Library Haul 2019 (Jun 30 - July 6)

Here's the list of books I picked up from the library this week:

Hardcover:

1.  A Crafter Hooks a Killer - Holly Quinn
2.  Sweet Tea and Secrets - Joy Avon

Maddie Day's Strangled Eggs And Ham Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Recipe and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Maddie Day at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Recipe and Giveaway.

Thanks Maddie and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Strangled Eggs And Ham Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Maddie!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Robbie makes these easy muffins as a breakfast special.

Ingredients 

1 cup unbleached white flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup sugar
¼ cup dark cocoa
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a standard muffin tin.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Make a well and break the eggs into it. Stir them with a fork to slightly mix. Add oil, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips, and mix in with a fork until barely combined.

Fill muffin tin and bake for twenty minutes or until lightly browned on top. Let cool for ten minutes in the tin before removing.

Strangled Eggs and Ham (A Country Store Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Kensington (June 25, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1496711254
ISBN-13: 978-1496711250
Digital ASIN: B07HW1D15K




Robbie Jordan’s rustic country store is growing in popularity. But when a dead body appears, it turns out that Robbie’s home-style cooking attracts hungry customers — and murder!

While Robbie scrambles through breakfast orders for her expanding clientele at Pans ‘N Pancakes, tempers run as high as the sticky August heat in South Lick, Indiana. Real-estate developer Fiona Closs plans to build a towering luxury resort at one of the most scenic hilltops in Brown County, and not everyone can see the sunny side of the imposing proposition — including Robbie’s furious Aunt Adele, who doesn’t waste a minute concocting protests and road blockades. When tensions boil over and a vocal protester is silenced forever at the resort site, Robbie ditches the griddle to catch the killer. But if slashed tires are any indication, she’ll need to crack this case before her own aunt gets served something deadly next.

Includes Recipes for You to Try! 

About the Author

Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef and holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-nominated author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and three cats in Massachusetts.

As Edith Maxwell, she writes the Local Foods Mysteries (Kensington Publishing) and the Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Midnight Ink).

You can find all Maddie’s/Edith’s identities at www.edithmaxwell.com. She blogs every weekday with the other Wicked Cozy Authors at wickedcozyauthors.com. Look for her as Edith M. Maxwell and Maddie Day on Facebook and @edithmaxwell and @maddiedayauthor on Twitter.

Purchase Links

Amazon B and N Kobo Google Play IndieBound

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792896

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/strangled-eggs-and-ham-a-country-store-mystery-by-maddie-day

Cheryl Hollon's Down in Flames Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway

 

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

Thanks Cheryl and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Down in Flames Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Cheryl!

Excerpt

FROM CHAPTER 2

The St. Petersburg Fire Department truck arrived first, followed by Sunstar Paramedics EMTs, who specialized in Advanced Life Support first-responder procedures.

After the SPFD paramedics stabilized Nicole, they consulted with the Sunstar paramedics to ensure that everything possible had been done for the best care of Nicole.

The tallest SPFD paramedic spied a very pale Jacob and raised an eyebrow. He stepped over.

“Son, are you feeling okay?”

Jacob held Suzy in his arms, staring at the spot in the street where Nicole had lain. He didn’t respond.

The paramedic continued, “Did you see the accident?”

Jacob dipped his head the tiniest bit and opened his mouth for a long moment, then closed it again. Suzy licked his chin. Jacob turned to stare at Savannah.

“Do you know this boy?” the paramedic said to Savannah.

She turned. “He’s my apprentice. His name is Jacob, he’s autistic, and he’s holding his service beagle, Suzy. He witnessed the accident. I’ve just left a message for his mother. She’s a judge. They’re interrupting the trial to inform her of this incident. Is he okay?”

“He’s pale, but not sweating. His breathing is good.” He reached out to touch Jacob’s forehead, but Jacob backed up a step and Suzy’s ears perked up.

Savannah turned to the man. “He never wants anyone to touch him. Suzy will give out a warning yip if he needs his inhaler for an anxiety attack.”

The paramedic shrugged. “I’ll get him a shock blanket anyway. It won’t hurt.” He pulled one out of his black bag, unfolded it, then draped it around Jacob’s shoulders without touching him. Jacob exhaled a deep breath and Suzy’s ears relaxed.

Savannah phoned Edward. He should be here. Didn’t he hear Suzy? The call went straight to voice mail. “Edward, come out front right away. Nicole’s been hit by a car. I need you.” Her stomach churned, her breathing quickened, and she felt her chest tighten.

This could be fatal.


Down in Flames (A Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Kensington (June 25, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1496711793
ISBN-13: 978-1496711793
Digital ASIN: B07HVY1GRJ



A fatal hit-and-run in front of Savannah Webb’s glass shop proves to be no accident. 

A highlight of Savannah’s new glass bead workshop is a technique called flame-working, which requires the careful wielding of acetylene torches. Understandably, safety is a top priority. But as Savannah is ensuring her students’ safety inside, a hit-and-run driver strikes down a pedestrian outside her shop.

The victim is Nicole Borawski, the bartender/manager at the Queen’s Head Pub, owned by Savannah’s boyfriend Edward. It quickly becomes clear that this was no random act of vehicular manslaughter. Now the glass shop owner is all fired up to get a bead on the driver — before someone else meets a dead end.

About the Author

Cheryl Hollon now writes full-time after she left an engineering career of designing and building military flight simulators in amazing countries such as England, Wales, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, and India. Fulfilling the dream of a lifetime, she combines her love of writing with a passion for creating glass art. In the small glass studio behind her house in St. Petersburg, Florida, Cheryl and her husband design, create, and produce fused glass, stained glass, and painted glass artworks. Visit her online at http://cherylhollon.com, on Facebook or on Twitter @CherylHollon.

Purchase Links

Amazon B and N Kobo

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792897 

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/down-in-flames-a-webbs-glass-shop-mystery-by-cheryl-hollon

 

Jodi Rath's Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Murder Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Guestpost

 

I am so excited to have Jodi Rath at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Guestpost.

Thanks Jodi and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Murder Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Jodi!

GUESTPOST

The Importance of Diversity

Prior to being a full-time writer, I was a high school English teacher in a small farm community for close to seventeen years. It was the same community that I had lived in since fifth grade. But before that, I lived in the inner city. It was rough and I had to fend for myself and sometimes even fight. So, when I moved to this small farm community, there was no diversity — and I was awkward and different from the other kids because I walked around with a chip on my shoulder. In the farm community, everyone loved each other and got along, but they all looked alike.

When I became a teacher at this high school, I used as much of my salary as I could to build a classroom library filled with books that showed diversity. These kids weren’t exposed to it. Also, I made a point to do Socratic seminar discussions and literature circles where the students had to research and discuss diversity. This proved to be difficult because many of the students came from a place of ignorance which manifested itself in bigotry. Both teacher and students learned a great deal and, in the end, it was well worth the effort.

While writing The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series, again, I find myself wanting to stay within the structural boundaries of writing that typical cozy in a small village where everyone knows each other. But as Leavensport began to form itself in my mind, it was populated by diverse characters. Jolie’s best friend and business partner, Ava’s family is from the Dominican Republic. The mayor of Leavensport has family from India—and many other diverse characters where different cultures and religions mix. The issue with the villagers in Leavesport isn’t that they aren’t open-minded or tolerant—they are! The primary friction within Leavensport is not about diversity, it tends to be insiders vs. outsiders. When people from Tri-City begin to move into the village they will be tested to see if that tolerance expands to those “outsiders.” This concept came from teaching “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that Martin Luther King Jr. wrote about those who were considered “outsiders.” I wanted a village of people that are close knit and grew up together but that respect a spectrum of sexual orientation, culture, and religion—yet they do so only within their small group. I think there will always be a need for all of us to be reminded of our internal stereotypes (I know I need reminded regularly). Creating a world of characters and places that are diverse is necessary to help unite us all. I hope the journey through The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series does just that!

Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Murder (The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in the Series
MYS ED LLC (June 21, 2019)
Print Length – 185 Pages
Digital ASIN: B07Q1K4DN3



Financial fraud of elderly villagers in Leavensport, an urban sprawl threat to the community, disastrous dates, cross-sell marketing gone wrong, and another murder? Jolie Tucker is ready to try dating again. Well, she has no choice—since her family auctioned her off to the highest bidder. Her best friend, Ava, has agreed to a double date, but both friends find out hidden secrets about their partners as well as deception by one of the village’s own, who will soon be found dead. This plot is sure to be spicy!

About the Author

Moving into her second decade working in education, Jodi Rath has decided to begin a life of crime in her The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series. Her passion for both mysteries and education led her to combine the two to create her business MYS ED, where she splits her time between working as an adjunct for Ohio teachers and creating mischief in her fictional writing. She currently resides in a small, cozy village in Ohio with her husband and her seven cats.

Author Links: Webpage: https://www.jodirath.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/jodirath FB

Author Page: Author Jodi Rath Twitter @jodirath

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jodi-rath

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jodirath/

Monthly Newsletter Link: http://eepurl.com/dIfXdbGet Short Story “Sweet Retreat” for free by subscribing to my monthly newsletter. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive free flash fiction, A Mystery a Month, serial scenes from series, and deleted scenes).

Purchase Links – Amazon –

All other e-platforms: https://books2read.com/u/bOAYyK

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/jalapeno-cheddar-cornbread-murder-the-cast-iron-skillet-mystery-series-by-jodi-rath

New Releases 2019 (Jun 25)

Welcome back to the charming New England coast, where Maddie James’s cat café is at risk of becoming a crime scene for the purrfect murder.

Maddie is hoping to have some downtime during Daybreak Island’s off-season to tackle her to-do list. Her grandfather’s house-turned-cat-café is under construction and she’s also scoping out places to open a juice bar on the island. On top of that, her relationship with adorable dog groomer Lucas has taken a pawsitive turn.

But easy is getting harder every day for Maddie, especially when a big-name writer who’s on the island working on a new project winds up floating in the canal. This, on the exact same day an eccentric woman shows up at the cafe claiming Maddie’s cat, JJ, is hers.

As the investigation into the dead writer picks up, Maddie realizes that even the neighbors she’s known all her life might be keeping secrets that go deep into the heart of this small seaside town. Meanwhile, a killer remains at - large and on the prowl.

From New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a brand new psychological thriller about the lengths one woman will go to in order to save a child.

“Few crimes are reported as quickly as a snatched kid.”

That’s what the officer tells single mother Aubrey Finch after she reports a kidnapping. So why hasn’t anyone reported the little boy missing? Aubrey knows what she saw: a boy being taken against his will from the park. It doesn’t matter that the mother can’t be found. It doesn’t matter if no one reported it. Aubrey knows he’s missing.

Instead, people question her sanity. Aubrey hears the whispers. She’s a former stay-at-home mom who doesn’t have primary custody of her daughter, so there must be something wrong with her, right? Others may not understand her decision to walk away from her safe life at home, but years of hiding her past – even from the people she loves – were taking their toll, and Aubrey knows she can’t be the mother or wife she envisions until she learns to leave her secrets behind.

When the police refuse to believe her, she realizes that rescuing the boy is up to her alone. But after all the secrets, how far is she willing to go? Even to protect a child.

Lights. Camera. Murder.  It’s all in a day’s work for beer maven and amateur sleuth Sloan Krause in her latest hopping mystery.

Everyone in the village of Leavenworth, Washington, is buzzing with excitement over this year’s Oktoberfest activities—and eagerly awaiting Nitro’s latest offering of Cherrywizen, made with locally sourced cherries. But brewmaster Sloan Krause is feeling tapped out. Between trying to manage the pub, her pending divorce, and her mounting feelings for Nitro’s owner Garrett Strong, she’s fermenting in internal turmoil. To complicate matters, documentary filmmaker Mitchell Morgan and his production crew have come to town to film the Bavarian-themed extravaganza. His antics put the town on edge — until Sloane finds Mitchell sprawled out in front of an Oktoberfest tent in the middle of town. Was his death caused by one pint too many — or is this a case of murder by microbrew?

Some mistakes you have to live with

One victim succumbs to an overdose. Another is brutally bludgeoned to death. Each, in turn, will pay. Because you never forget the friends you make in high school — or the enemies.

And others

In the wake of her stepbrother Nick’s death, Kerry Monaghan is visiting Edwards Bay. Kerry has just returned to the small town overlooking an arm of Puget Sound that she left before high school, though not before falling hard and fast for Cole Sheffield, now with the local PD. But Nick’s death may be more than an accident. And soon there are others — all former teenage friends, linked by a dark obsession.

You will die for

With Cole’s help, Kerry sets out to learn the truth about what happened to Nick. But within Edwards Bay is a shocking legacy built on envy and lust — and a secret that has unleashed a killer’s unstoppable fury.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson comes a new novel of nerve-jangling suspense as a woman haunted by guilt realizes that nothing can be trusted — not even her own memory.

There are people in Edgewater, Oregon, who think that twenty years ago, Rachel Gaston got away with murder.

Rachel still has no idea how a foolish teenaged game turned deadly — or who replaced her soft pellet air gun with a real weapon. When a figure leapt out at her from the darkness, she fired without thinking. Too late, she recognized her half-brother, Luke, and saw blood blooming around his chest.

Despite counseling, Rachel’s horrifying dreams about that night continue. Her anxiety contributed to her divorce from Detective Cade Ryder, though he blames himself too. But as Rachel’s high school reunion nears, she feels her imagination playing tricks, convincing her that objects in her house have moved. That there’s a hint of unfamiliar cologne in the air. That someone is tailing her car. Watching her home.

She’s right to be scared. And as connections surface between a new string of murders and Luke’s death, Rachel realizes there’s no escaping the past, and the truth may be darker than her worst fears.

Cozy, Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reads (Jun 24)

 Weekly Cozy, Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reads

Weekly Cozy, Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reads is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews:

Post the books you read last week and books being read this week.


Read Last Week:

1.  Nothing to Hide - Allison Brennan

Weekly Read:

1.  Too Far Gone - Allison Brennan

Library Haul 2019 (Jun 23 - 29)

Here's the list of books I picked up from the library this week:

Hardcover:

1.  Dark Storm - Karen Harper

Cozy, Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Mail (Jun 22)

Cozy, Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Mail is hosted every Saturday at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received these in the mail this week.      

In the long-awaited follow-up to the #1 bestselling thriller INVISIBLE the perfect murder always looks like an accident.

FBI agent Emmy Dockery is absolutely relentless. She's young and driven, and her unique skill at seeing connections others miss has brought her an impressive string of arrests.

But a shocking new case-unfolding across the country-has left her utterly baffled.

The victims all appear to have died by accident, and have seemingly nothing in common. But this many deaths can't be coincidence. And the killer is somehow one step ahead of every move Dockery makes. How?

To FBI special agent Harrison "Books" Bookman, everyone in the FBI is a suspect-particularly Emmy Dockery (the fact that she's his ex-fiancee doesn't make it easier).

But someone else is watching Dockery. Studying, learning, waiting. Until it's the perfect time to strike.

Holly Quinn's A Crafter Hooks A Killer Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Holly Quinn at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.

Thanks Holly and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your A Crafter Hooks A Killer Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Holly!

A Crafter Hooks a Killer: A Handcrafted Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Crooked Lane Books (June 11, 2019)
Hardcover 274 Pages
ISBN-10: 1643850121
ISBN-13: 978-1643850122
Digital ASIN: B07MGS1XDW




Community Craft proprietor Sammy Kane suspects that a tantalizing thread links the deaths of her best friend and a bestselling author. But can she weave together the clues?

Samantha “Sammy” Kane is settling into her new life in idyllic Heartsford, Wisconsin, running her late friend Kate Allen’s craft shop, Community Craft when one early June day, bestselling crochet author Jane Johnson visits Heartsford. Captivated by Community Craft, Jane devotes a chapter in her new book, Behind the Seams, to the store. Sammy is honored, though satisfaction quickly turns to shock when she finds Jane strangled to death — her cold hands clutching a copy of her most recently published book, with the words “THE END” raggedly scratched into the cover.

Heavens to Etsy! Not only must Sammy contend with the author’s inauspicious demise, she has to untie some knotty details from her own past. It turns out Kate’s death was not what it seemed, and instead somehow hooked to Jane Johnson’s demise. Handsome Detective Liam Nash is on the “skein”, more than happy to see the shop owner again, if less than enamored by her sleuthing interventions. But this was Sammy’s best friend — she has to know.

Fortunately, Sammy has a “lace” in the hole. As a child, she formed the S.H.E. detective team with her cousin, Heidi, and her sister, Ellie. Having already reconstituted their partnership, the S.H.E. team searches for a pattern behind the latest death. As the case starts to unravel, will Sammy and team be able to sidestep Liam quick enough to stitch together the clues?

About the Author

Holly Quinn has published two stand-alone fiction novels in another persona. She graduated from Carroll University in Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science in business and a minor in marketing. This is her second Handcrafted mystery. Visit her @ www.authorhollyquinn.com

Author Links 

Website – www.authorhollyquinn.com

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

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7940795.Holly_Quinn

Purchase Links – Amazon – B and N – BAM – IndieBound – Powell’s Books – Walmart 

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792888

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/a-crafter-hooks-a-killer-a-handcrafted-mystery-by-holly-quinn

Lynn Cahoon's Sconed To Death Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Lynn Cahoon at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.

Thanks Lynn and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Sconed To Death Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Lynn


 

Sconed to Death (A Cat Latimer Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Kensington (May 28, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 1496716833
ISBN-13: 978-1496716835
Kindle ASIN: B07H1ZCS2Z



Cat Latimer pursues a scone-cold killer who iced a top chef in a local bakery.

Cat has a full plate at her Aspen Hills Warm Springs Resort, as a group of aspiring cozy mystery authors arrives for a writers retreat. So when baker Dee Dee Meyer stirs up trouble by filing a false complaint with the health inspector against the B and B — all because she insists Cat’s best friend Shauna stole her recipes — Cat marches into the shop to confront her.

But Dee Dee’s about to have her own batch of trouble. Greyson Finn — a celebrity chef and, until today, one of Denver’s most eligible bachelors — has been found dead in her bakery. Cat’s uncle Pete, who happens to be the chief of police, warns her not to engage in any half-baked sleuthing. But as her curiosity rises, Cat’s determined to discover who served the chef his just desserts — before the killer takes a powder.

About the Author

Lynn Cahoon is the award-winning author of several New York Times and USA Today bestselling cozy mystery series. The Tourist Trap series is set in central coastal California with six holiday novellas releasing in 2018–2019. She also pens the Cat Latimer series available in mass market paperback. Her newest series, the Farm to Fork mystery series, debuted in 2018. She lives in a small town like the ones she loves to write about with her husband and two fur babies.

Author Links 

Goodreads –http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5857424.Lynn_Cahoon

Twitter – https://twitter.com/LynnCahoon

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

Amazon author page – http://www.amazon.com/Lynn-Cahoon/e/B0082PWOAO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Website – http://lynncahoon.com/

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

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792885

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/sconed-to-death-a-cat-latimer-mystery-by-lynn-cahoon

G.P. Gardner's Murder at Royal Court Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have G.P. Gardner at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway.

Thanks G.P. and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Murder at Royal Court Blog Tour!

Please take it away, G.P.!

EXCERPT 

“Good morning, Nita,” a woman wielding a broom called from the entrance to Lilliput. She kept sweeping.

“Evie, come meet my friend Cleo.”

When Evie turned toward me, I realized she looked extraordinarily familiar. Not Ann, but close enough to mistake for her.

“This is Ann’s sister,” Nita said. “She has this wonderful little shop full of dollhouses.” She rested a thin hand on Evie’s arm. “I know you don’t call them that, Evie. But I have to stop and think of their real name. Miniatures? Is that it?”

“Right, but lots of people say dollhouse. It doesn’t bother me a bit.”

“You look so much like Ann,” I said. “Especially your hair.”

Evie preened, fingering her short, reddish hair. “It ought to look the same. Came out of the same bottle.” She laughed.

“We’ll come look around in your shop before we leave,” Nita promised her. “It always puts me in a good mood to see your little treasures. Are you still making the needlepoint rugs? Cleo needs to see them.”

“They sell fast but I’ve probably got one or two.” Evie picked up a doormat and swept under it.

The knit shop was in the corner, angled between the building’s two wings, with display windows flanking the glass door. Nita pointed to the name, Royale Knit Shop, written across the windows in purple and green script with gold highlights. “Do you recognize the colors of Mardi Gras?”

I wouldn’t have thought of the connection, but I’d already learned Fairhope had a tradition of celebrating Mardi Gras. Any holiday, in fact.

Nita tried the doorknob without using the key. To our surprise, it opened. She hesitated and looked at me.

“Jim says always check the knob first, to be sure it’s locked and no one’s lurking inside. But I’m sure Ann just left it open for us.” She looked at me. I nodded agreement and we entered the shop, exercising no particular caution. I wondered what life must be like for her, always conceding to Jim’s hypervigilance. Nita clicked the lights on and the knit shop sprang to life.

A pink floral carpet covered much of the dark floor. The boxed-out display windows were decorated with stacks of luscious, jewel-toned yarns and mannequins outfitted in knitted garments. A wide purple stripe ran above the windows, around the walls and all the way to the high tin ceiling. On the side walls, bins of colorful yarns were topped with hat stands and plaster body parts displaying more knitted creations.

There was a shorter row of shelving in the middle of the room, ending at a glass checkout counter that sparkled under pendant lights. In the back, a big wooden table and chairs reminded me of a college library. I could imagine it lined with chatty knitters sipping coffee or tea as they twisted cables and counted stitches. The lighting must’ve been some special bulb, chosen because it so perfectly mimicked daylight.

At the very back of the shop, a pair of black Cracker Barrel rocking chairs held blue-and-white needlepoint pillows, and between the chairs, a mahogany table held a porcelain lamp glazed in the same colors.

“Isn’t it an inviting place? Ann’s a real artist, you know.” Nita folded her gloves together and went to turn the lamp on. “The knitting group will be here soon. I’ll put the coffee on and you can look around.”

I stopped to inspect an infinity scarf twirled with Mardi Gras beads and displayed on one of several mannequins. I was a tactile shopper who had to feel everything, and the infinity scarf was like a softer, fluffier Tinkerbelle.

Evie came in the door. “Somebody’s locked me out of the bathroom. Mind if I go through and unlock the door?”

“Of course not. I’ve done it myself.” Nita was at the coffee bar measuring out dark grounds, but she could explain the Royale Court layout to me while she worked. “The shops share bathrooms. This one is for the knit shop and Lilliput.”

Evie approached the door beside the coffee bar. “This one is shared three ways, actually. Ann and me, plus the back office. And somebody’s forever leaving the door locked. I’ve got a key somewhere but it’s easier to run over here.” She opened the bathroom door, disappeared from

view, and screamed.

Nita and I bolted as Evie burst out of the bathroom, clutching her throat.

“There’s a man!”

She took a few more steps before turning to stare at us, horrified, hands clasped against her chest. “I think he’s dead.”

“Call 911,” Nita ordered, and reached out to console Evie. My bag still hung from my shoulder. I pulled out my phone and punched in the number.

But I needed to know what I was reporting, didn’t I? I opened the bathroom door.

Nita was right behind me. “I want to see, too.”

Murder at Royale Court (A Cleo Mack Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Lyrical Underground (June 4, 2019)
Paperback: 228 pages
ISBN-10: 1516109023
ISBN-13: 978-1516109029
Digital ASIN: B07H72BF6W





Harbor Village is a vivacious retirement paradise known for its beachy locale and active senior scene. But ever since murder moved in, the idyllic coastal community is becoming a little less lively.

With the first annual antique car show cruising into the tranquil bayside oasis of Fairhope, Alabama, there are bumpy roads ahead for Harbor Village director Cleo Mack. As an automobile-themed lecture series gets off to a rough start, she finds herself balancing one too many responsibilities — and dodging advances from a shady event sponsor. It’s enough to make Cleo feel twice her age. But the festivities reach a real dead end when she discovers a body at the Royale Court shopping center.

When an innocent man lands in the hot seat for murder, Harbor Village residents look to Cleo to crack the case. Aided by an eclectic group of energetic seniors, Cleo races to identify the true culprit from a growing list of harmless Sunday drivers — before a killer revs up for another hit and run!

This ebook includes an exclusive knitting pattern!

About the Author

Born and raised in Alabama, G. P. Gardner earned BS and MA degrees in Psychology from the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL) and an MBA from Jacksonville State University (Jacksonville, AL). She also attended the University of Georgia (Athens, GA), where she studied biopsychology and primatology. But her heart belongs to Talladega College — an HBCU and the first educational institution in Alabama to admit students without regard to race — where she taught business. Her writing life began with short stories, some of which were published in regional literary journals and some of which won prizes. She enjoys the classic mystery writers as well as contemporary whodunits but reads widely. She is a knitter and once owned a knit shop in Fairhope, AL. She studied mystery writing with Terry Cline, another Fairhope resident. Murder in Harbor Village is the first in her series about social worker Cleo Mack. You can visit her at gpgardner.com.

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

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792884
Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/upcoming-great-escapes-book-tours/murder-at-royale-court-a-cleo-mack-mystery-by-g-p-gardner

Cozy, Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reads (Jun 3)

 Weekly Cozy, Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reads

Weekly Cozy, Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reads is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews:

Post the books you read last week and books being read this week.


Read Last Week:

1.  Nothing

Weekly Read:

1.  The Summoning - Heather Graham

Library Haul 2019 (Jun 2 - 8)

Here's the list of books I picked up from the library this week:

Hardcover:

1.  The Summoning - Heather Graham

Dana Dratch's Seeing Red Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Dana Dratch at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.

Thanks Dana and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Seeing Red Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Dana!

Seeing Red (A Red Herring Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Kensington (May 28, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
ISBN-10: 1496716582
ISBN-13: 978-1496716583
Digital ASIN: B07H1VFL64




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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dana Dratch is a former newspaper reporter and current personal finance writer. When she’s not finishing Seeing Red — the next Alex Vlodnachek mystery — you’ll spot her byline on a host of top news sites. You can learn more about her mysteries at ConfessionsofaRedHerring.com.

Purchase Links

Amazon B and N Kobo Google Play

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792881

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/seeing-red-a-red-herring-mystery-by-dana-dratch