I'm currently Reading A Christmas Peril by J.A. Hennrikus. This book is the first in the Theater Cop Mystery series and will be released September 8th.
Sully Sullivan may have given up her badge, but she retains her police smarts as her worlds collide.
After leaving the police force and her cheating husband, Sully returned to her hometown and to become the general manager of the Cliffside Theater Company. But when well to do Peter Whitehall, a once friend of the family, is murdered his family request Sully look into things. To cure her curiosity and save her good friend, who happens to be the son of the victim as well as the primary suspect, Sully agrees. She finds herself sorting out a dysfunctional family and business while also trying to keep a disastrous production of A Christmas Carol on track. Add the return of her ex-husband, serving as lawyer to the family, and a former fling in to save the show, and Sully must use all of her police training and theater know how to solve the mystery before she becomes the ghost of Christmas future!
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Murder Unrenovated & Rehearsal For Murder - Book Blast
Murder Unrenovated & Rehearsal For Murder
by P.M. Carlson
Book Blast on August 29, 2017
Murder Unrenovated
Realtor Len Trager is anxious to sell the lovely old brownstone in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood, and Maggie and Nick think it looks like a dream house for a young couple expecting their first child. But problems show up. It needs renovation– okay. There's a stubborn tenant who refuses to move out– not so okay.And then there's the nasty surprise on the top floor....
"Terrific characters, funny incidents, genuine suspense, and an absolutely right sense of period and place."–– Tom and Enid Schantz, THE PURLOINED LETTER
Book Details:
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Published by: The Mystery Company / Crum Creek Press
Publication Date: June 2013
Number of Pages: 239
ISBN: 193232528X (ISBN13: 9781932325287)
Series: Maggie Ryan and Nick O'Connor #4
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Goodreads
"Murder Unrenovated" by P.M. Carlson Maggie Ryan Series #4
Realtor Len Trager is anxious to sell the brownstone in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood, but prospective buyers don't want to deal with Julia Northrup, who rents the basement apartment. Maggie Ryan and her husband Nick O'Connor love the property. They see though Julia's act, and they're not scared off by the corpse on the top floor.Read an excerpt:
Brooklyn, 1972. Realtor Len Trager shows an old brownstone to actor Nick O’Connor and statistician Maggie Ryan.
Len felt a prickle of hope. He couldn’t remember anyone else being this pleased by Lund’s weary old brownstone, not after meeting the immovable basement tenant. Could there possibly be a sale here after all?
Not to an actor, he reminded himself.
The upper floors were shoddily divided into separate apartments. But the second-floor bath still held a Victorian marble sink and chipped clawfoot tub, and the room at the front overlooked the street. Maggie smiled at Nick and said, “This could be a little study.”
“One more floor,” said Len. The top floor, once servants’ quarters, had been most recently occupied–– only Lund’s disruption of the plumbing had finally forced the young tenants to accept his relocation money and leave. Nick slapped his hand against a wall. “This isn’t a supporting wall, is it?”
“No,” said Len, giving the room a professional glance. “You’re thinking of remodeling?” That was always a good sign.
“Not many gyms around here. It would be great to have space to work out.” Nick stepped to the doorway. “What do you think, Maggie?”
She was down the hall, looking into the little front room, the one that sported the oriel window. For a moment she remained there, still.
“Do you like the place?” Len prompted.
She turned back to them slowly, and Nick, suddenly concerned, took a step toward her. But it was Len she answered.
“Yes,” she said, “it’s a great place. There’s only one problem. There’s a corpse in it.”
* * *
Excerpt from Murder Unrenovated by P.M. Carlson. Copyright © 2017 by P.M. Carlson. Reproduced with permission from P.M. Carlson. All rights reserved.
Len felt a prickle of hope. He couldn’t remember anyone else being this pleased by Lund’s weary old brownstone, not after meeting the immovable basement tenant. Could there possibly be a sale here after all?
Not to an actor, he reminded himself.
The upper floors were shoddily divided into separate apartments. But the second-floor bath still held a Victorian marble sink and chipped clawfoot tub, and the room at the front overlooked the street. Maggie smiled at Nick and said, “This could be a little study.”
“One more floor,” said Len. The top floor, once servants’ quarters, had been most recently occupied–– only Lund’s disruption of the plumbing had finally forced the young tenants to accept his relocation money and leave. Nick slapped his hand against a wall. “This isn’t a supporting wall, is it?”
“No,” said Len, giving the room a professional glance. “You’re thinking of remodeling?” That was always a good sign.
“Not many gyms around here. It would be great to have space to work out.” Nick stepped to the doorway. “What do you think, Maggie?”
She was down the hall, looking into the little front room, the one that sported the oriel window. For a moment she remained there, still.
“Do you like the place?” Len prompted.
She turned back to them slowly, and Nick, suddenly concerned, took a step toward her. But it was Len she answered.
“Yes,” she said, “it’s a great place. There’s only one problem. There’s a corpse in it.”
* * *
Excerpt from Murder Unrenovated by P.M. Carlson. Copyright © 2017 by P.M. Carlson. Reproduced with permission from P.M. Carlson. All rights reserved.
Rehearsal for Murder
As REHEARSAL FOR MURDER begins, Maggie is a partner in a statistical consulting business, and her actor husband Nick O’Connor has been cast in a wonderful new role. He’s rehearsing an off-Broadway musical, playing Gladstone to the famous Ramona Ricci’s Queen Victoria. But Nick is worried by Ramona’s diva-like behavior, which enrages the cast members. And the home front is even tougher. He and Maggie adore their five-month-old daughter Sarah, but she exhausts them and leaves them no time for each other.Then they’re slammed with two more problems. Maggie, doing a favor for another frazzled parent, gets wind of a plot against that child. And someone guns down the bitchy Ramona.
"A tightly woven thriller, warm and beautifully paced with a bittersweet finale. This show must go on!"–– Dorothy Salisbury Davis, MWA Grand Master
Book Details:
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Published by: The Mystery Company / Crum Creek Press
Publication Date: July 2013
Number of Pages: 220
ISBN: 1932325336 (ISBN13: 9781932325331
Series: Maggie Ryan and Nick O'Connor #5
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Goodreads
Rehearsal for Murder by P.M. Carlson Maggie Ryan Mystery Series #5
As REHEARSAL FOR MURDER begins, Maggie is partner in a statistical consulting business, and her actor husband Nick O'Connor has been cast in a wonderful new role. He's rehearsing an off-Broadway musical, playing Gladstone to the famous Ramona Ricci's Queen Victoria.Read an excerpt:
A pause; a choked sob from the crumpled Ramona; and then the pounding dirge from chorus and piano.
Ramona straightened slowly, as though lifting a crushing weight, and pulled a black shawl about her. The chorus moved back with measured steps, leaving her solitary in the middle of the stage. The music modulated, and very quietly she began to sing "The Widow of Windsor." For the first time that day she did not have to worry about new dance steps or new movements, and she invested the words with a powerful emotional energy. "Alone," she sang, "in the crowds, still alone; among the princes, alone; forever alone." Nick, standing in the silent chorus, felt his throat tightening. The small isolated figure, the husky beauty of the voice that shimmered on the edge of tears, communicated a human truth that transcended history, geography, wealth, gender. She bound them all into Victoria's grief.
The last chords faded.
Then the stage manager cleared his throat and said, "Blackout," in his flat twang.
The spell was shattered. Derek exclaimed, "Super! But you know that, Ramona. On to act two?"
"Let's stop a minute early today, Derek. It's been a long afternoon." Ramona, drooping, pulled the shawl from her shoulders, then noticed the blond onlooker for the first time and stiffened. "Well! So Larry's evening revels have begun already. Though the brunette that came for him yesterday was prettier. Treat him well, sweetie." She winked at the young woman. "Your competition is formidable."
The few words reawakened the sizzle of rage in all of them.
* * *
Excerpt from Rehearsal For Murder by P.M. Carlson. Copyright © 2017 by P.M. Carlson. Reproduced with permission from P.M. Carlson. All rights reserved.
Ramona straightened slowly, as though lifting a crushing weight, and pulled a black shawl about her. The chorus moved back with measured steps, leaving her solitary in the middle of the stage. The music modulated, and very quietly she began to sing "The Widow of Windsor." For the first time that day she did not have to worry about new dance steps or new movements, and she invested the words with a powerful emotional energy. "Alone," she sang, "in the crowds, still alone; among the princes, alone; forever alone." Nick, standing in the silent chorus, felt his throat tightening. The small isolated figure, the husky beauty of the voice that shimmered on the edge of tears, communicated a human truth that transcended history, geography, wealth, gender. She bound them all into Victoria's grief.
The last chords faded.
Then the stage manager cleared his throat and said, "Blackout," in his flat twang.
The spell was shattered. Derek exclaimed, "Super! But you know that, Ramona. On to act two?"
"Let's stop a minute early today, Derek. It's been a long afternoon." Ramona, drooping, pulled the shawl from her shoulders, then noticed the blond onlooker for the first time and stiffened. "Well! So Larry's evening revels have begun already. Though the brunette that came for him yesterday was prettier. Treat him well, sweetie." She winked at the young woman. "Your competition is formidable."
The few words reawakened the sizzle of rage in all of them.
* * *
Excerpt from Rehearsal For Murder by P.M. Carlson. Copyright © 2017 by P.M. Carlson. Reproduced with permission from P.M. Carlson. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
P.M. Carlson taught psychology and statistics at Cornell University before deciding that mystery writing was more fun. She has published twelve mystery novels and over a dozen short stories. Her novels have been nominated for an Edgar Award, a Macavity Award, and twice for Anthony Awards. Two short stories were finalists for Agatha Awards. She edited the Mystery Writers Annual for Mystery Writers of America for several years, and served as president of Sisters in Crime.Catch Up With Our Author On: Website , Goodreads , Smashwords, & Twitter !
Tour Participants:
Giveaway:
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for P.M. Carlson. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. The giveaway begins on August 29 and runs through September 5, 2017.
a Rafflecopter giveawayGet More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours
Monday, August 28, 2017
Murder She Floats - Book Blast
Murder She Floats By Rachael Stapleton
August 28, 29, 30, 2017
Release Date - August 29, 2017
Cozy Mystery
New Series
Self Published
Publication Date: August 29, 2017
Print Length: 126 pages
ASIN: B074B4J7SJ
About The Author
Rachael Stapleton lives in a Second Empire Victorian home with her husband and two children in Ontario, Canada and enjoys writing in the comforts of aged wood and arched dormers.
Author Links
Webpage Blog Facebook @RaquelleJaxson Amazon GoodReads
Purchase Link Amazon
Sunday, August 27, 2017
The Penderghast Puzzle Protectors - Spotlight
Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on Julie Seedorf and her Brilliant Minnesota Mystery series. This series, of which The Penderghast Puzzle Protectors is the first, is currently being re-released.
Cover blurb
The
Brilliant Brothers founded Brilliant Minnesota, and then they disappeared. The
residents of Brilliant didn’t know the brothers left a puzzle needing to be
solved. A chain of unexpected present-day events shakes up the Penderghast
neighborhood of Brilliant: Mr. Warbler hanging between floors after stepping
through a hole cut in his floor by a floornapper,
then a dead body in Annabelle Avery’s empty house.
To the dismay of Police Chief Hank Hardy, Jezabelle Jingle and her quirky neighbors
form their own sleuth group under the guise of the Penderghast Puzzle Protectors to solve the puzzle before any of
them end up in pieces or—worse yet—dead. Will they be able to figure out if the
same person who is causing the mysterious happenings is also Jezabelle’s secret
admirer, or is another mystery unfolding to complicate their investigation? Is
the entire town in danger of a pernicious puzzle waiting to be solved?
A word from Julie
As human beings, we are always a
work in progress. From birth to death we live, hurt, laugh, cry, feel, and with
all of those emotions we grow as people, as family members, and as friends. I
am a dreamer and feel blessed to have the opportunity in my writing to pass
those dreams on to others. I believe you are never too old to dream and to turn
those dreams into a creative endeavor. I live in rural Minnesota and I am a
wife, mother, and grandmother.
I have worn many hats throughout my lifetime such as working as a waitress, nursing home activities, office manager and finally computer repair person eventually owning my own computer repair business. I never forgot my love of writing and quit my computer business in 2012 after signing a contract with Cozy Cat Press for Granny Hooks A Crook, the first book in my Fuchsia, Minnesota Series.
Adding four more books to the Fuchsia Series, adding a new Brilliant, Minnesota Series and writing a column for local newspapers feeds my writing creativity.
I also dabble a bit in watercolor painting and hope to eventually add pictures to my children’s book series, Granny’s In Trouble.
Oh, and did I tell you I like to be a little bit silly.
I have worn many hats throughout my lifetime such as working as a waitress, nursing home activities, office manager and finally computer repair person eventually owning my own computer repair business. I never forgot my love of writing and quit my computer business in 2012 after signing a contract with Cozy Cat Press for Granny Hooks A Crook, the first book in my Fuchsia, Minnesota Series.
Adding four more books to the Fuchsia Series, adding a new Brilliant, Minnesota Series and writing a column for local newspapers feeds my writing creativity.
I also dabble a bit in watercolor painting and hope to eventually add pictures to my children’s book series, Granny’s In Trouble.
Oh, and did I tell you I like to be a little bit silly.
Contact Links
Purchase Links
Friday, August 25, 2017
An Interview in Little Shendon
I'm pleased to welcome A.H. Richardson to Cozy Up With Kathy. A.H. writes the Hazlitt/Brandon Series of murder mystery novels. MURDER IN LITTLE SHENDON is the first book in the series.
Kathy: In MURDER IN LITTLE SHENDON there is quite a long suspect list. Is it challenging to find so many reasons to want to kill someone, or great fun creating many motives?
AHR: It is enormous fun finding suspects and then their reasons for motivating a possible murder.
Kathy: Bartholomew Fynche owns the antique shop, The Bygone Era. Do you enjoy looking for antiques? Is there a type or time period you like best?
AHR: Yes, I do. I love the Baroque, Rococco, and big old mahogany things!
Kathy: Are you a fan of crime writers from the Golden Age of detective fiction? Have they influenced this particular mystery?
AHR: Definitely! I was a devoted Agatha Christie fan – loved her books, I think that in her own special way she has influenced all my murder mysteries, and this one too.
Kathy: What first drew you to mysteries?
AHR: Everyone has a little detective in them, and I had it in a big way … I used to love trying to figure out WHO did it, and picking the most unlikely character, and still being wrong! The challenge of trying to work it out – so much fun.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
AHR: Yes, I have written a series for children from age eight upwards, though the grownups have also enjoyed these books I am happy to say. They are fantasy/adventure stories, where children learn about relationships with one another, bravery, loyalty, courage and so on, yet managing to keep the story spellbinding one kind reviewer said!
Kathy: Tell us about your book.
AHR: With MURDER IN LITTLE SHENDON, I tried hard to keep the reader’s interest all over the place, and vary the menu. If the characters are sufficiently interesting, the reader will wander off the beaten path, and draw their own erroneous conclusions! Hopefully. I really loved writing it. This is the first one in the series. I adore my two sleuths, Beresford and Sir Victor, who compliment one another perfectly.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
AHR: I do, I do! I love Lady Augusta Armstrong – she is a strong matriarchal, slightly eccentric, very rich, a little wacky aristocratic lady, who is fearless, funny and fabulous. The other one I love is Beresford Brandon, actor, fun guy, very human, a little vulnerable, my kind of guy!
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
AHR: No, I really didn’t have one specific inspiration
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
AHR: Someone said “This is a fabulous story! Get it published, you are crazy if you don’t!” That was enough inspiration for me.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
AHR: Emily Bronte, Shakespeare, Stephen King and W.Somerset Maugham!
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
AHR: I am not reading just now, I am writing.
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
AHR: I paint, I sculpt, I try to memorize poetry (to keep all the marbles working in my head!)
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
AHR: Greek Olives , avocados, really good bread, and French cheeses.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
AHR: Yes, I am currently working on 'Murder on Baringo Island.’ Also, I just finished ‘Jorie and the River of Fire’ the 3rd book in the Jorie series.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
AHR: Seeing the finished product finished and ready to go, with a lovely front cover illustration, and that wonderful feeling of accomplishment that comes at the end of a lot of work … there’s nothing like it in the world.
*************************************************************************
The Hazlitt/Brandon Series of Murder Mystery
Novels by A. H. Richardson
The Hazlitt/Brandon series of murder mystery
novels follows a pair of clever, colorful
and charismatic sleuths - Sir Victor Hazlitt and Beresford Brandon – as they
scratch their heads searching for clues to
figure out whodunit.
The first book in the series, Murder
in Little Shendon, is a thriller
murder mystery which takes place in a quaint little village in England after
World War Two.
Picture, if you will, a
picturesque village called Little Shendon, suddenly caught up in dealing with a
murder of one of its citizens — not a particularly well-liked one at that.
Which makes it all the more intriguing because the list of suspects becomes
very long. This tantalizing tale unfolds with twists and turns to find out
whodunit to Mr. Bartholomew Fynche, the murdered shopkeeper.
Fear grips the community as
the investigation slowly progresses. Everyone is interviewed; everyone is
suspect! From his housekeeper to Lady Armstrong and her household staff. Or
could it be the shy librarian new in town? Or the defiant retired army major
and his ladyfriend, the post mistress? Or perhaps the weird sisters who live on
the edge of town? Then there is the couple who own the local inn and pub, along
with the two Americans who are staying there? Even the vicar and his wife fall
under the gloom of suspicion.
Uncertainty, wariness, and
terror reign as neighbors watch neighbors to discover the evil that permeates
their upturned lives. No one feels safe in this charming little village. Who is
the murderer? And why was this strange uncivil man dispatched in such a
seemingly civil community?
A murder mystery that will
keep you reading until you learn the details, uncovered by Police Inspector
Stanley Burgess and his two amateur detectives, Sir Victor Hazlitt and
Beresford Brandon. The three sift methodically through the Alibis and life
stories of the suspects until they uncover…
You are challenged to
discover the culprit before the last few pages. And no fair looking ahead —
it’s the journey that proves the most enticing.
About the Author:
A. H. Richardson was born in London England and is the
daughter of famous pianist and composer Clive Richardson. She studied drama and
acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She was an actress, a
musician, a painter and sculptor, and now an Author.
She published her debut novel Jorie
and the Magic Stones,
a children’s chapter book, in December 2014. At the request of those who loved
the first ‘Jorie’ story, Richardson has written a sequel titled Jorie
and the Gold Key, and she is
currently working on the third book in the series.
A.H. Richardson
also enjoys writing murder mysteries and who-dun-its. She is the author of the Hazlitt/Brandon series of murder mystery novels. The series follows a pair of clever, colorful and
charismatic sleuths - Sir Victor Hazlitt and Beresford Brandon. The series includes Murder
in Little Shendon, Act
One, Scene One – Murder,
and Murder
at Serenity Farm.
A. H. Richardson lives happily in East Tennessee,
her adopted state, and has three sons, three grandchildren, and two pugs.
She speaks four languages and loves to do voiceovers. She plans on
writing many more books and hopes to delight her readers further with her
British twist, which all her books have.
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