Crime and Parchment - A Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway

Review

CRIME & PARCHMENT by Daphne Silver
The First Rare Books Cozy Mystery

The lure of an ancient artifact has rare books librarian Juniper Blume heading to her sister's inn in Rose Mallow, Maryland, a place she hasn't visited since their grandmother's death. A message from her soon to be ex brother in law saying that he found the covers of the Book of Kells, treasures that have been missing for centuries, was enough to get her to leave the Library of Congress with her dog Clover. But when Juniper arrives at the designated meeting place instead of Rory she finds the body of the young barista she just met. With Rory missing and a professor with a television crew saying he has the covers Juniper will have to dig up the truth all while mending fences with her sister.

I'm a sucker for rare books, especially ones with such history, like the Book of Kells, so discovering CRIME AND PARCHMENT was a real treat. It took me a while to warm up to the characters, however. Juniper was constantly apologizing and Azalea was almost bipolar in her attitude toward her sister. Neither of them was in the right. In a way I understood where Azalea was coming from, and Juniper's whole clandestine meeting with Rory was a bit much. Meet in the cemetery at midnight? That being said, the characters grew on me and I really enjoyed the mystery. 

With fascinating historic details and an engaging mystery CRIME & PARCHMENT is a satisfying start to a new series.

***********************************************************************                                                                      

THE RARE BOOKS COZY MYSTERIES

by Daphne Silver

November 25, 2024 - January 3, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads

CRIME AND PARCHMENT

 

Rare books librarian Juniper Blume knows this much… an ancient Celtic manuscript shouldn’t be in a Maryland cemetery. But that’s exactly what her brother-in-law claims.

Last year, Juniper saw the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells in Ireland. She learned how their bejeweled covers were stolen centuries ago, never to be seen again. So how could they have ended up in Rose Mallow, a small Chesapeake Bay town? Being Jewish, the Book of Kells might not be her sacred text, but as a rare books librarian, the ancient book is still sacred to her, making it important to Juniper to find out the truth.

Rose Mallow is the same place where Juniper used to summer with her sister Azalea and their grandmother Zinnia, known as Nana Z. Ever since Nana Z passed away, Juniper’s avoided returning, but her curiosity is greater than her grief, so she heads down in her vintage convertible with her rescue dog Clover.

Juniper discovers that her sister Azalea has transformed their grandmother’s Queen Anne style mansion into the Wildflower Inn, backing up to the Chesapeake Bay. Although Juniper isn’t much of a cook, Azalea has kept their grandmother’s legacy alive, filling the house with the smells of East European Jewish treats, like sweet kugels and tzimmes cake. Will coming back here feel like returning home or fill Juniper with a deeper sorrow? Can she apologize to her sister for not being there when she was needed most?

 

Amazon | Goodreads

THE TELL-TALE HOMICIDE

 

Rare books librarian Juniper Blume lands her dream job: creating a new museum in her Chesapeake Bay town of Rose Mallow, Maryland. But on her very first day, she makes a shocking discovery - a dead man clutching a book by Edgar Allan Poe, stolen from the collections!

As Juniper gets closer to cracking the coded message hidden inside the book, she realizes someone is desperate to keep its literary secrets buried… even if that means burying her too.

Dressed in her signature vintage style with rescue pup Clover by her side, the fearless bookworm must hunt down the culprit before becoming the next victim. But can she solve the case without jeopardizing a budding romance with her boss, the dashing Leo Calverton? And can she help her sister Azalea perfect their grandmother's legendary blintz recipe before the Rose Mallow Festival?

A delightfully deadly page-turner, The Tell-Tale Homicide continues the charming Rare Books Cozy Mystery series by Agatha award-winning author Daphne Silver. Fans of Kate Carlisle and Jenn McKinlay will love tagging along with the whip-smart, book-loving Juniper on her adventures.

Series Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by: Level Best Books
Series:The Rare Books Cozy Mysteries
Series Links: Amazon | Level Best Books

Read an excerpt from Crime and Parchment:

CHAPTER 1

My 1965, robin’s egg blue convertible backfired as I parked in front of the Wildflower Inn. The noise set off Clover barking in the backseat. Not exactly the quiet homecoming I’d hoped for. I jumped out of my Karmann-Ghia – or “KG” as I’d nicknamed her – to check under the hood, hoping I wouldn’t need to get the roadster serviced yet again. No idea where that money would come from.

A screaming, ranting madwoman poured out of a neighboring house. Maybe in her late seventies, she brandished a large umbrella. I dropped the hood to find the umbrella pointing at me. Clover – all twenty pounds of him – jumped out and started growling.

“Easy, boy,” I said.

“You shoot something off, Missy? Here to cause trouble? Because I’m on the board of the Friends of the Rose Mallow Police.” the woman said. She wore a perfectly fitted Mamie Eisenhower pink skirt suit with enormous pearls – straight out of the 1950s. Her white bouffant billowed around her head. She reminded me of a researcher I’d helped earlier that day at the Library of Congress. That woman had been a murder mystery author looking for books about early detectives. This woman looked like she wanted to murder someone – namely me.

Suddenly I remembered her: Cordelia Sullivan. She was my late grandmother’s arch-nemesis. After my Nana Z had moved to Rose Mallow, they’d competed to be the president of almost every board in town. Nana Z had called it a “friendly rivalry to garner the most civic goodwill,” but I don’t think Cordelia saw it that way. To her, the Blume family were – and always would be – outsiders in her perfect Chesapeake Bay town.

“What’s going on?” My sister Azalea appeared on the wraparound porch of the Wildflower Inn. Although I was two years younger at twenty-eight, she looked like my twin, except that her hair was much longer and darker than my slanted bob. She pushed her bangs back and brought a hand up to her forehead when she saw me. “Juniper? What on earth are you doing here?”

“Well, I…” My words faltered. I’d spent the past hour driving and trying to figure out how to tell Azalea about why I’d finally returned, but every time I tested the words out loud, they failed. Clover had listened with confused curiosity before giving up and falling asleep.

“You know there’s a noise ordinance,” Cordelia said as she waved her umbrella around. Clover barked at the offending instrument. However, I think he wanted to play with it more than anything else. Occasional growling aside, he’s not exactly attack dog material.

“Yes, Mrs. Sullivan. Not until 10 p.m., and it’s not even 8 o’clock yet.” Azalea’s exasperated voice led me to suspect that she’d had this conversation more than once.

“Hmph. I plan on taking your ‘halfway house’ to the zoning board. What a travesty to do to our pristine historic district. You know I’m president of the Rose Mallow Historical Society.” Cordelia wagged a finger at my sister. I closed my eyes before rolling them.

“Mama! Mama!” A young bundle of legs and a mop of nearly black hair appeared next to Azalea on the wraparound porch. I couldn’t believe how big Violet had grown. She was almost four years old now.

She latched onto Azalea’s legs and held on tightly. I wanted to run up to my niece and smother her in hugs and kisses, but I wasn’t sure how I’d be received. Clover apparently did too because he took off after her. The little girl squealed with laughter as he covered her in licks.

“Go inside, Vi. It’s past your bedtime,” Azalea said. She turned to us. “I don’t have time for this. As you can see, I have a young child requiring my attention. Plus, I have a house full of guests. Mrs. Sullivan, it sounds like you have a plan in place to handle my zoning and noise issues. I’ll leave you to it. And Juniper, if you’re here, then let’s get you inside.”

Violet ran inside, letting Clover follow. I took that as a positive sign, so I grabbed my suitcase from the trunk and followed quickly, as Cordelia monitored us. Her umbrella remained held out in the air. She reminded me of Don Quixote in pearls.

“You’ve done an incredible job restoring the place,” I said as I walked across the perfectly manicured lawn. Azalea had recently converted Nana Z’s Queen Anne style mansion into a boutique hotel. After so many years away, I hadn’t been sure what to expect.

She eyed me with uncertainty. I could tell she was debating whether to chew me out for not being here for any of the work, let alone the hotel’s grand opening earlier in the spring. But my sister is much better at maturity than I am.

“It’s been a journey. Not an undertaking for the faint of heart. Repairing that turret alone had me almost give up and put up the for sale sign.” Azalea pointed up to the three-story round tower protruding from the side of the house. As a kid, I used to pretend Nana Z’s home was a castle and fought many dragons racing up that tower.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I said ‘Almost,’” she replied with a laugh.

“I love how bright the yellow siding is. I bet that color really pops in the morning against the Chesapeake Bay.” I walked up the stairs to the wraparound, past garden beds bursting with purple coneflowers and Black-Eyed Susans, Maryland’s state flower.

“You know what’s funny is how much I hated canary yellow when we were little. Every time we came here, I’d always wished Nana Z’s house was more like Cordelia Sullivan’s with her dark greens and rich reds. But now that Nana Z’s gone, I couldn’t stand to change it,” Azalea said.

“But it’s such a cheery color. Why would you want something so drab as Cordelia’s place? ” I asked. As a kid, Cordelia’s house had been as scary as the owner. Losing a ball into her yard meant it was never coming back. Neighborhood kids claimed her house was haunted.

Azalea shrugged. “Yeah, the yellow’s growing on me.”

“You kept this mess?” I said when I spotted the clunky clay mezuzah on the doorpost. I’d made the case at Jewish day camp as a kid. Inside was a tiny parchment scroll inscribed with biblical verses in Hebrew. The painted clay design was supposed to be a bunch of zinnias in honor of Nana Z’s first name, but it looked more like a lumpy mud puddle than a bright firework of flowers.

Azalea shrugged with a smile. “Oh, there are a few of my own masterpieces on some of the other doors inside. Maybe I’ll get Violet to make some new ones.”

The inside was as exquisite as the outside. I don’t think my memories did the place justice. The stained glass above the front door also sported Black-Eyed Susans, while those above each window featured a different native wildflower.

Azalea had kept our grandmother’s lush red carpets with ornate gold and white floral patterns. Polished mahogany inset panels gleamed from the walls. A staircase with beautifully carved spindles fed into the large lobby.

On the left was a parlor that Azalea had turned into the registration space. On the right was the library, overflowing with leather-bound books. It was in this room I had discovered my love for stories and books as a child. I wouldn’t have become a rare books librarian at The Library of Congress without Nana Z’s library. I sighed, wishing things were going better there. Nana Z would have been proud of me, but my job had become so difficult since I lost that promotion to Greyson. A little birdie had told me not to expect another chance for a long time, which meant I was stuck with someone Nana Z would have described as a “shlemiel.”

A narrow hallway disappeared between the registration area and the staircase, which led back to the dining room and kitchen. I remembered how those overlooked the back garden, public boardwalk, and the Chesapeake Bay. I could imagine how ornately she’d decorated the upstairs bedrooms.

Clover sniffed at everything in sight. I monitored him, but he was having a grand time exploring. Just not too grand of a time. I tried sending the message to him telepathically. He lifted his nose at me, as if to say, “Who, me?”

“I love that you hung some of Nana Z’s watercolors,” I said. My eyes grew misty as I gazed at her paintings of native flowers, including dwarf crested irises, ironweed, columbine, and, of course, the rose mallow for which the Maryland town was named. I shook my head, pushing the grief down deep.

A teenager hunched over a thick book sat at the registration desk. She had long, bluish-green locs that looked beautiful against her sepia brown skin. Her large glasses were rimmed in a matching turquoise color. She looked up from the book and said, “Sorry, Azalea. Vi got away from me.”

The teen didn’t seem alarmed, but then again, neither did Azalea. I wondered if this happened frequently. Maybe Vi was a regular escape artist. Nana Z would have been pleased. I held back my smile.

“I’m Juniper, Azalea’s sister,” I said to the teen as I extended my hand.

“You have a sister?” she asked Azalea with a look of surprise. Then she recovered, shook my hand, and said, “I’m Keisha Douglass. I’ve been helping Azalea with the Wildflower Inn. But, uh, we’re all booked up tonight.”

“I’ll figure it out,” said Azalea. “Although giving me some sort of a heads up you were finally coming would’ve been nice, Juniper.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I smiled awkwardly. Clover raced over to the desk to check out Keisha. The desk was higher than him, so he couldn’t quite see atop. Fortunately, she came around to pet him. “Oh wow! A dog? We’re allowing dogs now?”

I turned to check with Azalea, who massaged her temples. She breathed deeply but then simply shrugged. Great. Not only had I shown up out of the blue, but I hadn’t checked to make sure pets were allowed. I was pretty sure I knew the root cause of her sudden headache. I smiled sheepishly.

“No worries, Keisha. Clover’s the exception to the no dogs rule. Vi’s fine. I’m going to put her to bed,” Azalea said, as she ushered the bouncing kid down the narrow hallway and turned abruptly right before the kitchen. Unsure of what to do, I followed. There was a small sitting room there, which she had reconfigured into a bedroom. It was a tight space. Azalea caught me staring. “It’s a temporary solution. I’m still working on updating the Carriage House in the back garden. Once I’m finished, Vi and I will move there.”

Vi ran around the room, fighting Azalea’s attempts to return her to bed. My sister paused mid-chase and said, “This may take a bit. You know where the kitchen is. Why don’t you go there, start a kettle of tea, and I’ll meet you there when we’re done? I was getting ready to pull a kugel out of the oven anyway.”

That was my sister, always gently commanding, whether it was an unruly neighbor, an energetic preschooler, or me, the surprise guest. I thought of her like a duck. Above the water, she appeared to be smoothly sailing along, but below, it was a mad fury of management to keep everything afloat.

“A kugel?” I asked with excitement. Nana Z had made plenty of the baked noodle casseroles each summer. Sometimes they were savory, but more often, they were sweet, made with lokshen, or egg noodles, and various cheeses.

Azalea looked pleased. “I’ve been trying to perfect her recipe. You’ll have to tell me what you think.”

I knew immediately she meant Nana Z. As we headed down the hallway, I caught the aroma of the decadent noodle pudding. I could already detect the cinnamon she’d used. My eyes watered slightly at the memories the smell produced.

The kitchen was both familiar and new. No longer was it the 1890s meets 1970s chic that Nana Z had employed. Azalea had replaced most of the yellowed appliances with updated stainless-steel, upgraded the laminate countertops to granite, and removed the harvest gold wallpaper to paint the in vogue “greige” along with a matching subway tile backsplash. Someone had been watching a lot of HGTV. But it was still Nana Z’s kettle on the stovetop, her handcrafted cookie jar on the counter, and a variety of favorite teas in the same cabinet location. Being here felt like being at home, but only if that home had been completely renovated when you weren’t looking.

The view out back remained the same, looking past a blooming garden of blue hydrangeas and the small Carriage House, to the public boardwalk separating the garden from the Chesapeake Bay. On good days, you could make out the shoreline on the Eastern Shore. Being early June, the sun was beginning to set beyond the Bay’s edge, so the view became a Tonalist painting with its atmospheric blues, grays, and browns.

Clover found an embroidered tea towel to play with. I tried pulling it away from him, but he decided that meant the game was afoot. I dug into my suitcase and found his food. I borrowed a couple of low rimmed bowls to fill with his dinner and water. He quickly abandoned the towel for something to eat.

According to the timer, the kugel still had a few minutes left in the oven. I caught the kettle before it whistled and filled up two mugs. Given the abundance of Darjeeling black tea, I assumed it was still Azalea’s favorite and prepped it for both of us. Within a few minutes, she came in, plopped down on an empty seat, and dropped her head to the table. I sat up in alarm, afraid that my cool as nails sister might be about to cry.

***

Excerpt from Crime and Parchment by Daphne Silver. Copyright 2023 by Daphne Silver. Reproduced with permission from Daphne Silver. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Daphne Silver is the Agatha Award winning author of the Rare Books Cozy Mystery Series. Her first novel, Crime and Parchment (Level Best Books, 2023), won the Agatha for Best First Mystery Novel. Her latest book, The Tell-Tale Homicide, comes out November 2024 from Level Best Books. She’s worked more than twenty years in museums and symphonies and has the great fortune of being married to a librarian. When she’s not writing, she’s drawing and painting. She lives in Maryland with her family. Although she’s not much of a baker, she won’t ever turn down a sweet lokshen kugel.

Catch Up With Daphne Silver:
www.DaphneSilver.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @daphnesilverbooks
Instagram - @daphnesilverbooks
Facebook - @daphnesilverbooks

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

Click here to view the Tour Schedule

 

 

JOIN IN ON THE GIVEAWAY:

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Daphne Silver. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

Can't see the giveaway? Click Here!

 

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

 

Currently Reading...

I just finished reading The Tell-Tale Homicide by Daphne Silver. This book is the second in the Rare Books Cozy Mystery series and was released last week.

Juniper Blume is excited and a bit nervous starting her new job for the Calvertons. While she's been a librarian for a few years, even working at the Library of Congress, she's never started a museum from the ground up. She's never even managed staff! Her first day is off to an inauspicious start when she's confronted by protesters at the entrance to the Calverton Estate. Once inside things don't get much better when she learns she only has two staff, one of whom is decidedly unhappy with Juniper's appointment. Not only that, her boss, Leo Calverton, is the only member of the family or board of trustees that is in favor of the museum. After a nightmare of a board meeting she returns to the archives only to discover the body of Big Al Cooley, the town's used book shop owner and one of the protesters who accosted her that morning. The board may not want the museum, but they do want Juniper to find a killer. Will she be able to solve a murder and also sway public opinion in favor of the Calvertons? And herself?

Bronco Buster - An Interview

I'm happy to welcome A. J. Devlin back to Cozy Up With Kathy today. A. J. writes the "Hammerhead" Jed Mystery series. BRONCO BUSTER is the and most recent book in the series. I hope you read my review, if not, click here to check it out!

Kathy: In BRONCO BUSTER Jed and Declan find trouble at the Colossal Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair. Do you enjoy going to rodeos and or country fairs? If so, what's your favorite activity?

AJD: Absolutely! The Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair is a real thing in Greater Vancouver (I added to “Colossal” for a little creative freedom ;) and I have been going there since I was a wee lad. It always had that RUSTIC vibe to it that set it apart from other annual events, as if the entire exhibition was known for being a little rough around the edges.


With regards to a favourite rodeo activity, I would have to say for spectator events it would be bronco riding, of course, but my most cherished memories at the rodeo were always the special treats like candy apples, little donuts, and maybe a deep-fried banana or two.


Kathy: We know Jed has a thing for Dairy Queen Banana milkshakes, but here he partakes in a banana snow cone. I've never heard of banana as a snow cone flavor! Have you tried it?

AJD: Oh yes. If it has anything banana in it, you can bet I’ve tried it. That’s author 101 right there. Do your research. And while it’s fun to write about European banana-flavoured milkshake syrups like those featured in FIVE MOVES OF DOOM (“Hammerhead” 3) or banana-flavoured snow cones, unfortunately the ratio of number of banana fusion flavours tried to quality ones that make it to print in my books is not in favour of my tastebuds.


Kathy: The "Hammerhead" Jed Mystery series showcases various sports that could be considered non-traditional. We've gotten behind the scene looks at professional wrestling, roller derby, and now logging sports. Why bring logging sports into a "Hammerhead" mystery?

AJD: The idea for the series was that a pro-wrestler PI would be uniquely suited to take on cases that pulled him into fringe sports and unusual subcultures. After pro wrestling, roller derby, wiener dog racing, rooftop MMA, and goat yoga, I figured the only way to ratchet up the tension was to use one. Literally.


Kathy: While uproariously funny BRONCO BUSTER also deals with some serious existential considerations. How do you find the balance?

AJD: When I was at the American Film Institute Conservatory earning my MFA in Screenwriting, one time we had special screening of the Peter Sellers classic film Being There. Talk about balancing uproarious humour with existential crises. That film is masterpiece of comedic storytelling. So if we called that the "Scooby-Doo" of deftly balanced narratives that intersect silly with smart, I like to think that might make Bronco Buster the louder, far-less-beloved, but still-hopefuly-pretty-entertaining "Scrappy Doo.”


Kathy: I adore John Steinbeck. Did OF MICE AND MEN influence the Buffalo portion of the book?

AJD: 100%. And thank goodness for my brilliant editor and awesome team at NeWest Press because I was about as subtle about that inspiration in the first draft as the bovine butt cacophony that accompanies live betting on cowpie bingo.


Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?

AJD: Trauma. That’s what this book was for me. An exploration into the after effects of devastating trauma. Just like the kind “Hammerhead” Jed endures and survives in FIVE MOVES OF DOOM. While that story was complete, the fallout from the events of that book were not. In fact, I soon realized what had occurred in book 3 was so significant it had to serve as the character arc for Jed in book 4.

And it did.

I was inspired to utilize a real-time format because of my love of the TV show 24 and the character of Jack Bauer, and also because the implementation of such a finite narrative construct like that of a ticking clock actually served as a catalyst for Jed to process his trauma — all while caught up in a rodeo adventure.

And like all great adversity in life, keeping a sense of humour amidst chaos often comes in handy as an essential coping mechanism.


Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for "Hammerhead" Jed Ounstead?
AJD: Happy Trails, Partner!

The Secret, Book and Scone Society - A Spotlight

While I believe everyone should support independent booksellers, I admit I shop on Amazon and sometimes will add a book. Today I wanted to share a spotlight on a book that is on sale (at least as of Saturday night, 11/23/24). The paperback is 50% off. So if you haven't started this series, now's a great time. What book? The Secret, Book, & Scone Society  by Ellery Adams. It's the first book in the Secret, Book & Scone Society Mystery series. The most recent book in the series, the seventh, in the series, The Little Lost Library, was released last month.

Blurb:

Strangers flock to Miracle Springs hoping the natural hot springs, five-star cuisine, and renowned spa can cure their ills. If none of that works, they often find their way to Miracle Books, where, over a fresh-baked “comfort” scone, they exchange their stories with owner Nora Pennington in return for a carefully chosen book. That’s Nora’s special talent—prescribing the perfect novel to ease a person’s deepest pain. So when a visiting businessman reaches out for guidance, Nora knows exactly how to help. But before he can keep their appointment, he’s found dead on the train tracks . . .
 
Stunned, Nora forms the Secret, Book, and Scone Society, a group of damaged souls yearning to earn redemption by helping others. To join, members must divulge their darkest secret—the terrible truth that brought each of them to Miracle Springs in the first place. Now, determined to uncover the truth behind the businessman’s demise, the women meet in Nora’s cozy bookstore. And as they untangle a web of corruption, they also discover their own courage, purpose, and a sisterhood that will carry them through every challenge—proving it’s never too late to turn the page and start over . . .
 

Death in the Ozarks - A Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway

 Review

DEATH IN THE OZARKS by Erik S. Meyers
The First Sally Witherspoon Mystery

 

Having left the big city finance world in Atlanta, Sally Witherspoon is happy running her bar in Berry Springs, Arkansas. Even for a biker bar the fights at Sally's Smasher seem to be getting more violent. Not even the presence of the mayor and Father O'Malley could quell a fight that resulted in one of her regulars being thrown out! Once the last customer had left and she sent her bartenders home, Sally could finally take a breath and enjoy the quiet routine of closing for the night. But everything changed when she took out the trash and found the body of her best friend and business partner in the dumpster. Who would want to kill the jovial teddy bear of a biker? Always curious and with the belief she could solve any mystery Sally sets out to discover who killed Bill. But her search for a killer leads her to more questions. Will she find the answers she needs or is she simply making herself a target?

 

Murky characters stand out against the beautiful landscape of the Ozarks darkening the small town. Most pf the people of Berry Springs are shifty, making me suspicious of just about everyone. Sally is a take charge protagonist who takes no nonsense, vital characteristics for someone who runs a biker bar! Doubting the abilities of the detective in charge, she wastes no time asking questions determined to find the killer and finding herself in trouble. Murders with no obvious connection and questionable motives made for a confounding mystery.

While I initially had difficulty getting into the story, I eventually found myself swept up in the action. I particularly enjoyed when Sally started working more with the police than parallel to them.

With a unique setting and an interesting sleuth/police dynamic DEATH IN THE OZARKS is a solid entry to a new mystery series.

 
*******************************************************************

THE SALLY WITHERSPOON MYSTERY SERIES

by Erik S. Meyers

November 11 - December 20, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads

DEATH IN THE OZARKS

 

A cross between Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and a Cheers bartender, Sally Witherspoon, a 50-something accountant turned biker-bar owner, loves solving puzzles. Up to now, she has focused on helping neighbors and friends find lost jewelry, lost pets, and lost loves.

But when she finds her best friend and business partner, Bill Arnold, dead in a dumpster behind her bar on a Saturday night, she needs all her wits and grit to find out who did it.

And she won't stop until she does.

 

Praise for Death in the Ozarks:

"Christie meets Cornwell in this vivid mystery, by Erik Meyers. I found myself investigating the story, lending a hand to Witherspoon but never quite unravelling the threads, and in the end experiencing a satisfying read that provoked everything from anxiety to relief."
~ Callan J. Mulligan, Bestselling Sci-Fi/Fantasy Author

"Move over, Jessica Fletcher and Agatha Christie. Here comes Sally Witherspoon, a small-town bartender with mad skills as an amateur sleuth. Determined to discover who murdered her best friend and co-owner of Sally's Smasher. Experienced in solving minor mysteries, the community isn't surprised when Sally launches herself into the murder investigation, frustrating the local authorities, but they aren't the only ones. Some secrets should stay secret or should they? Follow Sally and find out."
~ Wendy Bayne, 5-Star Goodreads Review

"I loved this mystery! Suspenseful and a real page turner. The main character Sally Witherspoon, the owner of a biker bar, is a gutsy, intelligent, likeable woman determined to find out who killed her business partner and this leads the reader on an exciting adventure. Thought I had it figured out but was surprised at the ending. Highly recommend!"
~ Lillian M. Finn, 5-Star Amazon Review

 

MURDER ON THE MISSISSIPPI

 

Six months after the events in Death in the Ozarks, Sally Witherspoon is trying to put that terrible time behind her. She books a river cruise down the Mississippi to get away and relax.

Unfortunately relaxation is not to be as as she's called on to get to the bottom of a mysterious death that occurs on board.

A combination of Cheers bartender and Miss Marple, Sally Witherspoon is as determined as ever to solve it.

Book Details:

Genre: Traditional Mystery, Cozy Mystery
Published by: Level Best Books
Series Links: Amazon | Level Best Books

Read an excerpt from Death in the Ozarks:

Chapter One

Sally Witherspoon dropped onto the sofa in her office with a sigh, the cracked brown leather groaning as she settled herself, and ran her hand through her graying chestnut ponytail. What a night. The fights in the bar on Saturday nights were getting worse. Sally loved her bar, Sally’s Smasher, and her adopted town of Berry Springs, but the violence was getting to her. She had come to live in the small town fifteen years ago.

An old college friend, Bill Arnold, was from there, and he had always urged her to come for a visit. With a population of two thousand, one hotel, two bars, two diners, and a few arts-and-crafts shops, it was very different from her high-powered life in finance in Atlanta, but now it was definitely home.

A home that didn’t include her husband, mind you. They had divorced soon after the trip to Berry Springs. Putting her life’s savings into buying an old run-down bakery—with a lot of financial help from Bill—and turning it into Sally’s Smasher had been quite a gamble, but life here was different.

The thought of living in the beautiful Ozark mountains in Arkansas and still sitting in an office like back in Georgia hadn’t been an option for her, and the bar seemed like the perfect alternative. Running it meant she had more time to explore and hike the local area. Yes, the nights were long, but the town had come to love Sally and her biker bar, and she’d made many friends.

With only two bartenders, Jay and Magda, to help, it took a lot to run the place. Most Saturday shifts were hard slogs, but that night had been an especially long evening, as she had to deal with three bar fights, each uglier than the last. First, her business partner, Bill Arnold, had gotten into a heated argument with his biker club, The Mountaineers, over who would get to ride Bill’s vintage Vincent Rapide next. As it was on display at the bar in a large metal cage, it was often a topic of contention. Bill was always worried it would be stolen, it was worth a lot, or worse, one of his buddies would ruin the perfectly restored and polished leather seat and shining metal.

Then Bethany Wells, the school assistant, had accidentally stumbled into Mayor Jennifer Milkowski on her way to the bathroom. Bethany did love her wine, and there had been a bit of a misunderstanding. Bethany got easily annoyed when she had had too much to drink. Jennifer was not the easiest to get along with, for sure, but she was always watching her image, and being involved in a bar fight would certainly not fit her mayoral brand, and she quickly defused the situation.

The third fight almost resulted in Sally calling the police. Her friend Jeff Bartholomew, a teacher at Clinton High School, was sitting with their local Catholic priest, Father O’Malley, and had become pissed off by the bikers yelling at each other next to their table. Jeff stood up, his fists at the ready. One of The Mountaineers lobbed him in the jaw, and Jeff swung in return. Jeff had had too many beers to be in top form, and his swing missed. As he swiveled around, he fell hard, knocking over a table full of glasses and falling on a metal chair in the process, which his broad six-foot-two frame bent out of shape. If it weren’t for Bill stepping in and throwing Jeff out of the bar at that moment, Sally’s Smasher would have been truly and royally, well, smashed up.

Unfortunately, this was not something completely unusual; the rough-and-ready people living in the remote town rising to conflict more than she’d seen in the city, but the fights that night had been more violent than normal. They’d completely torn up one corner of the place. Her insurance would pay for now, she hoped. She didn’t really have the funds to fix it up herself.

But reviewing the events of the evening wasn’t going to change matters, nor was it helping Sally relax. She pushed herself up from the couch to finish cleaning up and readying the place for the next night. She’d sent Jay and Magda home at half past twelve, not needing their help in finishing off the last of the jobs. Plus, she didn’t want to overwork them. If they quit, she would be up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Sally went over to her desk to tally up the night’s receipts, making a note of the amount of cash in the drawer and putting all of it in the safe. While the overall accounting at the bar wasn’t as perfect as she wanted it to be—far too much red ink for her finance background’s liking—she always made sure the cash drawer was perfect.

She then headed back out into the bar to put the glasses away she had washed before closing for the night. Pushing all the tables and chairs back in their proper places, Sally made one final sweep of the bar before checking all the windows and doors. Casting her eyes over the decorations around the bar always made her smile. The deer antlers above the door came from one of her hunting trips. Bill’s vintage bike was a real pull. And the red wooden paneling had been specially made by the local lumberyard. She was so proud of what she had accomplished, though it wouldn’t have happened without Bill’s help, and his money.

As she did every night, she went to each window from left to right, making sure the catches were secure. Then she locked the front door. Back in her office, she grabbed her backpack and shut off the lights. Just before leaving through the back door, she set the alarm. The reassuring red light always calmed her nerves. After four break-ins in one month the previous year, she finally broke down and bought an alarm, a huge expense, but so far, worth it.

In the parking lot, she headed to her car, looking forward to falling into bed. She threw her red backpack in the back of her old blue Datsun and started the engine.

Damn, I forgot to put out the trash.

She turned off the car and reluctantly headed back across the parking lot. Looking up, she frowned. Bill’s fiery-red Harley-Davidson motorcycle was still parked in the back of the building near the trash bins. Bill didn’t have a car, so he couldn’t have taken that. And she had definitely checked everywhere inside to make sure no one was passed out in one of the bathroom stalls. Maybe someone had given him a lift home.

Bill was her business partner, but he acted like a very loyal customer most nights, drinking up the Murphy’s stout imported from Ireland for him. She walked over to the motorcycle and was surprised to find the engine warm to the touch. That’s strange, she thought. She glanced around the parking lot and the woods behind for Bill. Though, why would he be waiting outside?

At that point, she was too tired to think about the motorcycle any further. Bill was a big boy, and he’d make his own way home, and she went to get the trash bags. She stomped back inside. Annoyed with herself, she had to switch the alarm off. She’d left the damn things by the door but must have walked straight by them. There were three huge bags, so she would have to make two trips. To make it easier for herself, she moved the bags outside before locking up and turning on the alarm again.

She then grabbed two of the bags and lugged them across the lot. Why hadn’t she put the trash bins closer to the door? This was one of her many to-dos that never reached the top of the priority list. She should get Jay to do it for her next week.

At the dumpster, she opened the lid and threw the bags in without looking, brushing her jeans against some grease on the side. Jeans were pretty much her go-to outfits, or sweatpants at home. Everything else was a waste of money, as it got dirty so easily at the bar. And she didn’t do much beyond hiking, working, sleeping, and eating.

She went back and grabbed the third bag from the door, and returned to the dumpster. Her long night would finally be over. As she opened the lid again, she realized the bags she had just thrown in were too close to the top. The dumpster had been emptied the day before, so what was under the bags? If someone else was dumping their rubbish in her bin, she’d be having words.

Sally fumbled in her pocket for her cell, switched on the flashlight, and peered inside. Waving the flashlight, the light landed on something that was definitely not trash. She brought her hands to her mouth, dropping the trash bag, and screamed.

Staring back at her were the gray, unseeing eyes of Bill Arnold.

***

Excerpt from Death in the Ozarks by Erik S. Meyers. Copyright 2023 by Erik S. Meyers. Reproduced with permission from Erik S. Meyers. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Currently in Austria, Erik S. Meyers is an American abroad for years and years who has lived or worked in six countries on three continents, the longest in Germany. He is an award-winning author and communications professional with over twenty-five years of expertise in a variety of corporate roles. Reading and writing are his passions, when he is not hiking one of the amazing trails in Austria or elsewhere.

Catch Up With Erik S. Meyers:
www.ErikMey.com
Medium - @erikmey
Goodreads - @erikmey
Instagram - @erikmeyauthor
Facebook - @ErikSMeyersAuthor

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

Click here to view the Tour Schedule

 

 

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Erik S. Meyers. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

Can't see the giveaway? Click Here!

 

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

 

Currently Reading...

I just finished reading Crime and Parchment by Daphne Silver. This book is the first in the Rare Books Cozy Mystery series.

The lure of an ancient artifact has rare books librarian Juniper Blume heading to her sister's inn in Rose Mallow, Maryland, a place she hasn't visited since their grandmother's death. A message from her soon to be ex brother in law saying that he found the covers of the Book of Kells, treasures that have been missing for centuries, was enough to get her to leave the Library of Congress with her dog Clover. But when Juniper arrives at the designated meeting place instead of Rory she finds the body of the young barista she just met. With Rory missing and a professor with a television crew saying he has the covers Juniper will have to dig up the truth all while mending fences with her sister.

Death in the Ozarks - An Interview, Excerpt, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Erik S. Meyers to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Erik writes the Sally Witherspoon Mystery series. DEATH IN THE OZARKS is the first book in the series.

Kathy: In DEATH IN THE OZARKS we meet Sally Witherspoon, a 50-something accountant turned biker-bar owner who loves solving puzzles. Personally, in addition to reading mysteries I like logic puzzles, but I dislike jigsaw puzzles. Do you enjoy solving puzzles? If so, what sort?

ESM: I love jigsaw puzzles and word puzzles.

Kathy: Sally has helped neighbors and friends find lost jewelry, lost pets, and lost loves. Have you ever helped anybody find something?

ESM: I’m passionate about genealogy and searching for my family history. I’ve helped friends do research online on their own family background.

Kathy: Sally is described as a cross between Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and a Cheers bartender. If you were a cross between a character from a book and one from a TV series, who would those characters be?

ESM: I love this question! I would say a combination of Philip Carey in Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham and Toby Ziegler from The West Wing.

Kathy: What first drew you to mysteries?

ESM: Perhaps it does go back to solving puzzles. When you read a mystery, you are searching for clues to solve the mystery and that is always so much fun. I started early with Agatha Christie’s stories. My mother had most of the paperbacks and I loved them, particularly those with Miss Marple.

Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

ESM: I’ve self-published a business book and an historical fiction novel. In addition, I’ve written many short stories that cover various topics.

Kathy: Tell us about your series.

ESM: Sally Witherspoon is a 50-something who left her life in Atlanta 15 years back to move to the Arkansas Ozarks and open up a biker bar. She loves her life there and never looks back. Somehow she stumbles into crime-solving, which fits perfectly with her love of solving puzzles.
 

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

ESM: It would have to be Sally Witherspoon herself. She decided to make a huge change in her life, she loves what she’s doing and I love writing about her life in the Ozarks and her excitement and success with solving crimes.


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

ESM: The story, the characters, and the location were inspired by a wide range of experiences. The fictitious town of Berry Springs was inspired by a wonderful trip I took to the Arkansas Ozarks in 2015.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

ESM: I started with self-publishing two books (business and historical fiction) because I wanted to offer my writing to a broader audience. For the Sally Witherspoon mystery series, I’m so grateful for my agent, Cindy Bullard at Birch Literary, and Shawn Reilly Simmons and all the wonderful people at Level Best Books for helping bring Sally Witherspoon into the world.
 

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

ESM: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, W. Somerset Maugham, Agatha Christie, and Ann Cleeves

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

ESM: I usually am in the middle of a non-fiction book and a fiction book at the same time. At the moment, these are Foreign Devils on the Silk Road by Peter Hopkirk and Big Familia by Tomas Moniz.


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

ESM: I love being outdoors and take advantage of the local hiking trails as much as possible. I also love to explore and travel. Finally, my biggest passions are learning and knowledge so I’m always looking for new information, new books and the like.

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

ESM: Yogurt, coffee, salmon, and potatoes

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

ESM: The second book in the series, MURDER ON THE MISSISSIPPI, is due out in December. I’m currently working on the third book which is scheduled to be published December 2025.

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

ESM: I love telling a good story.

************************************************************************

THE SALLY WITHERSPOON MYSTERY SERIES

by Erik S. Meyers

November 11 - December 20, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads

DEATH IN THE OZARKS

 

A cross between Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and a Cheers bartender, Sally Witherspoon, a 50-something accountant turned biker-bar owner, loves solving puzzles. Up to now, she has focused on helping neighbors and friends find lost jewelry, lost pets, and lost loves.

But when she finds her best friend and business partner, Bill Arnold, dead in a dumpster behind her bar on a Saturday night, she needs all her wits and grit to find out who did it.

And she won't stop until she does.

 

Praise for Death in the Ozarks:

"Christie meets Cornwell in this vivid mystery, by Erik Meyers. I found myself investigating the story, lending a hand to Witherspoon but never quite unravelling the threads, and in the end experiencing a satisfying read that provoked everything from anxiety to relief."
~ Callan J. Mulligan, Bestselling Sci-Fi/Fantasy Author

"Move over, Jessica Fletcher and Agatha Christie. Here comes Sally Witherspoon, a small-town bartender with mad skills as an amateur sleuth. Determined to discover who murdered her best friend and co-owner of Sally's Smasher. Experienced in solving minor mysteries, the community isn't surprised when Sally launches herself into the murder investigation, frustrating the local authorities, but they aren't the only ones. Some secrets should stay secret or should they? Follow Sally and find out."
~ Wendy Bayne, 5-Star Goodreads Review

"I loved this mystery! Suspenseful and a real page turner. The main character Sally Witherspoon, the owner of a biker bar, is a gutsy, intelligent, likeable woman determined to find out who killed her business partner and this leads the reader on an exciting adventure. Thought I had it figured out but was surprised at the ending. Highly recommend!"
~ Lillian M. Finn, 5-Star Amazon Review

 

MURDER ON THE MISSISSIPPI

 

Six months after the events in Death in the Ozarks, Sally Witherspoon is trying to put that terrible time behind her. She books a river cruise down the Mississippi to get away and relax.

Unfortunately relaxation is not to be as as she's called on to get to the bottom of a mysterious death that occurs on board.

A combination of Cheers bartender and Miss Marple, Sally Witherspoon is as determined as ever to solve it.

Book Details:

Genre: Traditional Mystery, Cozy Mystery
Published by: Level Best Books
Series Links: Amazon | Level Best Books

Read an excerpt from Death in the Ozarks:

Chapter One

Sally Witherspoon dropped onto the sofa in her office with a sigh, the cracked brown leather groaning as she settled herself, and ran her hand through her graying chestnut ponytail. What a night. The fights in the bar on Saturday nights were getting worse. Sally loved her bar, Sally’s Smasher, and her adopted town of Berry Springs, but the violence was getting to her. She had come to live in the small town fifteen years ago.

An old college friend, Bill Arnold, was from there, and he had always urged her to come for a visit. With a population of two thousand, one hotel, two bars, two diners, and a few arts-and-crafts shops, it was very different from her high-powered life in finance in Atlanta, but now it was definitely home.

A home that didn’t include her husband, mind you. They had divorced soon after the trip to Berry Springs. Putting her life’s savings into buying an old run-down bakery—with a lot of financial help from Bill—and turning it into Sally’s Smasher had been quite a gamble, but life here was different.

The thought of living in the beautiful Ozark mountains in Arkansas and still sitting in an office like back in Georgia hadn’t been an option for her, and the bar seemed like the perfect alternative. Running it meant she had more time to explore and hike the local area. Yes, the nights were long, but the town had come to love Sally and her biker bar, and she’d made many friends.

With only two bartenders, Jay and Magda, to help, it took a lot to run the place. Most Saturday shifts were hard slogs, but that night had been an especially long evening, as she had to deal with three bar fights, each uglier than the last. First, her business partner, Bill Arnold, had gotten into a heated argument with his biker club, The Mountaineers, over who would get to ride Bill’s vintage Vincent Rapide next. As it was on display at the bar in a large metal cage, it was often a topic of contention. Bill was always worried it would be stolen, it was worth a lot, or worse, one of his buddies would ruin the perfectly restored and polished leather seat and shining metal.

Then Bethany Wells, the school assistant, had accidentally stumbled into Mayor Jennifer Milkowski on her way to the bathroom. Bethany did love her wine, and there had been a bit of a misunderstanding. Bethany got easily annoyed when she had had too much to drink. Jennifer was not the easiest to get along with, for sure, but she was always watching her image, and being involved in a bar fight would certainly not fit her mayoral brand, and she quickly defused the situation.

The third fight almost resulted in Sally calling the police. Her friend Jeff Bartholomew, a teacher at Clinton High School, was sitting with their local Catholic priest, Father O’Malley, and had become pissed off by the bikers yelling at each other next to their table. Jeff stood up, his fists at the ready. One of The Mountaineers lobbed him in the jaw, and Jeff swung in return. Jeff had had too many beers to be in top form, and his swing missed. As he swiveled around, he fell hard, knocking over a table full of glasses and falling on a metal chair in the process, which his broad six-foot-two frame bent out of shape. If it weren’t for Bill stepping in and throwing Jeff out of the bar at that moment, Sally’s Smasher would have been truly and royally, well, smashed up.

Unfortunately, this was not something completely unusual; the rough-and-ready people living in the remote town rising to conflict more than she’d seen in the city, but the fights that night had been more violent than normal. They’d completely torn up one corner of the place. Her insurance would pay for now, she hoped. She didn’t really have the funds to fix it up herself.

But reviewing the events of the evening wasn’t going to change matters, nor was it helping Sally relax. She pushed herself up from the couch to finish cleaning up and readying the place for the next night. She’d sent Jay and Magda home at half past twelve, not needing their help in finishing off the last of the jobs. Plus, she didn’t want to overwork them. If they quit, she would be up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Sally went over to her desk to tally up the night’s receipts, making a note of the amount of cash in the drawer and putting all of it in the safe. While the overall accounting at the bar wasn’t as perfect as she wanted it to be—far too much red ink for her finance background’s liking—she always made sure the cash drawer was perfect.

She then headed back out into the bar to put the glasses away she had washed before closing for the night. Pushing all the tables and chairs back in their proper places, Sally made one final sweep of the bar before checking all the windows and doors. Casting her eyes over the decorations around the bar always made her smile. The deer antlers above the door came from one of her hunting trips. Bill’s vintage bike was a real pull. And the red wooden paneling had been specially made by the local lumberyard. She was so proud of what she had accomplished, though it wouldn’t have happened without Bill’s help, and his money.

As she did every night, she went to each window from left to right, making sure the catches were secure. Then she locked the front door. Back in her office, she grabbed her backpack and shut off the lights. Just before leaving through the back door, she set the alarm. The reassuring red light always calmed her nerves. After four break-ins in one month the previous year, she finally broke down and bought an alarm, a huge expense, but so far, worth it.

In the parking lot, she headed to her car, looking forward to falling into bed. She threw her red backpack in the back of her old blue Datsun and started the engine.

Damn, I forgot to put out the trash.

She turned off the car and reluctantly headed back across the parking lot. Looking up, she frowned. Bill’s fiery-red Harley-Davidson motorcycle was still parked in the back of the building near the trash bins. Bill didn’t have a car, so he couldn’t have taken that. And she had definitely checked everywhere inside to make sure no one was passed out in one of the bathroom stalls. Maybe someone had given him a lift home.

Bill was her business partner, but he acted like a very loyal customer most nights, drinking up the Murphy’s stout imported from Ireland for him. She walked over to the motorcycle and was surprised to find the engine warm to the touch. That’s strange, she thought. She glanced around the parking lot and the woods behind for Bill. Though, why would he be waiting outside?

At that point, she was too tired to think about the motorcycle any further. Bill was a big boy, and he’d make his own way home, and she went to get the trash bags. She stomped back inside. Annoyed with herself, she had to switch the alarm off. She’d left the damn things by the door but must have walked straight by them. There were three huge bags, so she would have to make two trips. To make it easier for herself, she moved the bags outside before locking up and turning on the alarm again.

She then grabbed two of the bags and lugged them across the lot. Why hadn’t she put the trash bins closer to the door? This was one of her many to-dos that never reached the top of the priority list. She should get Jay to do it for her next week.

At the dumpster, she opened the lid and threw the bags in without looking, brushing her jeans against some grease on the side. Jeans were pretty much her go-to outfits, or sweatpants at home. Everything else was a waste of money, as it got dirty so easily at the bar. And she didn’t do much beyond hiking, working, sleeping, and eating.

She went back and grabbed the third bag from the door, and returned to the dumpster. Her long night would finally be over. As she opened the lid again, she realized the bags she had just thrown in were too close to the top. The dumpster had been emptied the day before, so what was under the bags? If someone else was dumping their rubbish in her bin, she’d be having words.

Sally fumbled in her pocket for her cell, switched on the flashlight, and peered inside. Waving the flashlight, the light landed on something that was definitely not trash. She brought her hands to her mouth, dropping the trash bag, and screamed.

Staring back at her were the gray, unseeing eyes of Bill Arnold.

***

Excerpt from Death in the Ozarks by Erik S. Meyers. Copyright 2023 by Erik S. Meyers. Reproduced with permission from Erik S. Meyers. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Currently in Austria, Erik S. Meyers is an American abroad for years and years who has lived or worked in six countries on three continents, the longest in Germany. He is an award-winning author and communications professional with over twenty-five years of expertise in a variety of corporate roles. Reading and writing are his passions, when he is not hiking one of the amazing trails in Austria or elsewhere.

Catch Up With Erik S. Meyers:
www.ErikMey.com
Medium - @erikmey
Goodreads - @erikmey
Instagram - @erikmeyauthor
Facebook - @ErikSMeyersAuthor

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

Click here to view the Tour Schedule

 

 

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Erik S. Meyers. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

Can't see the giveaway? Click Here!

 

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

 

When the Carnival Came - An Interview & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Kathleen Bailey to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Kathleen writes the Olivia Penn Mystery series. When the Carnival Comes is the fourth book in the series and was released last week.

Kathy: The fourth Olivia Penn Mystery has a carnival come to town. When I think of traveling carnivals I immediately think of the seamy side, and the scary side as in Something Wicked this Way Comes. Does hearing that a carnival is coming to your town do you think, hooray or uh oh?

KB: A carnival coming to town is always a hooray for me. Many people have misconceptions about carnivals and the people who work for them, often shaped by movies and TV. But working on the carnival circuit is an extremely demanding job, and it’s certainly not for everyone. Like any business, the carnival world has its share of diverse personalities, but at its heart, many in the industry are driven by a shared goal: to provide affordable family fun and bring smiles to kids' faces.


Kathy: Do you like carnivals? What's your favorite aspect about them?

KB: I’ve always loved carnivals—it’s all about the atmosphere for me. The rides, the games, the food—there’s so much going on, and everyone seems to be having fun. My favorite time to visit is on a beautiful spring evening or in early fall. I love seeing the lights on the rides at night, hearing the cheerful organ music of the carousel, and smelling the mouth-watering aromas from the food trailers.


Kathy: In When the Carnival Comes a shocking connection forces Olivia to choose between a dear friend and a new love. Have you ever had to make such a decision?

KB: I haven’t faced that kind of choice myself, but for Olivia, it’s an essential part of her character arc throughout the series. It’s not about what happens to us—it’s about how we respond, and that response ultimately shapes who we become.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

KB: I’ve always loved mysteries—whether in books, movies, TV, or games. I’m drawn to the genre because I enjoy crafting clean, twisty mysteries set in small towns that readers want to return to again and again. The characters become like old friends, and the protagonist embodies the hero within each of us. Justice is always served, with side dishes of humor and charm.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

KB: I’m writing only cozies now.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

KB: The Olivia Penn Mystery Series follows advice columnist Olivia Penn as she goes through a transitional period in her life partially due to a series of murder mysteries that she becomes involved in. The series takes place in the small town of Apple Station, Virginia, which is located in the Shenandoah Valley. Each book can be read as a standalone, though there are character arcs that span the series.


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

KB: I like all my characters, but I have a special fondness for Olivia. She’s smart, strong, and independent. Though far from perfect, she rises to meet challenges and grows from them. Olivia has deep ties to her friends and community, and her close relationship with her father mirrors my own with my dad before he passed away. Many of their scenes and conversations are rooted in the ones I shared with him.


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

KB: Many readers and writers of mysteries cite Nancy Drew as an early influence. In developing Olivia’s character, I imagined who Nancy Drew might’ve become as an adult. She’d be competent in her work, strong, and independent. She’d face challenges head-on and grow from them, and that’s exactly the kind of character I wanted to create with Olivia.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

KB: I’ve wanted to be an author since I was very young, and for me, that has always meant writing books and sharing them with others. Writing is an act of creation—a way to bring a story to life on the page and send it out to connect with readers.


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

KB: I want this dinner party to be fun, lively, and inspirational, so I’m inviting great conversationalists who I think have a lot of life wisdom, humor, and personality. So the invites would go out to national treasures Dolly Parton, Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa), Betty White (RIP), and Bette Midler.
 

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

KB: I’m currently reading Annette Dashofy’s Zoe Chambers Mystery Series.


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

KB: I don’t have much free time outside of writing and running the publishing side of my business. I have an adorable feline fur baby who receives my attention whenever she wants it, and I enjoy spending time outdoors.


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

KB: Apples, blueberries, carrots, and walnuts.


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

KB: I’m currently working on the fifth book in The Olivia Penn Mystery Series.


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

KB: There are many things I could call my favorites, but connecting with readers and other authors is at the top of the list. The cozy mystery genre has some of the warmest, most avid, and smartest readers, and it’s incredibly rewarding to hear from those who enjoy my stories. Writing is such a solitary process. It usually takes me about a year to go from a blank page to a finished book. With so much time, effort, and money invested, I never know if my stories will resonate. So, when I hear from a reader or meet someone who’s read and enjoyed one of my books, it’s the best feeling!

*************************************************************************

 When the Carnival Came: An Olivia Penn Mystery by Kathleen Bailey

About When the Carnival Came

When the Carnival Came: An Olivia Penn Mystery
Cozy Mystery 4th in Series
Setting - Apple Station, Virginia
Publisher: ‎ Rhino Publishing LLC (November 12, 2024)
Hardcover: ‎ 442 pages Paperback: ‎ 442 pages
Digital Print length: ‎ 351 pages

A mysterious murder at an abandoned military base. A carnival has rolled into town. The shocking connection forces her to choose between a dear friend and her new love.

Spring is blooming in Apple Station, Virginia, and Olivia Penn's new romance is heating up. With love in the air and the carnival in town, life seems picture-perfect—until a stranger arrives at her door with carnations and a cryptic message for her friend.

When Olivia follows the trail and finds her friend standing over a dead body, she discovers there’s more to the carnival than just fun and games. Compelled to keep an impossible secret from both her new love and the police, Olivia is recruited to go undercover and investigate who among the quirky carnival crew had a motive for murder.

In a race to protect her friend and solve the crime, she must trust a man she never expected to see again. Together, they execute a daring plan to bring a killer to justice and save the lives of thirty very precious, valuable feathered friends.

With the killer on the verge of vanishing without a trace, justice—and her life—hinge on quick thinking and a bold move. Will she and her new love survive to see another day?

When the Carnival Came is the fourth book in the award-winning The Olivia Penn Mystery Series. When the Carnival Came is a small-town, cozy mystery brimming with heart and humor, featuring a charming cast of characters and a fast-paced, twisty plot. Action-packed and full of suspense, this clean, cozy thrill ride will keep you on the edge of your seat.

About Kathleen Bailey

Kathleen Bailey is the award-winning author of The Olivia Penn Mystery Series. She writes mysteries with heart and humor that keep to the traditional and cozy sides of crime. Kathleen has degrees in English, psychology, and physical therapy. She previously worked as a pediatric physical therapist for over twenty years with children who have special needs. She now spends her days plotting and sleuthing in Virginia where she lives with her husband and adorable feline fur baby. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the James River Writers. Visit online at www.kathleenbaileyauthor.com.

Author Links: 

Website: https://kathleenbaileyauthor.com/  

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/kathleenbailey  

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kathleen-bailey  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cozycrimewriter  

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Bookshop.org - Alibris 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Alchemist of Brushstrokes & Brimstone - A Review

 Review

THE ALCHEMIST OF BRUSHSTROKES & BRIMSTONE by Gigi Pandian
The Eighth Accidental Alchemist Mystery

 

Zoe Faust’s most treasured possession is a portrait of her with her brother painted by Perenelle Flamel. Both Zoe and Perenelle are put on guard when inquiries about the painting begin. Why the interest after so many years? Zoe is devastated when her painting is stolen, but another theft and a subsequent murder make things even more concerning. Is someone targeting Zoe? Or Perenelle? Is it about alchemy or corporate espionage? Zoe and her friends will join forces to not only retrieve the painting, but allow a gifted artist from the past take her true place in history, while keeping their ultimate secret safe.

 

The melding of science and art is at the heart of the eighth Accidental Alchemist Mystery. I loved the kernels of art history dropped, especially the facts about the creation of paints, along with its dangers. The topic is as fascinating as alchemy, indeed it is a type of alchemy unto itself, whether or not you're using brimstone! 

 

Adding subtle humor Dorian remains my favorite character. I admire his creative process and love how his chapters begin with selections from his Culinary Alchemist's Toolbox, a book, if finished, I would absolutely buy! I also love how Dorian gets Nicholas Flamel involved in his escapades.

 

The mystery also deals with loss on several levels. Losing a loved one is never easy and to help with grief some cling to something tangible to remember them. Thus it is with Zoe and why the theft of her painting is so horrific for her. What lengths will you go to and how much will you risk to keep the memories of lost loved ones alive?

 

In addition to death, there's also loss of recognition. It's a sad truth that women have continually been erased from history, so I'm always pleased when I see this truth being acknowledged and attempts being made to share their stories. Phillipe Hayden may be fictional, but there are many female artists of that time who never received their fair do's, perhaps readers will be encouraged to learn more about these, and other women, who history tries to erase.  

 

The climactic scene had my jaw dropping to the floor with a horrific loss of another kind.

A compelling mystery THE ALCHEMIST OF BRUSHSTROKES & BRIMSTONE is a journey through grief, art, and lost women's history.

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Death in the Ozarks by Erik S. Meyers. This book is the first in the Sally Witherspoon Mystery series. 

Having left the big city finance world in Atlanta, Sally Witherspoon is happy running her bar in Berry Springs, Arkansas. Even for a biker bar the fights at Sally's Smasher seem to be getting more violent. Not even the presence of the mayor and Father O'Malley could quell a fight that resulted in one of her regulars being thrown out! Once the last customer had left and she sent her bartenders home, Sally could finally take a breath and enjoy the quiet routine of closing for the night. But everything changed when she took out the trash and found the body of her best friend and business partner in the dumpster. Who would want to kill the jovial teddy bear of a biker? Always curious and with the belief she could solve any mystery Sally sets out to discover who killed Bill. But her search for a killer leads her to more questions. Will she find the answers she needs or is she simply making herself a target?

A Corpse Among the Carolers - An Interview

I'm pleased to welcome Debra Sennefelder back to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Debra writes the Food Blogger Mystery series. A Corpse Among the Carolers is the seventh book in the series and is being released today!

Kathy: In A Corpse Among the Carolers murder disrupts the Jingle Bell Stroll, a community caroling event. Do you go Christmas caroling?

DS: No. I’ve never been. But I would love to even though I can’t sing. I think it would be so much fun!


Kathy: What's your favorite Christmas carol to sing? What about your favorite Christmas song to listen to?

DS: Great questions. All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.


Kathy: I love reading holiday themed mysteries. What makes ones set during Christmastime so special?

DS: Setting a cozy mystery during Christmastime adds an extra layer of warmth and magic that draws readers in. The holiday season creates a rich backdrop filled with traditions, community gatherings, and an overall sense of togetherness—ideal for a cozy mystery. It’s a time when people reconnect, share memories, and lean into nostalgia, making the stakes feel even higher when something goes awry. A Christmas cozy mystery feels like curling up with a warm blanket—there’s excitement and suspense, but it’s wrapped in the comforting glow of holiday lights and festive cheer.


Kathy: Your book includes tasty and toasty holiday recipes. Do you have favorite dishes you make every year? Do you roll out new recipes as well?

DS: Our Christmas dinner includes a roast beef with red cabbage that I absolutely love. And every year I bake cookies. I will try a new cookie recipe every couple years at Christmas but that’s about it. I usually stay with the tried and true and the recipes my family and friends love.


Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?

DS: I wanted to write a mystery set during Christmas and I have no idea where the idea for the caroling event came from. It just popped into my head one day and I loved it and fleshed out the story.


Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Hope?

DS: Yes. I’m currently writing her next book. I’m in the beginning of the first draft of that manuscript. All I can say about that story is that I’m loving it and it’s set during a winter snowstorm.


Kathy: When it comes to writing I understand there are 2 general camps-plotters, who diligently plot their stories, and pansters, who fly by the seat of their pants. Are you a plotter, a panster, or do you fall somewhere in between?

DS: I’m a plotter. I love a detailed outline before I begin writing the story. But even though I have an outline, as I’m writing the story sometimes things change.


Kathy: Authors are required to do a lot of their own marketing, especially for a new release. What's your favorite part of marketing your work? What do you dislike about marketing?

DS: I enjoy connecting with readers whether it’s through a blog post, an interview or a live video. While there’s no part of the process I dislike, I do find that the added workload of marketing on top of writing a book is stressful.


Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?

DS: Besides the next Food Blogger mystery that I’m writing now, I do have a couple of manuscripts lined up to write in 2025 but at this time I can’t share much more than that about them.

**********************************************************************

 A Corpse Among the Carolers (A Food Blogger Mystery) by Debra Sennefelder

About A Corpse Among the Carolers 

A Corpse Among the Carolers (A Food Blogger Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 7th in Series
Setting - Connecticut
Publisher: ‎ Beyond the Page Publishing (November 12, 2024)
Paperback: ‎ 226 pages

Hope Early is fully immersed in the spirit of the Christmas season, until the sounds of joyful carolers are silenced by the words “Ho-ho-homicide” . . .

Food blogger Hope Early always gets a hearty holiday laugh from knowing that the weeks leading up to Christmas are as frantic as they are festive. But in spite of everything she has to do, the one thing she always has time for is the annual Jingle Bell Stroll, a night when the community gathers to sing their hearts out and enjoy each other’s company. This year’s caroling feels especially heartwarming, until the final note lands with a thud when Hope finds the body of the man who’d volunteered to play Santa, a knife plunged into his back.

With virtually the whole town present at the caroling, the list of suspects seems endless. It doesn’t take long, though, for both Hope and the police to turn a sharp eye on the victim’s bitter and vindictive ex-wife, along with his new wife, who may have been after his money. Then Hope unearths a clue that suggests the dead man may have been hiding a sordid past and connections to unseemly characters. But as she closes in on the killer, they’re determined to wring her neck before she can ring in the new year . . .

Includes tasty and toasty holiday recipes!

About Debra Sennefelder

Debra Sennefelder is the acclaimed author of charming and suspenseful cozy mysteries set in small towns filled with intriguing characters and delightful pets. Based in Connecticut, Debra shares her home with her family and a lovable, slightly spoiled Shih Tzu. Her passion for mystery fiction, particularly cozy mysteries, inspires her to create engaging stories that blend crime-solving with delicious recipes and stylish fashion. She is the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series, the Resale Boutique Mystery series, and the Cookie Shop Mystery series. When she’s not plotting her next whodunit, you’ll find her baking sweet treats or indulging in a good book.

When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her writing companion, Connie.

She can be reached at Debra@DebraSennefelder.com

Author Links: 

Newsletter - http://bit.ly/2jBx9oV  

Facebook Author Page - http://bit.ly/2ASJVDr  

Website - http://bit.ly/2lQwSNi  

Instagram - http://bit.ly/2EQh6da  

Bookbub - http://bit.ly/3TL0vgc  

Goodreads - http://bit.ly/2DpMPE8  

Amazon - https://amzn.to/2CcLsHw  

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - Bookshop.org -