suspects beyond Lucy, Kate feels she must dust off her puzzle-solving skills to find the real killer. Murder is just the beginning, though, as Kate’s amateur sleuthing begins to reveal a tangled web of crimes that go beyond anything she could have imagined.  

About Jo Cassie McRae

Jo Cassie McRae is a native Texan who has lived near Austin on the edge of the Texas Hill country for over 30 years. In addition to writing, McRae loves to read, garden, and cook. Like Kate Atherton (The Light Catcher Murders), McRae’s bookshelves overflow with history books, biographies, historical fiction, and mystery novels. Unlike Kate, McRae does not have a mysterious, secret former career, having worked instead as a rather ordinary legal assistant at an Austin law firm.

Author Links 

Website: jocassiemcrae.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorjocassiemcrae/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20608017.Jo_Cassie_McRae

Purchase Link - Amazon

 

 

Giveaway

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Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

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