C.J. Shane's Blog: My Two Hats: Art and Writing

Review: The Marfa Blues

*The Marfa Blues* is a thoroughly enjoyable yarn with the most diverse and engaging characters I’ve encountered in a long time. Having lived in West Texas myself, the idea of a book based on the little town of Marfa intrigued me. But this story was so much more than setting. The book starts in the 19th century when Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, sends troops north with wagons loaded with his treasures (gold, diamonds, etc.) to ship back to Europe. Things go awry, and the treasure is lost. Or is it? A map shows that the treasure was actually hidden in a Texas canyon. And it’s still there.

Move ahead to 1968. A motley crew of hippies, artist, a wealthy rancher and a teenager come together with Vera, who owns a cafe in Marfa. They end up forming an oddball kind of family, and they decide to go looking for the treasure. At the same time, a ruthless entrepreneur from back East initiates a cloning experiment to create really, really big beef cattle, in the hopes of making a financial killing from the ability to produce so much meat for sale. And there’s those bad guys, drug-dealers all, who are interested in intervening and finding the treasure. Events play out. Then the author treats us with a jump into the future to let us know what happened to everyone involved in the treasure hunt.

All around excellent and entertaining read. That’s *The Marfa Blues.*

Daemon Waters

I've been anti-war most of my adult life. But I have a strong respect and concern for military veterans. Here's my Memorial Day tribute to vets.

My Letty Valdez mystery, Daemon Waters, is on sale for a limited time. Learn more, read a passage, find buy links, & sign up for a $20 Amazon gift card here at NNLightBookHeaven.

https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...

American West: Mystery-Suspense

Mystery and Suspense in the American West: 9 Authors, 14 Books. Click on the book cover(s) that interest you to learn more about each book.
https://books.bookfunnel.com/american...
Available through March 3, 2024.

Cozy Mysteries

Wide Cozy Mysteries. "Wide" means these books are available on Kobo, Apple Nook, and, oh yeah, Amazon). Select from 13 cozy mysteries. Two are mine. Kissed: Cat Miranda #1 and Take Four: Iron Horse Mystery #1. Click on the link and then on the book cover(s) that interest you to learn more. https://books.bookfunnel.com/widecozy...

"Kissed" on sale $1.99

"Kissed" (#1 in the Cat Miranda Mystery series set in Bisbee, AZ) is on sale now, only $1.99. Click on the link & read an excerpt from this cozy mystery + romance. And get a chance to win an Amazon gift card via Rafflecopter. "Kissed" was a finalist for best cozy mystery, New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. FYI, the cover of the book is a painting in Cat's art gallery in Bisbee. Here's the link: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...

Cat Miranda #3: The Broken Pot

Interested in reading and reviewing the third Cat Miranda mystery, "The Broken Pot.? It's a stand-alone cozy mystery set in Bisbee, Arizona. You'll meet art gallerista Cat Miranda her *novio* Englishman Miles Trevelyan, new characters and two Great Danes, Tito and Greta.

For a free copy in exchange for a review, email me at shane AT cjshane.com

"Dragon's Revenge" paperbk on sale

The paperback version of my Letty Valdez mystery, "Dragon's Revenge," on sale on Amazon now for $4.14 (regularly $14.99). "Dragon's Revenge" is a stand-alone novel, #2 in the Letty series. The story has lengthy excerpts of a memoir about life in Tucson in the 1890s, and a love affair between an Italian immigrant and a Chinese revolutionary. Ranking on Amazon is 4.7 out of 5 stars and 4.58 on Goodreads.
Here's the Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

Authors for Ukraine

You don't want to miss this. Authors for Ukraine are offering books to be auctioned off to raise $ for Ukrainian relief. f you win, you get two autographed/dedicated paperbacks of the first two Letty Valdez mysteries. Here's the link to bid on my books: https://www.32auctions.com/organizati...
and here's the link to see all the books in the auction: https://www.32auctions.com/Authorsfor...Desert Jade

Deal on 25 Mystery-Suspense Books

Do you like to start a series with the first book? Do you like mystery-suspense? Take a look at this link to see 25 books on the mystery-suspense theme, all first in series, including my first in the Letty Valdez series, Desert Jade.

If you see a book or books you like, click on the cover and that takes you to a "landing page" with more information about the book.

Here's the link:
https://books.bookfunnel.com/thefirst...

New! "Direct Evidence"

"Direct Evidence" is a stand-alone mystery and fourth in the Letty Valdez Mystery series.

Private investigator Letty Valdez takes on a new case, but within minutes, the new client is shot and killed outside Letty’s office. Letty sets off on a search to find the murdered client’s teenage son. She becomes a target as she recovers a kidnapped infant, stops a serial rapist, uncovers a cybercrime, and deals with a vengeful criminal who wants to do her harm. Letty is backed up by her investigator trainee, Frankie Miranda, and her favorite man, Dr. Dan Ennis, who more than anything wants to keep Letty safe. Direct Evidence is a stand-alone novel and fourth in the Letty Valdez Mystery series.