Murder on Flesher Pass - An Interview & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome K. L. Borges to Cozy Up With Kathy today. K. L. writes the Montana Animal Rescue Mystery series. Murder on Flesher Pass is the second book in the series and was released last week.

Kathy: The Montana Animal Rescue Mystery series is operated solely for the benefit of Montana dogs. How did this practice come about?

KLB: Each rescue needs to set their own policy regarding what animals to take in. Some handle animals from around the country, while others choose to keep their resources dedicated to local ones. RogerDog Rescue, in the series, is small and always full to capacity with dogs from the Helena area. If out-of-state dogs were allowed into the rescue, they would take spots that otherwise would be for Montana dogs. Betty Mills, the rescue’s head honcho, has decreed that this is not to happen at RogerDog Rescue.

Kathy: Do you volunteer with an animal rescue or have any rescued animals?

KLB: I do volunteer, weekly, at a local animal rescue, working in with the dogs. I love taking care of them and seeing them adopted is wonderful.

Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

KLB: I enjoy reading cozy mysteries and when I was developing the story that became Murder in the Crazy Mountains, my debut mystery, writing a cozy, rather than, say, a police procedural was much more in my wheelhouse.

Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

KLB: Not yet! I would like to, though, maybe a gritty traditional mystery or thriller.

Kathy: Tell us about your series. 

KLB: The Montana Animal Rescue Mysteries are set around the operation of RogerDog Rescue in Helena, Montana and the crew of sometimes zany people who run it, investigating murders that come their way. The stories alternate between humor and suspense, take place in modern-day Montana and are realistically plotted: events are fictional but could have happened.

Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

KLB: I have to say Betty Mills is my favorite character. She is incorrigible, gruff and growly and you could have no better friend. I’ve been blessed to know (and be related to) several people like her in life. She and her real-life counterparts are alter-egos to me, a retired high school math teacher.

Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

KLB: I began the series when I was recently retired as a high school math teacher and came across an online post about a dog brought into rescue with several gunshot wounds. I started spinning a story around him and it turned into the plot for Murder in the Crazy Mountains.

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

KLB: I wrote my original manuscript about the gunshot dog and mystery surrounding him for personal enjoyment. Friends read the story and encouraged me to get the story published. I gave it a whirl and landed a three-book contract with Camel Press!

· Murder in the Crazy Mountains, 2025

· Murder on Flesher Pass, 2026

· Murder in Bad Moon Canyon, 2027

Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

KLB: Laurien Berenson (Melanie Travis Mysteries), Robert Crais (Elvis Cole Mysteries), Elly Griffith (Ruth Galloway Mysteries) and Ed McBain aka Evan Hunter (87th Precinct Mysteries). Everyone in this group has exceptional humor woven into their stories which range from lighthearted to very dark indeed.

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

KLB: A nonfiction book: The Golden Spruce. The actual events took place in southeast Alaska where I visited this summer. It adds a lot to the reading to have been in the locations.

Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

KLB: I like to rockhound, bird watch, camp and visit new, interesting places. It’s really wonderful when all of these things are happening at once!

Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

KLB: Roasted green chili from New Mexico.

Good quality coffee (and creamer)

Makings for no-nonsense Margaritas

Fresh fruit

Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

KLB: In the current series, a third book, Murder in Bad Moon Canyon, is planned for release in 2027. I vaguely think there will be more books in the series, but I haven’t started writing them, yet.

Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

KLB: Meeting people and sharing my books with them. It’s so much fun!

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 Murder on Flesher Pass (Montana Animal Rescue Mystery Series) by K. L. Borges

About Murder on Flesher Pass

Murder on Flesher Pass (Montana Animal Rescue Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Setting - Montana
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Camel Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 14, 2026
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 316 pages

RogerDog Rescue of Helena, Montana, is operated solely for the benefit of Montana dogs, no transported outsiders allowed.

When a fellow rescuer dies while completing a transport for an infamous Butte operation, Betty Mills, Kelly Boyd and Cici Vargas don't believe it was an accident. They infilter the Butte group, just in time to partake in a rescue flight from Mexico. Plans go awry and they unwittingly wind up with something that multiple suspicious characters want to get their hands on. Is it the foreign dogs themselves or something else? The body count begins to grow and the danger spreads to other RogerDog workers.

Can they solve the mystery before it is too late?

About K.L. Borges

K.L. Borges, an Agatha Award-nominated author, moved to Montana thirty-five years ago with her husband to raise their three children alongside a series of herding dogs. Prior to becoming an author, she taught math at a private Billings high school (Go, Rams!). Borges is a member of the Billings Gem and Mineral Club and Sisters in Crime. She and her husband are often found enjoying the Montana outdoors with their two blue heelers.

Author Links: 

Author website: K.L. Borges - Home  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profilr.php?id=61557406862657  

Buy links: Amazon B&N This House of Books

French Toast a la Santa Fe - A Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Agnes Nelson to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Agnes on the pages of FRENCH TOAST A LA SANTA FE by Suzanne Stauffer. This book is the second in the Courier Mystery series and was released last week.

How do you do? I’m very pleased to meet you. My name is Agnes Nelson and I’m a friend of Prudence Bates’. She’s asked me to say a few words about our three-day Detour together, as she’s already been interviewed twice, but she warned me not to give away too much. It’s a rather difficult challenge, but one I think I can meet. I am, after all, a retired teacher from a girls’ school in the Adelaide area, so I’m used to meeting challenges. Adelaid is the capital of the state of South Australia. Unlike you in the U.S. with your fifty states, we only have six. But you don’t want to hear about Australia. You want to know about French Toast a la Santa Fe and our Detour.

While on the Detour, I purchased numerous picture postcards to remind me of my adventure. I will use some of those to illustrate my story, so that you can enjoy the sights with me.

I learned about the Detours entirely by accident. I happened to walk past a travel agents’ office in Adelaide and my eye was caught by a large poster advertising the Indian Detours. I was immediately drawn to it. It was so mysterious and so exotic. I seemed to remember something about “Santa Fe,” but couldn’t bring the memory to mind. Did it have anything to do with that steam train puffing away in the background? Was that large vehicle a HarveyCar? What did that strange birdlike figure symbolize? What was that building – or was it a city – in the background? Who was that figure wrapped in a blanket in the foreground, and what did those poles signify? Why was there a pot sitting on the mound next to the figure? I will confess that the orange mountain rising in the background did rather remind me of our Ayers Rock, but what was that other flat topped hill farther away? 

Of course, the travel agent provided answers to many of my questions and the brochure that they gave me answered the rest of them. As soon as I had read it, I signed up for the three-day Detour and booked passage on a ship bound for the United States. I wasn’t able to afford first class, but even we second-class passengers enjoyed comfortable private cabins, and even though we shared a lavatory and bathroom, they were maintained to the highest standards. We ate the same food as the first class passengers. The primary difference being that we ate at communal tables.

I spent much of my day in the well-appointed library – I had never had enough time to read for pleasure when I was teaching – and taking exercise on the promenade deck. I attended the concerts and dances some evenings, but only for the music and the companionship.

About a month later, though it seemed much less, I was boarding the Santa Fe railroad in Los Angeles for the Las Vegas, New Mexico, and very shortly after that, I climbed into a HarveyCar and the adventure began.

The first place that we stopped was the Pecos Ruins (Suzanne : they are now a National Historic Park https://www.nps.gov/peco/index.htm]). Spectacular! Just as the brochure described them. We have nothing like this in Australia. So ancient. So enigmatic. I could sense the spirits of the place, but there were far too many Detourists roaming the area for me to make contact. A rather significant event occurred to ... well, I promised not to say too much, so you’ll have to read the book to find out what and to whom and what the outcome was. 

We visited several pueblos over the three days, including Tesuque, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo, and Isleta. I was fascinated by the multi-story buildings, which I immediately recognized from the brochure, and the plazas with their hornos and kivas. If only I had been allowed to descend the ladder into a kiva, I know I could have made contact. Just walking past them, I could feel the psychic energy. But it was prohibited.

We also explored the Puyé Cliff Dwellings [Suzanne : now a National Historic Landmark https://puyecliffdwellings.com/] near Santa Clara. As ancient as the Pecos Ruins are, those at Puyé are older still. While there, where I had a most unexpected experience. I’m sorry that I can’t tell you more about it. It’s all in the book – or what I could remember of it is. 

In the church of San Augustin de Isleta, which we visited on our last day, I finally made contact with a spirit. I can’t tell you much about it, not only because I promised not to include – I think the word is “spoilers” – but also because I don’t really remember very much about it. I was not consciously aware during most of the event. I do remember the beginning when ... oh, dear! I do hope that I haven’t said too much. 

I hope that the images in these postcards have not only inspired you to read FRENCH TOAST A LA SANTA FE but to come on out here to New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, and see the places for yourself! And be sure to subscribed to Suzanne’s Substack newsletter, Amuse-Bouche (https://smstauffer.substack.com/) for prequels and sequels and other short stories. 

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Review

FRENCH TOAST A LA SANTA FE by Suzanne Stauffer

The Second Couriers Mystery

 

In preparation for becoming a courier for the Harvey Company's Southwest Indian Detours Prudence Bates joins a three day tour from Las Vegas, New Mexico to Albuquerque. Her tourmates include a retired Australian schoolteacher, two giggly young ladies from Chicago, a businessman with his wife and two widowed sisters, two young Germans, and a flapper. Petty pilferings, encounters from beyond, and a dead body mar the informative trip. Everyone is getting along so well, so who could be behind the problems with the tour? While penning posts to her mother and thinking about a lost love Prudence will try to deduce what's really going on.

 

In the second Couriers Mystery Prudence continues on her quest to become a courier with the Southwest Indian Detours. Finally on a tour, she's part of the tourist group, but with the keen insight and knowledge of someone who intends to be a guide. I enjoy seeing her grow and learning about this intriguing company. I also enjoy learning about the various sites they visit. Her tourmates make an interesting bunch from the Germans with a secret, the crabby widow, and more. People are more than they seem, for better or worse. It was fun seeing old friends from the first book as well and loved how everything came full circle. While Jerry wasn't in this book, per se, his presence was felt and I'm curious to see what happens in the future.

 

As much as I enjoyed FRENCH TOAST A LA SANTA FE I must admit, there's not much of a mystery here. Yes, there were missing items, but no one was even sure if they were really stolen and no one investigated anything. There was also a dead body, but again, Prudence barely got a glimpse and while she had some ideas, she never investigated. That's not to say something mysterious wasn't going on, it's just that we never really saw any investigating. Prudence also got the wrong end of the stick more than once when she tried to figure out what was going on. So if you're a who-dun-it purist, you may find this book more of a travelogue and less likely to be your cup of tea. That being said, if you like an engaging story with fascinating historical travel bits, FRENCH TOAST A LA SANTA FE certainly hits the spot!

 

With puzzling goings on FRENCH TOAST A LA SANTA FE takes readers on an engaging trip back in time with a historic tour company in this delightful story.

 

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 French Toast a la Santa Fe by Suzanne Stauffer

About French Toast a la Santa Fe

French Toast a la Santa Fe
Historical Culinary Cozy Mystery 2nd in the Series
Setting - New Mexico
Publisher: ‎ Artemesia Publishing, LLC
Publication Date: ‎ October 13, 2026
Print Length: ‎ 230 pages

In 1929 New Mexico, Prudence Bates joins ten other Detourists, their Courier, and driver, on the three-day Fred Harvey Indian Detour from Las Vegas through Santa Fe and to Albuquerque.

During the trip small, valuable items belonging to the Detourists begin disappearing, and a retired Australian school teacher falls into a kiva. Or was she pushed? Prudence begins to suspect that someone is trying to kill her fellow traveler and wonders where the flapper from Kansas City disappears to at every stop. Or is La Llorona haunting the Detour? And what secrets are the two German men hiding? Prudence is determined to solve the mysteries and uncover the truth.

About Suzanne Stauffer

 

After 20 years as a librarian and 20 as a professor of library science and library historian, Suzanne Stauffer has moved on to a third career as a mystery novelist. She currently lives in Albuquerque with her Australian husband and brown and white spotted rat terrier dogter, Treme. Her debut novel, Fried Chicken Castañeda (Artemesia Publishing, May 2025), won the CIPA EVVY Bronze Medal in Mystery/Crime/Detection and the New Mexico Book Award for Cozy Mystery.  

Author Links: 

Blog https://couriersseries1926.blogspot.com/  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/couriers1926/  

Substack Newsletter Amuse-Bouche https://smstauffer.substack.com/

Halloween Spooktacular 2026

Looking for something fun to do tomorrow, but don't feel like leaving the house? Hop over to the Cozy Up With Kathy Party Page on Facebook. It's a group so you need to join by answering the simple membership question. Tomorrow, Sunday, October 17, starting at 3:30pm Eastern join me and several authors as we talk about Halloween, books, and more. There will be prizes! I hope to see you there!

Cast Off the Curse - A Review

 Review

CAST OFF THE CURSE by Rebecca McKinnon
The Sixth Clear Creek Mystery 

It's spooky time in Clear Creek and the town is gearing up for Emmilene's Witches' Walk. But her perfect spot for the event has to change when a dead body is found on the trail. Emmilene immediately calls for Zak, head of the town's security team, to bring Jemma Wilkinson. While her primarily role is that of owner of Black Sheep Yarn and Woolies and bride to be, Jemma has a habit of solving murders. Although the dead woman looks peaceful, with no obvious signs of foul play, Jemma is sure there is something more going on with a woman dressed with a witch's hat dead on the Witches' Walk. Though she immediately calls the sheriff, Jemma knows she'll be investigating as well, it's just a matter of who solves the crime first!

Halloween in the Rocky Mountains is a perfect time, not only for ambiance, but for murder. I love Halloween themed mysteries and the sixth Clear Creek Mystery is no exception. A modern day witch is killed and there are several good suspects. I love how Granny shuts down the obnoxious folklorist. Then there's the angry coven sister and the skeevy nephew. In addition to Granny, I love almost all of the Clear Creek residents, Daniel being the obvious outlier.

CAST OFF THE CURSE doesn't overplay the holiday or the witchyness, instead it provides a modern day look at a very real way of life. It's tasteful and fun, even with huge spiders in the shop and decadent treats.

A solid mystery wrapped in some Samhain spookiness CAST OFF THE CURSE is a magickal read at any time of year.

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading French Toast a la Sante Fe by Suzanne Stauffer. This book is the second in the Couriers Mystery series and was released yesterday.

In preparation for becoming a courier for the Harvey Company's Southwest Indian Detours Prudence Bates joins a three day tour from Las Vegas, New Mexico to Albuquerque. Her tourmates include a retired Australian schoolteacher, two giggly young ladies from Chicago, a businessman with his wife and two widowed sisters, two young Germans, and a flapper. Petty pilferings, encounters from beyond, and a dead body mar the informative trip. Everyone is getting along so well, so could be behind the problems with the tour? While penning posts to her mother and thinking about a lost love Prudence will try to deduce what's really going on.

Death of a Grill Master - A Spotlight

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on a recent release that's also the end of a series. Death of a Grill Master by Lee Hollis is the nineteenth and final book in the Hayley Powell Mystery series.

Blurb:

Hayley and her husband are snuggled into a secluded spot on Maine’s rocky shoreline to take in the big fireworks display on Frenchman’s Bay. But when they find Hank Desmond’s body floating in the darkness, it looks like summer is ending with a bang—from a gun registered to a rival BBQ chef.

Despite the evidence, Hayley thinks there’s more to the story than a gunshot from a disgruntled pit master. Unfortunately, the new police chief, just arrived from Boston, is more interested in layoffs than in listening to Hayley’s theories. So she starts grilling anyone she can to find out what happened on the party boat that Hank was aboard earlier in the evening—accompanied by his much-younger wife and a sleazy seasonal resident. There are also some competitors who’ve been skewering Hank, owner of the BBQ joint The Smokehouse, for his business practices, including the owners of a diner and a food cart.

Hayley just hopes that when the smoke clears, she’ll be able to serve up the real culprit to the cops—and bring the temperature down in this picturesque town . . .

Includes delectable recipes from Hayley’s kitchen!

Murder at the Toy Soldier - A Spotlight

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on a fairly recent release. Murder at the Toy Soldier by Maddie Day is the eighth book in the Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery series.

 

Blurb: 

Mac is extra busy these days as she and Tim do their best as working parents of a preschooler and a baby, not to mention Mac’s participation in the Cozy Capers book group. With Ella’s 4th birthday approaching, Mac uses her lunch break to shop for a gift at the Toy Soldier, which is run by June Fadiman.

Behind the counter is Zia Carven, a young woman Mac recognizes as a shopper at the Free Grocery food pantry Mac’s father sponsors. Zia finds Mac a kid-sized gardening toolkit Ella will love and offers to gift wrap it. In a rush, Mac plans to pick it up after work. But at 5:30, she finds Zia slumped over the counter, dead, dried blood on a toy rifle nearby. The first police officer to arrive is June's son, August. Then June arrives and is upset to find the police won't allow her inside.

Mac’s mother, Astra, confides that she’d been trying to help Zia, and now the police want to speak with her, which worries Mac. Then Mac discovers that Zia had been in town searching for her birth mother, which only multiplies the questions—and the suspects. Just one thing is certain: Mac and the book group will have to double down to find a killer who isn’t playing around . . .