The Blurb
While hosting out-of-town guests at her Georgia home, Dreamwalker Baxley Powell is called upon to help investigate a suspicious fire. One of her guests, close friend and fellow dreamwalker Deputy Sam Mayes, accompanies her to the scene.
A meth cook is dead, and when Baxley visits her beyond the Veil of Life, she determines that the woman was murdered. Baxley pities Mandy Patterson, a single mother with aspirations for her teenage son Doodle. Unconcerned about the death of a criminal, the authorities pursue the drug-supply chain angle. Baxley worries about Doodle and vows to find out who killed his mother.
As the case grows more baffling, Baxley struggles against her attraction to Sam. Although her husband is missing and declared dead, she does not feel free to love again until she is sure of his fate.
Two suspects have the strongest motive, but Baxley has reason to believe they are pawns in a deeper game. And unless she can stop them, the world will never be the same.
Confound It by Maggie Toussaint
Series: A Dreamwalker Mystery, #5
Series: A Dreamwalker Mystery, #5
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Camel Press
Publication Date: June 1, 2018
Paperback: 248 pages
ISBN-10: 1603815953
ISBN-13: 978-1603815956
Paperback: 248 pages
ISBN-10: 1603815953
ISBN-13: 978-1603815956
eBook File Size: 4347 KB
ASIN: B07CX4FWHP
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | BAM!
The Excerpt
Wayne turned from the fire chief. “Virg and Ronnie, you guys go next door and find out who lived here.”
“Hold up,” Ronnie said. “I already know. The Pig Woman.”
Wayne shook his head. “What?”
“The Pig Woman. Jerk next door must’ve filed half a dozen complaints about her blasted pigs.”
“The woman with the pot bellied pigs?”
“That’s the one.”
“What’s her name?”
“Mandy Patterson.”
Wayne studied the ground a moment. “It’s coming back to me now. Mandy’s pigs turned up their noses at their pig-chow dinners, escaped under the fence, and got into the dog-food bag on the neighbor’s back porch. The guy nearly had an aneurysm telling you about it, right?”
“Yep. Good ole Ricky Dixon. He’s wound tight, that’s for sure. If his wife wasn’t bedridden, he’d be a permanent bachelor because no woman would put up with his sh—, uh, stuff.”
“Head over there anyway. I want a statement from him about what he may have heard or seen. I want to know where those pigs are. Take Powell with you so I know if he’s lying.”
He was sending me away from the scene? I didn’t want him to think I couldn’t do my job. I pushed away from Mayes’ protective arm. “I can do it,” I said. “I needed a moment to prepare for seeing the body.”
Wayne snorted. “Sometimes I forget you’re a chick, Powell, but I can read you like a fast-food menu. This is the best use of your time. Dixon is important. He’s either a witness or a suspect, and I need your take on what he says.”
His words didn’t ring quite true. My spine stiffened. “I said I can do it.”
“Sure you can, but Mayes is a cop. He’s seen burn victims before. He’ll assist me because he wants in on the case. With the fire department’s approval, I’ll collect one or two personal items belonging to the victim, and you can go inside the place once we remove the corpse. Right now, I need you next door with my guys.”
Crap. I was being sent away on the “B” team. Simultaneously, Mayes had been promoted from spectator to “A” team. Good ole boy networks never died.
Though my pride smarted, I couldn’t deny I was glad to be granted a respite on the viewing. Wayne was doing me a favor, so I should hush and be gracious about it.
“Virg, let’s get that statement stat,” the sheriff said.
“Roger that, boss man.” Virg cocked his head at me. “You ready?”
I nodded and gathered my thoughts. I might not like being sent away, but I would do my assignment. As a police consultant, I needed to let my abilities be tasked however the sheriff deemed fit. Didn’t matter about the temporary demotion, I’d do my job. I would get justice for this victim.
“If this guy doesn’t cooperate, I’ll light him up with my Taser,” Virg announced as we trudged down the dirt road to the neighbor’s home.
Ronnie laughed, an affable giggle with a sinister twist. “Go git ’em, Virg.”
Having been on the wrong end of Virg’s Taser before, I didn’t wish that experience on anyone. “You will not. The object is to gather information, not have this man sue the sheriff’s office. If he won’t talk to you, I want a crack at him.”
“No way he’s gonna talk to you. I’m telling you. This man’s crazier than a sprayed roach.”
“Hold up,” Ronnie said. “I already know. The Pig Woman.”
Wayne shook his head. “What?”
“The Pig Woman. Jerk next door must’ve filed half a dozen complaints about her blasted pigs.”
“The woman with the pot bellied pigs?”
“That’s the one.”
“What’s her name?”
“Mandy Patterson.”
Wayne studied the ground a moment. “It’s coming back to me now. Mandy’s pigs turned up their noses at their pig-chow dinners, escaped under the fence, and got into the dog-food bag on the neighbor’s back porch. The guy nearly had an aneurysm telling you about it, right?”
“Yep. Good ole Ricky Dixon. He’s wound tight, that’s for sure. If his wife wasn’t bedridden, he’d be a permanent bachelor because no woman would put up with his sh—, uh, stuff.”
“Head over there anyway. I want a statement from him about what he may have heard or seen. I want to know where those pigs are. Take Powell with you so I know if he’s lying.”
He was sending me away from the scene? I didn’t want him to think I couldn’t do my job. I pushed away from Mayes’ protective arm. “I can do it,” I said. “I needed a moment to prepare for seeing the body.”
Wayne snorted. “Sometimes I forget you’re a chick, Powell, but I can read you like a fast-food menu. This is the best use of your time. Dixon is important. He’s either a witness or a suspect, and I need your take on what he says.”
His words didn’t ring quite true. My spine stiffened. “I said I can do it.”
“Sure you can, but Mayes is a cop. He’s seen burn victims before. He’ll assist me because he wants in on the case. With the fire department’s approval, I’ll collect one or two personal items belonging to the victim, and you can go inside the place once we remove the corpse. Right now, I need you next door with my guys.”
Crap. I was being sent away on the “B” team. Simultaneously, Mayes had been promoted from spectator to “A” team. Good ole boy networks never died.
Though my pride smarted, I couldn’t deny I was glad to be granted a respite on the viewing. Wayne was doing me a favor, so I should hush and be gracious about it.
“Virg, let’s get that statement stat,” the sheriff said.
“Roger that, boss man.” Virg cocked his head at me. “You ready?”
I nodded and gathered my thoughts. I might not like being sent away, but I would do my assignment. As a police consultant, I needed to let my abilities be tasked however the sheriff deemed fit. Didn’t matter about the temporary demotion, I’d do my job. I would get justice for this victim.
“If this guy doesn’t cooperate, I’ll light him up with my Taser,” Virg announced as we trudged down the dirt road to the neighbor’s home.
Ronnie laughed, an affable giggle with a sinister twist. “Go git ’em, Virg.”
Having been on the wrong end of Virg’s Taser before, I didn’t wish that experience on anyone. “You will not. The object is to gather information, not have this man sue the sheriff’s office. If he won’t talk to you, I want a crack at him.”
“No way he’s gonna talk to you. I’m telling you. This man’s crazier than a sprayed roach.”
~~~~~
The Review
I read an amazing book recently, y'all — Confound It by Maggie Toussaint. Let me tell you a little about it. Confound It is the fifth book in the Dreamwalker Mystery Series. It takes place a few weeks after Dadgummit, and a few months after Doggone It.
Sam Mayes and Toby Duncan, two sheriff's deputies introduced in Dadgummit, have come from North Georgia to coastal Sinclair County to visit Baxley and her BFF Charlotte. Their visit is supposed to be strictly pleasure, but after the deputies volunteer to help investigate a suspicious fire, their trip turns into a working vacation.
Baxley helps with the investigation as well, both in her role as Dreamwalker and as department consultant. She can detect if someone is lying or telling the truth — and there are a lot of lies being told by the suspects.
Confound It, like the other Dreamwalker Mysteries, has an extremely original and unique plot. I am continually impressed by the imagination of Author Maggie Toussaint. Not only has she created the detailed, realistic world of Sinclair County, Georgia, she has also built an intricate world of dreamwalking, with all its rules and layers. And entities. Supernatural entities, which are detailed and realistic, as well.
I was pulled into Baxley's world on the very first page, and there I stayed until the very moving and touching conclusion. I couldn't put Confound It down, and read it in one sitting. The climax is thrilling, with an unexpected whodunit — and there's so much more I'd like to say about the villain and the climax, but Maxie has sworn me to secrecy.
I absolutely adore Confound It, and recommend it to fans of paranormal cozy mysteries everywhere. I think fans of Barbra Annino's Stacy Justice Mysteries and Heather Webber's Lucy Valentine Novels will especially enjoy Confound It by Maggie Toussaint. Confound It has earned our highest rating of Five Kitties!
Five out of five kitties
Note: I received a complimentary copy of Confound It in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions shared are 100% my own.
Click the book covers above, for my reviews of the previous Dreamwalker Mysteries.
~~~~~
The Guest Post
Secrets
By Maggie Toussaint
Remember that TV program named “I’ve got a secret?” During the show, two imposters vied with the real deal to convince contestants they were the secret expert. I was always amazed at how persuasive and smooth the imposters were.
In Confound It, secrets are the order of the day, and my amateur sleuth Baxley Powell headlines the list. She prefers to keep her extrasensory talents off everyone’s radar screen. Baxley wants her daughter to have a normal childhood, and she can’t do that if she’s in the spotlight.
Now she has something else to hide, something very personal. She has feelings for Deputy Sam Mayes but she can’t act on them. Even though the military declared her husband dead, she knows he isn’t dead. She searched all over the Other Side and he wasn’t there. If he’s not dead, he must be alive.
Speaking of Sam Mayes, he has a few secrets up his sleeve. He’s a Dreamwalker like Baxley, but he’s also a whole bunch more, a fact that he keeps secret. He and Baxley share telepathic thoughts, the ability to cross to the afterlife, and the talent of energy sharing. With so much connectivity, Baxley senses he’s hiding something big from her and it makes her wary.
The victim in this book, Mandy Patterson, is a single mom doing her best to raise her son Doodle and make sure he gets to college. Doodle’s crazy-smart and he deserves a better life than the one she lived. One thing led to another and before she knew it, her whole life was a lie.
So many secrets, so many lies. Confound It is rife with opportunities for readers to figure out who’s lying and who’s telling the truth. Here’s an insider tip: one person’s secret is deadly.
The Author
About Maggie Toussaint
Maggie lives in coastal Georgia, where secrets, heritage, and ancient oaks cast long shadows. Yoga, beachcombing, and music are a few of her favorite things.
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