Sybrina Durant's Blog, page 273
March 3, 2019
Fatality In F by Alexia Gordon
FATALITY IN F
A Gethsemane Brown Mystery, Volume 4
by
Alexia Gordon
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Henery Press
Date of Publication: February 26, 2019
Number of Pages: 234
Scroll down for the giveaway!
Fresh from solving her third mystery—and saving Dunmullach’s firstborn males from a vengeful ghost—Gethsemane Brown’s ready to relax and enjoy her summer. Her plans include nothing more dangerous than performing in the opening ceremony of the annual rose and garden show and cheering on Frankie Grennan, who’s entered his hybrid rose into the competition.
But when a mysterious stalker starts leaving Frankie floral bouquets as coded messages, Gethsemane fears a copy-cat may be planning to recreate the still-unsolved murders of the infamous Flower Shop Killer. Then Frankie’s main competitor in the rose show—and the reason his marriage failed—turns up dead in Frankie’s rose garden. Frankie takes first prize in the category “prime suspect.”
So much for a relaxing summer.
As bodies start dropping like rose petals, Gethsemane must judge the other suspects and find the real killer. Or rose bushes won’t be the only things dead-headed in Dunmullach.
The cover and the title of this book are what drew me in. Fatality in F. . .oh, how musically delicious. Any author who can incorporate music into their work gains my immediate attention. This author, Alexia Gordon does not disappoint in book number four of her musical mystery series. Here’s an example of what I mean by that: “Eerie, yet majestic, notes meant to evoke the Russian mountain spirit who protected the mines and their underground treasures welled up from the violin and spilled over onto the stage and into the auditorium.” I love that imagery.
Not only does Ms. Gordon expound upon the emotional rifts and swells of music but she uses it as an instrumental background in such a way that you almost feel as if you are watching a movie rather than reading a book.
In this book, former world renowned classical violinist and current music director at the local boy’s school, finds herself embroiled in investigating a murder within the rosarian community, as she prepares to conduct the Dunmullach Village Orchestra in the opening and awards ceremonies of the upcoming garden show, hosted by The International Rose Hybridizers’ Association. All right. . .murder. . .music and flowers. . .now I’m really interested.
Investigative Mysteries. . .How I love them and I have read quite a few. My favorite sleuths were the perky super snooper Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie’s elderly nose around Miss Marple and of course, the master of all consulting detectives, Sherlock Holmes. I must say that our heroine, the extraordinary Gethsemane Brown is a solid mix of all three. She’s older than Nancy by about 20 years and much, much younger than Miss Marple but she’s just as persistent as those two ladies and just as logical as dear old Sherlock.
There are so many great characters in this book who assist “Fearless Brown”, as her friends sometimes call her, with the many investigations which manage to present themselves to her but I will mainly concentrate on Gethsemane and her ghostly protector for my review. I apologize for that but the dynamics between them really gets your imagination going.
So. . .about Gethsemane’s ghost. . .Eamon McCarthy, inhabits the ancient lighthouse at Carraigfaire that Ms. Brown calls home. But for a few exceptions, he can also travel nearly anywhere he’d visited while alive. She became acquainted with the lovely spirit in a previous book while researching his death. Everyone had suspected suicide but Gethsemane proved he was poisoned to death with digoxin, a pharmaceutical derived from the beautiful bell-shaped purple flowers of the foxglove plant. Did I mention the author has a medical background? It really shows here and many other places in the book.
While reading about Gethsemane Brown and Eamon McCarthy, I just couldn’t stop thinking back to one of my favorite television programs from the late 60’s called The Ghost and Mrs Muir. That comedic series was based on a romantic fantasy movie that was based on a very popular cozy romance book (they weren’t called that back then, though) of the same title which was written by Josephine Leslie under the pseudonym of R. A. Dick.
Gethesemane and Eamon share a seaside home along with many private moments and revealing conversations, just like Mrs. Muir and her Captain Greg. I don’t believe Captain Greg was able to leave the confines of Gull Cottage, though.
In addition to being able to travel, Eamon can move things around with his thoughts and can throw explosive orb blasts at evil doers. On the domestic front, he can brew up a mean pot of coffee or serve a whisky neat. He is even capable of learning new skills like how to maneuver through the world wide web to social media groups like Murderphile dot com. In fact, it is that new skill that leads G. Brown to one of the biggest clues for solving the mysterious murders in this book.
Like Captain Greg, Eamon experiences all of the emotions of a flesh and blood entity. He doesn’t always use words to express them. Many times they are manifested as different colored auras. There’s impatient turquoise, worried saffron, morose dull yellow, pink with embarrassment and unamused mauve. Eamon bristles umber when annoyed. His aura is radiant with blue fury when angry and when fearful he glows full-on terrified purple. Hmmm. . .I wonder what color love would cause his aura to appear? Will the author let us know in her next book?
Another big difference between Captain Greg and Eamon is that Gethsemane’s spectral friend reaches out to touch her and often. That is something that never occurred between Mrs. Muir and hers. The effects and powers of his touches range from affection (causing only a mild spark to flash through her) to desperation (literally throwing her over a cliff to save her from gunfire). It was the constant touching that had me wondering if there might be some hopeless romance budding between the two of them. Though they exist in two different dimensions they almost live as a married couple. As long as Eamon is in her life, I can’t see her ever letting another man get very close.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean to steer you in the wrong direction. This is not a love story. It is an all out who-dun-it murder mystery with lots of exciting events throughout. I highly recommend you read this book or series in any order you please. Fatality in F certainly stands on its own but you might want to start with Murder In G Major (#1). Then, move on to Death In D Minor (#2), followed by Killing In C Sharp (#3) and wrap it all up with book #4. Which ever route you decide on, you will be as impressed with Alexia Gordon’s story-telling abilities as I am.
PRAISE FOR THE GETHSEMANE BROWN MYSTERY SERIES:
Book 1, Murder in G Major
Winner of the 2017 Lefty Award for Best Debut Novel
2016 Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel
Suspense magazine “Best of 2016” selection in Debut Novel category
Book 2, Death in D Minor
Runner-Up, 2017 Lone Star Bloggers’ Choice Awards, Best Mystery
Book 3, Killing in C Sharp
Starred review, Publisher’s Weekly, January 29, 2018
CLICK TO ORDER ON:
┃ Amazon ┃ Barnes & Noble ┃ iBooks ┃ Kobo ┃
A writer since childhood, Alexia Gordon won her first writing prize in the 6th grade. She continued writing through college but put literary endeavors on hold to finish medical school and Family Medicine residency training. She established her medical career then returned to writing fiction. Raised in the southeast, schooled in the northeast, she relocated to the west where she completed Southern Methodist University’s Writer’s Path program. She admits Texas brisket is as good as Carolina pulled pork. She practices medicine in North Chicago, IL. She enjoys the symphony, art collecting, embroidery, and ghost stories.
║ Website ║ Facebook ║ Instagram ║
║BookBub ║ Twitter ║ Goodreads║
————————————-
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
One winner receives a signed copy of Fatality in F and
a $30 Gift Card to David Austin Roses
FEBRUARY 26-MARCH 8, 2019
(US ONLY)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
2/26/19
Sneak Peek
Texas Book Lover
2/26/19
Playlist
All the Ups and Downs
2/27/19
Review
Chapter Break Book Blog
2/28/19
Review
Reading by Moonlight
3/1/19
Top 5 List
StoreyBook Reviews
3/1/19
Author Interview
Max Knight
3/2/19
Review
Bibliotica
3/3/19
Review
Sybrina’s Book Blog
3/4/19
Top 5 List
That’s What She’s Reading
3/4/19
Top 5 List
The Love of a Bibliophile
3/5/19
Review
Momma on the Rocks
3/6/19
Series Spotlight
Kelly Well Read
3/6/19
Excerpt
Syd Savvy
3/7/19
Review
Forgotten Winds
3/7/19
Review
Book Fidelity
Musically Delicious
The cover and the title of this book are what drew me in. Fatality in F. . .oh, how musically delicious. Any author who can incorporate music into their work gains my immediate attention. This author, Alexia Gordon does not disappoint in book number four of her musical mystery series. Here's an example of what I mean by that: "Eerie, yet majestic, notes meant to evoke the Russian mountain spirit who protected the mines and their underground treasures welled up from the violin and spilled over onto the stage and into the auditorium." I love that imagery.
Not only does Ms. Gordon expound upon the emotional rifts and swells of music but she uses it as an instrumental background in such a way that you almost feel as if you are watching a movie rather than reading a book.
In this book, former world renowned classical violinist and current music director at the local boy's school, finds herself embroiled in investigating a murder within the rosarian community, as she prepares to conduct the Dunmullach Village Orchestra in the opening and awards ceremonies of the upcoming garden show, hosted by The International Rose Hybridizers’ Association. All right. . .murder. . .music and flowers. . .now I'm really interested.
Investigative Mysteries. . .How I love them and I have read quite a few. My favorite sleuths were the perky super snooper Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie’s elderly nose around Miss Marple and of course, the master of all consulting detectives, Sherlock Holmes. I must say that our heroine, the extraordinary Gethsemane Brown is a solid mix of all three. She's older than Nancy by about 20 years and much, much younger than Miss Marple but she's just as persistent as those two ladies and just as logical as dear old Sherlock.
There are so many great characters in this book who assist "Fearless Brown", as her friends sometimes call her, with the many investigations which manage to present themselves to her but I will mainly concentrate on Gethsemane and her ghostly protector for my review. I apologize for that but the dynamics between them really gets your imagination going.
So. . .about Gethsemane's ghost. . .Eamon McCarthy, inhabits the ancient lighthouse at Carraigfaire that Ms. Brown calls home. But for a few exceptions, he can also travel nearly anywhere he'd visited while alive. She became acquainted with the lovely spirit in a previous book while researching his death. Everyone had suspected suicide but Gethsemane proved he was poisoned to death with digoxin, a pharmaceutical derived from the beautiful bell-shaped purple flowers of the foxglove plant. Did I mention the author has a medical background? It really shows here and many other places in the book.
While reading about Gethsemane Brown and Eamon McCarthy, I just couldn’t stop thinking back to one of my favorite television programs from the late 60’s called The Ghost and Mrs Muir. That comedic series was based on a romantic fantasy movie that was based on a very popular cozy romance book (they weren’t called that back then, though) of the same title which was written by Josephine Leslie under the pseudonym of R. A. Dick.
Gethesemane and Eamon share a seaside home along with many private moments and revealing conversations, just like Mrs. Muir and her Captain Greg. I don't believe Captain Greg was able to leave the confines of Gull Cottage, though.
In addition to being able to travel, Eamon can move things around with his thoughts and can throw explosive orb blasts at evil doers. On the domestic front, he can brew up a mean pot of coffee or serve a whisky neat. He is even capable of learning new skills like how to maneuver through the world wide web to social media groups like Murderphile dot com. In fact, it is that new skill that leads G. Brown to one of the biggest clues for solving the mysterious murders in this book.
Like Captain Greg, Eamon experiences all of the emotions of a flesh and blood entity. He doesn't always use words to express them. Many times they are manifested as different colored auras. There's impatient turquoise, worried saffron, morose dull yellow, pink with embarrassment and unamused mauve. Eamon bristles umber when annoyed. His aura is radiant with blue fury when angry and when fearful he glows full-on terrified purple. Hmmm. . .I wonder what color love would cause his aura to appear? Will the author let us know in her next book?
Another big difference between Captain Greg and Eamon is that Gethsemane’s spectral friend reaches out to touch her and often. That is something that never occurred between Mrs. Muir and hers. The effects and powers of his touches range from affection (causing only a mild spark to flash through her) to desperation (literally throwing her over a cliff to save her from gunfire). It was the constant touching that had me wondering if there might be some hopeless romance budding between the two of them. Though they exist in two different dimensions they almost live as a married couple. As long as Eamon is in her life, I can't see her ever letting another man get very close.
Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to steer you in the wrong direction. This is not a love story. It is an all out who-dun-it murder mystery with lots of exciting events throughout. I highly recommend you read this book or series in any order you please. Fatality in F certainly stands on its own but you might want to start with Murder In G Major (#1). Then, move on to Death In D Minor (#2), followed by Killing In C Sharp (#3) and wrap it all up with book #4. Which ever route you decide on, you will be as impressed with Alexia Gordon's story-telling abilities as I am.
December 20, 2018
Journey To Osm – The Blue Unicorn’s Tale
The novel is the expanded version of the illustrated book. Lots of surprises in store for readers.
Original post:
Sybrina.booklikes.com/post/1821039/journey-to-osm-the-blue-unicorn-s-tale
December 18, 2018
If you love mysteries, this is a really good one!
Disarray: Book 1 by J. CalMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
From the first sentence to the last, I could not put down Disarray by J. Cal. This action-packed book is so fast paced that I ate it up within a couple of hours. The author made the four main characters Mia, Hugh, Ethan and Sophia so totally likeable and believable that I easily became totally invested in them. What I really enjoyed about this story is that nothing ever turned out to be how it first appeared and each new page contained real surprises. Plus, happily for me, it is an amazingly clean read. If you enjoy mysteries, this is a really good one. And if you hate it when a good story ends, luckily this is just Book 1 of the Disarray Trilogy.
View all my reviews
August 10, 2018
Great story with lots of twists and turns
Author Greg Alldredge kept me guessing throughout his turn-of-the-century supernatural American novel. This story of the three monster-slaying Slaughter Sisters from Yonkers was so well crafted that I sped through it at lightening speed. It definitely left me wanting to read more so I am glad that there are other Brandywine Adventure books to choose from. Count me in as a new fan.
January 20, 2018
Unicorn Herds in the Magical Metal Horn Tribe
The tribe of metal horned unicorns from Unimaise is broken down into different sets of individuals grouped together by type of metal related magic. These groups are called Herds. While there are many more Unicorn Herds than those listed below, the different herds of the remaining 12 members of the Tribe of Metal Horned unicorns are 1) Pilot Herd, 2) Navigator Herd, 3) Medical Herd, 4) Water Purification Herd, 5) Scientific Herd, 6) Chef Herd, 7) Communicator Herd, 8) Styling Herd, 9) Psychology Herd, 10) Musical Herd, 11) Defender Herd, and 12) Empath Herd.
Pilot Herd – Osm is a member of the pilot herd. All pilots have osmium in their horns. The rest of their horn might be comprised of platinum or some other white precious metal. None of the unicorns stranded on MarBryn know that the blue unicorn is a member of the pilot herd. Osm also happens to be another term for awesome, and this unicorn has some awesome powers once he is transformed.
Navigator Herd – Alumna is known as the oracle of the tribe because she has direct contact with Numen, the Moon-Star Spirit. She is a member of the navigator herd but she is unaware of that until the Numen tells her so. All navigator horns are aluminum. Navigators communicate with the Numen through crystal orbs in order to determine the best courses for the jump ships. They are natural map makers and create star maps as well as land maps.
Medical Herd – Dr. Zinko is a member of the medical herd. All zinc horned unicorns are in the medical herd. Since the magical practice of medicine is not dependent on the Numen or on star travel, the doctor has always practiced his craft. A magical medical blast from Dr. Zinko’s horn can quickly heal an ailing unicorn.
Water Purification Herd – Cuprum is a member of the water purification herd. Her name is the Latin word for copper. All copper horned unicorns belong to the water purification herd. Their main magical ability is to purify water but they also have some magical power over any body containing water such as the ocean, a tornado or even the body of another creature.
Scientific Herd – Lauda is a member of the Scientific Herd. Her name has West Germanic roots for the word lead. Every unicorn with a lead horn is a member of the scientific herd. The lead horn is multi-purpose. Lauda can use her to magically conjure up insect repellants and she can also use her horn to solder fissures in the outer wall of the Halstable.
Chef Herd – Tinam is a member of the Chef Herd. His name is the Germanic word for tin. All tin horned unicorns are part of the chef herd. Their magical ability is to conjure foodstuffs from thin air and to preserve it in tins so that it may be enjoyed later. The ability to conjure matter from nothing can come in handy in other ways besides serving up delicious meals. There is a close call in this book where Tinam’s magic saves members of the tribe from being eaten by a blober.
Communicator Herd – Silubhra is a member of the Communicator Herd. Her name is the Germanic word for silver. The silver horned unicorns have the power of persuasion, making them great communicators. The silver horned unicorn’s magic power was derived from the word “salubrious” which means favorable or pleasing or even delightful. Silubhra’s voice is so salubrious that she has a ‘silver tongue’ along with that silver horn of hers. She has the ability to persuade others to behave in a manner in-line with her words. She is eloquent and has a beautiful singing voice that captures the attention of others.
Styling Herd – Style is a member of the Styling Herd. All steel-horned unicorns have the power to make others look and feel better with their magical styling abilities. Styles motto is, “When you look good, you feel good, too.” Being able to magically conjure ear adornments, the shape and weight of kettlebells, helps Style escape from a hungry manticore.
Earthworks Herd – Iown is a member of the Earthworks Herd. The iron in their horns ties them to the earth so they can enrich soil
with the touch of their horn. They can repair the earth in many ways but since they are so in tune with the natural, they also have a greater understanding of the nature of unicorn psyches, too. Because of their ability to soothe frazzled egos or ease broken hearts, they are also known as philosophers and psychologists of the tribe.
Musical Herd – Cornum is a member of the Musical Herd. His name is the Latin word for horn. Members of the musical herd have brass horns, which can sound like any wind instrument, even instruments that might be made of other metals or wood.
Defender Herd – Nix is a member of the Defender Herd. The ferromagnetic properties of Nix’s nickel horn compels it to magically swing like a compass toward the metal horn of a unicorn in danger. This works in much the same way that a compass needle always points to magnetic north. Because of this, Nix is able to nix a disaster in the nick of time.
Empath Herd – Ghel is a member of the Empath Herd. The word Ghel has Indo-European roots and refers to something that has a gleaming or shining yellow color. Gold is the horn color of empathic unicorns. They are able to see beyond the surface of other creatures, right into their very souls. In certain circumstances, they have the ability to merge their minds with others, too.
#Unicorn #Chef #Empath #Nickoftime #musical #earthworks #osmisawesome #magicalstyling #silvertongue #scientific #waterpurification #magicmedicine #oracle
Fantasy Book Trailer
If enjoy book trailers, take a look at this one for The Blue Unicorn's Journey To Osm Illustrated Book For Teens and Older Readers https://youtu.be/CordwltbeTY
Review Quote For The Blue Unicorn’s Journey To Osm
“This well written fantasy has plenty of intriguing characters and plenty of action, with some doses of peril that will keep you reading and crossing your fingers for a happy ending. I sure enjoyed it and would love to read more about Blue, his friends, and this magical world.”
Source:
www.amazon.com/Blue-Unicorns-Journey-Illustrated-Book-ebook/dp/B06X416LGX
Original post:
Sybrina.booklikes.com/post/1633693/post
“This well written fantasy has plenty of intriguing ch...
“This well written fantasy has plenty of intriguing characters and plenty of action, with some doses of peril that will keep you reading and crossing your fingers for a happy ending. I sure enjoyed it and would love to read more about Blue, his friends, and this magical world.”
Source:
www.amazon.com/Blue-Unicorns-Journey-Illustrated-Book-ebook/dp/B06X416LGX
Original post:
Sybrina.booklikes.com/post/1633693/post
January 14, 2018
The Blue Unicorn’s Journey To Osm
I was fascinated by the idea, throughout all of the different stories, that animals could be reasoning creatures – that they could love and war and exist as communities within themselves or with humans. But I was especially influenced by the unicorns from Phaze in Piers Anthony’s “Apprentice Adept Series”. Those unicorns ranged in a multitude of colors and were as intelligent as humans. They were musical and magical, too. I was also enamored with the word play in Piers Anthony’s writing style. He would take ordinary words and give them completely different but clever meanings. I wanted to try my hand at that style of writing so I set about developing the metal-horned unicorn tribe from Unimaise.
Each would have a different metal horn with coat, mane and tail colors derived somehow from the properties of the metal. For instance, since burning copper has green flames, the copper-horned unicorn is green. The unicorns would each have a different magic power somehow associated with the properties of their metal. Since copper was once used exclusively for water pipes because it was thought to keep water flowing through it clean, the copper-horned unicorn’s magic power is to purify water. That’s the theme I tried to stick with in developing all of the characters but I had to use a lot of poetic license at times. Only one unicorn would be different. He would have no metal and no magic. The story is about the blue unicorn’s quest to save his tribe despite his overwhelming “disabilities”. Having no magic or metal in a tribe of magical metal-horned unicorns can make life very difficult.
After intense research in dictionaries, encyclopedias and real library books, I ended up with index cards for each unicorn and all of the other characters that I wanted to feature in the story. I wrote a very long outline and summary and even drew a detailed map of the land of MarBryn. After typing up about 50 pages of the story, I just came to a screeching halt and didn’t start up again until a couple of years ago. Life just got in the way.
The “Blue Unicorn’s Journey To Osm Illustrated Book” for teens and older readers finally came to life in 2015. Originally, this book was going to be an adult fantasy but after becoming acquainted with the amazingly talented Sudipta Dasgupta, I decided I wanted this to be an illustrated book that could appeal to a younger audience. I had nearly finished the novel by the time he approached me about doing the illustrations. In order to best present his artwork, I realized that I was going to have to minimize the total word count and enlarge the page sizes.
I went through the very tedious process of reducing the story text so that each chapter would fit into just two pages which would precede a picture spreading across two pages. The best reading experience is definitely the print version but it is available in all ebook formats also. In addition to reducing the word count, I also simplified a lot of the text but I left in many concepts that (in some people’s opinions) placed the book beyond the middle grade age group. Since many parents wish to protect their children from subjects like war and death as long as possible I decided to rate this book for for teens and up. I have tried to write an appealing story for all ages to enjoy but I think it is up to each reader, no matter what their age might be, to decide for themselves about whether it reaches out to them or not.
My original intention was to only make the illustrated book available in full color but I was completely unaware that so many full color pages would make the printing cost exorbitant. I was particularly devastated when I found out how much the 188 page illustrated book was going to cost customers. That dilemma led me to the bright idea of having all of the illustrations reworked in black and white. The incredibly talented artist, Sudipta Dasgupta, and his team created what look look like old fairy tale woodcuts. Those pictures remind me of the days when I was reading The Wizard of Oz books and daydreaming about faraway lands populated with fantastic creatures.
I’m happy to say that my idea paid off because printing the black and white version of this book costs 1/3 the price of the full color. That price reduction puts it within the realm of most reader’s pocket books. Plus I now have the added benefit of promoting it as a “Read and Color” book. Read a chapter, then color the following pictures. What’s more fun than that?
The story is also available in audio book form on most of the online audio book websites. I love how the narrator, Troy Hudson, brought the characters to vibrant life.
There’s also a children’s storybook version titled “Unicorns From Unimaise – The Magical Metal-Horned Tribe”. It is meant to introduce little ones to the 12 member unicorn tribe and the land of MarBryn (where the story takes place).
Soon, I’ll be publishing an expanded full-length adult fantasy version of the blue unicorn tale along with the companion “glossary” book, “The MarBryn Compendium”.
Last but not least, unicorn lovers can find lots of book related unicorn bling on zazzle.com – just search for Journey to Osm to see nearly 100 items featuring pictures from the book.
More will be coming in the future.
Sybrina Durant is the author of many different types of books. Some are technical and others are fanciful. Illustrated books are her favorite. She believes that you can capture a reader’s attention with a good story but amazing artwork will reel them in and keep them riveted.
