Friday, March 7, 2014

Sleuthing and the BFF… Guest Post/Review/Contest


Sleuthing and the BFF…
By Duffy Brown

It’s that dark and stormy night we hear so much about, your car just broke down in the middle of nowhere and you forgot to recharge your cell phone. In the moonlight you see an old dilapidated farmhouse off in the distance.

The question is… Who’s walking to that farmhouse with you?

Sherlock has Watson with him, Perot has Captain Hastings, Nancy Drew has boyfriend Ned, Stephanie Plum has Lula. Some sleuths even have a cat or dog. Sometimes they even talk. I wish my cats talked. Actually I wished they did the laundry and vacuumed but I digress.

Every sleuth has a BFF to chat with, get into trouble with, drink with.

On TV Beckett has Rick Castle. The SCI people have each other kicking around and Lizbeth has tea-drinking Patrick Jane in the Mentalist.

It’s not just solving the crimes together that makes them BFFs, but sharing their personal lives. IMO it’s this personal touch that’s the most interesting part of the show or book. Don’t you love when Sherlock does something nice for Watson or Perot and Hastings travel and take on the chase together or when Becket and Castle turn to each other and say I know who the killer is!

That LuLa is a once-upon-a-time hooker makes for a great character, that Patrick Jane is hunting for Red John keeps us riveted, that Rick Castle is has a grown daughter and a boyfriend who is nothing like Rick and has his mother is living with him gives a human touch to finding killers and tripping over dead bodies.

In my book the Consignment Shop Mysteries protagonist Reagan has BFF Auntie KiKi. KiKi was once a roadie for Cher and spouts Cher-isms when giving sage advice like A girl can wait for the right man to come along but in the meantime she can have a darn good time with all the wrong ones. When KiKi was born the angels chanted cha-cha-cha over her crib and turned her into Savannah’s resident dancing teacher, when Reagan’s mom was born she was wrapped in a blanket with pink elephants resulting in Reagan being named Reagan.

In Pearls and Poison, Reagan’s mom is running for city council and her opponent winds up dead…that’s one way to win an election. Daughter Reagan and Auntie KiKi run to the rescue to find the real killer discussing suspects over martinis.

Back to our dark and stormy night. We know who our sleuths have at their sides when going into that creepy old house. So who would you have tagging along. Who is at one person that when you show up at their house with a dead body grabs a shovel and doesn’t ask questions.

When life goes right to hell in a hand-basket, who do you want at your side?

CONTEST:

Answer Duffy's question  (When life goes right to hell in a hand-basket, who do you want at your side?) in the comments section of this post and be entered to win a Pearls and Poison tote bag. Be sure to leave your e-mail address so that I can contact you should you win. Two winners will be chosen by random.org. This is a quick contest-get those comments in by Saturday night (March 8, 2014 by 11:59pm EST) to qualify! Sorry, US mailing addresses only.



Review

Peals and Poison by Duffy Brown
Third in the Consignment Shop Mystery series

Reagan Summerside's mom, the judge, is running for Alderman, but things get sticky when a nasty mudslinging opponent winds up dead, poisoned by some honey bourbon; bourbon the judge said she was bringing him as a good will gesture. Reagan just wants to protect her mom and keep Aunt Kiki out of harms way, but. as usual, she finds lots of trouble.

Duffy Brown gives us another fun romp through Savannah with Reagan, her family, and friends. While trying to clear her mother, Reagan antagonizes several suspects and makes plenty of new enemies, who may want to do her serious harm. Aunt Kiki, afraid of being replaced as a partner in sleuthing, is also determined to help, and thus cause Reagan more worries.While things are heating up between Reagan and Boone (which neither of them can believe) we also learn there's a relationship of another kind between Boone and Guillotine Gloria (AKA Reagan's mamma). With all the stress and downright danger, as well as a surprise new hairstyle, Reagan's biggest shock may be what happens on the final page of the book!

I just love the antics of this Southern crew. Duffy Brown has a great cast of characters who make murder fun! I'm pleased to meet Mercedes, a new character (and what a character she is) and a great addition to the local ensemble. If you like your mysteries on the zany side, as I certainly do, this book and series is for you!  I only wish I could visit and give a hot dog to Bruce Willis while sipping a martini on the porch of the Prissy Fox.


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Duffy Brown loves anything with a mystery. While others girls dreamed of dating Brad Pitt, Duffy longed to take Sherlock Holmes to the prom. She has two cats, Spooky and Dr. Watson, her license plate is Sherlock and she conjures up who-done-it stories of her very own for Berkley Prime Crime. Duffy’s national bestselling Consignment Shop Mystery series is set in Savannah and the Cyclepath Mysteries are set on Mackinac Island. Duffy writes romance as Dianne Castell and is a USA Today bestselling author.





22 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me at Cozy Up With Cathy. So much fun being here.
    Thanks for the great review, Cathy. So glad you enjoyed P&P. Mercedes is a fun character and BW is always in the middle of things.

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  2. I would have to have two of my sisters with me. My older sister is the bravers of the group and she can lead us through anything. My younger sister is sort of my mini me. We have been getting into scrapes together for a most of our lives. (law abiding scrapes - honest!)

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  3. Even though she's been gone for 23 years, dead that is not lost, I'd take my mom along in spirit. We were attached at the hip, she was my sounding board, friend, my biggest champion. She always knew the right thing to say and do. To this day when I'm in a jam I just think of mom and her wise words and my life usually ends up untangled and back on the straight and narrow. Too weird?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely not weird. Plus, ghosts have been known to make great sidekicks in paranormal mysteries-just ask Alice Kimberly, E.J. Copperman, or Nancy Atherton.

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  4. Well it would have to be my twin sister, Debbie. She would be there for anything even though she usually is the voice of reason. Fortunately my "voice" sometimes drowns out the reason one. She would go anywhere to help me and smile and tell me "it's no problem" while doing it. Think about it! If we got caught there is always a shadow of a doubt since we are twins! :) The perks! I have a lovely tote from Duffy so girls leave a comment. I just wanted to give my sister props!

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  5. I would want my mother by my side since she had strength and lived through many trials and tribulations but maintained her common sense and judgment. Everyone admired her attitude and I still do since she would be steadfast and strong. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  6. My BFF,sister, Mignonne.

    kaye.killgore@comcast.net

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  7. It would be my youngest daughter. We do everything together!

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  8. It would be my youngest daughter. We do everything together ( good or bad)!
    pamelajrichard50@yahoo.com

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  9. I think I would have to choose my 2 beagles, over any person, because they are my most loyal friends.
    suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree that our animal friends are much more loyal than humans!

      Delete
  10. I would definitely want my wonderful husband at my side. He is always there when I need him and supports me through difficult times.
    bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  11. I would want my younger sister with me. She can always make me feel better.
    tiggernelsie@yahoo.com

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  12. it would have to be my friend, Fran, as she is not only smart, practical, savvy & a quick-thinker, but she is also witty, funny & clever...........

    cyn209 at juno dot com

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  13. I usually want my mother..(whoever says that??..lol), but she is wise and smart and usually can make a situation a million times better.

    Kimberlee
    girllostinabook.com
    www.girllostinabook.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. My hubby, or my daughter. I think either would let me lean on them, but my daughter would take charge pretty quickly.

    donna(dot)durnell(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  15. It would have to be my husband.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  16. a carton of ice cream

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. My daughters or my fiancé would be my choice. They are my support system 24/7.

    Scouts579 (at) aol (dot) com

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  18. I would take my protagonist, Thumper, from my mystery novel, Black Cat's Legacy, because he has his ancestors' memories and 'knows where the bodies are buried.' Together, we would rock the world, not just on the pages, but in any cozy mystery out there, real or imaginary. Elaine.Faber@mindcandymysteries.com

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  19. Congratulations! Random.org has chosen bn100 and traveler as the tote bag winners. When our lives go to hell in a hand basket we want a carton of ice cream and our mother! Works for me! I'll be contacting the winners shortly.

    ReplyDelete