Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Teaser Tuesday: Dark Legion Duet (Legion: University & Legion: Adult Education) by Isabella Jordan


DARK LEGION DUET
Legion: University & Legion: Adult Education
by
Isabella Jordan 


Dark Fantasy / Romance / Horror
Publication Date: October 18, 2024

SYNOPSIS:

Darkness is falling...

Things at Woods University are not what they seem. When Joey Sumner's roommate Maria joins the growing ranks of blazer-wearing supergeeks who roam the campus in emotionless packs, Joey begins to think she has a problem. Then Joey stumbles upon a secret ritual being performed on campus, and her world is turned upside down. Joey and her boyfriend Will are forced to fight for their lives against an ancient evil cult that is preying on the student body. To make matters worse, their boss is one of them, and his obsession for Joey goes way beyond thinking she has a cute ass... 

Evil is growing...

A year after the mysterious death of her husband Terrence, Ada Ross is still seeking answers. When handsome detective Eric Perfater comes back into her life offering a chance to unravel the mystery of her husband's demise, Ada is more than ready to help. She's also willing to throw off her endless loneliness and wantonly offer herself to sexy Eric in bed... But a dark shadow falls across their chance at happiness. Ada is a pawn in a desperate man's ploy to hang onto the past and take control of a secret society whose very existence threatens the entire world.

Can the forces of evil's hungry claws be defeated? Or will they all be consumed by the Dark Legion? 

Publisher's Note: This duet contains the previously published novellas Legion: University and Legion: Adult Education.

CLICK TO PRE-ORDER OR PURCHASE!

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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

 from Legion: University


"You're late, G.I. Jane." Will Martin winked at her as she walked into the lab where they worked together and pulled the backpack from her shoulder.

Joey grinned at him, a big stupid grin no doubt, but she didn't care.

With his golden skin, sun-streaked hair and powerful body, Will was nobody's idea of a geeky scientist. Tall, handsome, with a bold nose, a sexy mouth and dark blue eyes that could glitter with humor or darken to the color of a stormy sea. Joey had never seen such a perfect blend of beauty and intelligence in any other man. In the realm of science there was no challenge he wouldn't take on, no subject he wouldn't tackle. Even Joey with her very limited knowledge of virology knew that Will was well on his way to making a difference in the world. It wouldn't surprise her if he were the one to someday find a cure for the AIDS virus, ending the suffering and death of millions. She had that much faith in him.

His brilliant mind fascinated her almost as much as his hot, muscular body and that was saying a lot. How many times had she satisfied herself while thinking about Will? How many late night dreams had he haunted? The touch of his rough hands on her aching breasts always felt so real in her dreams, so good. She'd swear that the solid length of his body between her thighs, the sensual glide of his cock in and out of her slick, ready passage were a reality while she was dreaming.

Until she woke up in a sweaty tangle of bed sheets. After several seconds of swearing and sometimes several more seconds with her vibrator, she could usually get back to sleep. But not always. Sometimes she'd lie there and think of clever ways to ask him out. A couple of times she even meant to carry out her plans to ask him out to dinner, then maybe even ask him to her bed. But she always chickened out at the last moment.

Joey grabbed her lab coat from its peg on the wall and watched Will as she slipped it on. Will had no idea that she was totally infatuated with him and she was afraid to make a move. They worked together after all. He was a brilliant scientist. She was just a girl who'd gone into the army to pay for college on the G.I. Bill and was now a way-older-than-average freshman. Joey continued to watch him as he scribbled notes on a steno pad and peered into the microscope before him, his muscular upper body straining against the lab coat he wore. How could someone like her ever hope to get the attention of someone like him?

"That's new." Dr. Rafe Bowen caught her off guard. Hooking the golden charm bracelet that circled her wrist with a long finger, he pulled her arm up to scrutinize it before releasing her.

"Yes," she said, recovering from the start. "It was a gift."

"From whom?" he asked in his clipped British accent, his hazel eyes watching her intently.

Her eyes darted to Will. But he didn't appear to be paying attention to their conversation. Damn him! "My sister," Joey answered blandly.

Rafe Bowen nodded, but continued to gaze at her speculatively. Rafe was her supervisor in the lab. He was a handsome man with his chestnut hair and well-defined, cultured features. He wasn't as tall as Will, his build average. From what little she knew of him he was probably in his early forties but he looked remarkably young for his age. He could pass for someone in his early thirties easily. It helped that he was easy to work for and generous with his time. He taught several virology courses in addition to his research.

Joey had long suspected that her boss had more than a passing interest in her. Rafe would stare at her when he thought she wasn't looking and it made Joey pretty damned uncomfortable. He'd always insisted that she call him by his given name, though she never had. But he'd given her a job when she'd given up hope of finding one. That alone had made her first year at Woods University much easier than it could have been for a twenty-five-year-old freshman.

"Why are you two here?" he asked, frowning.

Joey exchanged a glance with Will and let him answer.

"Next week is spring break," Will pointed out. "If we don't run the analysis on the Aspergillus cultures now, we'll lose them. They won't be any good when we get back."

Joey couldn't help with the analysis, wouldn't know how. She knew that Aspergillus was a mold and a respiratory allergen but that was about it.

But the money sure would come in handy.

"What about tomorrow and Friday?"

"Exams," Will and Joey answered in unison.

Rafe blew out a frustrated sigh. "You're not staying long. I have to be at a meeting in an hour."

"We'll lock up," Will assured him.

Joey's heart began thumping in earnest. Alone with Will Martin? Oh, yes, that would be fine.

Rafe's expression grew darker. It wasn't like him.

"You'll leave when I do," he said curtly. When it appeared Will was about to say something else, he added, "End of discussion."

Will's gaze followed him as Rafe marched to his office and closed the door behind him. He shook his head, giving Joey a sardonic half smile.

"What crawled up his ass today?" Will glanced up at the lab's clock, prompting her to do the same. It was five minutes to six in the evening. "Want to get started on prep?"

Joey nodded and walked to the autoclave on the counter opposite the lab door. Pulling open the door, she frowned when she found it empty.

"Crap! Someone took all the instruments I autoclaved last night," Joey grumbled. How would they have time to do anything now if she had to sterilize more instruments?

Will glanced over his shoulder at her but didn't seem concerned. "Turner probably took them for his class, that lazy asshole. Just sterilize some more. We've got time."

Joey motioned toward Rafe's office with her thumb.

"Let me worry about him." Will waved her on.

When Joey hesitated he smiled, a flash of white teeth. Her nipples tightened to hard little points in an instant.

"Go on." He motioned her to continue with her work. "How's your French class going?"

I know all the dirty words. I could recite them for you.

"I'm doing okay." Wasn't that a waste of a good conversation opener? Think! "I've really enjoyed the biology labs. The experiments have been very interesting."

"Yeah?" Will's back was to her. He kept right on with his work. "Which ones interested you the most?"

Her mind went blank. That would teach her to use something she had little interest in to get his attention. Shit! "The genetics experiments," she finally answered. She knew there had been a couple.

"I think the corn genetics experiment is the best that they offer." He paused a moment as he read over his notes. "Morten had a good idea there. Students get to germinate and grow F2 corn seeds and determine the inheritance pattern of the albino trait and what the P and F2 generations' genotypes must have been. Did you like that one?"

"I did." Joey remembered it anyway.

"We might make a scientist out of you yet." Will peered at her over his shoulder. "What are your plans for your time here? I don't think I've ever asked you that."

Her mouth went dry.

To jump your bones? 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Isabella Jordan is the alter ego of an otherwise stressed-out web designer, programmer, and internet junkie. When she's not trying to perfect her own personal caffeine IV drip, she enjoys spending time with her family, doing volunteer work, and writing. She loves creating new stories of all kinds and chatting with readers and friends.

Isabella would love to hear from her readers!

 

Author Website

 

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

 

Pre-Order Today



RABT Book Tours & PR

Book Review: One Little Witch by Crystal Beach

One Little WitchOne Little Witch by Crystal Beach
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another adorable children’s picture book from the creative and talented Crystal Beach!

One Little Witch is the first book in author/illustrator Crystal Beach’s new children’s picture book series, Little Witch. This adorable debut is full of giggle-inducing rhyme and vivid, color-drenched illustrations that will have children begging for it to be read “just one more time!” While the plot revolves around a little young witch watching over her crop, the rhymes delightfully guide young readers or read-aloud listeners through counting the number of pumpkins, revealing the fun hidden secret inside each one. Perfect for the upcoming Halloween season!

I recommend ONE LITTLE WITCH to parents, caregivers, and those who have young children in their lives for reading aloud and early readers.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.




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Monday, October 14, 2024

Children's Book Review: Hey! There Are Monsters at My House! by Marlene Thalman

Hey! There are MONSTERS at my house!: Reggie and RufusHey! There are MONSTERS at my house!: Reggie and Rufus by Marlene Thalman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A brave young duo searches their house for signs of monsters!

Hey! There Are Monsters at My House is a new children’s picture book by author-illustrator Marlene Thalman and features a young boy, afraid of the dark, who searches his house with his pet cat for signs that monsters are there. With its rhyming narrative and colorful illustrations, the story is perfect for sharing with children who are experiencing nighttime fears.

Reggie is the bright-eyed redhead who is afraid of the dark. He and his sidekick, Rufus, team up to search the house – high and low – for the monsters they fear lurk in the dark, out-of-the-way corners of their bedroom, attic, and basement. I liked how the book showed what the rooms looked like with the lights on and then with them off so you see what was really behind the scary images, such as the high-contrast t-shirt in the bedroom closet with the white circles that resemble glowing eyes once the lights are out.

Fear of things in the dark is a universal one affecting all ages and genders to some degree or another. For me, this commonality is perfectly depicted when Reggie and Rufus bravely descend to the basement, and the lights unexpectedly go out. The knobs and dials on the furnace, washer, and dryer could easily resemble eyes as they reflect any stray source of light. The story would be a fun way to calm children’s fears before bedtime, and I think this book would receive multiple readings.

I did have a little difficulty clearly reading the narrative at times because of the font used or the placement of the words over some of the illustrations, but I still recommend HEY! THERE ARE MONSTERS AT MY HOUSE to those with children who are expressing fears of the dark.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.



View all my reviews

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: Frozen Lives (Coroner's Daughter Mystery, #4) by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

FROZEN LIVES

by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

October 7 - November 1, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

Frozen Lives by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

A Coroner's Daughter Mystery

 

Dr. Emily Hartford is back in Frozen Lives, the next thrilling mystery from Jennifer Graeser Dornbush.

Chicago surgeon Emily Hartford has never quite shaken off the dust of her hometown in Michigan. She may be a professional success and have a princely boyfriend in the Windy City, but she can’t seem to let go of being “the coroner’s daughter” from Freeport.

Once again, she finds herself pulled back upstate during a wintery late March when Jeremiah, the eleven year-old son of her best friend, Jo, goes missing on the frigid shores of Lake Michigan. Emily immediately joins the search for the boy.

To everyone’s relief, Jeremiah turns up days later, alive and unharmed. But tensions remain high, and suspicions of every sort continue to grow. Jeremiah’s account of his abduction doesn’t add up and Emily worries about Jo’s unraveling marriage. Jeremiah’s recovery, it turns out, is not the end of their terrifying tale. It’s only the beginning …

For moving among them is a devious, malevolent force. Sowing panic while seeking to fulfill his own twisted needs, this wolf in sheep’s clothing leaves a trail of rack and ruin, negligent to the damages in his wake … and the bodies he leaves behind.

Emily solidifies her role as coroner’s daughter when she puzzles out this madman’s chilling machinations. Risking everything dear to her, Emily goes the icy distance to end his killing spree.

Praise for Frozen Lives:

"Fast paced, engaging, evocative."
~ J.A. Jance

"FROZEN LIVES is what a thriller should be—dark, twisty, and oh so scary. Lock your doors and enjoy."
~ DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series and co-creator of the Outliers Writing University

"Jennifer Dornbush scares the living hell out of me. When I want to stay up all night, I just read one of her books, and Frozen Lives doesn’t disappoint. On par with Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River, Frozen Lives weaves a terrifying tale of evil, paranoia and when you go to bed at night make sure your doors are locked tight. A terrific story."
~ Don Bruns, USA Today Best Selling Author

"Chilling! Jennifer Dornbush has crafted a thriller that haunts the mind and can keep you deep in the pages into the wee hours! A not to miss psychological mystery with twists and turns throughout."
~ Heather Graham

Book Details:

Genre: thriller, suspense, female detective
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: October 29, 2024
Number of Pages: 350
ISBN: 9798212638364
Series: The Coroner's Daughter Mysteries, 4
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Blackstone Publishing

Read an excerpt:

 

 

Author Bio:

Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

The television or movie screen is the closest most people will ever come to witnessing the forensic world. But Jennifer Dornbush was raised in it. As the daughter of a small-town medical examiner whose office was in their home. There were body parts in the fridge. She investigated her first fatality, an airplane crash, when she was 8 years old. Picking up pieces of skull with her father who simply saw it as an anatomy lesson. The first of many coroner lessons she experienced over two decades.

 After exploring journalism and high school teaching, Jennifer turned seriously to screenwriting where she began to connect her coroner world to her writing. She sought out a degree at the Forensic Science Academy in Los Angeles to gain more forensic training and earned a unique kinship with LA’s top CSIs, fingerprint specialists, DNA scientists, and detectives.

To share her love of forensics with the writing world, she authored the top selling non-fiction authoritative book, Forensic Speak, used by not only by show-runners and writers, but also crime investigators and law enforcement.

She created an Amazon top selling mystery novel series, The Coroner’s Daughter, which she is currently developing as a series for TV. Her crime thriller, Hole in the Woods, is currently optioned for screen. She is a contributor to mystery anthologies, Hotel California and Thriller. She has also penned two true crime books.

As a screenwriter Jennifer wrote the theatrically released film and novel, God Bless the Broken Road (2018), adapted a popular YA novel to script, and sold a children’s show. She is currently developing TV drama series and feature films with various productions companies.

As a forensic consultant, she is frequently asked to consult with TV writers on shows such as: Bull, Conviction, Hawaii Five-O, Leverage, Suits, and Rectify. She teaches screenwriting and mentors aspiring writers.

Jennifer is a member of the Writers’ Guild of America, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Crime Writers Association, & the FBI Citizen’s Academy Alumni.

Catch Up With Jennifer Graeser Dornbush:
www.JenniferDornbush.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @jgdornbush1
Instagram - @jgdornbush
YouTube - @ForensicSpeakJenniferDornbush
Facebook - @JGDornbush

 

 

Review:

5 stars!

Compelling story as Dr. Emily Hartford tries to stop a kidnapper who may also be a serial killer. 

Frozen Lives is the fourth book in author Jennifer Graeser Dornbush’s excellent Coroner’s Daughter Mysteries, but readers new to the series can easily catch up and enjoy this latest case. The author does a fabulous job smoothly establishing the characters’ backstories without slowing down the current action. With a strong, likable female protagonist and a riveting plot, I was so completely absorbed in what was going on that time flew by. I enjoyed every minute of it. 

Successful Chicago surgeon Dr. Emily Hartford is smart and capable in her profession. With the extra skills acquired years earlier working side by side with her father, the coroner of her old hometown of Freeport, Michigan, she comes to the aid of her best friend, Jo, when her young son disappears from a local lakeshore playground. Jeremiah is found safe, but the circumstances surrounding his abduction remain shrouded in mystery, and there are indications that he may still be in danger. 

After the events in previous books had put her engagement to her surgery clinic partner, Brandon Taylor, on hold, she has finally gotten to the point where she’s ready to get their relationship back on track, something he had been advocating for already. However, her involvement in Jo’s troubles elicited some odd comments and weird vibes from Brandon and had me questioning their fit as life partners. 

Even before Jeremiah’s disappearance off the deserted beach, Jo’s life was becoming a hot mess. With three school-age children and a demanding hospital nursing job, she’s been living the tough life of a single parent because her husband, Paul, is on the road for business more than he’s home and shouldering his fair share of family responsibilities. (Later, readers will discover this situation is a common thread in the story.)  Although he’s not happy with his work demands, he has refused to take steps to improve his situation, which I immediately thought was weak and suspicious. I was not a fan of Paul either.

The story is suspenseful and agonizing when young Jeremiah is missing, and there are several shocking twists, including an ultimate cliffhanger finale, that left me gasping. I recommend FROZEN LIVES to readers of mysteries and thrillers, especially those who would enjoy a great small-town Michigan setting and fans of the previous books in the series.



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Saturday, October 12, 2024

Week Blitz & Giveaway: The Stars Rain Down (Who Owns You?, #1) by Glenn Thomas

 

Who Owns You?,

Book One

 

Science Fiction

Publication Date:

October 11, 2024 




Set in the early 23rd century, THE STARS RAIN DOWN follows an android woman pursuing a renegade human. At the same time, he searches for his missing wife and child, abducted by alien pirates, and sold into slavery. Special Agent Catherine Mercer, an artificial intelligence and agent of Interplanetary Security (think FBI in space), is given the assignment to pursue and apprehend Rick McCabe, a freighter pilot suspected of illegally smuggling passengers to the free colony of Aranae, some 1300 light years from Earth. Rick, on the other hand, on route to Aranae, was attacked by pirates and separated from his pregnant wife, Sarah, who was captured. But, having come under the suspicion of IPS of illegally transporting passengers, Rick goes rogue and sets off to find Sarah while evading Catherine trying to capture him. Rick and his tech-savvy partner QR follow a trail of clues and tips that lead from one planet to another, from one hostile slave owner and alien race to more pirates and unsavory characters. Along the journey, Catherine learns that being human is more than possessing a flesh and blood body. The transitory body holds an eternal spirit that yearns to be free.



About the Author

Glenn Thomas’s life path has been a meandering one, setting new life goals at various points along the way, gaining skills in art, photography, filmmaking, driving, and ultimately, writing in screenplays and prose.  As a self-described “high-functioning daydreamer,” Glenn often finds contentment in self-imposed isolation, in conversation with characters only he sees and hears, in universes of his own creation.  Once in a while, he writes them down into scripts and novels to share with the world. 

Glenn lives in the Los Angeles area and works as a driver for a major motion picture studio.  His first self-published work was a series of short Science Fiction stories called The Spiderboys of Aranae, which appeared in 2015. 

In 1986, when Glenn was convinced he was at the start of a long and prosperous career as a visual artist, an idea for a sci-fi story came to him.  A guy loses his wife to space aliens, and he searches the galaxy to find her.  As a fan of the genre, Glenn sat down with paper and pencil to write the story, and two years later, No Longer Mourn for Me was finished.  It then sat on the shelf, unpublished, for nearly 35 years.  Glenn thought about that crudely executed early work, got ideas to improve it, and sat down at the computer for a rewrite.  The original story was completely gutted, retooled, and reborn with a new title: The Stars Rain Down.

 

Contact Links

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RABT Book Tours & PR

Book Review: Caution Earth by Gary R. Beebe, Jr.

Caution EarthCaution Earth by Gary R. Beebe Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A clever social commentary, political satire, and cautionary tale wrapped in an imaginative sci-fi reality show adventure.

Caution Earth is a new science fiction novel by Gary R. Beebe, Jr., but it is also a very funny social commentary and political satire revealing basic truths that serve as a cautionary tale.

Qunot is the executive producer of the most popular and only true reality television show on the galactic stage called Caution Earth. However, after eight successful seasons, early cancellation looms as viewer ennui is setting in with the lack of forward progress in character development. To save his job and lavish lifestyle, he’s got to stimulate the show’s story arc. He’s got two seasons left in the show’s contract, and with Earth on a short approach to societal and environmental collapse, he’s not going to fulfill his obligation. Additionally, galactic laws prevent his direct intervention (think Star Trek’s Prime Directive but with deadly consequences for the violators); Earthlings don’t know they’re the subject of the once-popular reality show or even that intelligent life exists. Qunot is caught between a rock and a hard place until he identifies the perfect patsies to put his rescue plan into effect.

The description of the planet Durnita’s entertainment industry, its movers and shakers, and their sycophants are reflective of how readers have come to view Hollywood, as are the laser-hewn images of politics and the mainstream media. Earth is characterized as having advanced its technological capabilities beyond its evolutionary development, poised on the brink of self-destruction.

The story is well-told, with insight and unceasing humor. I laughed out loud at the description of a politically manipulated cause-righteous Earthside agitator as “a douche canoe environmentalist” appropriately named “Douchious.” The aliens’ super-secret spacecraft, the Wingate, is supported by Olsen, the ship’s drama queen AI, who provides many of the funniest bits of dialogue. Geese, it turns out, are alien beings Qunot stranded on Earth centuries earlier to serve as his eyes, ears, and informants, to point him and his television crew to the most show-worthy filming opportunities, and their leader, Mr. Goose, is beyond over it. I enjoyed the author’s play on cultural references, such as the mention of George Orwell being an alien, and was intrigued by the appearance of “angel” numbers; I had to look that up. On the other hand, while the narrative is consistently clever and entertaining, there is a lot of repetition of the state of politics or the human condition, which seemed to overdo driving the plot points home, at least for me, and really slowed the story down.

I recommend CAUTION EARTH to readers of science fiction, political satire, and social commentary.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

View all my reviews

Friday, October 11, 2024

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: A Hush at Midnight by Marlene M. Bell

A Hush at Midnight by Marlene M. Bell Banner

A HUSH AT MIDNIGHT

by Marlene M. Bell

October 7 - November 1, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

A Hush at Midnight by Marlene M. Bell

From the award-winning author of the ANNALISSE MYSTERY SERIES.

THE VISIT THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Celebrity chef Laura Harris dwells on the horror of finding her mentor’s body in the groundskeeper’s disheveled bed—pillow and bedding half covering her open eyes—purple bruising around her mouth. A grisly snapshot in time revealing the Texas woman’s last moments during her attack. The elderly matriarch from the small town of Stenburg has left the physical world, and Laura is shattered.

She is catapulted headlong into the pursuit of a casual executioner, one bold enough to come and go from the crime scene with ease, dropping bizarre crumb trails designed to mock the deceased. But Laura herself doesn’t go unnoticed. As she digs deeper, she is followed and bombarded by warnings to leave the state.

When the victim’s attorney informs Laura that she’s to inherit the entire Stenburg fortune, the last act of kindness has made Laura the main person of interest in the investigation.

Message by message, Laura is methodically taunted by someone so deranged and driven they’ll do whatever it takes to dislodge Laura from Texas – permanently.

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuth/Mystery/Cozy Mystery
Published by: Ewephoric Publishing
Publication Date: October 1, 2024
Number of Pages: 368
ISBN: 979-8-9863409-6-8
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

 

 

Review:

4 stars!

Exciting and suspenseful culinary-themed cozy mystery! 

A Hush at Midnight by fan-favorite veteran author Marlene M. Bell is a new culinary-themed cozy mystery, and this intriguing who-dun-it kept me right on the edge of my seat from the start. The suspicious death of the elderly matriarch of a wealthy local family propels her friend, Chef Laura Harris, to push for answers when the local deputy/coroner seems convinced that it is natural causes. However, when a twist in the will reveals Laura is the woman’s beneficiary, the police take notice, and suddenly, she’s suspect number one in a murder investigation. 

Laura Harris moved from California to the small Texas town of Coldspell to spend precious time with her dying mother in her final months. In the days that follow, Laura takes her mind off her grief by helping a friend with her struggling bakery business. She also makes time to visit her elderly friend and mentor, Hattie, who lives in another town some distance away. 

It’s been ten years since Laura and Hattie last spent time together, and Laura discovers her friend is frail and ailing. The neighbor woman who is helping out as a part-time caregiver doesn’t seem to offer much comfort or care to her friend, and when she hustles Laura out the door after a too-short visit, Laura feels uneasy. Her worry only increases on her drive back to Coldspell, and she turns around to go back and relieve her mind that things are okay. On her return, no one answered the door at the main house, and no one seemed to be on the property. Laura hears Hattie’s corgi barking from inside the guest house and discovers Hattie’s body there in the groundskeeper’s bed. 

Laura is a steady and loyal friend and a highly motivated sleuth, but boy, does she have a hot mess on her hands: her mother’s recent death, Hattie’s death, accusations of food poisoning and acts of sabotage at her friend’s bakery, a questionable pilot boyfriend, and then she’s pegged as a suspect in her friend’s murder! The cookbook she’s writing is going to have to take a backseat for a bit! 

The plot moves quickly, with Hattie’s death occurring early in the book. The initial foot-dragging by the local deputy acting as coroner to take a closer look at the evidence was frustrating, and Laura’s outsider status as a friend rather than next-of-kin didn’t help. With each chapter, some new twist or obstacle appeared, and strange phone calls, texts, and slanderous fliers ramped up the suspense and feeling that Laura was being expertly manipulated. All these elements kept me thoroughly engaged in getting to the final resolution. 

I recommend A HUSH AT MIDNIGHT to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy culinary-themed storylines.


Author Bio:

Marlene M. Bell

Marlene M. Bell has never met a sheep she didn’t like. As a personal touch for her readers, they often find these wooly creatures visiting her international romantic mysteries and children’s books as characters or subject matter. Marlene is an accomplished artist and photographer who takes pride in entertaining fans on multiple levels of her creativity.

Marlene’s award-winning Annalisse series boasts Best Mystery honors for all installments including these: IP Best Regional Australia/New Zealand, Global Award Best Mystery, and Chanticleer’s International Mystery and Mayhem shortlist for Copper Waters, the fourth mystery in the series.

She offers her children's picture book, Mia and Nattie: One Great Team! written primarily for younger kids based on true events from the Bell’s East Texas sheep ranch. The simple text and illustrations are a touching tribute of belonging and unconditional love between a little girl and her lamb.

Catch Up With Marlene M. Bell:
www.MarleneMBell.com
Goodreads - @dorsetghal
BookBub - @dorsetgalwrites
Instagram - @marlenemysteries
Twitter/X - @ewephoric
Facebook
Facebook - @marlenembell
Amazon Author Page

 

 

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Thursday, October 10, 2024

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: Running on Empty (Wine Country Cold Case, #2) by Karin Fitz Sanford

Running on Empty by Karin Fitz Sanford Banner

RUNNING ON EMPTY

by Karin Fitz Sanford

September 16 - October 11, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

Running on Empty by Karin Fitz Sanford

A WINE COUNTRY COLD CASE 

An ex-FBI agent. A murder. And a Ponzi scheme that rocks the wine country.

Anne McCormack, a former FBI agent-turned-estate liquidator, must find out who murdered a beautiful socialite and dumped her body on a remote wine country road 16 years earlier. Could that killing be connected to a current-day Ponzi scheme that has bilked Santa Rosa residents? McCormack thinks so and sets out to solve the case—but she'll have to keep her wits about her if she plans on outracing thieves and solving the murder without become a victim herself, for dark forces are working against her and she’s running out of people to trust.

Praise for Running on Empty:

"Full of fun clues, quirky characters and a great sense of place, Running on Empty is the perfect visit to California’s wine country."
~ Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of the Royal Spyness and Molly Murphy mysteries

"The title of this latest Wine County Cold Case may be 'Running on Empty,' but the story’s certainly not. A full-bodied mystery with depth and bite, and a plot that’s meaty and lush. Savory, smoky, and smooth, from the first sip to the last."
~ J.R. Sanders, Shamus Award-winning author of the Nate Ross mysteries

"With a freight train of a plot worthy of any seasoned crime writer—think Elmore Leonard, Karin Slaughter, and Raymond Chandler—Sanford delivers a timeless thriller and heroine in feisty, brilliant, and flawed ex-FBI agent Anne McCormack, who finds herself entangled (again) in a web of mystery and deception in Northern California's wine country. The setting is but one of this book’s plentiful charms. There is a cold case—the decades-old murder of a socialite—and a devastating Ponzi scheme that will have readers turning pages well into the night.
Full of zigzagging cliffhangers, Running on Empty hooks readers from the first sentence and never lets up—not even when it looks like our heroes have run out of gas. I loved this book."
~ David Samuel Levinson, author of Tell Me How This Ends Well

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery/Adventure/Detective
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Number of Pages: 294
ISBN: 9781685126155 (ISBN10: 1685126154)
Series: A Wine Country Cold Case, 2
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Level Best Books

Read an excerpt:

Chapter One

Santa Rosa, California

Anne McCormack surveyed the living room, casting her eyes from one gilt-framed oil painting to another, taking in the antique red tasseled lampshades, red flocked wallpaper, red floral overstuffed sofa, and the oriental rug woven with every imaginable shade of red. All that exuberant red reminded her of a magazine layout she’d seen featuring the late Vogue editor Diana Vreeland’s famous New York apartment. Tastefully garish.

The house was one of many Victorian homes lining McDonald Avenue, Santa Rosa’s historic “Victorian row.” The tree-lined boulevard was the filming location of several Hollywood classics, including the 1943 Shadow of a Doubt by Alfred Hitchcock, Disney’s 1960 Pollyanna, and the nineties camp horror film Scream. The Victorian in which Anne was standing was owned by her newest clients, the family of the recently deceased, very wealthy Lily Danielson, who had left behind more treasures and personal effects than her heirs could handle.

Those belongings were why Anne, owner of McCormack Estate Services, was here after eight o’clock on a Sunday night with her teenage assistant, Chloe Grindel. Anne’s job was to dispose of everything in the house, one way or another: to assess, catalog, toss out, put up for auction, sell, save for the family, or donate to charities. The executor, the family’s lawyer, wanted it all handled ASAP before any more troublesome family fights could break out. Fine, Anne thought, the sooner the job was done, the sooner she’d deposit a commission check on the proceeds of any sales.

They were still at the sorting and boxing up stage.

Seven banker’s boxes were stacked precariously in the middle of the room, the top ones on the verge of toppling over onto Chloe, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Next to her on the rug was an old diary she’d found in the bookcase. Chloe was packing up books—except for the first editions, which would be offered to dealers—and sighing theatrically.

“How are you doing over there?” Anne asked.

“Slow, very slow. I’m not fast like you are,” Chloe said, standing up to stretch, raising her arms to the heavens. “But then, you’ve been doing this for decades…”

“A slight exaggeration,” Anne said. In fact, she was fairly new to family estate services. She’d spent most of her twenties as an FBI agent in Sacramento’s Violent Crimes division. After six years, she left the Bureau voluntarily, under no cloud (You did not get fired, her Uncle Jack, a retired cop would insist). Under no cloud, that is, except the one she conjured up and obsessed over (But it did get ugly after they discovered I was using their high-security database software to track my ex-husband, she’d counter).

On the same day she was confronted by her supervisor, she dropped her resignation letter on his desk and walked out the door, vowing that her next career would be a complete 180 from law enforcement. She would follow her passions—researching art and its provenance—and someday be her own boss, health benefits or not. Turns out, those passions were the exact skills required for family estate sales services. And since it was a far cry from crime-fighting, she figured why not do it professionally? For two years she worked as an assistant to estate services guru Marty Holmes, who became her mentor in the business. His mantra: “Estate sales are not garage sales!” The estate sales business, he’d insist, is about helping families dispose of the treasures left behind after a loved one’s death, and then getting a big fat commission from the sales of said treasures. Period.

After learning the trade, Anne struck out on her own three years ago. If she’d ever imagined that being a business owner meant naming her own hours and taking long vacations, she was quickly proven wrong. The reality was that when business was good—and it finally was—she ended up working relentlessly long hours. Like tonight.

“After finishing that box, let’s call it a night,” she said. Chloe had school in the morning.

“Not yet,” Chloe pleaded. The girl was always angling for longer hours, arguing, “You won’t find cheaper or better child labor than me.” And Anne almost always relented. She knew that nearly every dollar Chloe earned was being squirreled away into her college fund. Besides, she liked Chloe’s company. Chloe was the favorite grandchild of one of Anne’s first clients, Claire Murray, whose death two years before had hit the teenager hard. Anne had grown fond of Claire and missed her too, and while she and Chloe worked, they would often swap Claire stories.

But recently, all Chloe wanted to talk about—when not complaining about her mother’s strict hours or the unfair soccer coach—was the “Battalion Chief” competition at her high school. Not much had changed about the yearly contest since Anne had participated: The student who searched private homes and collected the most “fire hazard” violation tickets was the winner. Back then, the winning prize was simply being named “Honorary Battalion Chief.” But this year, the stakes were high—a $25,000 college scholarship to the winner in each class, donated by a group of wealthy vintners who wanted to encourage fire safety in the wildfire-ravaged Sonoma County.

“I can put it toward any college I want. When I add that to what I’m making working for you, and what my parents can chip in, I might get to go to UC Berkeley, Harvard, or California College of the Arts, who knows!”

One of their phones pinged.

“Sky’s the limit,” Anne agreed, looking down at her phone. Nothing. She hadn’t heard from Scott, her boyfriend of three months, since their fight two days before. Nodding toward Chloe’s phone on the coffee table, she said, “Bet your mom wants you to come home.”

Chloe sauntered over to pick up her phone. Leaning against a wall, she stared intently at the screen—reading the text message, answering it, and reading the response.

“Oh, no,” Chloe blurted out. She slowly slid down the wall, crumbling to the hardwood floor. “There goes everything,” she said in a low, ominous tone. “Everything I’ve ever worked for.” She set her phone down beside her and hugged her knees to her chest.

Anne bit her lip to keep from smiling. How much work could Chloe have done in her short life? How much did she have to lose? Chloe was a month shy of being sixteen years old, not some frail senior citizen whose life savings were ruthlessly embezzled or whose house was destroyed in a fire without any insurance to cover rebuilding it. But as Anne watched tears well in Chloe’s eyes, she knew there was nothing even slightly amusing about whatever was going on. Chloe was heartbroken.

Anne crouched down in front of her. “What do you mean by ‘lost everything?’ What happened?” she asked in a gentle voice.

Chloe uncovered her eyes, let out a sigh, and pointed to her phone. “That girl. Pam O’Brien. Tomorrow is the last day to hand in our tickets to see who wins the scholarship. She asked me how many I had….”

“And?” Anne prompted.

“I told her I had forty-five, which is way more than anyone else in the class. The nearest kid to me is Justin Frey, and he only has thirty-two. Then Pam texted back, ‘Too bad, cause I have fifty.’ That’s five more than me,” Chloe’s voice broke. “I never even knew she was close!”

Fire hazard violations were hard to come by, as Anne well knew. She remembered having to screw up the courage to knock on the door of a neighbor or acquaintance, then taking a deep breath and asking permission to go poking through their house looking for fire hazards like loose wiring, stacks of newspapers, overloaded electrical outlets, aging space heaters. Most people were good-humored about it, accepted their copies of the tickets, and promised to do better. But others tried to talk her out of the tickets, thinking the violations would be reported to city officials and they’d be fined. That never happened, of course; the fallout would have ended the contest years ago.

“And she tells you this at 8:30 at night…”

“Too late…”

Anne stood up abruptly. “Where’s your book of tickets? In your backpack?”

“Yeah. For all the good it does me,” Chloe said, giving the bag a shove as if it were to blame for her crushed dreams, the late hour, Pam O’Brien’s taunts. Everything.

Anne reached out her hands to the sobbing girl and pulled her to her feet. She grabbed their jackets off the couch and tossed Chloe’s to her.

“Get in the car,” Anne said.

***

Excerpt from Running on Empty by Karin Fitz Sanford. Copyright 2024 by Karin Fitz Sanford. Reproduced with permission from Karin Fitz Sanford. All rights reserved.

 

 

Review:

5 stars!

Intriguing mix of mysteries - a current death with links to a cold case of murder! 

Running on Empty is the second book in author Karin Fitz Sanford’s excellent Wine Country Cold Case mystery series featuring former FBI agent Anne McCormack and her retired homicide detective uncle, Jack. With a current death that may have ties to an older unsolved murder and two former law enforcement protagonists on the case, the story drew me in and kept me invested in the outcome until the final resolution was revealed. 

Anne McCormack is a solid main character with an interesting backstory. A former FBI agent, she quit to eventually start her own estate liquidation/sales business in her old hometown of Santa Rosa. The story includes details of her new occupation that were informative and interesting just in and of themselves, but it was her last-minute involvement in the local high school’s traditional Battalion Chief scholarship competition alongside Chloe that really grabbed this former fire inspector’s imagination. What a brilliant idea! 

With the death of one of the town’s supposed favorite sons, the gossip takes off like a speeding bullet when the truth behind his financial company’s success comes to light. Niece and uncle just as quickly find themselves on the case, and they discover there are plenty of suspects to consider after the dead man’s business shenanigans come to light and family drama unfolds. The plot is smartly paced, and the characters are well-developed and nuanced. I enjoyed this book a whole heck of a lot. 

I recommend RUNNING ON EMPTY to mystery readers, especially those who enjoy realistic characters or are interested in estate sales. 


Author Bio:

Karin Fitz Sanford

Karin Fitz Sanford, a former advertising copywriter, was born in New York but grew up in Northern California's wine country, the setting for her Wine Country Cold Case series. Having run her own award-winning ad agency for over twenty-five years, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and lives in Northern California with her husband.

Catch Up With Karin Fitz Sanford:
www.FitzSanford.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @karin140
Instagram - @karinfitz8
Facebook - @karin.f.sanford

 

 

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Blurb Blitz Tour & Giveaway: Dying for Monet (Art History Mystery, #5) by Claudia Riess

 


DYING FOR MONET
An Art History Mystery, Book Five
by
Claudia Riess


Mystery
Publisher: Level Best Books
Publication Date: June 11, 2024
Page count: 346 pages


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SYNOPSIS:

Dying for Monet, book 5 of Riess’s art history mystery series, opens on a gala evening auction at Laszlo’s, an upstart auction house in New York City. After a much sought-after Impressionist still life painting is without notice withdrawn from the auction block, its broker is found dead at the foot of an imposing statue in Laszlo’s courtyard. Amateur sleuths Erika Shawn and Harrison Wheatley are once again drawn into an investigation involving an art-related homicide, this time with one sharing an unnerving coincidence with violent crimes occurring abroad.





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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

“I knew it,” Erika said tonelessly, shoving her phone back into her evening bag; saw the look of horror Greg directed at her, as if she were some devilish prophet; half believed it herself. She gazed back at him, and her numbness suddenly dissolved into tears. 

Still, neither of them openly acknowledging whose body lay before them, the blood at the man’s head curling away with the rainwater; Botero’s mighty woman and child, their backs to him, underlying the omission. The figures were dark brown, almost black patinated bronze, and the dead man, in his black suit, seemed part of their tableau, or its discard. One of his arms was jammed against the base of the statue, the other flung to the side, the hand gracefully cupped like a ballet dancer’s—the hand with the ring that had pressed into Erika’s flesh. Looking down at Ivan’s hand, she felt its phantom grip on her wrist; the ring’s forceful dig. Impossible for that hand to have been doomed into stillness. 

“I felt for a pulse,” she said, anticipating Greg’s question. “He’s gone.” 

She looked away and saw a few people standing behind the glass door at Laszlo’s entrance, waiting to be picked up or for the rain to stop. What must they make of this rain-sodden group, and what did it matter? “The way he reacted to that text or email,” she directed to Greg, down on his knees, checking for a pulse; not taking her word for it; she, grateful to him for sharing the burden of proof. “I could see he was alarmed by the message. I thought he would be coming back after he was done talking or texting, but he never did. I thought it was odd. After all, his client’s lot was coming up for sale.” 

Greg rose to his feet, a subtle headshake verifying her medical diagnosis. “And then the lot was removed.” 

She nodded. “It was then that I thought the two events—the message on his cell phone and the painting’s unexpected withdrawal—were related. And just now, when I looked out the car window and saw...” 

“You had a sense of foreboding—of what you would find. I wish we could cover him, I mean from the rain and all.” 

“We can’t disturb the scene.” 

“I know. From what I can see, he was shot in the head...” Tentative, as if declaring the words would set them in stone. 

“Yes.” 

They were silent, standing in the rain that was finally abating, and in that moment the sun completed its descent and darkness fell, a delayed reaction in what seemed an act of respect—or mimicry—of life’s end.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Claudia Riess has worked in the editorial departments of The New Yorker and Holt, Rinehart and Winston, and has edited several art history monographs. Stolen Light, the first book in her art history mystery series, was chosen by Vassar’s Latin American history professor for distribution to the college’s people-to-people trips to Cuba. To Kingdom Come, the fourth, will be added to the syllabus of a survey course on West and Central African Art at a prominent Midwestern university. Claudia has written a number of articles for Mystery Readers Journal, Women’s National Book Association, the Sisters in Crime Bloodletter, and Mystery Scene magazine. To read more about Claudia and her work, visit the author's website.

 

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The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.







10-Stop All-Review Blog Tour: In the Mad Mountains by Joe R. Lansdale

 

IN THE MAD MOUNTAINS
By Joe R. Lansdale


Fiction / Horror
Publisher: Tachyon Publications
Pages: 256
Publication Date: October 15, 2024


SYNOPSIS

“Joe Lansdale squares up to the Great Old Ones―and taps into rich veins of awe and wit, with always a backbeat thrum of cosmic terror.”
―Kim Newman, author of the Anno Dracula series

Eleven-time Bram Stoker Award-winner Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-tep) returns with this wicked short story collection of his irreverent Lovecraftian tributes. Lansdale is terrifyingly down-home while merging his classic gonzo stylings with the eldritch horrors of H. P. Lovecraft. Knowingly skewering Lovecraft’s paranoid mythos, Lansdale embarks upon haunting yet sly explorations of the unknown, capturing the essence of cosmic dread.

A sinister blues recording pressed on vinyl in blood conjures lethal shadows with its unearthly wails. In order to rescue Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn traverses the shifting horrors of the aptly named Dread Island. In the weird Wild West, Reverend Jebidiah Mercer rides into a possessed town to confront the unspeakable in the crawling sky. Legendary detective C. Auguste Dupin uncovers the gruesome secrets of both the blue lightning bug and the Necronomicon.

Exploring the darkest corners of the human psyche, here is a lethally entertaining journey through Joe Lansdale’s twisted landscape, where ancient evils lurk and sanity hangs by a rapidly fraying thread.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joe R. Lansdale is the author of nearly four dozen novels, including Rusty Puppy, the Edgar-award winning The Bottoms, Sunset and Sawdust, and Leather Maiden. He has received nine Bram Stoker Awards, the American Mystery Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Grinzane Cavour Prize for Literature. He lives with his family in Nacogdoches, Texas.







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