Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Dangerous Ground by Susan Hunter

Hi, everyone!

Today is my turn on the Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour for the new Leah Nash mystery – DANGEROUS GROUND by Susan Hunter. I am excited to share my Feature Post and Book Review for this great addition to the series. Even though this is the sixth book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone mystery.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book and the author’s info. Enjoy!

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Book Description

The town’s golden boy is murdered while returning for his high school reunion, and Leah Nash finds no shortage of suspects—or secrets.

Almost everyone in town is anxious to connect with actor Ryan Malloy when he returns to Wisconsin for his 15-year high school reunion.

Crime writer Leah Nash doesn’t have many fond memories of Himmel High’s favorite son. And when he turns up dead on reunion night, Leah realizes that she’s not the only one who feels that way…

DANGEROUS GROUND is the sixth standalone book in the Leah Nash series. If you enjoy murder mysteries with witty dialogue, clever characters, and unexpected twists, you’ll LOVE Leah Nash.

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DANGEROUS GROUND (Leah Nash Mysteries Book #6) by Susan Hunter is another well written mystery addition to the Leah Nash series. Ms. Hunter not only gives the reader a twisted and clever mystery plot, but also entertaining and witty fully fleshed characters.

It is true crime author Leah Nash’s 15-year high school reunion and almost everyone is excited for the return of Ryan Mallory, the golden boy who made it in Hollywood.

But not Leah and not his killer.

Leah is once again embroiled in a mystery and looking for a killer.

Every time I return to Leah’s world, I know I am going to be entertained by her hard-headedness, snarky wit and all the well-developed secondary characters around her. Ms. Hunter’s mystery plot pulled me in and kept me engaged and guessing until the end.

I recommend this addition to the Leah Nash mystery series and once you read it, you are going to want to read them all.

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Excerpt

Chapter 1

I parked my bike just inside the cemetery gates. It took only a few steps down the tree-lined path for the heat and humidity of a mid-summer Wisconsin day to slide away into the cool dark shade. Overhead, the soft murmur of thousands of leaves stirring in the light breeze accompanied me as I walked slowly toward my sister’s grave. Both of my sisters are buried in the cemetery just a few miles outside of Himmel, Wisconsin. My father is as well. But today it was Annie I’d come to visit.

My heart beat a little faster as I neared the gravesite. I’m not afraid of the dead. It’s the memories they leave behind that haunt me. Quiet Annie with her soft voice and big blue eyes, too shy to join the other laughing, shouting kindergarteners at recess—but the first to run over to comfort a little boy struggling not to cry on the first day. Imaginative Annie, commandeering our wide front porch as a sailing ship for her and her cat, Mr. Peoples, to travel around the world. Kind-hearted Annie, sharing her Halloween candy with me when I’m forced to surrender my own treats as penalty for talking back. Sweet, brave, compassionate, eight-year-old Annie, who ran into a burning house to save Mr. Peoples twenty-two years ago, and never came back. 

Over all the years since, people—my mother, my aunt, my therapist (yes, I went that route once), my best friend—have reassured me that her death wasn’t my fault, that I was just a child. But, I was older. I should have been watching over her. I should have seen her slipping back to the house after we’d all escaped. In my deep heart’s core, I can’t ever forget that. 

Now and then, and always on her birthday, I go to the cemetery to see her. I know that she isn’t really there. But her grave is an anchoring spot for me. I catch her up on the good, the bad, and the ugly happenings in my life. She knows what hurts me, and she knows what frightens me—secrets I don’t share with anyone else. I tell her what our mother is up to, and how others she knew in life are doing. I say all the things to her that I would if she were still here. I try to make up for the fact that I’m alive, and she isn’t. But, of course, I never can. 

When I’m talking to her at the cemetery, it feels as though she can really hear me. And I know that she answers. Not right there, at the grave, but later, in unexpected ways. Sometimes, I hear Annie speak to me through a chance remark a stranger makes, or a phrase that leaps out at me from a book, or a sudden flash of insight on a problem I’m wrestling with. I don’t share that belief with very many people. If I did, I might be forced to resign my membership in the Doubting Thomas Society, to which all good journalists should belong. But I can’t accept that those occurrences are just coincidental. I really can’t.

So, on the anniversary of her birth, once again I sat down on the bench in front of her grave and told her how sorry I was that she had died. That I hadn’t saved her. That I still missed her. And then I told her what was really going on in the seemingly successful life of Leah Nash, former small-town reporter, current true crime author, and soon-to-be business failure. 

***

When I say I talk to Annie, I mean that literally. I have a one-sided, out-loud conversation with her, though only when I’m sure I’m alone. Some people already think I’m crazy. No need to give them additional proof. On this particular day, I had a serious problem weighing on my mind. 

Not long before, I had made what seemed, at the time, like a brilliant decision. The Himmel Times Weekly, the paper where I’d started out in journalism, and where I’d found a home again after a self-inflicted career injury, was closing. I decided to buy it. I asked a wealthy, community-minded, local attorney, Miller Caldwell, to invest with me. And then I asked a lot of other people—reporters, an editor, stringers, office and sales staff—to work very hard, for very little money, in the hope that together we could keep the Himmel Times alive.

It was exhilarating at first. But it had become an increasing source of anxiety for me. Just as we were getting off the ground, Grantland County Online, a digital-only news site (and I use the term “news” loosely), had gotten a major infusion of capital and a new publisher. Now GO News, as it’s more commonly known, was kicking our butt. 

“The scariest thing, Annie,” I said, “is that we’re barely keeping our heads above water, while GO News keeps getting bigger. They don’t have the expenses we do—no print edition, no delivery costs, and they don’t spend a lot of staff time fact-checking. Plus, they started Tea to GO. Did you know that the cool kids say, ‘spill the tea,’ when they mean ‘what’s the gossip?’ 

Tea to GO is full of ‘What married school official was seen in Milwaukee with a very attractive staff member last Thursday night? Did we say late, last Thursday night?’ That kind of garbage. It’s almost all blind items—the better to avoid lawsuits, my dear. But people are eating it up. Every time you go into the Elite Café, someone is trying to figure out who the latest gossip is about.”

I paused for a bit of a wallow in self-pity. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t tried to shake things up at the Times, to get us moving ahead, but so far nothing I’d done had made much difference.  

“We have a good team. Miguel is much happier since he gave up the managing editor job. He really didn’t like bossing people. And Maggie McConnell is doing great in that spot. She’s got the instincts, the skills, and forty-five years in the news business behind her. If she could only spin straw out of gold, she’d be perfect. But since she can’t, we’re making do with a budget so lean it might as well be made out of turkey burger.

“I gave Allie Ross—you remember, I told you about her. She’s the high school kid we’ve been using as a stringer. Anyway, I gave her a part-time job for the summer in the office. She’s doing the routine stuff, obits and inside pages copy—weddings, anniversaries, club news. She’s got promise, but she’s only fifteen. Troy, the other reporter besides Miguel, is a little bit of a suck-up—and his news judgment isn’t quite there yet. Still, he’s a hard worker. The stringers are a pretty mixed bag. 

“Now, here’s a twist I bet you didn’t see coming. I hired Mom to take April Nelson’s place as office manager. I know, I know, it’s a dicey move. But she’s smart, and efficient, and she gets the job done. Plus, she comes cheap. It’s been a little challenging, I admit. Remember when I used to get mad at her and say, ‘You’re not the boss of me!’ and she’d send me to my room? 

“Well, now I’m the boss of her, only I don’t get to send her to her room. Yes, OK, I’m not supposed to be doing the day-to-day. That’s Maggie’s job. I understand that. But I can’t just hide away in my office and write my next book if the paper is falling apart two floors below me, can I?

“Everybody took a leap of faith when we reopened the Times, and everyone is putting everything they have into it. I can’t let them down. I have to find a way to keep us afloat. I just didn’t know it would be so hard, Annie.”

I paused for a breath before I wrapped things up. 

“And then there’s Gabe. I don’t know. I like him as well—no, probably better than—anyone I’ve gone out with in a long time. He makes me laugh, and he’s really smart. And he likes strong women who speak their minds. In my experience, a lot of men don’t. So what’s the problem, right? Well, it’s not exactly a problem. It’s more that I’m afraid a problem might be coming. Lately, it feels like he’s pushing me a little, like for a commitment or something. Can’t we just enjoy each other? Can’t we just be without getting all serious, and defining things, and making plans? I don’t want to change things. That’s when things go bad, when you try to change them.”

I slumped back against the bench with a sigh. Usually, when I lay everything out to Annie, it makes the issues seem a little more manageable. This time it all still felt overwhelming. 

Then, a voice spoke.

***

Fortunately for my mental health, it wasn’t Annie’s. I turned and looked behind me. 

“Coop! How long have you been standing there?” I asked, trying to remember exactly what I’d said out loud. It’s not that Coop and I have major secrets. He’s my best friend, after all. Still, I don’t tell him everything I tell Annie.

“Long enough,” he said with a grin that didn’t offer me much comfort. I tried to move the conversation away from my chat with Annie, particularly the Gabe part.

“What are you doing here?”

“Your mom said you were here. I called your cell, but it didn’t go through.”

“Yeah. It’s a dead zone—pun totally intended—in the cemetery, except for the hill. What did you want?”

“Nothing. I brought something for Annie.”

I looked down at his right hand and saw that he carried a small pot of pink flowers. Pink was Annie’s favorite color. Tears sprang to my eyes. I quickly blinked them away.

 “That’s so nice. Why?” 

He shrugged. “I know what today is.”

I’m all about keeping my tough outer shell polished, but I was so touched, I couldn’t keep up the facade. 

“You’re a pretty great friend, you know that?” 

He smiled, but he looked embarrassed, and tried to cover it by moving to put the flowers next to Annie’s headstone.

“Did you really come just to put flowers on Annie’s grave?”

“No, not just for Annie. I took some to Rebecca, too.” He was kneeling, positioning the flowers, with his back to me. I couldn’t see his expression.

“Oh.” 

Rebecca had been Coop’s wife and my nemesis until she was killed last year. I wasn’t happy that Coop had lost someone he loved, but I couldn’t pretend I was sorry she was gone. She’d done everything she could to break up our twenty-year friendship and came close to succeeding. I couldn’t think of anything nice to say about her. So, I employed the Thumper rule, and didn’t say anything. 

Coop apparently didn’t want to get into the subject of Rebecca either, because as he stood and turned to me, he said, “I’ll walk out with you. I’ve got my truck. We can throw your bike in the back and you can ride home with me.”

“Yes, please. I didn’t realize it was so hot. I just about sweated to death pedaling out here.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” he said, taking in my damp, bedraggled hair, slipping from its hair clip, and the beads of moisture coalescing into a river of sweat running down the side of my forehead. “You kind of look like you just took a shower.” He sniffed the air, “Except you don’t have that shower-fresh scent.”

“Shut up,” I said. “I’m a head-sweater from way back. Deal with it.” I smiled though, because there’s something very nice and very easy being with a person who really doesn’t care how you look—or in the present situation—smell. 

We walked together in companionable silence, until I’d decided he hadn’t heard any of my one-sided conversation with Annie. That dream died in the next minute.

“So, what’s going on with you and Gabe? He’s a nice guy, Leah. You’re not getting ready to toss him overboard, too, are you?”

“No. Why would you say that? And what do you mean by ‘too’?”

“You really want to go there?” He cocked an eyebrow. It’s a not very funny running joke between Coop and my mother that I always find a reason to cut my romances short. 

“No, I don’t. I thought you didn’t believe in illegal surveillance, and what do you call lurking around cemeteries where people are having a private conversation? It’s nothing. Really.”

He looked at me for a second, but all he said was, “OK.”

Our conversation was cut off as a tall woman in her fifties, her hair pulled back and hanging in a long, gray braid down her back, appeared and abruptly crossed the path in front of us.

“Hello, Marcy,” I said.

She looked up as though surprised we were there.

“Leah. Coop.” She nodded but didn’t stop to talk. We knew where she was going. To the top of the hill on which sat a small granite building that resembled an ancient Greek temple. The family mausoleum held Marcy’s grandparents, her own mother, and Marcy’s baby daughter, Robin. One day, it would hold Marcy, too.

We watched in silence as she reached the building, pulled a key out of her pocket, unlocked the door, and slipped inside, like a ghost gliding through a wall. It had been sixteen years since Marcy White’s baby had died, and she still came every week. People said she brought a different book each time and read it to Robin. They said it like it was something weird, or even crazy. Not me, though. I understood why she did it.

“You know what, Coop?” I asked, as we continued on down the path.

“What?”

“I’m calling bullshit on death.”

***

Author Info

I am a charter member of Introverts International (which meets the 12th of Never at an undisclosed location).I’ve worked as a reporter and managing editor, during which time I received a first place UPI award for investigative reporting and a Michigan Press Association first place award for enterprise/feature reporting. Which for someone whose previous award history consisted of 3rd place in the 50-yard-dash, when there were only 3 runners, was a pretty big deal.

I’ve also taught composition at the college level, written advertising copy, newsletters, press releases, speeches, web copy, academic papers and memos. Lots and lots of memos. I live in rural Michigan with her husband Gary, who is a man of action, not words.

During certain times of the day, I can be found wandering the mean streets of small-town Himmel, Wisconsin, looking for clues, stopping for a meal at the Elite Cafe, dropping off a story lead at the Himmel Times Weekly, or meeting friends for a drink at McClain’s Bar and Grill.

Some of my favorite mystery writers are Jill McGown, Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, Lisa Scottoline, Lisa Lutz, Michael Connelly, Peter Robinson, Raymond Chandler, Reginald Hill, Kate Atkinson, Laurie King and well, more than there is room for here.

Please visit my website; https://leahnashmysteries.com/ 


Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: A Venomous Love by Chris Karlsen

Hi, everyone!

Today is my turn on the Blog Tour for A VENOMOUS LOVE (The Bloodstone Series Book #3) by Chris Karlsen. I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for the third historical mystery featuring Detective Rudyard “Ruddy” Bloodstone.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy and good luck!

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Book Description

A veteran, Detective Rudyard Bloodstone has fought a brutal battle and witnessed war horrors that haunt his nightmares. Now one of those horrors has followed him home from Africa.

A vicious predator, the Cape cobra, can kill a man in thirty minutes. A suspect using the snake as a weapon in robberies is terrorizing London.

When the crimes escalate into murder, a victim’s daughter, Honoria Underhill, becomes the focus of the killer. After several attempts on her life, Scotland Yard threatens to take over the high profile case. With few leads to follow, Bloodstone and his partner must now fight department politics and catch the killer before Underhill becomes another murder victim.

Title: A Venomous Love (Bloodstone, #3)

Author: Chris Karlsen

Genre: Historical Suspense set in Victorian London

Release Date: February 28, 2020

Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

A Venomous Love (The Bloodstone Series Book #3) by Chris Karlsen is the latest historical mystery in this series set in the Victorian era featuring Detective Rudyard Bloodstone. These are entertaining reads that give you a snapshot of the people in this era and it also gives you a look at the limitations of the police to solve crimes. No CSI here, just old-fashioned legwork and logic with a little luck thrown into the mix.

Detective Rudyard “Ruddy” Bloodstone and his partner Detective Archie Holbrook are on the case of a thief who uses a unique deadly weapon to get his victims to turnover their valuables, a Cape cobra. Ruddy knows how quickly this snakes’ venom can kill having fought against the Zulus in Africa.

When the robberies escalate into murder, Ruddy and Archie wonder why the victim’s daughter, Honoria Underhill becomes the main focus of their thief. As they work the case, Ruddy’s brother, Will who has returned from service in India becomes a bodyguard for Honoria.

With few leads and the threat of Scotland Yard taking over the case. Ruddy and Archie are racing the clock to catch the killer before Honoria becomes another murder victim.

I really enjoy reading these mysteries featuring Rudyard Bloodstone. Ruddy, his partner and all the secondary characters pull you back in time with an interesting case to solve. Ms. Karlsen makes you realize how limited early law enforcement was and the class differences that could also impact a case. The use of the Cape cobra as a weapon was unique and even though you know the person behind the crime, the story still keeps you intrigued and interested.

I recommend this historical mystery and all the books in The Bloodstone Series.

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Author Bio

I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.

My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.  

I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream. I write three different series. My paranormal romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is Dangerous Waters. The newest is The Bloodstone Series. Each series has a different setting and some cross time periods, which I find fun to write.

I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and five wild and crazy rescue dogs.  

Social Media

Newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/Moonlight_Serenade 

Website: http://chriskarlsen.com/ 

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisKarlsenAuthor/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/chriskarlsen/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCKarlsen 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/chriskarlsenwriter

Buy links

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2T8xhf2

iBooks: https://apple.co/2VtNblW

Nook: http://bit.ly/3933A4N

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2TojkJ6


Universal: https://books2read.com/u/mqvwA2

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Rafflecopter Giveaway

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Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Toxic Deception by K.C. Gillis

Toxic Deception (A Jordan Reed Mystery) by K.C. Gillis

#ToxicDeception @kcgilliswriter @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

Hi, everyone!

Today it is my turn on the Toxic Deception Blog Tour. I am excited to share my Feature Post and Book Review for Toxic Deception (A Jordan Reed Mystery Book #1)) by K.C. Gillis, who is a new to me author.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. This is a fast-paced, entertaining start to a new thriller series. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

Strange symptoms. Bloody secrets. Can one reporter solve a medical mystery before she ends up in a body bag?

Jordan Reed put her world on hold to hunt down corruption. So when the gutsy journalist gets tipped off about blood money changing hands at a pharmaceutical factory, she dives into the story. With an otherwise healthy worker dropping dead of multiple organ failure, Jordan suspects something far more sinister than a simple accident…

Daring to go up against big pharma, she gains an ally on the inside and recruits two friends to join the investigation. But after a string of false leads and tight-lipped witnesses, she ties her case to disturbingly similar evidence in a medical trial on the other side of the globe. And if she doesn’t expose the lethal conspiracy soon, Jordan is terrified she and her team could be the next victims of the lethal cover-up.

Can Jordan take down a greedy corporation before they sacrifice more lives in the drive for profit?

Toxic Deception
is the first book in the gripping Jordan Reed thriller series. If you like tenacious heroines, underdog stories, and edge-of-your-seat action, then you’ll love K.C. Gillis’s page-turning tale.

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

TOXIC DECEPTION by K.C. Gillis is an engrossing new thriller by a new to me author. A junior staff reporter versus an amoral biochem/pharmaceutical company and it just picks up in speed and suspense as it progresses.

Jordan Reed is a staff reporter on the metro beat at a small newspaper. She returns home one day after her morning swim to find an envelope taped to her door. It contains an obituary for a young husband and father who died under mysterious circumstances. Jordan is not a crime reporter, but when she starts to ask questions, she finds she has a story that may tie the pharmaceutical company and its COO back to an experimental drug trial that killed her mother.

With help from her ex-fiance, still best-friend Travis and her friend Charlie Choi who works at the CDC, Jordan fights to learn what the company is hiding. This lethal conspiracy needs to be uncovered before there are more victims, including Jordan and her friends.

I enjoyed this introduction to Jordan and her friends from K.C. Gillis. The thriller plot is an interesting investigation into the biochem/pharmaceutical industry and the massive amounts of money that corrupt the entire system. Jordan makes an interesting new journalist protagonist to follow, but she is at times a little too naïve to believe for her position. That said, she will hopefully be a little more careful in her decisions in future books. She is inquisitive and caring and I do not want those qualities to change. The secondary characters are well fleshed out and I hope to read more about Travis in future Jordan Reed books.

I recommend this thriller for a fast-paced, entertaining read.

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About the Author:

K.C. (Kevin) Gillis is the author of the Jordan Reed mystery series. Despite being a lifelong lover of stories and books, writing took a distant back seat as his professional career travelled through the Canadian Air Force, a decade as a chemist, followed by a long and continuing run in corporate America. With writing no longer in the back seat (but not quite yet in the front seat), Kevin has the initial novels (plus one novella) in the Jordan Reed series well under way. His personal interests focus on endurance and water sports, and obviously a lot of reading!. Having grown up in the Canadian Maritimes, he now lives in the US northeast.

He can be found online at www.kcgillis.com. You can connect with Kevin on Twitter at @kcgilliswriter, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kcgilliswriter and you can email him directly at kevin@kcgillis.com.

Information on all of his books can be found at kcgillis.com.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kcgilliswriter

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

Website: https://kcgillis.com/

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Deception-Jordan-Reed-Mystery/dp/1733392416/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2Y37MMBWEWC7T&keywords=toxic+deception&qid=1580206669&sprefix=toxic+dec%2Caps%2C228&sr=8-1

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toxic-Deception-Jordan-Reed-Mystery-ebook/dp/B083BK4JB2/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1M1N7ZHUPX3BQ&keywords=toxic+deception&qid=1580206706&sprefix=toxic+dece%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-2

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/toxic-deception

Publishing Information:

Published in paperback and ebook formats on 6th February 2020 by Chesterfield Press

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Audiobook Review: The Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe

Hi, everyone!

Today is my first share on the Anna Blanc Myseries Audiobook Series Blog Tour. This Feature Post and Audiobook Review is for THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC (The Anna Blanc Mysteries Book #1) by Jennifer Kincheloe.

Below you will find a book synopsis, my audiobook review, an author interview Q&A, the author and narrator’s info and social media links and a giveaway. Enjoy!

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About Audiobook #1

Author: Jennifer Kincheloe

Narrator: Moira Quirk

Length: 12 hours 45 minutes

Publisher: Jennifer Kincheloe⎮2016

Genre: Historical Fiction Mystery

Series: Anna Blanc Mysteries, Book 1Release date: Nov. 14, 2016

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Book Synopsis:

It’s 1907 Los Angeles.

Mischievous socialite Anna Blanc is the kind of young woman who devours purloined crime novels, but must disguise them behind covers of more domestically-appropriate reading. She could match wits with Sherlock Holmes, but in her world women are not allowed to hunt criminals.

Determined to break free of the era’s rigid social roles, Anna buys off the chaperone assigned by her domineering father and, using an alias, takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles Police Department. There she discovers a string of brothel murders, which the cops are unwilling to investigate. Seizing her one chance to solve a crime, she takes on the investigation herself. If the police find out, she’ll get fired; if her father finds out, he’ll disown her; and if her fiancé finds out, he’ll cancel the wedding.

Midway into her investigation, the police chief’s son, Joe Singer, learns her true identity, and shortly thereafter she learns about blackmail. Anna must choose – either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiancé, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose.

Buy Links for Audiobook #1Buy on AmazonAudible

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My Book Review:

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc (Anna Blanc Mysteries Book #1) by Jennifer Kincheloe is the first book in a historical mystery series set in 1907 Los Angeles featuring young socialite Anna Blanc. I listened to this audiobook and was entertained by the narrator’s performance.

Young socialite Anna Blanc feels caged by her overprotective father and societal rules. After several failed attempts to change her life which only managed to tarnish her reputation, Anna finally has a plan that can work. She has a new chaperone she bribes for her freedom and she uses an alias to obtain a job as a police matron for the Los Angeles PD.

Anna discovers there are a string of brothel murders the police are covering up. Anna has always dreamed of being a police detective and this is her chance to solve a crime and prove herself, but the consequences for failure and/or exposure are high.

I hope the listener will give this audiobook/book a chance to get going. At first Anna’s personality is that of a spoiled, sheltered and self-centered debutante, BUT she evolves and learns as her circumstances change. I do feel the author makes you feel the restrictions of that time for women as well as Anna’s frustrations very well. Anna is inquisitive and intelligent, not just a young female character who lucks into the resolution. While the crime itself is serious, there are many lighter moments throughout. I would have given this book a higher rating, but it took too long to get to the mystery plot and for Anna to begin to mature. Once the storyline progressed though, I enjoyed it more.

I look forward to listening to more of Anna’s adventures. Moira Quirk does a wonderful job of narrating this book and brought Anna to life for me.

***

Author Interview Q&A:

1. How did you select your narrator? 

An Anna Blanc fan who is also a fan of Moira’s knew I was auditioning narrators because I posted it on Twitter. She tweeted me and said, “You need to hire Moira Quirk.” So, I checked Moira out. While I loved her work, I initially dismissed the idea because Moira is English and Anna Blanc is American. I didn’t yet realize that Moira can do anything. She’s won a million awards. Anyway, the book is hard to narrate because you have to get the delicate mix of humor and darkness right. I auditioned some 30 narrators, and they had many strengths, but no one had everything I wanted.  I finally approached Moira and asked, “Can you do an American accent?” Her audition was perfect. 

2. How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters? 

Moira instinctively gets Anna. Also, she’s a perfectionist and committed to excellence. I like her artistic choices. She might ask how to pronounce a word, but she doesn’t need me at all.

3. Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing? 

Yes. I got my storylines straight from the 1900s newspapers. A 19-year-old white missionary woman was found dead and stuffed in the trunk in her Chinese American lover’s apartment in New York’s Chinatown. I moved the story to Los Angeles, but lots of things are the same, right down to tiny details. After you’ve listened to the audiobook, Google Elsie Sigel and Leon Ling. The B plot in the novel is about two singsong girls–Chinese sex slaves–who were stolen away from their “owner,” a tong president. It almost led to a gang war. The LAPD were hunting the singsong girls to give them back to their “owner” so the LAPD could collect a $1,000 reward and avert violence.

4. Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you? 

I LOVE audiobooks. I listen to 20 audiobooks for every one paper book I read. The narrator is everything to me, which is why I’m so thrilled with Moira Quirk.

5. If you had the power to time travel, would you use it? If yes, when and where would you go? 

Definitely 1900s Los Angeles! I’d go everywhere that Anna would go–fancy hotels, cheap brothels, Joe Singer’s apartment.

6. What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?

Nonsense.

7. How did you celebrate after finishing this novel? 

I need to work on that celebration thing. 

8. In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series? 

I liken it to a movie vs. a TV series. You simply have more time to develop the characters. You know them so well.You also have the challenge of making them grow or change in every book. Sustaining the romance is a trick, but I love how Elizabeth Peters did it in the Amelia Peabody series. It never got old. The audiobooks of that series are seriously the best I’ve ever heard (after Moira). They relate the adventures of a woman Egyptologist in the late 19th and early 20th century. Start with CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK. You’ll thank me.

9. What bits of advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Write for yourself. Not for money, critics, or glory. Only write for yourself

10. What’s next for you?

I have a contract for book three in the Anna Blanc mystery series, which I’ve tentatively titled GRIFFITH PARK. It’s hard to describe the plot because there’s a twist in the beginning and I’m not sure how much to reveal, but it’s more Anna and Joe, more adventures, more LA history straight from the papers.

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About the Author: Jennifer Kincheloe

Jennifer has been a block layer, a nurse’s aid, a fragrance model, and on the research faculty at UCLA, where she spent 11 years conducting studies to inform health policy. A native of Southern California, she now lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and two teenagers. She’s currently writing book three in the Anna Blanc Mystery series. Book two, THE WOMAN IN THE CAMPHOR TRUNK, is coming out in Fall of 2017 from Seventh Street Books.

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About the Narrator: Moira Quirk

Moira grew up in teeny-tiny Rutland, England’s smallest county, which is fitting as she never managed to make it past five feet herself.  Moira’s work spans the pantheon of the voiceover world: plays for BBC radio, plays for NPR, video games, commercials, television promos, podcasts, cartoons, movies and award winning audiobooks. She’s won Multiple Audie Awards, Earphone Awards, as well as Audible’s prestigious Book-of-the-Year Award. She has lately set foot in front of the camera again, appearing in “Pretty: the Series” and the Emmy-winning “Dirty Work.”

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Giveaway: $25 Amazon Gift Card

Runs Feb. 2nd-23rd⎮Open internationally

https://gleam.io/TdlsJ/the-anna-blanc-mysteries-giveaway-25-amazon-gift-card

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Art of Murder by J.S. Strange

The Art of Murder (Jordan Jenner Mysteries #2) by J.S. Strange

#TheArtofMurder @JackSamStrange @PantherPubs @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

Hi, everyone!

Today I am very excited that it is my turn on the Blog Tour for J.S. Strange’s second book in his Jordan Jenner Mystery series – The Art of Murder. I am looking forward to many more books in this series!

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s bio and social media inks. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

Artist Xander Draper is being threatened by a dangerous group. With PI Jordan Jenner’s help, Xander hopes to remain unscathed.

But when Xander is murdered, his body displayed as his final exhibit, Jordan realises the extent of the trouble Xander was in. Now, there are people following Jordan. They know his name, and they want him dead.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s brother Ashley has returned, and he has a secret. As time runs out to solve the murder of the famous artist, Jordan begins to fear his brother may be responsible.

A classic cosy mystery set in the heart of Cardiff.

A perfect read for fans of Agatha Christie.

A murdered artist. A brother with a deadly secret. A group intent on killing. The Art of Murder is the second in the Jordan Jenner Mysteries series, a cosy murder mystery set in Wales
.

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

The Art of Murder (Jordan Jenner Mysteries Book #2) by J.S. Strange is the second cozy P.I. mystery featuring Jordan Jenner. The mysteries are set in and around Cardiff, Wales with a gay male protagonist which makes this series unique and the author’s writing style makes it an intriguing mystery read.

Jordan’s brother, Ashley has shown up unexpectedly from his home in Australia and tells Jordan he is in trouble, but he will not reveal what is the problem.

P.I. Jordan Jenner is hired by artist Xander Draper. He has been receiving threats from a group called The Dirty Dollys. They are an anonymous group that disrupt showings, blackmail and threaten new artists that they feel have been artificially pushed into stardom using illegal means.

Xander’s dead body is displayed in one of his last exhibits.

Jordan and his brother are being threatened and followed. Is it for the paintings Xander gave them before he was murdered? Did the Dirty Dollys kill Xander or are there other enemies that Jordan needs to find. And what secrets is Ashley hiding?

Jordan has several suspects, but will he be able to solve this case before they come for him?

I really enjoyed this second mystery in this series. Jordan became more fully fleshed and vulnerable in this book. We see him start to let people in and try to consciously change his isolation. (I am still cheering for Lloyd.) The mystery was well paced and kept me guessing. All the information about illegal money and publicity tied to the rise of an art world star was interesting and kept me engrossed in the story.

I recommend this book, series and author! I hope I will be able to follow Jordan on many more adventures in the future.

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Author Bio

J.S. Strange is an author from Wales, United Kingdom. He writes crime, mystery and horror. His first novels, published in 2016 and 2017, were set in an apocalyptic London. Murder on the Rocks, is the first in a cozy crime mystery series, featuring a leading gay male detective. 

Murder on the Rocks was written by Strange for many reasons. One of those reasons was a lack of representation within the crime genre, particularly with detectives and sleuths. Strange created Jordan Jenner, a private investigator, who lives and works in Cardiff. Murder on the Rocks was written with the intention of shining light on Cardiff, and bringing Cardiff, and furthermore, Wales, into the crime genre. 

Strange’s previous works, such as ‘Winter Smith: London Burning’, also explored LGBT themes, and featured socialite Winter Smith escaping a zombie apocalypse. ‘London’s Burning’ became an Amazon best-seller in LGBT fiction. 

When Strange doesn’t write, he works in television. He also presents a radio show all about the paranormal. He has an enthusiasm for Britney Spears and cats. 

Jack can be reached on Twitter: @JackSamStrange

Social Media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackSamStrange @JackSamStrange

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

Website: https://jackrunstheworld.com/

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

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/l/B01AUNFQ78?_encoding=UTF8&redirectedFromKindleDbs=true&ref_=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1&rfkd=1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Purchase Links

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Murder-Mystery-Jordan-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07VN9YMFK/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+art+of+murder&qid=1580291449&sr=8-2

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Murder-Mystery-Jordan-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07VN9YMFK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+art+of+murder+jordan+jenner+mysteries+js+strange&qid=1580291835&sr=8-1

Publishing Information

Published in paperback and ebook formats by Panther Publishing on 30th September 2019.

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Last Sister by Kendra Elliot

#TheLastSister, #KendraElliot, #LastSisterBlogTour, @AuthorKendraElliot (Facebook), @KendraElliot (Twitter), @Kendraelliot (IG) @Kendra_Elliot (GoodReads), @AmazonPublishing (Facebook), @AmazonPub (Twitter), and @AmazonPubishing (IG).

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Hi, everyone!

I am very excited to be on the Blog Tour for the first book in Kendra Elliot’s new romantic suspense series – Columbia River. THE LAST SISTER (Columbia River Book #1) had me glued to the page from start to finish.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. This is a new romantic suspense series, but there are a few characters you may recognize from Ms. Elliot’s Callahan & McLane series. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

Twenty years ago, Emily Mills’ father was murdered, and she found his body hanging in the backyard. Her younger sister, Madison, claims she was asleep in her room. Her older sister, Tara, claims she was out with friends. The tragedy drove their mother to suicide and Tara to leave town forever. The killer was caught. The case closed.


Ever since, Emily and Madison have tried to forget what happened that night – until an eerily similar murder brings it all back. It also brings FBI special agent Zander Wells to the Oregon logging town. As eager as he is to solve the brutal double slaying, he is just as intrigued with the mystery of Emily’s and her sisters’ past.


When more blood is shed, Zander suspects there’s a secret buried in this town that no one wants unearthed. Is it something Emily and Madison don’t know? Or aren’t telling? And Tara? Maybe Emily can’t bear to find her. Because when Tara disappeared, she took a secret of her own with her.

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THE LAST SISTER
By Kendra Elliot
Montlake; January 14, 2020
(Mystery | 336 pp. | Hardcover: $24.99, ISBN#: 978-1542006729; Kindle: $5.99,
ASIN#: B07SLZ9LMN; Paperback: $12.95, ISBN#: 978-1542006705)

“Elliot skillfully unravels layers of intersecting stories, each one integral to the overall story of the Mills family and their small-town secrets. Readers will want to see more from this author.” – Publisher’s Weekly


“Part budding romance, part compelling backstory, part prescient tale of racism: provocative on all fronts” – Kirkus Reviews

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE LAST SISTER (Columbia River Book #1) by Kendra Elliot is the first book in a new romantic suspense/FBI mystery series. This book is easily read as a standalone, but a few of the characters are carry overs from Ms. Elliot’s Callahan & McLane series.

Twenty years ago, a family was shattered when the father was found hanging from a tree and their home burned to the ground. The mother committed suicide a week later, the eldest daughter disappeared and that left two small girls with secrets that they would hide for years.

Present day. FBI Special Agents Zander Wells and Ava Callahan are sent to investigate a double murder in a small Oregon coastal town that is eerily similar to a twenty-year-old crime that was supposedly solved. The tip came from Emily Mills who found the slain couple and was one of the sisters who survived the old crime. Zander is determined to solve this double homicide, but he is also intrigued by the old case and Emily.

As Zander and Ava investigate, the killer threatens Emily and her relatives and then strikes again to hide his crimes past and present. Secrets long buried need to be revealed for the past and present cases to be solved before someone else is killed.

I was completely engrossed in all the plot threads in this suspense. Past and present, multigenerational secrets. I like that Ms. Elliot shows the insidious, not in-your-face racism that can infect and destroy multi-generations and towns. Zander and Emily each deserve to find happiness and I feel they were perfect for each other. There is no sex in this story and Zander and Emily are very attracted to each other, but Zander waits until the case is solved.

I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait for more book in this series. There is intriguing investigation, secrets revealed, and the start of a romance that had me turning the pages continually from beginning to “The End”.

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Author Biography

Kendra Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list multiple times and is the award-winning author of the Bone Secrets and Callahan & McLane series, as well as the Mercy Kilpatrick novels: A Merciful Death, A Merciful Truth, and A Merciful Secret. Kendra is a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born, raised, and still lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters, but she looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops. Visit her at www.kendraelliot.com.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.kendraelliot.com 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KendraElliot

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150778.Kendra_Elliot