P.D. Workman's Blog, page 93
September 13, 2018
Future books in the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series
[image error]There are currently six books out in the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series. Many of you have enjoyed the exploits of Erin and her friends and adversaries in Bald Eagle Falls.
Book 7 has been drafted and the first draft of book 8 will be done in a few days. As I consider the next in the series, I’m wondering what my readers would like to see in the future.
What characters would you like to see more of? What puzzles do you want to be solved? Would you like Erin to travel? Try something new? Adopt another pet? Make a fabulous gluten-free version of ___________? Hoping for a new romance or the progression of an old one?
Use the comments form below and let me know!
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September 11, 2018
Excerpt from I Can See You
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I had a tough time deciding which book to do an excerpt from today! I just finished books 1 and 2 of Michael Leese’s Jonathan Roper Investigates series. I quite enjoyed these books, with a team made up of neurotypical police detective Brian Hooley and autistic consultant Johnathan Roper. My excerpt is from book 2, I Can See You.
“Good idea. I was so busy talking to you that I hadn’t realized how hungry I was.” He rushed out of the door, moving quickly. He’d always been fast but GCHQ seemed to have turbo-charged him. “When we get back here I want to tell you about what I’ve been working on. I think there is a plot to kill a lot of world leaders.”
Michael Leese, I Can See You
SOME PUZZLES ARE DEADLY.
It was an idea that was full of hope. But it turned into a nightmare. And now a serial killer wants to test himself against one of Scotland Yard’s most unique investigators.
Jonathan Roper is a key player in the elite Special Investigations Unit. His autism, and a relentless drive, has given him an extraordinary range of skills which make him a formidable detective.
His reputation has grown to the point where he has been invited to join the digital fight against terror – but that’s not working out, as it means losing contact with his boss, Chief Inspector Brian Hooley. The pair formed a powerful bond while bringing down a gang of ruthless mercenaries running riot in London.
Now events are throwing them back together, and soon they realise that this new investigation is completely personal. The enemy has them in his sights and wants to kill.
Despite the very real tensions Roper can’t resist once again turning his critical eye on the long suffering Hooley. Rarely can one man have come under so much pressure for his lifestyle choices.
Their special relationship provides a stream of genuine humour at the heart of what is a dark, psychological thriller.
September 6, 2018
Back to school reads
[image error]Summer break has officially ended around here and it’s back to school time. A good time to check out Workman Classic Schoolbooks if you are looking for some books to add to your homeschool program or just to study yourself.
[image error]Or it might be a good time to set up school visits. If you are a local teacher and are looking for an author to work with your school class, drop me a line!
If you’re looking for some fresh young adult books for your kids to read this school year, check out the In the Margins 2018 Recommended Reading list, which includes Chloe and Endless Change.
Or check out the 100 Best Young Adult Books Of All Time. How many have you read?
Or maybe now that the kids are back at school, maybe you’d like to curl up with a couple of new private eye mysteries in a quiet moment?
September 4, 2018
Excerpt from Criminal
[image error]I hope you are all enjoying your Labour Day Freebies and the kids being back to school. The weather is cooler here this week and autumn is definitely coming.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I am currently reading Karin Slaughter’s Criminal, book 6 in the Will Trent series. I have not read any of the other books in the series, but haven’t had any problems with jumping in mid-series. While the series is named after Will Trent, the story has been more about his boss Amanda than about Will. I do want to hear more about Will and might have to check out some of the other books.
Criminal is a police procedural, and most of it is in flashbacks to Atlanta in the 1970s, with lots of background about the racism and sexism in that setting. It has fairly graphic details about the violent drug and prostitution cultures, so this one is not for the faint of heart.
Will Trent had never been alone in someone else’s home before unless that person was dead. As with many things in his life, he was aware that this was a trait he shared with a lot of serial killers.
Karin Slaughter, Criminal
Will Trent is a brilliant agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Newly in love, he is beginning to put a difficult past behind him. Then a local college student goes missing, and Will is inexplicably kept off the case by his supervisor and mentor, deputy director Amanda Wagner. Will cannot fathom Amanda’s motivation until the two of them literally collide in an abandoned orphanage they have both been drawn to for different reasons. Decades before, when his father was imprisoned for murder, this was Will’s home. It appears that the case that launched Amanda’s career forty years ago has suddenly come back to life—and it involves the long-held mystery of Will’s birth and parentage. Now these two dauntless investigators will each need to face down demons from the past if they are to prevent an even greater terror from being unleashed.
August 31, 2018
Labour Day Weekend Freebies
For me, Labour Day weekend always signals the end of the summer and the beginning of fall and the school season. I am no longer homeschooling and don’t have any kids in school, but back to school sales are rampant and I have family and friends who have kids in school. Though we had an unusually warm summer, the weather cools quickly around here.
So here is my last freebie round-up of the summer! Coup de Glace is free from Friday through Labour Day, so pick it up while you can!
[image error]The trouble with solving murders in a little town like Bald Eagle Falls is that everybody knows about it, and then they expect you to solve their cases too. When Bella brings a new—or rather a cold—case to Erin, she protests that she is not a detective. But Bella really needs her; how could an old woman just have gone missing without anyone following up on it? How could they just accept Ezekiel’s assertion that his wife was fine and she was just off visiting. Eventually, that excuse must have worn out.
Meanwhile, a blast from Erin’s own past—a foster sister Erin would rather not see again—shows up, bringing with her another set of complications.
Read sample
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Free Aug 30 – Sep 4
More freebies
How about a few more? After all, you don’t want to run out of reading over the weekend or after the kids go back to school.
Marigolds and Murder, by London Lovett
Marigolds and Murder
Lacey ‘Pink’ Pinkerton has left behind a six figure job and her reputation as the million dollar nose–a nickname her super sense of smell earned her within the perfume industry. With her pet crow Kingston and a tabby cat named Nevermore, she is settling right into her new life in the small coastal town of Port Danby.
With a flower shop opening soon and a full cast of quirky neighbors and friends, her new digs are exactly what she’s been looking for. Away from the hectic hustle and bustle of the city Lacey has found peace and happiness.
However, her heightened sense of smell proves to be of use once again when a Port Danby neighbor turns up dead. Lacey finds herself caught up in an unexpected murder investigation alongside the handsome local detective, James Briggs.
She’s determined to find the killer and solve the murder mystery before any more bodies turn up.
Getting a Head, by K.L. Phelps
Getting a Head
Reluctant psychic Katrina Parker always suspected her love of tacos would one day get her into trouble. She just always believed it would come in the form of tight jeans, not a decapitated head and the quiet ghost attached to it.
Agreeing to lend a hand to the severed head, Kat discovers that the problems of lugging a head all over town, crashing a wake, and keeping it hidden from hunky detective Damian Johnson all pale in comparison to having to deal with the constant smell issue.
Each misstep brings her closer to an answer, yet even closer to danger. And with her friends and family now in the line of fire, Kat must keep all her wits about her or risk losing her own head.
A Sip of Murder, by Blythe Baker
A Sip of Murder
Maddie Morgan’s life is going up in flames. She’s got ex-husband troubles, a mother-in-law feud, and a cantankerous parrot to contend with. But just as old doors close, a new one opens, beginning with the sudden death of Maddie’s grandmother and an unexpected inheritance. Moving to a new town, Maddie rolls up her sleeves and prepares to revive a run-down tourist attraction that could one day be returned to its former glory as a Japanese tea garden.
But getting the tea garden up and running won’t be easy, not with someone trying to sabotage her efforts. Worse still, there’s a murderer on the loose and corpses are popping up like daisies in the tea garden! Can Maddie capture the killer before they strike again? Or will her life, along with her freshly brewed new business opportunity, get sucked down the drain?
Catnip, by Valerie Tate
Catnip
Catnip is a mystery set in the picturesque town of Dunbarton, Ontario, and tells the story of what befalls the dysfunctional Dunbar family, and the chaos that ensues, when the matriarch of the clan leaves the family fortune to her cat.
That formidable feline proves to be more than a match for the humans in his life, until one fateful night when, caught unawares, he is stuffed in a sack and carried away.
A nosy neighbor with a nasty, suspicious mind points the finger of suspicion at the Dunbars and Christopher Mallory, the young attorney who is the trustee of the estate, and under the terms of the will, they face losing everything.
When a murder occurs, Christopher finds himself confronting a ruthless killer who would do anything to conceal his or her identity, including to kill again.
Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab, by Columbkill Noonan
Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab
Barnabas Tew is a private detective struggling to survive in his trade in Victorian London. Fearing that he is not as clever as he had hoped to be, he is plagued by a lack of confidence brought on in no small part by his failure to prevent the untimely deaths of several of his clients.
Matters only get worse when Anubis, the Egyptian God of the Dead, is referred to Barnabas by a former client (who perished in a terribly unfortunate incident which was almost certainly not Barnabas’ fault). Anubis sends for Barnabas (in a most uncivilized manner) and tells him that the scarab beetle in charge of rolling the sun across the sky every day has been kidnapped, and perhaps dismembered entirely.
The Land of the Dead is in chaos, which will soon spill over into the Land of the Living if Barnabas – together with his trusty assistant, Wilfred – cannot set matters to right. Pulled from his predictable (if unremarkable) life in Marylebone, Barnabas must match his wits against the capricious and dangerous Egyptian gods in order to unravel the mystery of the missing beetle and thereby save the world.
Red Tape, by Michele Lynn Seigfried
Red Tape
Municipal Clerk Chelsey Alton gets more than she bargained for when she encounters an irate resident and loose cannon, Robert Triggers.
Triggers has been harassing the employees in the small, Jersey shore town where she works and he becomes the prime suspect when multiple attempts to sabotage the municipal building are made. Chelsey begins to piece it all together and finds herself framed for a crime she did not commit.
She narrowly escapes several attempts at her demise, only to find herself in a much more precarious situation. Will she make it out alive or end up a tragic victim at the hands of a madman?
New corpse in Town, by Lucy Quinn
New Corpse in Town
FBI agent Cookie James is enjoying her extended leave from the agency on Secret Seal Isle, managing her quaint inn and flirting with the oh-so sexy-handyman, Dylan Creed…until her sixty-year-old mother goes skinny dipping and is almost drowned by a corpse.
A phone call to the sheriff should mean the end of Cookie’s involvement, but when it’s clear the sheriff has no interest in the investigation, Cookie calls in reinforcements…her ex-partner Hunter O’Neil. Suddenly it’s like old times while the pair questions the residents of Secret Seal Isle. Except it’s not. Now she has both Hunter and Dylan vying for her attention, a wayward hippy mother, and a potential killer on the loose.
With her love life heating up, her mother lighting up, and all signs pointing to the most unlikely suspect, Cookie does the only thing she knows to do—focus on solving the case.
A Match Made in Spell, by ReGina Welling
A Match Made in Spell
I’m Lexi Balefire and I wear a lot of hats, but none of them are tall and pointy. I spend half my time making love matches that last forever, and the other half trying to keep my faerie godmothers from turning each other into toads. Or worse.
I come from a long line of witches, some of them wicked, but none of that will matter if my magic doesn’t awaken before midnight on my next birthday. If I miss that deadline, I’ll never be a true witch.
If my mother and grandmotherhadn’t used their magic to kill each other, one of them might have been able to give me the keys to the mystery and I’d be one step closer to claiming my Fate Weaver heritage.
Honeymoon Cottage, by Barbara Cool Lee
Honeymoon Cottage
Camilla Stewart’s ex-fiancé ripped her off and disappeared, leaving her to care for his eight-year-old son alone. But when she arrives in Pajaro Bay, she finds a village full of cute cottages, quirky characters… and a killer on the loose who is somehow linked to her, the young boy, and the darling little house known as the Honeymoon Cottage.
The Pajaro Bay novels are heartwarming romantic mysteries guaranteed to leave you with a happy ending. Each is a standalone story, so they can be read in any order, or you can follow along from the beginning and see how the world of Pajaro Bay develops.
Strawberries & Creme Murder, by Susan Gillard
Strawberries & Creme Murder
Could a workplace disagreement lead to murder?
Donuts, deceit and the potential murder of a former assistant find master donut backer Heather Janke at the center of a mystery in which she is a potential suspect and possibly the only one capable of discerning the truth.
Was her former assistant Christa murdered and if so, why?
A Prescription to Die For, by KM Morgan
A Prescription to Die For
Deanna Devlin is a thirty-two year old reporter who dreams of tackling hard-nosed stories, but is stuck writing puff pieces for the local paper.
When a murder strikes Desert Palms, Deanna suddenly gets her chance to cover some hard-hitting news.
Unfortunately, one of Deanna’s good friends is wrongly suspected as the killer by the local police detective. To prove her friend’s innocence, Deanna has no choice but to take matters into her own hands and find the real killer herself.
Foreclosed, by Traci Tyne Hilton
Foreclosed
Mitzy Neuhaus is the top selling Realtor in Portland, but even her office is dead in this economy. Foreclosed is the word no homeowner wants to hear and Mitzy is determined to save the incredible mansion on her street from that fate.
But with the homeowner desperate to keep Mitzy away from his property and Alonzo, the dangerously hot rival investor trying to snatch it out from under her, Mitzy knows she has to work fast, or the economy won’t be the only thing dead…
Buried, by C.J. Carmichael
Buried
In the coastal town of Twisted Cedars, Oregon an ugly secret from the past has been festering for over thirty years when five librarians were targeted by a serial killer. Now an anonymous emailer wants true crime writer Dougal Lachlan to tell the story. To uncover the truth Dougal enlists the help of local Twisted Cedar librarian Charlotte Hammond.
Since the disappearance of her older sister, Daisy, eight years ago, Charlotte has led a quiet, sheltered life. But as Dougal’s investigation proceeds she realizes there is no safe zone. Not even in libraries. And especially not in Twisted Cedars.
Be Still my Beading Heart, by Janice Peacock
Be Still my Beading Heart
It’s Valentine’s Day and Jax O’Connell’s red VW bug is missing. Did she forget where she parked the Ladybug as she rushed to deliver her handmade glass beads, or has the beloved car been stolen?
Searching the streets of Seattle, Jax and her best friend, Tessa, face some unsavory characters. Jax regrets not having a date on the most romantic day of the year after spotting Ryan, Seattle’s newest–and hottest–cop and running into Zachary, the stern yet sexy detective.
She must take matters into her own hands to find the Ladybug and salvage her love life, and do it before the day is over.
Family Portrait, by Rebecca Paulinyi
Family Portrait
A true family isn’t always the one you’re born with.
Imogen Meyer’s life has not run smoothly so far. When she’s adopted by the seemingly perfect Ella Kingsley, Imogen thinks she is in for a dull, irritating but hopefully stable life for her and her little sister.
She soon learns that no family is quite as perfect or as simple as it seems – and there are benefits to living with the Kingsleys that she had never considered, in the form of the gorgeous bad-boy Zach Monroe who lives down the road.
When the tragic events of Imogen’s past catch up with her, can she keep her old life from destroying her new life? Or will she never be able to live like a normal teenage girl?
August 28, 2018
Excerpt from Crocodile on the Sandbank
[image error]Check out my new release round-up from this weekend! Coup de Glace is now out, and I have a list of other new releases for your Kindle.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters is the classic mummy mystery. First book in the Amelia Peabody series, if you’re looking for an Egyptian adventure with a strong female lead, look no further!
“I disapprove of matrimony as a matter of principle.” Mr. Fletcher’s pepper-and-salt eyebrows lifted. I added, “For myself, that is. I suppose it is well enough for some women; what else can the poor things do? But why should any independent, intelligent female choose to subject herself to the whims and tyrannies of a husband? I assure you, I have yet to meet a man as sensible as myself!”
Elizabeth Peters, Crocodile on the Sandbank
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“If Indiana Jones were female, a wife, and a mother who lived in Victorian times, he would be Amelia Peabody Emerson.”-Publishers Weekly
Amelia Peabody, that indomitable product of the Victorian age, embarks on her debut Egyptian adventure armed with unshakable self-confidence, a journal to record her thoughts, and, of course, a sturdy umbrella. On her way to Cairo, Amelia rescues young Evelyn Barton-Forbes, who has been abandoned by her scoundrel lover. Together the two women sail up the Nile to an archeological site run by the Emerson brothers-the irascible but dashing Radcliffe and the amiable Walter. Soon their little party is increased by one—one mummy that is, and a singularly lively example of the species.
Strange visitations, suspicious accidents, and a botched kidnapping convince Amelia that there is a plot afoot to harm Evelyn. Now Amelia finds herself up against an unknown enemy—and perilous forces that threaten to make her first Egyptian trip also her last…
August 23, 2018
August new release round-up
Looking for some new reads for the rest of your summer? Coup de Glace[image error], book 6 of the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series is now out!
The trouble with solving murders in a little town like Bald Eagle Falls is that everybody knows about it, and then they expect you to solve their cases too. When Bella brings a new—or rather a cold—case to Erin, she protests that she is not a detective. But Bella really needs her; how could an old woman just have gone missing without anyone following up on it? How could they just accept Ezekiel’s assertion that his wife was fine and she was just off visiting. Eventually, that excuse must have worn out.
Meanwhile, a blast from Erin’s own past—a foster sister Erin would rather not see again—shows up, bringing with her another set of complications.
Read sample
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$4.99
Other new releases
Here’s a stack of some other new releases for you! Fill up your Kindle with some of these great reads.
A Berry Baffling Businessman, by AR Winters
A Berry Baffling Businessman
When an old friend visits Kentucky, the stars align. Chef John Radde, head chef at the swanky Chicago-based Smoulder, graciously offers to cater the entire event using Kylie’s café kitchen. The up-and-coming culinary whiz Chef John can’t resist the free publicity—and Chef Plus Amateur Sleuth Kylie can’t resist the chance to learn a thing or two!
While Kylie runs the storefront and John manages the catering team in the kitchen, disaster strikes the small country town yet again. The dead body of packaging magnate Oliver “Ollie” Drysdale is discovered beneath a dumpster during the conference, and the police suspect murder most foul.
Jump Gate Omega, by Tom Shepherd
Jump Gate Omega
In trouble far from Terra, facing trial in an alien court? Welcome aboard the starship Patrick Henry, refurbished pleasure ship converted into a flying law office building, with former holographic prostitutes re-purposed as crew and legal staff.
Tyler shook his head. “Specify, Dad. What do you want us to do?”
His father glared at him. “Go to the Rim, sue those amphibious bastards for everything they’ve got, and get Jump Gate Omega on track again!”
If the new Matthews Corporation Jump Gate fails to span 2.5 million light years to the Andromeda galaxy, the heavily invested star-faring civilization of the Milky Way will face economic ruin and brutal war.
The Star Lawyers must run a gauntlet to the Rim, dodging pirates, politicians, prelates, and predatory star nations intent on seizing the new Gate to Andromeda.
Arson at the Art Gallery, by Grace York
Arson at the Art Gallery
The beach house is Addison Lake’s retirement plan. Memories of childhood holidays playing in the sand with her cousins come flooding back as soon as she sets foot in Getaway Bay. After the death of her husband, turning her new beach house into a bed and breakfast and reconnecting with family is just the tonic she needs. But just days after her move to the sleepy coastal town, Addison’s new life turns on its head.
A fire at her cousin Layla’s art gallery has devastating consequences.
There’s a body in the rubble.
The stubborn local detective needs a fast arrest, and he has Layla in his sights.
Daughter of Dragons, by A.J. Flowers
Daughter of Dragons
Lily’s life is perfect—or at least it was. She thought she was in love with Damian Dawson, valedictorian and Nimrock’s shining star. She tells everyone they’re drifting apart because he’s about to go off to college. The truth is she’s turning into a dragon.
As if fangs and creepy visions weren’t bad enough, a knight, James, has come to take her life. He’s everything Damian isn’t: rude, arrogant… and a dangerous kind of sexy. When she discovers his orders come from a deep family feud, she convinces him that he doesn’t have to kill fledgling dragons to protect humanity. She wouldn’t hurt anyone, and she’ll prove it, even if it’s just to herself.
There’s an ominous threat on the horizon, one that smells of burnt flesh tinged with dragonfire. Lily has Seen it. Where she places her trust and her love will determine who will hold her heart, and who will have to die.
Death for Sale, by Elleby Harper
Death for Sale
When DCI Bex Wynter answers a call meant for her boss, she’s swept up in the hunt for a serial killer. The trouble is, it’s not her case. But with a little girl’s life at risk, she just can’t let it go.
Then it becomes clear someone doesn’t want this case solved. With the threat of violence comes a tough decision: track down a ruthless killer or endanger someone close to her.
Elegant Death, by Beate Boeker
Elegant Death
Carlina and Stefano’s marriage party is brought to an abrupt end when the glamorous girlfriend of Enzo, Carlina’s brother, is shot. Dorotea left her fortune and the famous Milanese Camicie di Silva, a luxurious company for men’s shirts, to Enzo, so everything points to him as the culprit.
Stefano can’t take the case because he’s now officially related, but that doesn’t stop the Mantonis. Without further ado, Enzo engages Carlina and Stefano as business consultants. To find the real murderer, they have to dive deep into the corporate tangles of the fashion industry in Milan where nothing is as it seems …
Reel of Fortune, by Jana Deleon
Reel of Fortune
Nothing says Welcome Home like a murder.
It’s official. Fortune Redding is out of the CIA and a newly minted resident of Sinful, Louisiana. She never expected her homecoming to be all apple pie and hugs, but a murder wasn’t on her list of things to deal with before she’d even gotten her name stenciled on her mailbox.
Boone Carre—Hooch, to the locals—was a drunk and a louse and had shafted pretty much everyone he’d ever done business with. So when someone kills him, there is no shortage of suspects. Unfortunately, Ally is at the top of the list.
Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie know that Ally isn’t capable of murdering anyone, but with an ambitious ADA looking to make a name for himself, and the local gossip train intent on finding someone to blame, they know they have to find the killer and clear Ally’s name.
Coconut Cream Confession, by Cassie Rivers
Coconut Cream Confession
$0.99
In the quaint beach town of Sunny Shores, Florida, business is booming for the Burger She Wrote Food truck. Kara Summer’s decision to quit law school and open her own food truck seemed to be a good one.
Or so she thought…
When a stray cat is chased inside the food truck by Mrs. Watson’s prized cocker spaniel, things get messy. Unfortunately for Kara, the town’s food inspector, Margaret Pettyjohn, drops by unannounced at the same time. Ms. Pettyjohn decides to temporary shut Kara’s food truck down during the busiest time in the summer.
A few days later when Ms. Pettyjohn is found murdered in front of a coconut tree on T.J.’s farm, questions arise. Once again, Kara finds herself in the middle of another investigation. Only this time, she is a suspect.
Witch Way to Amethyst Bay? by Catherine Wright
Witch Way to Amethyst Bay?
The three Bell sisters — Holli Jayne, Gemini Katherine, and Poppy Lupine — grew up in bucolic Amethyst Bay, Oregon, beside the Columbia River, under the bemused eye of their flamboyant Aunt Dorte, who has a knack (or is it a power?) for turning up at the right time in the right places. The women have become pillars of their town: business owners and social mavens, all with a touch of seeming serendipity and a lot of great food. Fortunately, they love to share recipes.
But Amethyst Bay’s tranquil surface is roiled when the girlfriend of the ill-tempered cheese shop owner turns up dead, and telltale signs point to one of the Bells.
Scissors, Siblings & Surprises, by Emily Selby
Scissors, Siblings & Surprises
This is the last moment to decide what she wants to do with the inherited workshop, so Katie is desperate to have some peace and quiet to make up her mind. But instead, she finds a friend’s husband holding a pair of blood-stained scissors and standing over a stabbed body of his brother.
Is he the murderer, an important witness, or just an unfortunate victim of a clever, multi-layer set-up?
As usual, Katie and Jack embark on the mission to untangle a web of lies, secrets and local gossip.
Murder at the Book Club, by Betsy Reavley
Murder at the Book Club
When the body of a woman is discovered on a Cambridge common, DCI Barrett and DI Palmer are called in to investigate. But the motive behind the crime isn’t clear… And it all leads back to a book club.
As the lies, volatile friendships and tension among the group rise to the surface, DCI Barrett and DI Palmer must work out the motive and track down a cold-blooded killer. But just when they think they are on the right track, a twist in the case throws them off course…
Trouble has a Tail, by Victoria LK Williams
Trouble has a Tail
$0.99
Every dog has a tail, but Barney has a tale! This is the story of how Barney came to be a part of Megan’s household. A novella for Barney’s fans… Read along, and try not to laugh!
Death by Rolling Pin, by Linda West
Death by Rolling Pin
$0.99
When the ladies of the Enchanted Cafe get invited to the prestigious 3P cooking event they couldn’t be happier. But when the King of Pasta falls over dead after eating their event special pie, things take another turn. Soon another body turns up and the mystery unravels as multiple suspects and multiple bodies add up to one amazing mystery!
Death by Rolling Pin is set in the small mountain town of Kissing Bridge. Magic and miracles live here along with some of the nicest people you ever met. Everyone wants to move to Kissing Bridge where everyone knows your name, and cares about each other.
Quarrelsome Quartz, by Mildred Abbot
Quarrelsome Quartz
$0.99
As summer draws to a close, the Spirit, Health, and Heart Conference arrives, just in time for Winifred’s sisters to open their store next to the Cozy Corgi Bookshop. To Fred’s surprise, Chakras turns out to be a beautiful addition to the delightful mountain town. The shop even has a room so pleasing in its crystal tranquility that Fred’s corgi, Watson, approves—and hardly anything impresses him.
But not everyone is charmed by the crystals, tarot readings, and messages of personal enlightenment. When a famous spiritualist is found dead, Chakras and the entire town is plunged into a conflict that touches the lives of those closest to Fred.
Although she is hesitant to become involved, it is simply not in the cards for Fred to sit out the investigation. As she and Watson embark on a journey that forces them to take a look into the darker shadows of Estes Park, Fred soon finds herself digging into the secrets of those she loves…
Murder and Cherry Cake, by Meredith Potts
Murder and Cherry Cake
$0.99
A missing woman. A frantic search. A baffling lack of clues. And cherry cake.
Sabrina Daley’s life changed forever when her sister went missing thirty years ago. It ended up taking over a decade to discover Jessica Daley’s body and arrest the man responsible for her murder. Ever since that tragedy, missing-persons cases have triggered a deep emotional response in Sabrina.
So when Sabrina’s friend Angela Hummel disappears one day, Sabrina can’t help but be torn up inside.
As Sabrina begins searching for Angela, she can’t help but wonder if this new case will have a familiar tragic ending.
The Professor’s Predicament, by Dianne Harman
The Professor’s Predicament
How can you continue to counsel people about their marriage when you’ve missed all the red flags in your own?
That’s Professor Deborah White’s predicament. And the predicament becomes a crisis when a beautiful young coed is murdered. Deborah’s husband, Geoffrey White, an English professor at the university, had selected the coed to help him with “special assignments,” which were usually conducted in a sleazy motel room.
August 21, 2018
Excerpt from Wicked Appetite
[image error]Heads-up! I have a Goodreads Giveaway going for Coup de Glace, book #6 of the Auntie Clem’s Bakery #6 Series, due to be released this weekend. I haven’t run a giveaway for a while, so be sure to check it out!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
It was time for a lighter read for me, so I have read a couple of Janet Evanovich books in the past week. Wicked Appetite, book 1 of the Lizzy & Diesel series, is a paranormal cozy mystery, a truly fun ride — with cupcakes. Handsome and charming men, delightfully quirky women, and Evanovich’s signature style combine in this new series; I look forward to reading more of them.
“I’ve got a gun,” I said to him. “And I’m not afraid to use it.”
“Honey, you haven’t got a gun. And if you did have a gun, you probably wouldn’t know how to make it go bang.”
“Well, okay, but I have a chef’s knife, and I could carve you up like a Thanksgiving turkey.”
“That, I believe.”
Janet Evanovich, Wicked Appetite
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Life in Marblehead has had a pleasant predictability, until Diesel arrives. Rumor has it that a collection of priceless ancient relics representing the Seven Deadly Sins have made their way to Boston’s North Shore. Partnered with pastry chef Lizzie Tucker, Diesel bullies and charms his way through historic Salem to track them down—and his criminal mastermind cousin Gerewulf Grimorie. The black-haired, black-hearted Wulf is on the hunt for the relic representing gluttony. Caught in a race against time, Diesel and Lizzie soon find out that more isn’t always better, as they battle Wulf and the first of the deadly sins.
With delectable characters and non-stop thrills that have made Janet Evanovich a household name, Wicked Appetite will leave you hungry for more.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Coup de Glace
by P.D. Workman
Giveaway ends September 02, 2018.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
August 16, 2018
What’s coming up
It’s been a while since I told you what was coming up. Since I told you about my Plans for 2018, I have released:
[image error] Ronnie, Book #5 of the Between the Cracks series
[image error]Cozy Winter Reads, a collection of Cozy Mysteries
[image error] [image error] [image error] Two Teardrops, Tortured Teardrops, and Vanishing Teardrops the new sequels to Tattooed Teardrops in the Tamara’s Teardrops series
[image error] [image error] [image error] Stirring Up Murder and Brewing Death, books #4 and #5 of the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series are out, and book #6, Coup de Glace, is available on preorder, to be released soon!
What’s coming up for the rest of the year?
[image error] [image error] [image error] His Hands were Quiet, She Was Dying Anyway, and He Was Walking Alone, books #2, #3, and #4 sequels to She Wore Mourning in the Zachary Goldman Mysteries series.
[image error]Toxo, book #4 in the Medical Kidnap Files
[image error] [image error] [image error]And early next year, look for a brand new series, a spinoff from book #6 of the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series, Reg Rawlins, Psychic Detective!
August 14, 2018
Excerpt from The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
Here’s a book that is a change from my usual mystery/suspense fare! The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers by Amy Hollingsworth is a not quite a biography of Mr. Rogers, but a study of his values and what he taught the people around him. I’ll admit that I was never a big Mr. Rogers fan as a child. I was familiar with it and watched it sometimes, but found it boring. But I am enjoying reading his philosophies now!
And so Mister Rogers was born in that Canadian studio, and Fred Rogers had finally arrived—by a rather circuitous path—at his destined pulpit. … There was no scarcity—even back then—of “demeaning” television, but Fred Rogers had refused to stoop to that level, and would, instead, rise to a child’s.
Amy Hollingsworth, The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World’s Most Beloved Neighbor
