Showing posts with label Mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mystery. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

What Grows From the Dead by Dave Dobson | Excerpt, Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway

 

What Grows From the Dead by Dave Dobson


About What Grows From the Dead

 

What Grows From the Dead
Mystery
Stand-Alone
Setting - North Carolina
Independently Published (March 9, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 367 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8884545977
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CXN1KQ1B

Morris Drummond is not at his best. Well, he hasn't been at his best for a while now. But having just suffered two crushing losses, he's almost at rock bottom, which for him means driving ride-share in his mom's beat up Chevy, drowning his sorrows in tacos and spray cheese, and avoiding anything related to ambition, self-care, or laundry.

Morris is about to learn that he didn't even know what rock bottom looked like, and it's all thanks to his mom. A secret she left behind comes to light, and that brings down a lot of unwanted attention on Morris, the kind that looks likely to send him either to prison or to the hereafter. Blood and treachery from long ago rise to the surface, and Morris has only his lawyer Annie, who's an old high school friend, and a few unexpected allies to call on as he tries to figure out what his mom was up to and why so many people want him out of the picture.

A humorous mystery with elements of suspense and thrillers, What Grows From the Dead is set in present-day small-town North Carolina, not far from the mysterious Uwharrie Forest.

Content warnings: Coarse language throughout; some gun violence (not graphic).


 

About the Excerpt

Thursday, July 13, 2023

A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert | Book Tour with Interview, Excerpt, and Giveaway

 

A Cryptic Clue (A Hunter and Clewe Mystery) by Victoria Gilbert

About A Cryptic Clue


A Cryptic Clue (A Hunter and Clewe Mystery)
Traditional Mystery
1st in Series
Setting - North Carolina
Crooked Lane Books (July 11, 2023)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639102523
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639102525
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BHXZKP44

A retired librarian gets back to the books — and into a devilish murder case — in acclaimed author Victoria Gilbert’s new series, the perfect literary adventure for fans of Kate Carlisle and Jenn McKinlay.

Sixty-year-old Jane Hunter, forced into early retirement from her job as a university librarian, is seeking a new challenge to keep her spirits up and supplement her meager pension. But as she’s about to discover, a retiree’s life can bring new thrills — and new dangers.

Cameron “Cam” Clewe, an eccentric 33-year-old collector, is also seeking something — an archivist to inventory his ever-expanding compendium of rare books and artifacts. Jane’s thrilled to be hired on by Cam and to uncover the secrets of his latest acquisition, a trove of items related to the classic mystery and detective authors. But Jane’s delight is upended when a body is discovered in Cam’s library. The victim, heir to a pharmaceutical fortune, was the last in line of Cam’s failed romances — and now he’s suspect number one.

Cam vows to use his intelligence and deductive skills to clear his name — but with a slight case of agoraphobia, rampant anxiety, and limited social skills, he’ll need some help. It comes down to Jane to exonerate her new boss — but is he truly innocent?


About the Interview With Victoria Gilbert

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Devil's Chew Toy by Rob Osler | Blog Tour with Excerpt, Interview, and Guest Post

Devil's Chew Toy

By Rob Osler


On Tour August 22 - 26, 2022



The Blurb


Perfect for fans of Carl Hiaasen and Armistead Maupin, this debut LGBTQ+ cozy mystery (or Quozy Mystery, as coined by Rob himself) follows an unlucky in love-and-life gay relationship blogger who teams up with a take-charge lesbian and a feisty bull terrier to find a missing go-go boy and bring down an international crime ring.
 
Seattle teacher and part-time blogger Hayden McCall wakes sporting one hell of a shiner, with the police knocking at his door. It seems that his new crush, dancer Camilo Rodriguez, has gone missing and they suspect foul play. What happened the night before? And where is Camilo?
 
Determined to find answers, pint-sized, good-hearted Hayden seeks out two of Camilo’s friends — Hollister and Burley — both lesbians and both fiercely devoted to their friend. From them, Hayden learns that Camilo is a “Dreamer” whose parents had been deported years earlier, and whose sister, Daniela, is presumed to have returned to Venezuela with them. Convinced that the cops won’t take a brown boy’s disappearance seriously, the girls join Hayden’s hunt for Camilo. 
 
The first clues turn up at Barkingham Palace, a pet store where Camilo had taken a part-time job. The store’s owner, Della Rupert, claims ignorance, but Hayden knows something is up. And then there’s Camilo’s ex-boyfriend, Ryan, who’s suddenly grown inexplicably wealthy. When Hayden and Hollister follow Ryan to a secure airport warehouse, they make a shocking connection between him and Della — and uncover the twisted scheme that’s made both of them rich.
 
The trail of clues leads them to the grounds of a magnificent estate on an island in Puget Sound, where they’ll finally learn the truth about Camilo’s disappearance — and the fate of his family.


Devil's Chew Toy by Rob Osler
Series: Hayden & Friends, #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-64385-943-9
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-64385-944-6
ASIN (Kindle): B094GP6P7M
Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Nook | BAM | IndieBound
Add to Goodreads



The Excerpt

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Slightly Murderous Intent by Lida Sideris | Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway

 


Slightly Murderous Intent: A Southern California Mystery by Lida Sideris


About Slightly Murderous Intent



Slightly Murderous Intent: A Southern California Mystery
Traditional Mystery
4th in Series
Publisher: Level Best Books (October 20, 2020)
Print Length : 323 pages
ASIN: B08J8C7YJY

 

There's a shooter on the loose who keeps missing his target. But that doesn't stop him from trying again… and again. It's up to Corrie Locke, rookie lawyer and spunky sleuth, to find the gunman before he hits his mark, Assistant Deputy D.A. James Zachary, Corrie's hunky and complicated frenemy. 

When Corrie is stuck with more questions than answers, she enlists a team with various strengths, from weapons to cooking skills, to help her find the shooter. Her computer whiz boyfriend Michael is onboard. So is former security guard Veera. Toss in an over-the-hill informant and a couple of feuding celebrity chefs, and Corrie's got her very own A-Team. Okay, maybe it's more like a B-Team. 

Can Team Corrie hunt down the shooter before he scores a bulls-eye?


About the Character Guest Post

Saturday, November 3, 2018

Back Stabbers by Julie Mulhern | Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway


The Blurb


All Ellison Russell wanted was an update on her stock portfolio. Instead, she found her broker dead.

With an unexpected out-of-town guest at her house, Ellison is too busy for a murder investigation. Only this time, Detective Anarchy Jones wants her help, and she can’t deny the handsome detective. Can Mr. Coffee supply her with enough caffeine to keep her brain sharp and everyone else happy?

Juggling bodies (one, two, three, four), two-faced friends, her social calendar, and a cat (yes, a cat) is taxing but Mother might be the biggest challenge of all.

With a killer drawing closer, can Ellison put together the pieces or will she be the one getting stabbed in the back?


Books in the Country Club Murders Humorous Mystery Series:
THE DEEP END (#1), Five-Kitty Review here
GUARANTEED TO BLEED (#2), Five-Kitty Review here
COLD AS ICE (#6), Five-Kitty Review here and here

Back Stabbers by Julie Mulhern
Series: The Country Club Murders, #8
Genre: Cozy Mystery 
Publication Date: October 23, 2018
Publisher: Henery Press
Paperback: 262 pages
ISBN-10: 1635114551
ISBN-13: 978-1635114553
Hardcover: 262 pages
ISBN-10: 1635114586
ISBN-13: 978-1635114584
e-Book File Size: 2592 KB
ASIN: B07G5KX6Y4
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | BookBub
 Add to GoodReads


The Character Guest Post

by Julie Mulhern

Thursday, September 6, 2018

K Street Killing by Colleen J. Shogan | Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway


The Blurb



It's the height of campaign season, and instead of relishing newlywed bliss with her husband Doug Hollingsworth, Capitol Hill staffer Kit Marshall is busy with a tough reelection fight for her boss, member of Congress Maeve Dixon. Before Maeve and her staff — Kit included — leave Washington, D.C. to campaign full time in North Carolina, they have one last fundraising engagement.

On the iconic rooftop of a restaurant overlooking the Capitol and the Washington monument, Kit and her best pal Meg do their best to woo wealthy lobbyists for sizable campaign donations. Everyone's enjoying the evening soiree until a powerful K Street tycoon mysteriously tumbles off the rooftop. Even with claims the fall must be suicide, Detective Maggie Glass and Kit aren't so easily convinced foul play isn't at work.

While balancing Doug's mid-life career crisis, Kit must spring into action to discover who killed the notorious Van Parker before Dixon's candidacy sputters, even if it means investigating Meg's handsome new beau, the victim's conniving widow, and a bicycle advocate hell-bent on settling a long-standing grudge. When a threatening note is left on Kit's car, warning her to back off the investigation, she knows she's closing in on the true story of what happened.

Book 4 of the Washington Whodunit series, which began with Stabbing in the Senate. 

K Street Killing by Colleen J. Shogan
Series: Washington Whodunit, #4
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Mystery
Publisher: Camel Press
Release Date: July 15, 2018
Paperback: 242 pages
ISBN-10: 1603816135
ISBN-13: 978-1603816137
eBook File Size: 2707 KB
ASIN: B07DM8B53L
Amazon | B&N
 Add to Goodreads


The Guest Post



Thursday, August 16, 2018

Tail of the Dragon by Connie di Marco | Blog Tour with Excerpt, Review, and Giveaway


Connie di Marco is back with her latest Zodiac Mystery!


The Blurb


San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti never thought murder would be part of her practice, but now, Julia’s former boss and current client has asked for help. He has serious problems at his law firm. Two attorneys and a paralegal have received death threats and the only common denominator between all three is a case long settled — the highly publicized Bank of San Francisco fire. Julia’s convinced a woman is behind the threats, perhaps even the widow of the man who died in that same fire, but no one wants to listen — they can’t believe astrology could provide a clue. Before Julia can help her client, two lawyers are dead and her own life is threatened. Can she unmask the killer before he (or she) takes another life?

Tail of the Dragon by Connie di Marco
Series: A Zodiac Mystery, #3
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Publication Date: August 8, 2018
Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 0738751065
ISBN-13: 978-0738751061
e-Book File Size: 512 KB
ASIN: B075W42GWP
 Add to Goodreads




The Excerpt

Monday, August 6, 2018

K Street Killing by Colleen J. Shogan | Blog Tour with Excerpt, Review, and Giveaway


The Blurb



It's the height of campaign season, and instead of relishing newlywed bliss with her husband Doug Hollingsworth, Capitol Hill staffer Kit Marshall is busy with a tough reelection fight for her boss, member of Congress Maeve Dixon. Before Maeve and her staff — Kit included — leave Washington, D.C. to campaign full time in North Carolina, they have one last fundraising engagement.

On the iconic rooftop of a restaurant overlooking the Capitol and the Washington monument, Kit and her best pal Meg do their best to woo wealthy lobbyists for sizable campaign donations. Everyone's enjoying the evening soiree until a powerful K Street tycoon mysteriously tumbles off the rooftop. Even with claims the fall must be suicide, Detective Maggie Glass and Kit aren't so easily convinced foul play isn't at work.

While balancing Doug's mid-life career crisis, Kit must spring into action to discover who killed the notorious Van Parker before Dixon's candidacy sputters, even if it means investigating Meg's handsome new beau, the victim's conniving widow, and a bicycle advocate hell-bent on settling a long-standing grudge. When a threatening note is left on Kit's car, warning her to back off the investigation, she knows she's closing in on the true story of what happened.

Book 4 of the Washington Whodunit series, which began with Stabbing in the Senate. 

K Street Killing by Colleen J. Shogan
Series: Washington Whodunit, #4
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Mystery
Publisher: Camel Press
Release Date: July 15, 2018
Paperback: 242 pages
ISBN-10: 1603816135
ISBN-13: 978-1603816137
eBook File Size: 2707 KB
ASIN: B07DM8B53L
Amazon | B&N
 Add to Goodreads


The Excerpt



Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Shadow Dancing by Julie Mulhern | Blog Tour with Excerpt, Guest Post, and Giveaway


Julie Mulhern is back, with another fabulous Country Club Murder Mystery.
You'll love Shadow Dancing! It's a great read — Five Kitties!




Shadow Dancing by Julie Mulhern
Series: A Country Club Murder Mystery, #7
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Henery Press
Publication Date: June 19, 2018
Hardcover: 266 pages
ISBN-10: 1635113539
ISBN-13: 978-1635113532
Paperback: 266 pages
ISBN-10: 1635113504
ISBN-13: 978-1635113501
e-Book File Size: 512 KB
ASIN: B07BMJM89K
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | BAM! | BookBub
 Add to Goodreads



The Blurb



Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Unnatural Causes by Dawn Eastman | Blog Tour with Interview and Giveaway


Unnatural Causes by Dawn Eastman
Series: A Dr. Katie LeClair Mystery, #1
Genre: Mystery / Amateur Sleuth
Publication Date: December 12, 2017
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Hardcover: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 1683313135
ISBN-13: 978-1683313137
E-Book File Size: 755 KB
ASIN: B076B3CCYH
Amazon | B&N | BAM!

 Add to Goodreads



The Blurb

Monday, October 16, 2017

Cold As Ice by Julie Mulhern | Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway


The Blurb


Ellison Russell’s life resembles a rollercoaster ride. And rollercoasters make her ill. Her daughter Grace has a crush on a boy Ellison doesn’t trust and she’s taken to hosting wild parties when Ellison goes out for the evening. Worse, the bank which represents Grace’s inheritance from her father may be in trouble.

When a meeting with the chef at the country club leads to the discovery of a body, Ellison can’t afford cold feet. She must save the bank, find the killer, and convince Grace (and herself) that powerful women don’t need men to rescue them.


Books in the Country Club Murders Humorous Mystery Series:
THE DEEP END (#1), Five-Kitty Review here
GUARANTEED TO BLEED (#2), Five-Kitty Review here
COLD AS ICE (#6), Five-Kitty Review here and here


Cold As Ice by Julie Mulhern
Series: The Country Club Murders, #6
Genre: Humorous Mystery 
Publication Date:October 17, 2017
Publisher: Henery Press
Paperback: 268 pages
ISBN-10: 1635112672
ISBN-13: 978-1635112672
Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1635112702
ISBN-13: 978-1635112702
e-Book File Size: 503 KB
ASIN: B07481MPV2
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads


The Guest Post

by Julie Mulhern

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Murder in Rock & Roll Heaven by Robin Ray | Blog Tour with Excerpt, Guest Post, Giveaway


The Blurb


No one ever "re-dies" in Heaven; unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to singer Amy Winehouse. Her death, an unprecedented event in Heaven's history, has thrown a once docile world into unfortunate chaos. Because of the new uneasy alliance between angels and citizens, a freshly-arrived detective in the rock & roll town has been tasked with investigating the prime suspects, the members of the 27 Club  Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. To make matters worse, a powerful angel from one of the upper levels of Heaven will soon arrive to make her ten-year inspection, a task that fills the other angels with dread since she has the power to banish anyone of them to the underworld. So, with time running out, the PI and his newly acquired sidekick, both aided by rock legends such as Eddie Cochran, Mama Cass, Kurt Cobain, Karen Carpenter and others, must quickly uncover the mystery that threatens not only to close Heaven’s doors forever, but promises to send a ripple effect through the entire universe that can rip it apart.

Murder in Rock & Roll Heaven by Robin Ray
Genre: Mystery / Sci-Fi
Publication Date: November 24, 2016
Paperback: 287 pages
ISBN-10: 1520167296
ISBN-13: 978-1520167299
E-Book File Size: 1027 KB
ASIN: B01N2LXWGI
AmazonGoodreads
  


The Excerpt


Monday, September 11, 2017

Protocol by Kathleen Valenti | Blog Tour with Excerpt, Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway


The Blurb



Freshly minted college graduate Maggie O’Malley embarks on a career fueled by professional ambition and a desire to escape the past. As a pharmaceutical researcher, she’s determined to save lives from the shelter of her lab. But on her very first day she’s pulled into a world of uncertainty. Reminders appear on her phone for meetings she’s never scheduled with people she’s never met. People who end up dead.

With help from her best friend, Maggie discovers the victims on her phone are connected to each other and her new employer. She soon unearths a treacherous plot that threatens her mission — and her life. Maggie must unlock deadly secrets to stop horrific abuses of power before death comes calling for her.


Protocol by Kathleen Valenti
Series: A Maggie O'Malley Mystery, #1
Genre: Medical Mystery, Thriller/Mystery
Publisher: Henery Press
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Paperback: 276 pages
ISBN-10: 1635112397
ISBN-13: 978-1635112399
E-Book File Size: 895 KB
ASIN: B072JZK43D
Amazon | B&NKobo |  iBooksBAM! | Goodreads
  




The Excerpt


Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Audition for Murder by P.M. Carlson | Review

The Blurb


Actors Nick and Lisette O’Connor need a change. They leave New York City for a semester as artists-in-residence at a college upstate, where they take on the roles of Claudius and Ophelia, two of the professional leads in a campus production of Hamlet. Threats and accidents begin to follow Lisette, and Nick worries it might be more than just petty jealousy. Maggie Ryan, a student running lights for the show, helps investigate a mystery steeped in the turmoil of 1967 America.




Audition for Murder by P.M. Carlson
Series: A Maggie Ryan Mystery, #1
Genre: Mystery 
Publication Date: September 28, 2012; 2nd Ed.
Publisher: The Mystery Company / Crum Creek Press 
Paperback: 236 pages
ISBN-10: 1932325212
ISBN-13: 978-1932325218
e-Book File Size: 601 KB
ASIN: B009J1D4ZY
Amazon Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Powells | Goodreads


For more information about the author, the writing of the Maggie Ryan series,
and the series reissue, visit Crum Creek Press here.


The Review

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Audition for Murder by P.M. Carlson | Book Blast with Excerpt and Giveaway


Book Blast on August 1, 2017


The Blurb


Actors Nick and Lisette O’Connor need a change. They leave New York City for a semester as artists-in-residence at a college upstate, where they take on the roles of Claudius and Ophelia, two of the professional leads in a campus production of Hamlet. Threats and accidents begin to follow Lisette, and Nick worries it might be more than just petty jealousy. Maggie Ryan, a student running lights for the show, helps investigate a mystery steeped in the turmoil of 1967 America.

Don't Miss These Great Reviews:

"P.M. Carlson's energetic and insightful novels are back in print — hallelujah!" — Sara Paretsky

"An extremely well-written tale, with a plotline that offers a jolt per page." — CF, Booklist

"Very literate, sprinkled with surprises and offering that rarity of rarities — fully fleshed out characters." — Bob Ellison, Los Angeles Daily News


Audition for Murder by P.M. Carlson
Series: A Maggie Ryan Mystery, #1
Genre: Mystery 
Publication Date: September 28, 2012; 2nd Ed.
Publisher: The Mystery Company / Crum Creek Press 
Paperback: 236 pages
ISBN-10: 1932325212
ISBN-13: 978-1932325218
e-Book File Size: 601 KB
ASIN: B009J1D4ZY
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | SmashwordsPowells | Goodreads


The Excerpt


Monday, June 19, 2017

Dream A Little Death by Susan Kandel | Blog Tour with Excerpt, Review, and Giveaway

Dream A Little Death

by Susan Kandel

on Tour May 23 - June 23, 2017



The Blurb



From critically acclaimed author Susan Kandel comes a charming new mystery featuring Dreama Black and a cast of zany LA-based characters.

Dreama Black is almost famous. The daughter (and granddaughter) of groupies who captivated L.A.’s biggest rock stars, and muse to her own Grammy-winning ex-boyfriend Luke Cutt, Dreama seems doomed to remain on the periphery of stardom.

All that changes when Dreama is hired by record producer Miles McCoy to arrange an epic wedding celebration for his beautiful fiancée, Maya Duran.  The theme of the party? A noir-style tour through L.A.’s most infamous locations and hidden gems. It seems like Dreama’s big break, until Maya is rushed to the hospital with a self-inflicted bullet wound. The police and everyone involved assume it’s an attempted suicide, but Dreama isn’t convinced. For one thing, how did the weapon just vanish? Why has Maya been using two names? And then there’s the mysterious check for $40,000 that shows up on Dreama’s doorstep — the exact amount of money reportedly laundered by her beloved L.A. police detective uncle, and also the exact amount Miles promised as payment for Dreama’s party-planning services.

Now Dreama is at the center of a mystery worthy of a classic film noir, and must road-trip across L.A. to piece together the clues — before she becomes the next femme fatale.


Dream A Little Death by Susan Kandel
Series: A Dreama Black Mystery, #1
Genre: Mystery/Thriller  
Publication Date: May 23rd 2017
Publisher: Witness Impulse
Paperback: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 0062675001
ISBN-13: 978-0062675002
e-Book File Size: 1715 KB
ASIN: B01M0WRL2W
 
Amazon | B & N | Kobo | Google Play | Goodreads


The Excerpt


Friday, June 16, 2017

Dream A Little Death by Susan Kandel | Blog Tour with Excerpt, Guest Post, and Giveaway

Dream A Little Death

by Susan Kandel

on Tour May 23 - June 23, 2017



The Blurb




From critically acclaimed author Susan Kandel comes a charming new mystery featuring Dreama Black and a cast of zany LA-based characters.

Dreama Black is almost famous. The daughter (and granddaughter) of groupies who captivated L.A.’s biggest rock stars, and muse to her own Grammy-winning ex-boyfriend Luke Cutt, Dreama seems doomed to remain on the periphery of stardom.

All that changes when Dreama is hired by record producer Miles McCoy to arrange an epic wedding celebration for his beautiful fiancée, Maya Duran.  The theme of the party? A noir-style tour through L.A.’s most infamous locations and hidden gems. It seems like Dreama’s big break, until Maya is rushed to the hospital with a self-inflicted bullet wound. The police and everyone involved assume it’s an attempted suicide, but Dreama isn’t convinced. For one thing, how did the weapon just vanish? Why has Maya been using two names? And then there’s the mysterious check for $40,000 that shows up on Dreama’s doorstep — the exact amount of money reportedly laundered by her beloved L.A. police detective uncle, and also the exact amount Miles promised as payment for Dreama’s party-planning services.

Now Dreama is at the center of a mystery worthy of a classic film noir, and must road-trip across L.A. to piece together the clues — before she becomes the next femme fatale.


Dream A Little Death by Susan Kandel
Series: A Dreama Black Mystery, #1
Genre: Mystery/Thriller  
Publication Date: May 23rd 2017
Publisher: Witness Impulse
Paperback: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 0062675001
ISBN-13: 978-0062675002
e-Book File Size: 1715 KB
ASIN: B01M0WRL2W
 
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play | Goodreads


The Excerpt