The Navigator’s Daughter: A Kat Lawson Mystery by Nancy Cole Silverman



Getting caught in the middle of an international art theft ring wasn’t supposed to be part of the deal Kat Lawson made with her dying father. But when her father receives a mysterious letter informing the former WW2 navigator/bombardier that his downed B-24 has been found and asking him to come to Hungary, Kat suspects this is all part of some senior rip-off scam. Her father insists she goes, not only to photograph the final resting place of his plane but also to find the mother and son who risked their lives to rescue him and hid him in a cave beneath an old Roman fortress. Kat’s trip uncovers not only the secrets of the cave where her father hid and of those who rescued him but a secret that will forever change the direction of her life—that is—if she can get home safely.

~~ Amazon ~~

 


Excerpt

My father called before ten a.m. I remember because he said he had just been to the mailbox, and mail at the senior center comes early. Before the summer sun has a chance to sear the dusty, desert floor and the July temperatures begin to climb into triple digits. Today’s forecast was for a hundred-and-thirteen, but Phoenicians say it’s a dry heat, and the locals don’t seem to mind. 

“They found my plane!” Dad sounded like a kid at Christmas. Not unusual for him, he was always upbeat, at least before cancer had zapped him of his strength and left him living with an oxygen tank—and as a former shell of himself.

“The B-24?” I was skeptical. “The one you bailed out of more than fifty years ago?” My Dad and I are close, and I’ve always had a kind of sixth sense about him. Growing up, I had heard the story at least a dozen times of how he had jumped out of his plane or the PG version of it anyway. I couldn’t imagine any other aircraft that would have had him so excited.

“I have a letter. You need to see it, Kat. Your mom’s gone out to get her hair done, and there’s something I want to show you. Come by. I’ll make coffee.”

“Dad, I—”

“Don’t give me any crap about chasing some story, Kat. It’s not like you’re working for the newspaper anymore. And if you’re planning to meet up with that ex-husband of yours, that’s a waste of time.”

“He’s not my ex, Dad. At least, not yet, anyway.” I bristled at the thought. Difficult as things had been with Josh, I still hated to admit failure. My folks had been married fifty-five years, and I had barely managed three.

“Just get yourself over here, will you? No excuses. You’ll understand when I show you why. It’s important. Something you’re going need to see to believe.”

I had a dozen reasons why I didn’t have time to stop by my parent’s condo that morning. The very least was that I had an appointment with both the pool man and gardener that Josh had forgotten to pay. And I had a call-back for a job interview that afternoon with a small start-up newspaper that I knew wouldn’t amount to anything. Not once they learned I had been let go from my previous position for what the paper had called an inappropriate workplace relationship with a colleague. In my opinion, the only thing inappropriate about my relationship was that the paper had fired me, and not my boss. He was Teflon, a name they needed to keep, and me...not so much. Even worse, The Phoenix Gazette, where I had worked, was owned by the only other paper in town, The Arizona Republic. And with my now sullied reputation, I had little hope anyone in the city would hire me.

But for whatever it was worth, I still needed to make an effort and follow through with the interview. My personal life had fallen apart. Dad was dying. My mother was in a deep state of denial and had become a shopaholic. Dad had asked me to take both the credit cards and car keys away from her, and since I was the only child, taking care of my parents was up to me.

***

My folks lived across town, about thirty minutes from me. The Roadrunner was a planned retirement community with both assisted and independent living facilities. Years ago, Dad had bought a small two-bedroom patio villa that faced out onto a desert-scaped arroyo with Palo Verde trees and lots of blooming cactus. And so far—despite his advancing cancer—he and mom had maintained a relatively independent lifestyle.

Dad was sitting on the patio when I arrived. I could see his rounded shoulders with his head bowed from above the low wall that faced the walkway. He looked up and waved as I approached.

“Don’t get up.” I went around to the front door and let myself in—the smell of burnt coffee permeated their small apartment. I immediately unplugged the coffee pot, poured myself a half cup, and filled the remainder with water. “Want any?” I hollered.

“Already had some. Don’t need no more.” Dad stood in the patio doorway, shaky, a portable oxygen tank at his side and a large mailing envelope in his hand. “Getting too hot out there.”

I nodded to the dining room. “How about we sit inside at the table? It’s a lot cooler.”

I waited while Dad shuffled across the room and folded his thin, frail frame into one of the cane back chairs at the table.

“You’re not going to believe this, Kat. Look what I got in the mail today.” Dad took out a thin weathered strip of aluminum from within the mailer and handed it to me. “Know what this is?”

I had no idea.

“Piece of skin from my plane. The old girl must have glided on after we bailed out. Letter here’s from a fellow who says he found her in Tomasai, Hungary.”

“Who?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Some guy named Sandor Zselnegeller. Says he’s a researcher. Been looking into the remains of old, downed warplanes since he was a kid. Seems my plane landed in pretty good shape. He was able to give the tail numbers to the DOD, and they matched it up with their records and put him in touch with our group’s historian.”

“What group historian?” The whole idea some stranger was writing to my dad, trying to convince him that after fifty years, he had found the remains of a B-24—the very same bomber my dad had jumped out of—seemed more than a little far-fetched.

“The historian for our Bomb Group. We keep up, you know. Reunions. Christmas cards. They have a roster of us all.”

“I see. And you think this Sandor fellow got your name and address from them?”

“Says he did. Why would he lie?”

My reporter’s mind kicked in, and I suspected a scam. My last couple of assignments with the Gazette had dealt with seniors who had been ripped off by grifters, con artists who didn’t care if they took a senior's last dollar. To my mind—whatever this was—it smacked of the same and likely was some flimflam artist’s attempt to get into my dad’s pocket. I wasn’t about to sit back and watch my father be a victim.


About the Author 


After twenty-five years in NewsTalk radio, Nancy Cole Silverman retired to write fiction. Her Carol Childs Mysteries features a single mom whose day job as a reporter at an LA radio station often leads to long nights solving crimes. Her Misty Dawn series is centered on An aging Hollywood Psychic to the Stars, who supplements her day-to-day activities as a consultant to LAPD. Silverman’s newest work, The Navigator’s Daughter, is scheduled for release June 2022. Silverman lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a thoroughly pampered standard poodle.


Giveaway

7 comments:

Five Belles Too Many (A Sarah Blair Mystery) by Debra H. Goldstein

When Sarah Blair’s mother participates in a reality show competition for brides in Wheaton, Alabama, things get a little too real as a murderer crashes the wedding party . . . 

Sometimes Sarah’s mother, Maybelle, can be higher maintenance than her Siamese cat RahRah. Maybelle and her friend, Mr. George Rogers, have been chosen to be one of five couples competing for a small-town “perfect” wedding and dream honeymoon on a Southern Belles reality show—and guess who has to be chaperone. Even more vexing, the producers have decided to put up the crew and participants at the restaurant/bed and breakfast owned by Sarah’s nemesis Jane Clark.

But when someone turns up dead with Jane kneeling by the body with blood on her hands, she goes from being Sarah’s chief rival to the police’s chief suspect. Neither Sarah nor her twin, Chef Emily Johnson, can stand Jane—still, they don’t think she’s a murderer. The producers vow the show must go on, but to protect their mother and the other contestants, Sarah vows to find the true killer before someone else gets eliminated . . .

Includes quick and easy recipes!

Amazon Kindle ~~ Amazon Paperback ~~ Nook ~~ B&N

About the Author


Many, Four Cuts Too Many, Three Treats Too Many, Two Bites Too Many, and One Taste Too Many Her novels and short stories received an IPPY award and have been named Agatha, Anthony, Derringer, and Silver Falchion finalists. Debra served on the national boards of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and was president of the Guppy and SEMWA chapters. Find out more about Debra at https://www.DebraHGoldstein.com.

Website ~~ Facebook ~~ Twitter ~~ Instagram ~~ Bookbub ~~ GoodReads

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway



TOUR PARTICIPANTS
June 17 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
June 17 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
June 18 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 18 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 19 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST
June 19 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 19 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
June 20 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
June 20 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
June 20 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 21 – Christy's Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 21 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 22 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST
June 22 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
June 23 – Mysteries with Character – REVIEW
June 23 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
June 24 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 25 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
June 26 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
June 27 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
June 28 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 28 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT
June 29 – My Journey Back – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE  
June 29 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, GUEST POST
June 30 - Girl with Pen – SPOTLIGHT
June 30 - Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

9 comments:

Dangerous Innocence by Suzanne Baginskie


From the white sandy beaches of Daytona, Florida and across to the gulf’s west coast, little girls are vanishing. FBI Special Agent Joy Reese is desperate to discover clues that help track them down. When the first abducted child turns up dead, the predators challenge Reese’s deepest conviction of guilt, innocence, and her own childhood. Vulnerable, she’s forced to face her own fears. The bad guys stay one step ahead. When she becomes their target, she must stop them or survive dangerous threats against her own life.

Meanwhile Reese’s partner, FBI Special Agent Evan McClure is still reeling from his wife’s death. He’s determined to keep Agent Reese alive. Suddenly, he’s drawn into a twisted conspiracy of cybercrime which grows even more complex as they discover a trail of dead bodies. As the pressure builds, the group doesn’t play by the rules. When the case turns personal, he trusts his inner instincts and takes the ultimate risk of protecting Reese, the one person he totally trusts and more…

~~ Amazon ~~


Excerpt

A computer can be someone’s lifeline, but more often it’s a death contact. No one can forecast their destiny. People believe they control the choices in their lives, but in theory it’s only an illusion. Operating the cold, heartless machine can allow access to a portal of good and evil and aide criminals to prey on the vulnerabilities and innocence of us all.

Suzanne Baginskie

 

Daytona Beach, Florida

FBI Special Agent Joy Reese wove her Suburban through Sunday church traffic, her sunglasses filtering out the morning glare. Signaling her urgency, the blue light mounted on her dash rotated like a ceiling fan, and the hidden siren whined. Respectable drivers ahead of her abruptly darted into the right lane clearing her path.

When a guy in a red Mustang passed by her at eighty miles per hour in the fifty-five mile zone, she frowned. Heavy metal rock blasted through his opened windows, loud enough to entertain an outdoor street concert. No way, she’d stop the driver and ticket him for speeding, the local police at a murder scene awaited her arrival.

Fifteen minutes later, she’d reached the beachside community and parked near the medical examiner’s Buick. She scanned the street’s brightly painted one story cottages, all quaint coastal gems only steps away from the sandy shore. Exiting her vehicle, she breathed in the Atlantic Ocean’s salty scent. Pounding surf echoed in her ears, reinforcing memories of summer vacations in similar bungalows with her aunt’s family, minus the yellow crime scene tape.

An unmarked black Chevy Impala raced into the driveway. Her partner, Special Agent Evan McClure leaped from the sedan. Five years earlier when they were first introduced, he’d laughed at her last name. Said it made him think of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, except it turned out she wasn’t as sweet as he’d thought. Working alongside him and other macho FBI males at the Bureau, she’d developed a thick skin.

Reese smiled at McClure. Six foot two, with wavy jet-black hair and blue eyes, he hurried over attired in a PGA Tour golf shirt and pants. “Did the dispatcher’s call interrupt your golf game?”

He laughed and passed sterile rubber gloves and shoe covers. McClure snapped on his latex gloves. “Sort of, but I had to cancel.” He stared at her. “You’re wearing a stunning outfit. What was on your agenda?”

“My Aunt Darlene bought me a ticket to a Broadway musical at the Peabody Auditorium for my birthday. Now she’s contacting her best friend to take my place. No use complaining.”

 Reese climbed the porch steps, slipped on her bootie covers and gloves before yanking open the screen door. When its harsh screech grated her eardrums, she flinched and held it for McClure.

He dragged over a geranium plant and propped the door open with the pot. “I sure don’t want to hear that again.” He trailed behind her inside the bungalow.

After pushing her sunglasses atop her head, she headed straight for the bedroom and found Coroner Mack Fraser examining the victim. They went back years working homicides together if Fraser ruled the cause of death as violent, that’s when FBI assigned special agents to investigate those situations.

“Hi guys, welcome to my weekend.” Fraser winked. Tall and thin, he had a square face, chiseled nose, and deep-set hazel eyes. His rolled-up, starched shirt sleeves stuck out below his disposable scrubs, they’d probably contacted him during church service. He pointed at the bloody, nude body sprawled across the bed.

McClure moved in closer. “Screwed up mine, too. I had a tee time for eleven a.m.”

Reese angled her head and stared through the small window framing the sunny day. It would have been perfect for eighteen holes of golf. All McClure’s hopes of hitting golf balls on the greens had most likely disappeared. Instead, the dispatcher advised them about a murder in this touristy section of town.

She shifted her gaze to the male victim on the mattress. Poor soul. He’d never play another golf game or take anymore vacations for that matter. Reese reached for her notebook inside her jacket pocket. Had he been drugged?

Her mother’s death came to mind. The police had found her dead, lying on a hotel bed overdosed by her pimp. She’d shoved the hurtful memory away. Thank goodness, Aunt Darlene stepped in to care for Reese when she was five-years-old and her sister, Holly, seven.


About the Author

Suzanne Baginskie retired from a law office as an office manager/paralegal career after twenty-nine years. Published by Magnolia Blossom Publishing, she’s written a romantic suspense series called ‘FBI Affairs’. The titles include Dangerous Charade-Book one, Dangerous Revenge-Book-two, and Dangerous Innocence-Book-three. She’s sold several mysteries and romance stories to anthologies and twenty non-fiction stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul books and two Cup of Comfort. Her fiction stories have also appeared in Woman’s World, Plan B Magazine, Red Penguin anthologies, The Wrong Side of the Law, two Daily Flash Fiction volumes, First Magazine, True Romance Magazine, and Futures Magazine. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America, Florida Mystery Writers of America, Sisters-in-Crime and The Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Website ~~ Facebook ~~ Instagram ~~ Twitter

3 comments:

Saturday Quote


2 comments:

The Unveiling of Polly Forrest by Charlotte Whitney



Rural Michigan, 1934.

During the throes of the Great Depression Polly marries for money. After her husband Sam dies in a bizarre farm accident, new bride Polly assumes she is set to pursue her dream of opening a hat-making business. Instead, she becomes the prime suspect in Sam’s murder. Secrets abound and even Polly’s family can’t figure out the truth.

~~ Amazon ~~

Excerpt

Sunday, August 19, 1934

Having no choice, I began climbing the exterior ladder that ran up the height of the silo. I got up five or six rungs before my fear of heights kicked in. My body started shaking and I willed myself not to look down. I kept putting one foot above the other. The towel around my wounded right arm had loosened and I let it fall to the ground, not wanting to remove my other hand from the rung.

Every step required my mind telling my arms and legs to move. My hands were jittering and I could hardly grip the ladder. You can do this, I told myself. You can. You can.

“Keep going.”  His voice was piercing.

I willed my feet to move up the ladder. My body convulsed. I was about five rungs from the top when I stopped. Reason told me I needed to quit shaking and get my body under control or I would fall. Then it occurred to me. He’s not going to push me into the soft silage. He’s going to knock me off the top of the ladder down to the hard earth.

About the Author


Charlotte Whitney is the author of historical fiction set during the Great Depression in the rural Midwest. Her most recent work, The Unveiling of Polly Forrest, a stand-alone historical mystery follows her groundbreaking novel, Threads A Depression-Era Tale, which was met with both critical acclaim and commercial success. She received a master’s degree in English at the University of Michigan, and after a short stint of teaching at two community colleges, worked at the University of Michigan where she was an associate director of the Lloyd Scholars for Writing and the Arts. Currently living in Arizona with her husband and two dogs she enjoys hiking, bicycling, swimming, and yoga.

Website ~~ Amazon ~~ Facebook ~~ LinkedIn ~~ Twitter ~~ Instagram

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

May 17: Christine Young
May 19: The Avid Reader
May 24: Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
May 26: Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read
May 31: Fabulous and Brunette
June 2: All the Ups and Downs
June 7: Candrel's Crafts, Cooks, and Characters
June 9: Hope. Dreams. Life... Love
June 14: Author C.A.Milson
June 16: Harlie's Books
June 21: Jazzy Book Reviews
June 23: The Mystery Section
June 28: Long and Short Reviews
June 30: The Faerie Review
July 12: Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
July 14: BooksChatter
July 19: So Many Books
July 21: Gina Rae Mitchell - review
July 26: Cover To Cover Cafe
July 28: Author Deborah A. Bailey Blog
August 2: Our Town Book Reviews - review only
August 4: The Obsessed Reader
August 9: Reading With a Llama
August 11: Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'
August 16: fundinmental
August 18: Westveil Publishing
August 23: Novels Alive
August 25: Independent Authors
August 30: Iron Canuck Reviews & More - review only
September 1: Straight From the Library

10 comments:

Ghost Light by Jane Tesh




Theodosia "Teddy" Ballard knows nothing about community theater, but when the stage manager for “Little Shop of Horrors” takes a tragic header down the costume-loft stairs, she agrees to fill in for the sake of her actor friend, Will. Teddy takes the superstitions and swelled heads of The Stage in stride—till she meets George Clancy Everhart, the theater ghost, who informs her that the previous stage manager was murdered and demands that she find the killer. Both investigation and rehearsals are complicated when she makes a surprising discovery about her relationship with Will—and learns that George has his own dramatic agenda. 

Amazon ~~ Goodreads

 


There was no way I had left a door open, but I got up and checked again. Must be a draft from somewhere in this old building. I retrieved the scattered pages and made sure they were in the right order.

I heard a thud as if something had fallen over backstage. Looking in the wings, I found a hammer on the floor. I put it back where it belonged and returned to my papers.

An overhead light flickered, red, then green, then white.

“All right, that’s enough.” I got to my feet for the third time. “Good joke, Will. Ha, ha. Now show yourself.”

“I beg your pardon, dear lady,” said a deep voice.

I stared in disbelief as a man appeared before me. He was tall and elegantly dressed in a three piece suit and cravat. His features were blurry, but he had an aristocratic air, a distinctive nose, and a satisfied smile.

He removed his bowler hat and bowed. “George Clancy Everhart, at your service.”

I didn’t know how Will had managed to create this image. This must have been some bizarre rite of passage for people new to the theater. Well, it wasn’t going to rattle me.

“Theodosia Ballard,” I said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Theodosia! What a splendid name!”

“I prefer Teddy.”

“Teddy? That’s a boy’s name! You are a woman, and a very fine woman, at that. Such a magnificent presence! You should be on stage.”

“I am on stage right now, and I have a lot of work to do, so you can turn yourself off, disappear, whatever, just go away.”

He looked startled. “You don’t believe in me.”

“I believe you’re a really good special effect. Go on now, get lost.”

The image drew himself up. “My good woman, you are speaking to one of the premiere actors of the Twentieth Century. Why, I appeared in hundreds of plays during my lifetime. Thousands of performances! All to great acclaim!”

“I’m sure you did.”

“Excellent reviews! Encores by the score!”

“Then why are you haunting a little theater in Rossboro, North Carolina? Shouldn’t you be in New York? London?”

He paused and put a hand to his heart. “You wound me to the core, Theodosia. In my later years, my career took a sad tumble. Like your lover William, I was unable to continue my passion for Broadway. I ended up here, disillusioned but undefeated.”

“Whoa, hold on, buster. Will is not my lover. And how do you know about his New York experience?” I’d had enough. “Will, stop this right now. It isn’t funny.”

“I agree, Theodosia. It is tragic. The boy has such talent, such a love for theater.”

“Stop it.” I moved to push the man away, but my hands went right through him, and I almost fell into the orchestra pit. A strong force shoved me away from the edge.

“Dear me,” he said. “You must be more careful.”

I caught my breath. “I don’t believe in ghosts. Why are you here?”

“Because you need my help,” he said.

“What do I need your help for?”

“Why, to solve the murder, of course! I liked Paula. She was efficient. I admired her work ethic. I do hope you have a strong work ethic, Theodosia.”

“Wait, wait. Go back to the first thing. Solve the murder? No one’s calling Paula’s death a murder!”

“But it was,” George Clancy Everhart said. “I saw it.”



Jane Tesh, a retired media specialist, lives in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, Andy Griffith’s home town, the real Mayberry. She is the author of the Madeline Maclin Mysteries, featuring former beauty queen, Madeline “Mac” Maclin and her reformed con man husband, Jerry Fairweather, and the Grace Street Mystery Series, featuring struggling PI David Randall, his psychic friend, Camden, and an array of tenants who move in and out of Cam’s boarding house at 302 Grace Street. Ghost Light is her first standalone mystery and the first to feature an asexual heroine. 

Website ~~ Blog ~~ Facebook ~~ Twitter ~~ Instagram ~~ Bookbub ~~ Amazon ~~ Goodreads





Follow the tour HERE!



12 comments:

Mysteries, Midsummer Sun and Murders: A Cozy Mystery Anthology


Poisonous picnics, burgled barbeques, deadly deckchairs... and midsummer mayhem!

From a brilliant bunch of amazing authors, including multiple prizewinners and USA Today best sellers, comes this wonderful collection of 21 summer-themed cozy mysteries.

Featuring peril at the pool, blood on the beach, and felony at the festival, these fabulous stories—21 brand new and exclusive tales—will keep you entertained until long after the sun has set.

With stories from Hillary Avis, Benedict Brown, Catherine Coles, Paula Darnell, Connie B. Dowell, Ellen Jacobson, Joann Keder, Patti Larsen, Cate Lawley, Gayle Leeson, Daisy Linh, Rimmy London, R.B. Marshall, Megan Mayfair, Wendy Meadows, Phillipa Nefri Clark, Michele Pariza Wacek, Erin Scoggins, Cathy Tully, Victoria LK Williams and Carly Winter, you'll surely find some of your favourite authors and discover some great new writers within the ~1600 pages of this set.

This collection will only be available for a limited time so don't miss out - grab yourself a bargain today!

Purchase Link - Amazon

Excerpt

DAPH ON THE BEACH
By Phillipa Nefri Clark

A beachside wedding to die for

The sun was peeking above the horizon as Daphne walked across the old timber boards to the end of the jetty. The soft slapping of water against the pylons below accompanied the cry of a seagull circling her in the hope of breakfast.

With another sweltering day forecast, she’d left the house early. Once she’d finished here, she’d go home and change for work but for now she had fresh sea air to inhale and a beach to herself. Fingers of pink and gold lit the sky in a typical midsummer Rivers End dawn. If there was any sight more beautiful, she hadn’t seen it.

“But you’re not here to admire the scenery.”

She turned to face the beach. The sand glowed gold from the sunrise and the waves whooshed in unison, the foam sparkling as it was left behind. It was a fabulous backdrop for a wedding…or was the sea the backdrop? Either way, this was the first time she’d officiate a wedding in this spot, but certainly not the first time one had been performed here.

Her dear friends, Thomas and Martha held their own wedding here a little over a year ago. She touched her heart and her lips lifted with a smile. The reunion of the older couple brought joy to many in Rivers End. Their romance and wedding was one of the factors in her becoming a celebrant. She’d fallen in love with love.

A dog barked from further up the beach. It was Randall, who’d spotted her and galloped in her direction as his owner, Martin, raised a hand to wave. Even as Randall ran along the jetty, Martin was paddling his surfboard out. The beach might not be hers alone but she’d share with these two any day.

“Hello, Randall.” The golden retriever flopped against her legs, soft brown eyes bright and tail thudding on the timber boards. “Are you coming to the wedding?” He licked her hand and then tore back to the beach to fossick.

As the sky lightened, Daphne took some photos on her phone. The wedding, which was two days away, would begin as the sun set. Barry and Sylvia wanted a simple ceremony, which Daphne had already written and had it approved by them. It was now about choosing the perfect spot for them to stand and practice how loudly she needed to speak, given that this part of the jetty was over the water and some of the guests would be further away.

Randall was barking again, but this wasn’t his welcome bark. He was fixated on a spot in the shallows not far from the jetty where something floated in the water, bobbing about. Her gaze shot to the direction Martin had paddled. The waves were hardly strong enough for him to come off his board and be hurt, not with his experience. And he was still there, a fair way out, waiting for a big enough wave to bring him in.

Daphne hurried to get a better look. Randall was knee-deep in the water, his bark now a low growl at a mound of material, or clothing. Why would anyone throw clothes into the sea? Unless they’d fallen off a boat. Either way, she’d wade in and fetch them.

“Settle down, boy. I’ll fix this.” She removed her sandals and tossed them back, further away from the tideline.

There was a winter glove swirling around in a circle and Randall scooped it up and bounded to the beach where he dropped it on the sand. A brimmed hat picked up a wave and followed him in.

The water was warm as Daphne waded deeper. Good thing she’d worn shorts. There was an undertow which pulled the clothes just out of reach. She went in a bit further and grabbed the end of a long, heavy scarf.

“Come on. We’re getting you away from the sea creatures.” She muttered. “Not going to risk harming any of our marine life with this.”

She tugged at the pile and when the scarf didn’t make a difference she reached for the arm of a shirt. There was something inside the material. Something solid.

A wave lifted the pile.

Strands of seaweed floated around it.

Except…it wasn’t seaweed.

It was hair.

Long, flowing hair.

Heart in her mouth, Daphne lifted some of the hair.

And screamed.


About the Authors

Ellen Jacobson

Ellen Jacobson is a writer, cat lover & obsessed with chocolate. She writes cozy mysteries and romantic comedies including the Mollie McGhie Mysteries and the Smitten with Travel Rom-Coms.

You can find out more on her website (ellenjacobsonauthor.com), sign up for her newsletter (https://www.subscribepage.com/m4g9m4).

Patti Larsen

I'm a multiple award-winning writer with a passion for the voices in my head. With many (many!) titles across many (many!) genres, all in happy publication, there's no end in sight...

That being said, I'm short (permanent), happy (I have the best life ever) and blonde (for ever and ever). I love to talk one on one about the deepest topics and can't seem to stop seeing the big picture. I happily live on Prince Edward Island, Canada, home to Anne of Green Gables and the most beautiful red beaches in the world, with my multiple cats, pug overlord and lady and Gypsy Vanner gelding, Fynn.

R.B. Marshall

Like my amateur sleuth, Izzy, I'm a dressage-riding computer geek who loves coffee - but there the similarity ends. She is far smarter than me, and a lot younger! I hope you'll join me in discovering where her curiosity leads to next...

Pretty much all my books are set in my native Scotland, and my mystery stories are no exception. You'll meet colourful characters solving perplexing puzzles in the most glorious landscape imaginable. Throw in a castle or two, the occasional royal, and maybe even a delicious cake shop, and you'll have the recipe for my new series.

I also write fantasy and clean romance/women's fiction, as Roz Marshall: http://viewAuthor.at/RozMarshall

and Historical Romance telling the story of Mary Queen of Scots, as Belle McInnes: http://viewauthor.at/BelleMcInnes

Hillary Avis

Hillary Avis writes cozy mysteries about smart women who persist until they uncover the truth—about themselves, about their communities, and of course about any unsolved murders.

She grew up in a small town on the west coast, went to college in a small town on the east coast, and now lives in beautiful Eugene, Oregon. She has two charming children, three fluffy dogs, and two practically perfect felines named Mystery and Intrigue. She also has too many chickens and one very patient husband.

When Hillary’s not reading, writing, or editing, she bakes bread, makes pottery, drinks coffee, and streams The Great British Bake-Off, but not all at the same time.

Cate Lawley

Cate Lawley writes humorous, action-filled mysteries that frequently contain a paranormal twist.

When Cate’s not tapping away at her keyboard or in deep contemplation of her next fanciful writing project, she's sweeping up hairy dust bunnies and watching British mysteries.

Cate is from Austin, Texas (where many of her stories take place) but has recently migrated north to Boise, Idaho, where soup season (her favorite time of year) lasts more than two weeks.

She's worked as an attorney, a dog trainer, and in various other positions, but writer is the hands-down winner. She's thankful readers keep reading, so she can keep writing!

Paranormal cozy mystery series:
-Vegan Vamp Mysteries
-Night Shift Witch Mysteries
-Death Retired Mysteries
-Cursed Candy Mysteries

Cozy mystery series:
-Fairmont Finds Canine Cozy Mysteries

Cate's sweet romance series:
-Love Ever After
-Lucky Magic

For bonus materials and updates, visit her website to join her mailing list: www.CateLawley.com

Rimmy London

Snuggle up with one of Rimmy's cozies... if you dare.

Follow on Amazon or sign up for her newsletter at www.rimmylondon.com 

Phillipa Nefri Clark

Phillipa lives just outside a beautiful town in country Victoria, Australia. She also lives in the many worlds of her imagination and stockpiles stories beside her laptop.

She writes from the heart about love, dreams, secrets, discovery, the sea, the world as she knows it… or wishes it could be. She loves happy endings, heart-pounding suspense, and characters who stay with you long after the final page.

With a passion for music, the ocean, nature, reading, and writing, she is often found in the vegetable garden pondering a new story.

To connect more with Phillipa and her writing, visit www.phillipaclark.com.

Wendy Meadows

Wendy Meadows is a USA Today best-selling author whose meticulously crafted stories showcase witty women sleuths and engaging plots. Her primary influences include but are not limited to mystery genre greats Joanne Fluke, Ellery Adams, and James Patterson. To date, she has published dozens of books, which include her popular Sweetfern Harbor Series, Maple Hill Series, and Alaska Cozy Series, to name a few.

When she isn’t writing about female detectives and their tactful crime solving, you can find Wendy either tending to her hobby farm, playing video games, relaxing on her back porch, or coloring in her growing collection of adult coloring books. She also loves spending quality time with her husband, two sons, two cats, and one adorable Labradoodle. Together, they call “The Granite State” home sweet home.

Visit Wendy at http://wendymeadows.com

Erin Scoggins

Erin is a long-time Southerner with a fondness for offbeat humor and fresh fried chicken. After fifteen years in marketing with a Fortune 500 company, she traded her MBA for fictional crime scenes and feisty small-town families. She writes fun, flirty mysteries that are celebrations of food, family, and the killer South.

Visit her at www.erinscoggins.com for book news and shenanigans.

Victoria LK Williams

Cozy Mysteries with A Tropical Twist!

Fun Cozy Mysteries, Paranormal Mysteries (with a fantasy twist) all set on the Florida Coast. A Romantic Christian Series, with a strong sense of family set in upstate New York. These are the stories Victoria writes. A hopeless animal lover, Victoria adds plenty of cats and dogs in each book, and her love of gardening shows through the characters. As a storyteller, it is important for Victoria to draw the reader into the story; to make you feel the sultry tropical heat or the numbing cold of the north. Victoria and her husband live in South Florida and own a landscape garden service. Two feisty cats make themselves at home, usually on her desk as she writes. A lover of a good mystery, she is an avid reader and likes to be outdoors. When she is not reading, you may find her working on a needlepoint project. Visit her website to learn about new and upcoming books. http://www.VictoriaLKWilliams.com

Michele Pariza Wacek

When Michele was 3 years old, she taught herself to read because she wanted to write stories so badly. It took some time (and some detours) but now she does spend much of her time writing stories. Mystery stories, to be exact. They’re clean and twisty, and range from psychological thrillers to cozies, with a dash of romance and supernatural thrown into the mix. If that wasn’t enough, she posts lots of fun things on her blog, including short stories, puzzles, recipes and more, at MPWNovels.com. For a free prequel to her cozy mystery series, The Charlie Kingsley Mysteries, visit https://mpwnovels.com/freebies/

Michele holds a double major in English and Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, she lives in the mountains of Prescott, Arizona with her husband Paul and southern squirrel hunter Cassie.

Author Links:
Website – https://mpwnovels.com/
Facebook – facebook.com/michelepwauthor
Linked In linkedin.com/in/michelepw
Twitter – twitter.com/michelepw
Instagram – instagram.com/themichelepw

Joann Keder

Joann Keder spent most of her years in the Midwest, growing up and raising a family on the Great Plains of Nebraska. She worked for sixteen years as a piano teacher before returning to school to receive a master’s degree in creative writing. A mid-life move to the Pacific Northwest lead her to re-examine her priorities. She now creates stories about life and relationships in small towns while her ever-patient husband encourages her on.

Author Links: Website – Facebook – Instagram – Amazon – GoodReads Link 

Cathy Tully

Cathy Tully is the pen name of E.C. Tully. A graduate of Georgetown University, she studied foreign languages and linguistics before changing gears and graduating from Chiropractic School. Her award-nominated first novel, Dr. Shine Cracks the Case, features a chiropractor practicing in small town Georgia. She writes the ChiroCozy Mystery Series.

Carly Winter

Carly Winter is the author of the Sedona Sprit Cozy Mystery series and the Tri-Town Murders Cozy Mystery series. When not writing, she likes spending time with her family and enjoying the fantastic Arizona weather (except summer - she doesn't like summer). She does like dogs, wine and chocolate and wishes Christmas happened twice a year.

Gayle Leeson 

Gayle Leeson is an author living in Virginia with a beautiful family and quite a few pets. She also writes--or has written--as Gayle Trent, Amanda Lee, and G. Leeson. As Gayle Trent, she writes the Daphne Martin Cake Mystery series and the Myrtle Crumb Mystery series. As Amanda Lee, she wrote the Embroidery Mystery series. As Gayle Leeson, she writes the Down South Cafe Mystery series and the Ghostly Fashionista mystery series. And as G. Leeson, she is writing the Literatia mystery series.

Catherine Coles

Catherine Coles writes cosy mysteries that take place in the English countryside. Her extremely popular Tommy & Evelyn Christie mysteries are set in 1920s North Yorkshire. Her new series, the Martha Miller cosy mysteries, are set in the years following the Second World War in Berkshire.

Catherine lives in northeast England with the youngest of her five children and two spoiled dogs who have no idea they are not human!

Megan Mayfair

Megan Mayfair writes fiction with a dash of mystery, a sprinkling of humour and a spoonful of romance. Her books include the award-winning Tangled Vines and the Lemon Tree Bay mysteries. Megan lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three young children and works in PR. When not writing fiction or press releases, she enjoys spending time with her family, drinking coffee, and seeking the perfect shade of red lipstick.

Paula Darnell

Award-winning author Paula Darnell is a former college instructor who writes two cozy mystery series: the DIY Diva Mysteries and the Fine Art Mysteries. Killer Art in the Park is a story in the Fine Art Mystery series. All her cozies feature arts and crafts and a lovable dog. She’s a former board member of the Clark County Artists Guild, and she sells handmade jewelry in her Etsy shop, Paula D Jewelry. She and her husband Gary live in Las Vegas with their adorable golden retriever Lindsey Lou.

Benedict Brown

Benedict Brown writes historical and contemporary mysteries in his two bestselling series, "Lord Edgington Investigates..." and "The Izzy Palmer Mysteries". Both series feature twists by the bookful, a wicked sense of humour and a huge cast of quirky, curious and cunning characters. He's a Welsh-Irish Londoner who lives in Spain with his French wife and multi-national four-year-old daughter, and he spends all his time writing (when his daughter lets him).

Connie B. Dowell

Connie B. Dowell writes cozy stories with LGBTQ+ characters, including the Emmie and Dessa mysteries (set 1918 and onward) and the Millie Monroe Bookmobile Mysteries. She also writes nonfiction and children’s stories and hosts two writing podcasts, Authoring Onward and Let's Start Writing. When not writing or illustrating, she gardens, plays violin badly, and binge watches Midsomer Murders.

GIVEAWAYS

List of prizes:
1 Nook
1 x ebook copy of Oceanberry Blues & Tangerine Troubles by Joann Keder
Signed paperback of The Murder Before Christmas by Michele Pariza Wacek
1 x signed paperback of Cabernet & Confessions by Daisy Linh (US only)
1 x ebook of Cabernet & Confessions by Daisy Linh (international)
1 x audio book of each of A Cop & A Coop, A Flock & A Fluke; and A Roost & Arrest by Hillary Avis
1 x ebook of Bride & Doom by Erin Scoggins
1 x ebook of each of The After Hours Deception, The Hothouse Deception, and The Backstage Deception by Patti Larsen
1 x ebook of winner’s choice from the Izzy Palmer mysteries and the Lord Edgington Investigates series by Benedict Brown
1 x ebook boxset of 4 first in series books by Victoria L K Williams
1 x signed paperback of Murder for Neptune’s Trident by Victoria L K Williams (US only)
1 x ebook of both Apples & Alibis and Designs on Murder by Gayle Leeson
1 x paperback of Artistic License to Kill by Paula Darnell
1 x signed paperback of The Body in the Bookmobile & A Villain in the Vineyard by Connie B Dowell
1 x ebook of Till Daph Do Us Part by Phillipa Nefri Clark
1 x paperback (signed if winner in the US) of Murder by Numbers by Megan Mayfair
1 x ebook of the Mollie McGhee cozy collection: books 1-3 by Ellen Jacobson
1 x paperback of Murder at the Marina by Ellen Jacobson (US only)
1 x ebook of A Corpse at the Castle by R B Marshall
1 x paperback of Clues, Christmas Trees, & Corpses anthology – various authors
1 x ebook of Fairmont Finds Canine Cozy Mysteries Books 1-3 by Cate Lawley
1 x signed paperback of Dr Shine Cracks the Case by Cathy Tully (US only)
1 x signed paperback of The Guest is a Goner & News and Nectarines by Carly Winter
1 x ebook box set of the Tommy & Evelyn Christie mysteries Books 1-3 by Catherine Coles
1 x signed paperback of Murder at the Manor by Catherine Coles
1 x signed paperback of Poison at the Village Show by Catherine Coles
1 x $25 gift card to winner’s e-bookstore of choice
2 x $10 gift card to winner’s e-bookstore of choice
3 x $5 gift card to winner’s e-bookstore of choice

All Digital Prizes Are International



TOUR PARTICIPANTS
June 9 – Baroness Book Trove - SPOTLIGHT
June 9 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
June 9 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 10 – I Read What You Write - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 10 – Christa Reads and Writes – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 11 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
June 11 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
June 12 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
June 12 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
June 13 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – REVIEW
June 13 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
June 14 – Cozy Up With Kathy – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE
June 14 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW, GUEST POST
June 14 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 15 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE
June 15 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
June 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
June 16 – Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST
June 16 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
June 17 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
June 17 – Diane Reviews Books – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
June 18 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
June 18 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 19 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
June 20 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 20 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT
3 comments:

Saturday Quote


1 comment:

Bayou Book Thief (A Vintage Cookbook Mystery) by Ellen Byron


A fantastic new cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Ellen Byron. 

Twenty-eight-year-old widow Ricki James leaves Los Angeles to start a new life in New Orleans after her showboating actor husband perishes doing a stupid internet stunt. The Big Easy is where she was born and adopted by the NICU nurse who cared for her after Ricki’s teen mother disappeared from the hospital.

Ricki’s dream comes true when she joins the quirky staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, the spectacular former Garden District home of late bon vivant Genevieve “Vee” Charbonnet, the city’s legendary restauranteur. Ricki is excited about turning her avocation – collecting vintage cookbooks – into a vocation by launching the museum’s gift shop, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware. Then she discovers that a box of donated vintage cookbooks contains the body of a cantankerous Bon Vee employee who was fired after being exposed as a book thief.

The skills Ricki has developed ferreting out hidden vintage treasures come in handy for investigations. But both her business and Bon Vee could wind up as deadstock when Ricki’s past as curator of a billionaire’s first edition collection comes back to haunt her.

Will Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware be a success … or a recipe for disaster?

Amazon ~~ B&N ~~ Kobo ~~ GoogleBooks

Alibris ~~ IndieBound ~~ PenguinRandomHouse


Recipe

French Pancakes a la Gelee

The recipes included in Bayou Book Thief are all culled and adapted from my own collection of over 100 vintage cookbooks. This recipe for French Pancakes a la Gelee is from The Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places (1950 edition). This was the first vintage cookbook I ever bought, and it’s still one of my favorites.

Created to appeal to Americans road-tripping across the country—hopefully in their Ford vehicles!—the book includes recipes from some of the nation’s most well-known restaurants of the time, complete with beautiful color illustrations of the locations, many of which were historical. In keeping with the Big Easy setting of Bayou Book Thief, I’ve chosen to share my version of the recipe from New Orleans’s legendary Antoine’s Restaurant, founded in 1840.

Ingredients:

½ cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 egg yolk
⅛ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons milk (more, if needed)
5 tablespoons currant or red raspberry jelly
1 tablespoon melted butter
Powdered sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, egg, egg yolk, salt, and milk. Either whisk or beat with an electric beater until smooth. To make the batter the consistency of light cream, add more milk if needed. Cover and then chill for half an hour.
Dip a sheet of parchment paper into the melted butter. Heat a skillet or heavy pan and wipe the pan with the butter-coated parchment paper, which you can then discard. Pour in enough batter to just cover the bottom of the skillet or pan, tipping the pan to evenly distribute the batter.
Brown a pancake on one side, and then flip to brown on the other side.
Remove the pancake from the heat and place on a plate. Spread with a thin layer of jam and then roll the pancake jelly roll–style. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. (You can place the pancake under the broiler to glaze the sugar or skip this step.)
Repeat the process until you’ve used up all your batter.
Serve immediately.
Servings: 12–15 five-inch pancakes

About the Author

Ellen’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Lefty Awards for Best Humorous Mystery. Bayou Book Thief will be the first book in her new Vintage Cookbook Mysteries. She also writes the Catering Hall Mystery series under the name Maria DiRico.

Ellen is an award-winning playwright, and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly Odd Parents. She has written over two hundred articles for national magazines but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. An alum of New Orleans’ Tulane University, she blogs with Chicks on the Case, is a lifetime member of the Writers Guild of America and will be the 2023 Left Coast Crime Toastmaster. Please visit her at https://www.ellenbyron.com/



Giveaway



TOUR PARTICIPANTS
June 8 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
June 8 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 8 – Island Confidential - REVIEW
June 9 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW
June 9 – I Read What You Write – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 10 – Books to the Ceiling – SPOTLIGHT
June 10 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
June 11 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
June 11 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
June 12 – The Mystery of Writing – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 12 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
June 13 – FUONLYKNEW - SPOTLIGHT
June 13 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog - SPOTLIGHT
June 14 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW
June 14 – My Reading Journeys - REVIEW
June 15 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
June 15 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
June 16 – The Mystery Section – RECIPE
June 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
June 17 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
June 17 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
June 18 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
June 19 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – GUEST POST
June 19 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
June 20 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW
June 20 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 21 – Novels Alive – REVIEW – SPOTLIGHT
June 21 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
5 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)