Twist Of Time - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

TWIST OF TIME
By Gy Waldron 

 

In Santa Barbara Detective Kate Flynn is called to the scene of a murder. The body of a woman has been found on a hiking trail, naked without a head, hands, or feet. And a body with no head is not the most unusual aspect of the case. Kate finds herself working with an Anglican monk who is an expert in Celtic studies, a megalomaniac whose ancient journal has been stolen, and the story of two Templar Knights. 

TWIST OF TIME is a tale combining two stories, a modern day thriller involving a stolen journal and the story of two Templar Knights, Sir Ursus and Sir Brychan, the author of the missing journal. I've always been interested in the Templar Knights and the historical story was fascinating, keeping me spellbound. The modern aspect was a fast paced thrill ride, with multiple people trying to find the journal and Brother Thomas translating it. Lines are blurred between good and bad-certainly the man who originally had the journal and wanted Brother Thomas to translate it was bad, but what about all of the other people trying to get it? The ending had some major twists and some surprises, two of which did not sit right with me.

 

One of the more unusual aspects of the book was the psychic aspect. That was a unique and very interesting addition to the plot. I really liked the three main historical characters and Brother Thomas. My opinion of another became tainted by the end. However the character I found most fascinating was Leo. I'd love to learn more about him-what a backstory he must have. While there were many things I liked, and I certainly did enjoy TWIST OF TIME, you can certainly tell it was written by a man. It is not a necessity to continually describe women's breasts. Especially as those descriptions weren't relevant to the character or plot. Also one of those surprises I mentioned. Sigh. 

TWIST OF TIME is a fast paced thriller combining history with modern day science.

 

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TWIST OF TIME

by Gy Waldron

February 10 - March 7, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

A fast-paced thriller by Emmy Award-nominated screenwriter, producer, and director Gy Waldron

Detective Sgt. Kate Flynn of the Santa Barbara Police Department is called in to investigate a gruesome decapitation and homicide. Her first clue comes from a most unlikely source: an Anglican monk and Celtic studies expert.

Brother Thomas has been expecting the hand-delivery of a priceless diary of a fourteenth-century Templar Knight, but instead he finds the messenger has been murdered.

Kate and Thomas are pulled deep into a centuries-old mystery with roots in medieval Europe and branches that lead to government intelligence, the Vatican, and a top-secret private lab where untold powers were being alchemized that could alter the face of humanity forever.

It's a race against evil to uncover a plot that could lead them to centuries-old treasure-or to their own demise at the hands of a deranged tech billionaire who has nothing to lose.

With parallel quests for the truth taking place centuries apart, and a touch of mysticism, readers will be taken on a suspenseful journey with one twist after another in Twist of Time, an electrifying novel of intrigue and history.

Readers of thrillers and novels of suspense by Dan Brown, Ken Follett, David Baldacci will savor every surprise in screenwriter Gy Waldron's fiction debut.

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller
Published by: First Fruits Publishing
Publication Date: August 20, 2024
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 9798869378163
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads

Author Bio:

Gy Waldron is an Emmy Award-nominated screenwriter, producer, and director who has written chart-topping television sitcoms, dramas, miniseries, and movies. He has created three network series, including The Dukes of Hazzard, and is known for the action-comedy film Moonrunners, which he wrote and directed.He started his writing career in Hollywood working as a staff writer for legendary producer Norman Lear on hit shows such as One Day at a Time. After an eight-year run with The Dukes of Hazzard, he segued into true crime limited series. He received an Emmy Award nomination for the six-hour limited series Billionaire Boys Club, and wrote other projects, including The Menendez Brothers, Brotherhood of the Rose, Innocent Victims, and The Unabomber. His creative work for theater received an American National Theater and Academy (ANTA) Award.In 2024, Gy Waldron received a Grady Fellowship from his alma mater, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Georgia. Whether writing for screen, for the stage, or for readers around the world, Waldron is widely known for his unique blend of action, comedy, and suspense, always leaving audiences highly entertained.With a background of serving in U.S. counterintelligence in Europe, Gy (a.k.a. Gyneth) has written about the fields of intelligence and crime. Stationed in Germany in the late 1950s, he was on the KGB desk working with captured Gestapo files and monitoring CIC (Counter Intelligence Corps) operations against various Communist intelligence services during the Cold War. Additionally, he worked with American operatives in executing orders from U.S. Command.He draws heavily on his experiences when writing fiction. Prior to his career in Hollywood, Gy worked in broadcast television at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. There, he was a director of specials, sports, and documentaries. Gy worked on many civil rights documentaries and directed feeds to NBC's Huntley-Brinkley Report that focused on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his associates.A native Southerner, he now lives in Malibu, California, in a canyon between the mountains and the ocean where he is writing his next novel, Fugue.

Catch Up With Gy Waldron:
www.gy-waldron.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads

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Murder on the Med - A Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm happy to allow Neil Webster to take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Neil on the pages of MURDER ON THE MED by Nancy Cole Silverman. This book is the third in the Kat Lawson Mystery series and was released last week.

A Man of Mystery

I have a name everybody knows. Ask anyone, and they'll tell you. I'm not just rich. I'm mega-rich. Heir to one of the biggest diamond mines in the world. My investment portfolio outperforms any in the market. My connections among those of the wealthy are beyond reproach. Some say I have a Midas Touch. Everything I do turns to gold. My name is Neil Webster. And while some may think they know who I am, there are only two people in the world who know who I really am. One is dead, and the other, I would trust my life to.

I've worked hard to keep my personal life private, and I like it that way. So I was surprised when I learned that my former business partner's wife, Dede Drumerhausen, had asked Kat Lawson, a reporter with Journey International, to come onboard Athena–my home away from home—to write a travel feature. Athena is the first of what I had hoped would be a series of upscale retirement communities at sea. An expensive venture, and frankly, one that lately hasn't worked out as I would like. I am hesitant to talk about anything to do with my business, much less my personal life, and now, with Kat Lawson onboard, I'll have to keep my guard up.

Regardless of my feelings, I made it my business to meet with Kat and welcome her aboard on our first day at sea. She was staying in Dede's suite while Dede attended several cooking schools in southern Italy. I always felt it best to keep those who could do you the most harm close to you. And journalists, I've learned from experience, tend to be snoopy and, at times, unscrupulous in their fact-finding. Hence, I wasn't about to risk Kat uncovering information about Athena that she didn't need to concern herself with.

I was most gracious. Charming, despite the fact I surprised Kat when she returned from High Tea and found me in Dede's kitchen, stocking her spice cabinet.

Kat's initial reaction was one of surprise—essential when one wants the upper hand. I assured her I had totally forgotten that Dede had arranged for Kat to stay in her cabin while away and explained that Dede and I shared a mutual interest in the culinary arts. I apologized for surprising her and explained that I had picked up some exotic spices and was merely stocking Dede's spice cabinet. I promised her I'd not surprise her again.

Kat reacted as I expected she would. She was alarmed that someone had access to her apartment, then chagrined when she realized I was Neil Webster—the Neil Webster—Athena's owner, one of the world's wealthiest men, and undoubtedly one of the most sought-after interviews any reporter could hope for. Kat played the scene favorably, aware of the opportunity versus the risk of my being anything but a gentleman. It all worked out exactly as I wanted.

I invited Kat to dinner. She countered with a challenge that since I consider myself a fan of the culinary arts, I might make dinner instead. I accepted. I'm a fabulous cook. I enjoy entertaining but insisted on one stipulation. Kat could ask me anything at all about Athena, her storied past as a Russian oligarch's private yacht. Her itinerary. Her crew, or even general questions about her residents. But my personal life and business affairs were strictly off-limits. Kat, of course, said yes. Whether she thought she might ply me with wine or slip flirtatiously beneath my defensive radar, I wasn't worried. I've no interest in women and a very loyal crew.

Kat's butler, Finn, is my long-time partner, and very little gets by him. I know everything that goes on aboard Athena, even when not onboard. Or at least I thought I did. 

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Review

MURDER ON THE MED by Nancy Cole Silverman
The Third Kat Lawson Mystery

 

A former investigative reporter now working for the FBI, Kat Lawson has certainly earned a vacation. Her cover magazine, Travel International, has arranged a cruise for her along the Amalfi Coast. She's to relax and write a puff piece about her ship, the Athena, which is actually a traveling home for wealthy retired senior citizens. However, two elderly women say that their friend, Dede Drummerhausen, whose cabin Kat is subletting, did not leave the ship as planned. They believe she was pushed overboard, possibly murdered! When Kat finds a gold coin hidden in her cabin, she wonders if something sinister could really be going on. Antiquities theft? Murder? So much for a peaceful relaxing vacation!

 

MURDER ON THE MED is a thrilling meld of mystery and history. One of the things I like best about the book is the fact that its senior citizens are vital, active people with brains and determination. They are actively pursuing their dream. Unfortunately, their dreams are nefarious and the Gang of Eight are definitely the bad guys! Marco and Dede are also vibrant seniors, each of whom gave me plenty of chuckles. I really appreciate Kat as a protagonist. She's smart and eminently capable. She thinks on her feet and has great insight, so important as she truly was just expecting a vacation.

I love how history and archeology are entwined in the story. I never knew about the Brutus coin and found it fascinating to learn about that, as well as the ancient underwater cities. A scene made more exciting by the fact that visiting them may have been a plan to kill Kat!

The third Kat Lawson Mystery is a bit of a cat and mouse game, or should I say Kat and mouse game. Each group trying to ascertain what the other knows and Kat trying to figure out not only what's going on, but who to trust. I was captivated.

With wily characters in a sumptuous setting on the sea MURDER ON THE MED is an ingenious mystery that will keep you guessing.

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 Murder on the Med: A Kat Lawson Mystery by Nancy Cole Silverman

About Murder on the Med

Murder on the Med: A Kat Lawson Mystery
Mystery - 3rd in Series
Setting - On a cruise ship in the Mediterranean
Publisher: ‎ Level Best Books (June 4, 2024)
Print length: ‎ 271 pages

A travel feature turns into a deadly investigation for Kat Lawson when she discovers a missing passenger, presumed overboard, may have been used as a mule to smuggle ancient artifacts aboard Athena, a luxury cruise ship designed for retired seniors at sea.

Kat Lawson has got a plumb assignment, or so she thinks. Travel International has rewarded her with a vacation cruise along the Amalfi Coast to report on a new floating senior retirement center. After working undercover as a travel reporter for the FBI and barely escaping her last assignment with her life, Kat's job is to relax, take notes, shoot pictures, and report back on an extravagant cruise from Napes to Positano. What could go wrong?

But once aboard, Kat quickly learns it's not all smooth sailing. Kat finds a handbag for Dede Drummerhausen, the woman who owns the suite where Kat is staying, and hidden inside is a gold coin. Rumor abound. Passengers and some of their possessions have gone missing. The residents are restless, and some on board are suspicious of a travel reporter who might uncover their secret mission. When Athena's captain discovers Kat snooping below deck, she soon realizes, like the antiquities hidden onboard, that she's been kidnapped and that her job and her life are in danger.

About Nancy Cole Silverman

Nancy Cole Silverman spent nearly twenty-five years in news and talk radio before retiring to write fiction. Silverman’s award-winning short stories and crime-focused novels, the Carol Childs and Misty Dawn Mysteries (Henry Press), are based in Los Angeles, while her newest series, the Kat Lawson Mysteries (Level Best Books), takes a more international approach. Kat Lawson, a former investigative reporter has gone undercover for the FBI as a feature writer for a travel publication. Expect lots of international intrigue, vivid descriptions of small European villages, great food, lost archives, and non-stop action. Silverman lives in Los Angeles with her husband and thoroughly pampered standard poodle, Paris.

Author Link: 

Website: www.nancycolesilverman.com  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancy.silverman.90/  

Threads: @nancy.silverman  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4027978.Nancy_Cole_Silverman  

Purchase Links - Amazon -

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Star Tangled Murder - A Guest Post and Giveaway

I'm happy to turn over Cozy Up With Kathy to Nancy J. Cohen today. Nancy writes the Bad Hair Day Mystery series. Star Tangled Murder is the eighteenth book in the series and was released last week.

History and Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen

Bringing history into a contemporary mystery can give added depth to a story. I’ve used this technique several times in my Bad Hair Day cozy mystery series. These books feature hairstylist and salon owner Marla Vail, who lives in South Florida with her family and two dogs. While I enjoy reading historical mysteries, I couldn’t bear to do the research required to write one. But I can bring historical elements into my current stories. For example, in Facials Can Be Fatal, I used actual excerpts from my father’s journal detailing his 1935 trip to Florida. Dead Roots takes place at a haunted hotel with a ghost story that traces back to Marla’s Russian roots. And Peril by Ponytail delves into copper mining in Arizona.

For Star Tangled Murder, my latest title, I was inspired by a visit to Yesteryear Village in West Palm Beach. This living history experience has costumed guides who describe early twentieth century life in Florida. It’s a fascinating place to visit and gives a glimpse into our state’s past. I loved the place so much that I decided to set my mystery in a similar location. I renamed it Pioneer Village and populated it with buildings similar to those I’d seen at Yesteryear’s history park. This task was made easier by videos and maps posted online. Next came the fun part of creating characters. This was easy since there was a built-in cast. The schoolhouse, old jail, stately mansion, church, fishing shed, blacksmith shop, farm and general store supplied major players in terms of tour guides who would become suspects.

Then I had to select a victim. Once I’d figured out who had to die, I determined where and how it would happen. But when would this story take place? I’d never done a Fourth of July book, so why not center it around that holiday? Marla and her homicide detective husband, Dalton, attend a historic battle reenactment over Fourth of July weekend at the village. But which battle to use?

I researched reenactments in Florida and decided the Seminole Wars would be the most suitable. Dade's Battle of 1835 acted as a model for my event. Again, I watched videos online to get a sense of the scene. Therein lies the danger of falling down the research rabbit hole. From battle scenes to Fourth of July celebrations to historic descriptions of the pioneer village, I had fun researching this story and learning something new. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Do you appreciate a historical angle in a cozy mystery? 

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 Star Tangled Murder (Bad Hair Day Mysteries) by Nancy J Cohen

About Star Tangled Murder

Star Tangled Murder (Bad Hair Day Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery 18th in Series
Setting - Florida
Orange Grove Press (March 14, 2023)
Paperback: ‎ 284 pages

Hairstylist Marla Vail and her husband get tangled up in murder when their Fourth of July visit to a living history village ends with a bang—and a body.

Salon owner Marla Vail and her detective husband Dalton are having a blast visiting a Florida living history village over Fourth of July weekend. But when a Seminole battle reenactment turns up a real dead body, it sets off fireworks among the villagers. One of the cast members has gone off script to murder the town marshal with a tomahawk in his head.

As Dalton gets involved in the investigation, Marla determines to help him solve the case. Her flare for uncovering secrets reveals that everyone in the village is a suspect. Instead of celebrating the holiday with red, white, and barbecues, she discovers secrets, lies, and false avenues. Did the marshal’s murder have anything to do with a lost Confederate payroll, or did his plans to renovate the park light a fuse that he couldn’t snuff out?

In a place where history comes alive, the dead bodies are piling up. Marla would rather be chilling and grilling, but somebody’s mind is on killing. If she’s not careful, her sleuthing might blow up in her face like a faulty firecracker and she'll become the next victim. Recipes Included!

About Nancy J. Cohen

Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and the RONE Award, placed first in the Chanticleer International Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards. Her nonfiction titles, Writing the Cozy Mystery and A Bad Hair Day Cookbook, have won the FAPA President’s Book Award, the Royal Palm Literary Award, and IAN Book of the Year. When not busy writing, Nancy enjoys reading, fine dining, cruising, and visiting Disney World.

Author Links:  

Website: https://nancyjcohen.com 

 Blog: https://nancyjcohen.com/blog  

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nancyjcohen  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyjcohen  

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancyjcohen  

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nancy-j-cohen  

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/njcohen/  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/nancyjcohen  

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@NancyJCohen  

BUY LINKS Amazon Kindle Amazon Print Apple Books: BN Nook BN Print Google Play Kobo Books2Read IndieBound Smashwords Goodreads BookBub 

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A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America's Ghosts - A Review

 Review

A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS
By Leanna Renee Hieber & Andrea Janes

A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS looks at the history behind many female ghosts and hauntings throughout the United States. Broken down into various tropes, each section begins with an introduction before branching into stories of the women who fall within the purview of said category. Highly researched, but with the authors' own opinions willingly shared, the book is part ghost story, part folklore, part history, and part women's studies. 

If you're looking for spooky stories to tell around the campfire or to scare your friends, this may not be the book for you. However, if you're looking for interesting tales about real people who have a haunted history, this book may be right up your alley. I always enjoy learning the true history behind real hauntings and enjoyed reading about the women here, some I knew about, many I did not.

While I enjoyed reading about these ghostly women, I do have some issues with the book. The problem is that the authors fall into a common trap. They look at the lives of these women of the 18th, 19th, and even the 20th century, through the lens of a woman of modern times. Yes, these women from the past had hard lives, some hated the limitations placed on them, but others didn't see life as a drudgery. You simply can't frame the past with the eyes of the present, which is what the authors do here.

While the book is undeniably well researched with footnotes and endnotes to prove it, I discovered one major inaccuracy. In one section they discuss Mother Ann Lee and the Shakers. It concludes saying that their numbers dwindled and they faded away. While it's true that the number of Shakers dwindled and may have faded, they have not faded away. There is still a functioning Shaker community in Sabbathday Lake, Maine. It's true that there are only two members of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming-but they are still here.

 

A HAUNTED HISTORY OF INVISIBLE WOMEN: TRUE STORIES OF AMERICA'S GHOSTS is an intriguing book filled with stories of women who deserve to be remembered.

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America's Ghosts by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes.

A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America's Ghosts looks at the history behind many female ghosts and hauntings throughout the United States. Broken down into various tropes, each section begins with an introduction before branching into stories of the women who fall within the purview of said category. Highly researched, but with the authors' own opinions willingly shared, the book is part ghost story, part folklore, part history, and part women's studies.

Killer Words - A Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Samantha Washington to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Samantha in the pages of the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series by V. M. Burns. Killer Words is the seventh book in the series and was released last month.

TWO MYSTERIES IN ONE BOOK 

V. M. Burns

Hello, my name is Samantha Washington. After my late husband, died I realized life was too short not to follow my dreams. So, I quit my job as a high school English teacher and opened a mystery bookshop in my hometown of North Harbor, Michigan. Opening a mystery bookshop was a dream my husband and I shared. However, I also dreamed of writing British historic cozy mysteries. In the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series, I get to realize both of those dreams.

I’ve always been fascinated with the time between World War I and World War II. This was a time that was full of tension, glamour, and intrigue and Great Britain was at the center. Despite the blatant disregard by Germany of the Treaty of Versailles, the world was still recovering from the devastation of World War I. Politicians like Neville Chamberlain favored appeasement with Germany rather than entering a second war. This was a time of grand homes where political and economic deals were sealed at house parties thrown by the aristocracy and people of influence like, Nancy Astor and the Cliveden Set. There were larger than life visionaries like Winston Churchill who saw the handwriting on the wall and knew that war was inevitable and spoke out, despite the personal and political consequences. There were also romantic liaisons between a king (Edward the VIII) and an American divorcee (Wallis Simpson), which forever changed the British royal family and most likely the world.

Each book in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series features two mysteries. There’s a mystery that I solve with the help of my grandmother, Nana Jo, and her friends from Shady Acres Retirement Village. There’s also the British historic cozy mystery that I’m writing which features Lord William and Lady Elizabeth Marsh. Each mystery brings in elements from Britain’s history. In Killer Words, the Marsh family must solve a murder that starts at a dinner party thrown by the American Ambassador to Great Britain, Joseph Kennedy and attended by his daughter, Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy along with several prominent members of British and German society. The mystery moves from London to the Village of Bletchley and the mysterious group of people who have taken over residence at Bletchley Park. If you enjoy puzzles, history, dogs, and a bit of humor, check out the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series and Killer Words.

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About the author
V.M. (Valerie) Burns was born and raised in Northwestern Indiana. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America, Dog Writers Association of America, Thriller Writers International and is on the national board for Sisters in Crime. V.M. Burns is also the Agatha Award nominated author of The Plot is Murder, the first book in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery series; the Dog Club Mystery series, and the RJ Franklin Mystery series. She now lives in Northern Georgia with her two poodles. Readers can keep up with new releases by following her on social media.

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/v-m-burns

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vmburns

Website: vmburns.com

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 Killer Words (Mystery Bookshop) by V.M. Burns

About Killer Words

Killer Words (Mystery Bookshop)
Cozy Mystery 7th in Series
Setting - North Harbor, Michigan
Publisher: ‎ Kensington Cozies (November 30, 2021)
Paperback: ‎ 256 pages

Bookstore owner and mystery writer Samantha Washington comes to the aid of the cop who once arrested her own grandmother . . .

Sam and Nana Jo are back in sleepy North Harbor, Michigan, where Sam is eagerly awaiting the publication of her first book. In search of more immediate excitement, Nana Jo hits the casino with her fellow Shady Acres Retirement Village gal pals—but they get more than they bargained for when they witness Detective Bradley Pitt decking mayoral candidate John Cloverton.

As Sam well knows, mystery novels are full of brilliant detectives, genius sleuths, and hero cops. Detective Bradley Pitt—aka “Stinky Pitt”—is another story. In the past, the dull-witted detective has mistakenly accused members of Sam’s family for crimes they didn’t commit. Now, it’s his turn: when Cloverton turns up dead, he’s arrested. With his predilection for polyester, Pitt has been wanted by the fashion police for years, but Nana Jo knows her former elementary school math student would never commit murder—it doesn’t add up. Somebody’s framed the flatfoot to take a fall, and Sam and Nana Jo must step in to restore the reputation and good name of Detective Pitt.

About V.M. Burns

V.M. Burns was born and raised in the Midwestern United States. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Dog Writers Association of America, Thriller Writers International, is on the national board for Sisters in Crime. She currently resides in the warmer area of the U.S. with her two poodles. Readers can visit her website at http://www.vmburns.com

Author Links:  

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/v-m-burns 

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/burnsvm  

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vmburns  

Website: vmburns.com  

Purchase Links Amazon * APPLE  * Barnes&Noble *  Books-A-Million *  Bookshop.Org Google * KOBO 

 

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The Secret Staircase - A Review

 Review

THE SECRET STAIRCASE by Sheila Connolly
The Third Victorian Village Mystery 

Kate Hamilton has gathered together a board to revitalize the small town of Asheboro, Maryland. Her plan is to recreate the town into the Victorian village it was when Asheboro was in its heyday. Feeling an affinity towards Henry Barton, the man who made Asheboro into a booming Victorian village, she decides to start by renovating his mansion, located on the outskirts of town. While Kate knows that unforeseen circumstances happen, she's in for a shock when she and her contractor find a body behind a wall. At least it appears to have been there since the 1880s and not someone newly deceased. But who is it? And how did it come to be there? As Kate and her team research Henry and his family, finding more questions than answers, it's soon obvious that the dead man on the secret staircase is just the start of her renovation problems.

Kate has several mysteries to work through in the third Victorian Village Mystery: whose body was left behind the wall in the 1880s, who put it there, who is the modern day killer, and will she ever realize her dream of revitalizing her town. I love how Kate calmly and methodically researches everything she needs to reach her goals, from finding her committee and construction crew, to figuring out what kind of man Henry was and learning his true history. I found myself most intrigued by the story of Henry and his mysterious Mary and became even more fascinated as the details began to emerge.

This is not a warm and cuddly type of mystery. Most of the characters have an edge, something that just doesn't sit right, or are downright repellent. Life, however, is not always a fuzzy feel good adventure, remember, as Cat Stevens said, there's a lot of bad and beware. THE SECRET STAIRCASE is more real in its honesty. I truly enjoyed this book and the many puzzles it provided.

THE SECRET STAIRCASE weaves together the renovation dreams of Kate Hamilton with the story of Victorian magnate Henry Barton with an ingenious plot that focuses on the present day while stories of the past seep through.

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading The Secret Staircase by Sheila Connolly. This book is the third in the Victorian Village Mystery series and will be released next week. This is also, sadly, the last book Sheila Connolly wrote.

Kate Hamilton has gathered together a board to revitalize the small town of Asheboro, Maryland. Her plan is to recreate the town into the Victorian village it was when Asheboro was in its heyday. Feeling an affinity towards Henry Barton, the man who made Asheboro into a booming Victorian village, she decides to start by renovating his mansion, located on the outskirts of town. While Kate knows that unforeseen circumstances happen, she's in for a shock when she and her contractor find a body behind a wall. At least it appears to have been there since the 1880s and not someone newly deceased. But who is it? And how did it come to be there? As Kate and her team research Henry and his family, finding more questions than answers, it's soon obvious that the dead man on the secret staircase is just the start of her renovation problems.

The Angels' Share - A Spotlight

There are times I get behind in mystery series, even favorite series I really enjoy. Such is the case with the Wine Country Mystery series by Ellen Crosby. So today I'd like to shine a spotlight on its most recent release, The Angels' Share.

THE ANGELS' SHARE by Ellen Crosby
The Tenth Wine Country Mystery

 

Blurb:

 

When Lucie Montgomery attends a Thanksgiving weekend party for friends and neighbors at Hawthorne Castle, an honest-to-goodness castle owned by the Avery family, the last great newspaper dynasty in America and owner of the Washington Tribune, she doesn’t expect the festive occasion to end in death.

During the party, Prescott Avery, the 95-year old family patriarch, invites Lucie to his fabulous wine cellar where he offers to pay any price for a cache of 200-year-old Madeira that her great-great-uncle, a Prohibition bootlegger, discovered hidden in the US Capitol in the 1920s. Lucie knows nothing about the valuable wine, believing her late father, a notorious gambler and spendthrift, probably sold or drank it. By the end of the party Lucie and her fiancé, winemaker Quinn Santori, discover Prescott’s body lying in his wine cellar. Is one of the guests a murderer?

As Lucie searches for the lost Madeira, which she believes links Prescott’s death to a cryptic letter her father owned, she learns about Prescott’s affiliation with the Freemasons. More investigating hints at a mysterious vault supposedly containing documents hidden by the Founding Fathers and a possible tie to William Shakespeare. If Lucie finds the long-lost documents, the explosive revelations could change history. But will she uncover a three hundred-year-old secret before a determined killer finds her?

 

 

15 Minutes of Flame - A Review and Giveaway

 Review

15 MINUTES OF FLAME by Christin Brecher

The Third Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery

Stella Wright has arranged for the girl scouts to use the old Morton House as the site of their haunted house fundraiser. Stella is excited upon discovering its outbuilding was once a chandlery, but as she pries the candle sign off the wall she makes a more gruesome discovery-a skeleton. Her friend, Agnes, identifies the skeleton and tells the scandalous tale from her family's past, a story of best friends, a robbery, and betrayal of the town. The search for a second skeleton leads not only to its discovery, but a fresh murder. Will solving the mystery from the past lead to today's killer?

Autumn has come to Nantucket and with it the chills that surround Halloween, cooler temperatures and skeletons! I really like Stella, Tinker, the Candleers, well, just about everybody in the Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery series. These unique characters vibrate with life and their distinct personalities make you feel as if you're a part of their community.

I love how candles play an integral part of life, the lives of the people of eighteenth century Nantucket, and today's customers, buying candles in fanciful shapes (yes, I want a Tinker special, though I'd never burn it!), to set a scene, and ultimately to catch a killer. I really appreciate how the past and the present intermingle. I enjoyed both mysteries, but I especially loved how Stella was able to figure out the historic mystery by realizing that some things never change. As for how the killer was finally caught-absolutely brilliant!

15 MINUTES OF FLAME is a fast paced novel that combines a historical scandal and a modern day murder to create an exciting Halloween read.

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15 Minutes of Flame (Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery) by Christin Brecher

About 15 Minutes of Flame

15 Minutes of Flame (Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery)  

Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series  

Publisher: Kensington (August 25, 2020) 

Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages 

As Stella Wright’s Nantucket candle store thrives, her knack for solving mysteries burns equally bright—especially when a Halloween haunted house uncovers evidence of a centuries-old murder . . .

When Stella’s friend inherits a creaky, abandoned home in Nantucket, she knows it’s the perfect setting for the town’s annual Halloween fundraiser. A deserted, boarded-up building on the property—once used as a candle-making shop—adds to the creepy ambiance. But as Stella explores the shack’s dilapidated walls, she discovers a terrible secret: the skeleton of a Quaker woman, wrapped in blood-soaked clothing and hidden deep within a stone hearth . . .

While police investigate, Stella wastes no time asking for help from friends with long ties to Nantucket’s intricate history. The key to the murder may lie within a scorching 18th century love triangle that pit two best friends against one another over a dubious man. But before the case is solved, another life will be claimed—leaving Stella to wonder who in Nantucket is friend, and who is foe . . .

About Christin Brecher

 

 

 

 

Christin Brecher was born and raised in NYC, where her family and many childhood friends still reside. As such, she feels she is as much of a small-town girl as any. The idea to write the Nantucket Candle Maker series sprang from her life-long connection to the small island off the coast of Massachusetts. Spending summers there as a child, Christin read from her family’s library of mystery novels, after which she began to imagine stories inspired by the island’s whaling heyday, its notoriously foggy nights, and during long bike rides to the beach. After many years in marketing for the publishing industry, followed by years raising her children, Murder’s No Votive Confidence is Christin’s debut novel. Visit her at www.christinbrecher.com.

 

Author Links:

Website – http://christinbrecher.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/christinbrecherbooks/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/christinbrecherbooks/

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18483379.Christin_Brecher

BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/profile/christi

 

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