Olive and Let Die - Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm happy to turn over the blog to Susannah Hardy today. I return at the end of the post to share my review of her latest release.

Thanks for having me back, Kathy, and helping me celebrate the release of the second book in my Greek to Me Mysteries, OLIVE AND LET DIE. (You can read the interview I did back in January for FETA ATTRACTION here—and yes, I still have peanut butter, chocolate chips, eggs, and wine in my pantry or fridge. I am a creature of habit, LOL!)

Do you ever have recurring dreams? I do. The one I have most frequently, at least every other month or so, is about a house. The location changes from dream to dream, but it always starts out in a place I’ve lived or a place I’m very familiar with, such as my grandparents’ old farmhouse. The dream always starts out with my dream-self walking around and thinking I like this house but there’s not enough room. Then I find a door I’ve never seen before, sometimes a stairway, and when I investigate further, I realize that there is another room, sometimes a whole suite or even wing of rooms, beyond the part of the house I knew.

Dream interpreters say that a house represents the self, and that dreaming of finding a new room means that one is developing new strengths and taking on new roles. I like that interpretation, because who doesn’t want to grow and get stronger? But I think I’d prefer it to be a sign that the universe wants me to add a sunroom off my kitchen, LOL!

If you’ve read FETA ATTRACTION or OLIVE AND LET DIE, you’ll probably notice that houses—especially houses that have been transformed—play a big role in the stories. The historic Bonaparte House has been transformed into a Greek restaurant by my heroine/sleuth’s family. The castle on Valentine Island is now an exclusive spa, catering to the very rich and famous (or not so famous, rich being more important). And in OLIVE AND LET DIE, the reader is introduced to the home where Georgie’s mother grew up. Trust me, the old place will have a new use by the end of the book. No secret rooms, though, LOL!

Do you have recurring dreams? What do you think they mean?

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Olive and Let Die, the second book in the Greek to Me Mysteries, published by Berkley Prime Crime, is available now. The first book in the series is Feta Attraction, which released in January.

Olive and Let Die Book Description:

As manager of the Bonaparte House, a historic landmark and Greek restaurant in upstate New York, Georgie Nikolopatos knows her local legends—and her traditional Greek recipes are to die for.

Between her soon-to-be ex-husband Spiro coming out of the closet and her budding romance with Captain Jack Conway, Georgie’s life is beginning to feel like a soap opera. And that’s before a surprise visit from her estranged mother Shirley, better known as soap star Melanie Ashley. But the dramatic family reunion takes a chilling turn when another long-lost relative turns up dead.

Just outside Spiro’s new restaurant, Georgie and Melanie find the body of Doreen Webber—a cousin Georgie never knew she had. With Spiro’s partner Inky on the list of suspects, Georgie begins to wonder what else her mother may be hiding. Is the dead-broke diva capable of murder? She’d better find out before someone adds a new twist to the family plot.

Includes delicious Greek recipes!

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Links:

Olive and Let Die: goo.gl/4pPol3

Feta Attraction: goo.gl/M7DutM

Website: www.susannahhardy.com

Facebook: goo.gl/cZKbC6

Twitter: goo.gl/v3bVFF, @susannahhardy1


Bio: Susannah Hardy thinks she has the best job in the world: making up stories and inventing recipes to go along with them. A native of northern New York, where she attended St. Lawrence University, Susannah now lives in Connecticut with her husband, teenage son, and Elvira the Wonder Cat.

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Review

Olive and Let Die by Susannah Hardy
The Second Greek to Me Mystery

Things are going well for Georgie Nikolopatos. Her amicable divorce will soon be final, she's developing a relationship with another man, and she's continuing to manage the Bonaparte House with her (soon to be ex) mother-in-law. When a celebrity comes to the restaurant everyone is abuzz with excitement. It's not everyday a grande dame of daytime television makes a live appearance. But Georgie finds something familiar about her and finally realizes that the soap star is her mother-the woman who left her when Georgie was 18, and whom she hadn't heard from since!

Olive and Let Die brings with it an exploration of family. What are the ties that bind us? Who constitutes our family and while blood may not be thicker than water, does it deserve some consideration? Georgie has to deal with the fact that the mother who basically abandoned her has come back in her life-and she's unsure of the motive. When the two of them discover a dead body, Georgie learns that the murdered woman is in fact, a relative. Family discovery is at the heart of this book and the mystery itself.

Susannah Hardy has raised the bar with her second installment of the Greek to Me mystery series. We get a complex mystery, growth and added depth to the characters, as well as a thought provoking look at what it means to be family. While the mystery comes to a resolution there are lots of undercurrents which lead to lots of possibilities in future installments. Is Jack as good as he appears? What about the slightly mysterious, always intimidating Lieutenant Hawthorne? I'll just have to sustain myself with some of the delicious sounding recipes included until the next Greek to Me Mystery arrives.

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If you'd like a chance to win a print copy of Olive and Let Die simply leave a comment on this blog post telling us if you have recurring dreams and what you think they mean or what family means to you no later than 11:59 pm EST Wednesday, November 11, 2015. Please leave your e-mail address as well so that I may contact you should your comment be chosen. Sorry US addresses only.