About the Book
When a member of an exclusive book club is checked out, spunky librarian Trudell Becket must sort fact from fiction to solve the murder.
The Cypress Arete Society is one of the town’s oldest and most exclusive clubs. When assistant librarian Trudell Becket is invited to speak to the group about the library, its modernization, and her efforts to bring printed books to the reading public, her friend Flossie invites herself along. Flossie has been on the book club’s waiting list for five years, and she’s determined to find out why she’s never received an invitation to join.
But not long after Tru and Flossie arrive for the meeting, they’re shocked to find the club’s president, Rebecca White, dead in the kitchen. Rebecca was a former TV actress and local celebrity, but was not known for being patient or pleasant. She’d been particularly unkind to the book club’s host for the evening, who also happens to be the mother of Detective Jace Bailey, Tru’s boyfriend. And Rebecca had made it clear that she didn’t think Flossie was book club material.
With her boyfriend and one of her best friends wrapped up in a murder, Tru has to work fast to figure out who cut Rebecca’s story short before the killer takes another victim out of circulation....
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Excerpt
Librarians
are keepers of knowledge, caretakers of truth, and sowers of wisdom. Many of us
rush out to share the world with our communities with the enthusiasm of a child
who has suddenly mastered a new skill. We want people to know, to know…well,
everything.
This is our
mission. This is our passion.
We are the
bringers.
We are the
beacons cutting through the darkest of nights.
I should be
thrilled to be able to provide this service to a local book club that calling
itself the Arete Society. So why did I have this sudden desire to turn around,
march back to my car, and drive home as fast as my old Camry would take me?
I’d been
asked to give a presentation. I’d been tasked to share my knowledge of books
and my experiences working at the library with a group of ladies who love books
as much as I do. I lived for moments like this.
Didn’t I?
Usually,
yes.
But.
Not.
Tonight.
“Trudell
Becket, what’s got you dragging your feet like this?” Flossie Finnegan-Baker
turned her wheelchair toward me. “I do believe a cornucopia of slugs just
passed us.”
“Cornucopia?
Of slugs?” I asked. That couldn’t be right. But before she could explain that a
group of slugs was indeed called a cornucopia, I said, “Never mind.” Flossie
was rarely wrong when it came to grammar and etymology. Besides, slugs weren’t
important. “This,” I said. “This is a mistake.” I felt the truth of it like a
stone in my gut. I stood in the middle of the long, winding sidewalk leading up
to Hazel Bailey’s front porch and scrunched my eyes closed. “I shouldn’t be
here.”
“You’re
suffering from a case of the jitters.” My friend touched my hand. I looked at
her, and she smiled encouragingly at me. Flossie had dressed for the book club
meeting in muted shades of turquoise and tan. The colors spiraled together on
her long, homemade tie-dyed dress, but it was quite a shift from the bright
(and often) clashing colors she usually wore. She’d attached a large golden pin
in the shape of Edgar Allen Poe’s face to the collar of the thick white
button-up sweater she’d worn over her dress. “Honey, even I get the jitters
every time I do something new. Everyone does. That’s why you brought me. To
have your back. And I do. I’ve got your back. And you’ve got this. Let’s go.”
Our host
lived at the edge of town in the middle of a forest of cypress trees that gave
the town its name. The cypress’s silvery trunks stood tall and straight, like
the spines of books on a shelf, gleaming in the fading embers of the sunset.
Books were
the reason I’d been asked to speak to the Arete Society. And those same books
were the reason I couldn’t go through with it.
About the Author
Dorothy St. James is a former Folly Beach beach bum. She now lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, with her family, slightly (OK, terribly) needy dogs, and the friendliest cat you’ll ever meet. Author of a dozen novels, Dorothy enjoys writing both cozy mysteries and romance.
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Giveaway
TOUR
PARTICIPANTS
November 1 -
Christy's Cozy Corners – AUTHOR
INTERVIEW
November 1 -
I'm Into Books – SPOTLIGHT
November 1 -
The Mystery Section –
SPOTLIGHT
November 2 -
FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
November 2 -
Reading, Writing &
Stitch-Metic – CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 2 -
Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
November 3 –
Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER
INTERVIEW
November 3 –
Escape With Dollycas Into A Good
Book – REVIEW
November 3 –
Mystery
Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 4 –
Celticlady's Reviews –
SPOTLIGHT
November 4 –
Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
November 4 –
View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
November 5 –
Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 5 –
Maureen's Musings –
SPOTLIGHT
November 5 –
Sapphyria's Book Reviews –
SPOTLIGHT
November 6 –
The Book Diva's Reads – AUTHOR
GUEST POST
November 6 –
Books a Plenty Book
Reviews – REVIEW
November 7 –
Angel's Guilty Pleasures –
CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 7 –
#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog –
SPOTLIGHT
November 8 –
Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
November 8 –
Book Club Librarian – REVIEW
November 9 –
Reading Is My SuperPower –
REVIEW
November 9 –
Nadaness In Motion –
SPOTLIGHT
November 10
– Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 10
– MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
Thank you for being part of the book tour for "A Book Club to Die For" by Dorothy St. James. Always enjoy this author's books and can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this one. Enjoyed the excerpt and wish I could keep reading right now. Love the cover too!
ReplyDelete2clowns at arkansas dot net
A Book Club to Die For sounds like a great mystery for me to enjoy and I love the cover!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing it with me and have a terrific day!
This is a new author for me. I ❤️ the title, the description and cover. I’m sure I’ll enjoy the book too.
ReplyDeleteI’m in a great book club and this title grabbed me. I ❤️ the title, cover and description of the book.
ReplyDeleteOops, I commented twice (once as Anonyous and again with my name)
DeleteThank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the first book in the series. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
ReplyDeletenew author to me
ReplyDeleteThe cover looks really cute. Great excerpt
ReplyDeleteYou are a new author for me- after reading the book excerpt I want to read your books
ReplyDelete