Saturday, October 22, 2016

Deadly Wedding - Review and Giveaway

Review


DEADLY WEDDING By Kate Parker
The Second Deadly Mystery

Olivia Denis is called upon to help her distant cousin Celia prepare for her wedding. Although act more like a servant than help an old friend and relative is a more accurate description. The residents of Millhaven House are the epitome of a dysfunctional family, but who would kill the ancient patriarch when he was already dying? And kill him the morning of the wedding? Although Olivia is a strong woman she always gives in to Celia's demands, from packing her trucks for the honeymoon to agreeing to look into the murder of Celia's grandfather.

With murder on the home front, Olivia also has to deal with Nazi atrocities as she travels to German occupied Austria on another mission from the newspaper. With the threat of war looming will Olivia be able to help those in Austria as well as the family on her own soil?

Families have secrets. Aristocratic families seem to have even more and Olivia must dig deep into the recesses of her own family to uncover them. The mystery itself is complex, the characters challenging, and there are more motives to shake a stick at.
 
As a history buff I am especially drawn to the special missions Olivia performs. The conditions in Europe just prior to World War II are fascinating, horrible, and riveting. The true story behind what Olivia does is amazing. Obscured all these years, I'm grateful that Kate Parker has shone a light on these facts.

I love this series. The attention to detail, the well plotted mystery, and the burgeoning romance in the background provide a captivating look into a fascinating era. For all she's been though and everything with which she still has to deal, Olivia remains strong and eminently relatable; a woman I would like to know and call friend.

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The author has graciously given a print copy of DEADLY WEDDING to someone who comments on this post. Sorry, US addresses only and no PO Boxes, please. Please let us know what interests you most about the 1930s. Be sure to leave an e-mail address along with your comment no later than 11:50 pm Sunday, October 23, 2016 for a chance to win.


12 comments:

  1. The 1930's while in the middle of a depression had fabulous clothes, architecture and hair styles...I always think of the sophistication of The Thin Man...William Powell and Myrna Loy are what I see...I know the reality was different for the average person and particularly for Europe looming on the edge of war... thank you for the contest. I love Mysteries and Historical aspects of books.
    Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

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  2. Definitely the music. rwright@portagelibrary.info

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    1. Congratulations Rudy, you are the winner. Be on the lookout for an e-mail from me.

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  3. I love the clothing and overall society in the 30s jslbrown2009 at aol dot com

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  4. The 1930's interests me greatly since imminent changes would transform the entire world. The rumblings of war, and the difficulties which individuals would have to face but have the strength to endure. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. Thanks for this captivating feature. The 1930's represent jazz, big band, the golden age of movies, and most of all the dust bowl as well as the difficulties faced with the depression and looming war. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  6. Although this time period was a time of stress felt by the country, I find it draws me to it for some reason I don't understand. The music, the clothing, the ways families found to stick together are all things important to me. robeader53@yahoo.com
















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  8. I love historical mysteries. I always feel like I learn something. I love the sttings, clothes, language, social mores, etc. Thank you for the chance to win. Dmskrug3 (at) hotmail (dot) com

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  9. This is a fascinating time period. Europe was still recovering from the first World War & yet there's another one to come. Thanks for the chance. turtle6422(at)gmail(dot)com

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  10. My mom was a teenager at this time. Id like to know how things were when she was growing up. jluebke (at) frontier (Dot) come

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  11. I enjoy historical fiction and the 1930's sounds like a fascinating time period. Would enjoy reading "Deadly Wedding".

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