I'm pleased to allow Olivia Redmond to take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Livvy on the pages of the Deadly Series by Kate Parker. DEADLY RESCUE is the ninth book in the series and is being released today!
So far, in the early days of World War II, Britain’s spymaster, Sir Malcolm Fremantle, has used me as a part-time agent. When he sent me to Denmark ahead of the German invasion, he had a single goal for me to achieve. Get a Nobel Prize winning chemist and his papers on his research to Britain.However, I had two goals. Sir Malcolm’s of course, but there was a second one. The chemist’s wife was a good friend of my long dead mother. My father, being a stiff upper lip Victorian, never talked about my mother, even when I asked questions. I was six when she died, and my memories had faded with time.
Here was someone who knew her, and knew her well, who was willing to
talk to me about her. Willing to tell me what she was like besides the
warm, caring mother I remembered. I hoped to learn more about my mother
while visiting with them and then traveling back to England.
Fortunately, my mother’s friend spoke fluent English, since I knew no
Danish and would never be able to pick it up in a single weekend among
Danish speakers talking at their usual speed and with their individual
accents and slang. Not speaking Danish was a handicap for both of my
reasons for being in Copenhagen that weekend, but my partner on this
mission for Sir Malcolm was a Danish-British man named Mike Christiansen
who spoke both languages fluently and could translate for me.
Unfortunately,
Christiansen had studied chemistry under Dr. Jørgensen at his
institute, knew several people there, and didn’t seem to trust me or
find me very bright. I found I didn’t trust him either. I promised
myself the next time I went on a mission for Sir Malcolm, if I ever did,
I would make certain I had enough time to study the geography and
vocabulary of where I was going.
One thing I could understand
was that the Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Jørgensen, was working on a
synthetic rubber that didn’t require petroleum for its basis. Petroleum
was nearly as difficult to obtain as natural rubber, with U-boats
bringing down shipping every day. This chemist’s experiments showed
promise in using everyday ingredients to create synthetic rubber. That
told me how important Dr. Jørgensen, and his research, were to Britain
and why Sir Malcolm sent the two of us over to escort him back to
England with us.
But the chemist wanted his wife to accompany
him, and I wanted her to, also. She kept telling me how much fun my
mother was, and that was wonderful to hear. She also had an enlarged
photo taken of the two of them from before I was born. Looking at it
brought back my memories of what my mother looked like, smiling,
genuinely happy, loving life. It reminded me of what we’d all lost when
influenza took her away from us.
I was beginning to understand why my father couldn’t bring himself to talk about her.
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Deadly Rescue, the ninth book in the Deadly Series by USA Today bestselling author Kate Parker, is on sale in ebook and paperback at all the usual online retailers.
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Review
DEADLY RESCUE by Kate Parker
The Ninth Deadly Mystery
As the war intensifies, Olivia Redmond is called into service once again. She has to go to Denmark to persuade a Nobel winning chemist, his wife, and their recalcitrant daughter to come to England before the Nazis invade. Despite her desire to refuse this mission, there's an unexpected benefit. The chemist's wife happened to be a good friend of Olivia's mother, a mother she barely remembers. An opportunity to learn more about her mother has Olivia rushing to Denmark. Knowing nothing of the geography or language she'll have to rely on her partner for this mission, a man not so keen on her assistance. Once at the institute in Denmark, they find a chemist ambivalent about leaving, his stubborn wife, and a nasty willful daughter, along with a variety of students and servants. They only have a weekend to complete their mission, but when murder strikes the Danish police intend to keep them until the killer is found. Now Olivia will have to solve the murder or wind up trapped behind enemy lines.
As the war intensifies I find the characters do too. In this ninth Deadly Mystery the war has truly begun, and the new characters are, for the most part, unpleasant. It's as if the stark reality and upcoming harshness of the war is foreshadowed in the characters themselves. Even Livvy's partner for this mission, isn't exactly a ray of sunshine. Add the absence of her husband and the fact that her London friends aren't here, and it makes things even bleaker. What makes it even more poignant is that there was a returning character I was happy to see, Oberst Wilhelm Bernhard. Poignant because he is a German officer and I fear things are not going well for him.
In addition to the darker ambiance there's also a very fine mystery. Subtle clues and misdirection make for an intriguing cerebral puzzle with the added excitement of a deadline. A new country and historical detail add interest and I found myself reading until my bathwater was cold. It was so late I almost missed my PBS mystery preparations!
DEADLY RESCUE is a story of determination, ego, and grit. A fascinating look at lesser known parts of WWII added to my enjoyment of this stellar series. I eagerly await its next installment.
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Deadly Rescue: A World War II Mystery (Deadly Series)
by Kate Parker
About Dark Rescue
Deadly Rescue: A World War II Mystery (Deadly Series)
Historical Cozy Mystery 9th in Series
JDP Press (September 20, 2022)
Number of Pages ~300
As the Phony War morphs into the Blitzkrieg, two British intelligence officers risk getting trapped behind enemy lines in the ninth Deadly mystery from USA Today Bestselling author Kate Parker
April, 1940. Hitler is invading Denmark on Tuesday. Olivia Redmond has only a weekend to bring a Nobel Prize winning chemist and his war-altering research to Britain. The scientist and his wife want to leave, but their troublesome daughter will do anything to stop her parents from departing.
When the daughter’s German fiancé is murdered, the police refuse to let anyone depart until they find the killer. If Olivia wants to escape Denmark with the chemist and his breakthroughs, she will have to unmask the killer before the Nazis stop her forever.
Deadly Rescue, book nine of the Deadly Series, is for fans of World War II era spy thrillers and classical cozy mysteries, of intrepid lady sleuths with determination and smarts. No explicit cursing, violence, or sex.
About Kate Parker
Since she was unable to build a time machine in her backyard, Kate Parker immerses herself in research and then creates the world that lives inside each book that she writes. Her favorite place is London and her time travel destination is anywhere from the late Victorian era through World War II. Since she lives in the Carolinas with her daughter and a 95-pound puppy, the practical side of her is thankful for air conditioning and all the modern comforts of life. Comforts she will take with her if she ever figures out how to build her time machine.
Author Links:
Website - http://www.kateparkerbooks.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/author.kate.parker/
Website - http://thedeadlyseries.com
GoodReads - http://www.goodreads.com/series/192092-deadly
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