#mystery – Page 7 – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Tell-Tale Bones by Carolyn Haines

Book Description

Private Investigator Sarah Booth Delaney and her partner Tinkie are in Sheriff Coleman Peters’s office, consulting Coleman about cold cases, when Elisa Redd storms in with a case of her own. She wants Coleman to reopen the investigation of her missing daughter, Lydia Redd Maxell, the heiress to a large fortune who disappeared along with her friend Bethany nearly seven years ago. Lydia and Bethany were rumored to be working as human rights organizers abroad, but Elisa suspects Lydia’s problems might have stemmed closer to home. Now Lydia’s husband, Tope, is set to inherit the fortune, and Elisa believes he’s behind the disappearance.

Sarah Booth and Tinkie soon connect the case to a series of mysterious disappearances over the years, as well as to a perplexing recurring dream. With another woman’s life at stake, the friends follow an increasingly twisty trail all over Sunflower County, leading them to a tree and an empty grave in the county cemetery. A grave that’s said to be haunted…

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Elise’s Thoughts

Tell-Tale Bones by Carolyn Haines is a borderline novel between a Cozy Mystery and a regular mystery. It has suspense, intrigue, and very determined women heroines who seek answers and justice.

Seven years ago, a wealthy heiress has disappeared. Her mother wants to hire Sarah Booth’s private investigative firm to find out if she is dead or alive. Sarah enlists the help of her partner, Tinkie, her soulmate, Sheriff Coleman, some eccentric friends, and a ghost, Jitty, who is the connection between Sarah and her late family. They consider Tope Maxwell a prime suspect in his wife, Lydia’s disappearance. Using the atmosphere of abuse the author was able to reference Edgar Allen Poe and even brought him in as a book character.

There is plenty of action and the clues allow readers to try to solve the crime with the characters.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the series?

Carolyn Haines: It is a series with the characters growing and changing throughout. There are twenty-six books in all. I had just completed a two-book series on southern historical fiction and was searching for another storyline. I heard two funny women bickering with each other in my head. I wrote down their conversations and had one of them dead, Jitty. This is how the series began.

EC: Can you describe Jitty?

CH: She is the ghost of the main character, Sarah Booth’s great, great grandmother’s nanny. Jitty and the grandmother had a very close friendship and depended on each other. Jitty also functions as Sarah Booth’s subconscious. She keeps Sarah on the straight and narrow with her annoying tactics. Jitty impersonates everything. She never helps solve the mystery but clarifies the ethics for Sarah.

EC: How would you describe Sarah?

CH: Smart, tenacious, very direct, a Tomboy, and not a Southern Belle. She was raised to take action to defend the helpless.

EC: How about Sarah’s friend and PI partner, Tinkie?

CH: She is a Southern Belle. She was raised in privilege. She manipulates men and wraps them around her finger. She is the old-fashioned debutante girl: very smart and pretty. In the first book, Sarah Booth was wary of her. After Tinkie hires Sarah to solve a mystery, she allows Sarah to pursue her PI instincts. By the third book, they are PI partners. Tinkie is excellent with money and can get information and facts from others.

EC: What about the women who have gone missing, Lydia and Bethany?

CH: Both women had formed a friendship. Lydia’s husband is abusive, and people suspect he may have killed her. He now wants her declared officially dead to inherit her wealth. Lydia is more passive and tender while Bethany is bold, stands up for herself, and independent.

EC: Why Edgar Allan Poe?

CH: I loved him. A psychic had a dream about Poe and tells Sarah. The story looks a lot like an Edgar Allen Poe one with super scary scenes.

EC: Why the quote about social media?

CH: You must mean this one, “Hiding behind the social media anonymity of an email address, they allowed their meanness free rein.” There is so much meanness and cruelty on social media. People can jump on others where they cannot defend themselves. They do and say things they would never do in person, face to face. I was a former journalist. My father told me, ‘If you are ashamed to sign your name to something don’t print it.’ For me, if someone is ashamed to say something directly to someone’s face, don’t say it.

EC: How would you describe the bad husband, Tope?

CH: He can be charming, but is cruel, creepy, abusive, evil, and is someone who enjoys breaking women’s spirits.

EC: Why talk about Afghan women?

CH: I was writing this book when the Biden administration was pulling out of Afghanistan. It just got in my brain and heart. I was really upset on what happened to them. The situation is so painful to me.

EC: What about Coleman and Sarah’s relationship?

CH: The books are written over a time period of two years in Sarah’s life. Coleman is the County Sheriff who is the man of her heart. They were best of friends in high school but not romantically involved. She now realizes what is important to her is integrity, a good heart, and a good value system. She realizes Coleman has these qualities and that they share a value system. They are a team from now on. Eventually, they will get married and have a child, but not while I am writing the series.

EC: Next books?

CH: It will be out in May 2024 and is titled Light, Camera, Bones. The plot has a movie being filmed in Greenville Mississippi on the river. One of those making it disappears and the investigation shows there is a Bull shark in the river. The book after this comes out in October 2024 titled Tender Bones about Elvis impersonators in his hometown of Tupelo Mississippi.

I am also writing a book with a partner that does not have a contract yet. It is like The Bad Seed meets To Kill a Mockingbird. It will be about a child serial killer. My co-writer is a friend of mine named Mandy Haynes. She lives on the property. I tell people she is my illiterate illegitimate daughter since she cannot spell “Haines” correctly. LOL.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Electra McDonnell Series by Ashley Weaver

Book Descriptions and Elise’s Thoughts

“The Electra McDonnell series” by Ashley Weaver blends a mystery within a spy thriller. There are spies, murders, a tinge of romance, and some historical tidbits to entice readers.

A Peculiar Combination is the first in the Electra McDonnell series. She was raised by her Uncle Mick and has become part of the family business, pickpocketing, opening locks and safes, to steal valuables. Unfortunately for them they were set up and caught stealing. Because WWII is in full swing, an intelligence branch of the British government set them up to help in the war effort. They need Ellie to crack a safe open in a traitor’s house. The government intelligence official, Major Ramsey, gives Ellie a choice, either Ellie helps him to break into a safe and retrieve blueprints critical to the war effort before they can be delivered to a German spy, or she and her uncle go to jail. Mick and Ellie are also patriots, so it is a no brainer for her to accept the challenge. From there, it becomes very enjoyable as Major Ramsey and Ellie are constantly butting heads.

The Key to Deceit is the second book of the series. The Major once again enlists Ellie’s help in opening a locked bracelet from the arm of a dead woman found in the Thames. She is also able to provide some insight into the dead woman’s station in life from her clothing. A search reveals a camera in the bracelet, a clock key, and a bag of jewels hidden in the lining of a sable coat. Ellie and the major soon realize the dead woman was working as a spy for the Germans. Now they must uncover the German spy ring before the Nazis get their hands on important information.

Also, back in the story is Felix Lacy, a good friend of Ellie, a possible romantic interest, and someone who forges documents. He helped in the first book and now is enlisted by Ellie to help her with a crooked pawnshop owner. He is also helping her in finding the truth about her mother, convicted of killing her father, even though she proclaimed her innocence.

It becomes more apparent in this book that there is a love triangle between Felix, Ellie, and the Major. Felix wants to go beyond friends with her and become more intimate. While the Major is trying to remain professional but does have feelings for her.

Playing It Safe has just been released, the third book in the series. Ellie is given a new assignment by the Major. She is to travel under an assumed identity to the port city of Sunderland and once there await further instructions. After just arriving, she witnesses an unnatural death. A man falls dead in the street in front of her, with a mysterious message clutched in his hand. Ellie’s instincts tell her that the man’s death is connected in some way to her mission, and she goes to investigate covertly. While searching where he lives, she and the Major are united. They learn that a ring of counterfeiters is making both money and fake identity cards for German spies to operate in England. They find out that the printing plates are missing and know they must find them before the traitorous German assets. Ellie and the major are locked in a battle of wits and a race against time with an unknown and deadly adversary. They must also contend with the blitzkrieg where the Germans are unleashing bombs to try to break the British spirits.

Readers also learn more of the backstory about Ellie’s mother and whether she was innocent or guilty of murdering her father. Although Felix does not make much of an appearance the love triangle is still alive and well and he does help Ellie uncover the meaning of some written notes.

This series is very engrossing. What should upset readers is that they must wait a whole year for another installment, hopefully not the last. Readers should want a lot more books with these wonderful characters and riveting plotlines. Ideally people should read the books in order because, even though there are different riveting espionage mysteries there are overarching plotlines.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Did your professional experience help you to write?

Ashley Weaver: I have worked in libraries since the age of 14. I enjoy reading non-fiction and that is where I got the idea for the series. I think being a librarian is helpful in the sense that I have all the research information and researching strategies I need at my fingertips! I am now the Technical Services Coordinator for the Parish Libraries in Louisiana. We were the first in the US to have a library built in a book mobile for rural areas. Someone can request a book and when we are in the area, they can pick it up.

EC: How did you get the idea for the series?

AW: I was reading a lot of WWII non-fiction and read a book titled Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre. It is about a petty thief imprisoned on the Chanel Islands during WWII, occupied by Germany. They released him and trained his as a spy, parachuting him into England. He went to the allied authorities and said, ‘the Germans think I will spy for them do you want me to spy for you instead.’ He became a double agent. This made me think how all these criminals had skills before the war that they were able to use to help the allied cause. Each book has its own caper, where the characters must solve the espionage mystery. But there are also a few overarching plots.

EC: What about the books, 1 – 3?

AW: I enjoyed finding out how criminals can open a safe and the historical background of what those in England had to endure including the German Blitzkrieg and the major rationing. With A Peculiar Combination, book 1, I knew I wanted to make the female heroine, Ellie, a safe cracker for the espionage angle. For Playing It Safe, book 3, I read a book called The Falcon Thief about how someone smuggled and sold falcon eggs. This gave me the idea to work birding into the third book. I learned a lot about birds and decided to incorporate it into the story. I mention in the book how, during WWII, it was legal in England to shoot falcons because they were preying on the carrier pigeons, and officials worried it would interfere with messages being sent back and forth to occupied territories.

EC: How would you describe Uncle Mick?

AW: He has a flair for the exaggeration, focused, jovial, spontaneous, a little bit wily. He loves a challenge with a quick-thinking mind that can solve problems. He is the father figure to Ellie as she grew up.

EC: How would you describe Ellie?

AW: Good instincts, very intelligent, as well as street smart. She can be overconfident with a slight temper, stubborn, and independent. She likes to be in control but is adaptable.

EC: She also speaks a little about women’s rights?

AW: In book 2, The Key to Deceit, I put in this quote by her, “Contrary to what you believe it is possible for women to know about things outside of the kitchen.” She is sarcastic with the comments how the men in her life think they are strong and protective, for the helpless damsel. Yet, her uncle trained her no different than her two male cousins, who are more like brothers. During WWII a lot of women took the male jobs who were out fighting. The way she was raised has given her this inner confidence.

EC: Why the second plotline with her mother who gave birth to her in prison and then died?

AW: I wanted to have something about Ellie’s backstory. I liked the idea she has an affectionate loving family that supports her, but she does have some tragedy in her past and some questions she needs answers too.

EC: What about Major Ramsey?

AW: He is secretive, bold, stoic, determined, clever, and can be devious as well as authoritarian. He comes off as having a superior attitude. There are times he puts on a façade and comes across charming.

EC: Felix who is Ellie’s childhood friend also helps with the espionage?

AW: He is polished, likes to flirt, easy going, a teaser, and can forge documents.

EC: What about the love triangle between Felix, the Major, and Ellie?

AW: The Major comes from a privileged background while Felix and Ellie are from a different class. It is like opposites working together. She sees the Major as disconcerting and irritating.

The Major can read her mannerisms, her moods. He wants to be intimate but is trying to be professional. Because he is a military man, he does not have the same societal views as the elite class. More of a problem is that she is a rule braker and he is a rule follower, with him expecting those working for him to obey his orders and she is not one to follow orders. Her fiery personality is what attracts him to her. There is a little give and take because both are flexible when they need to be.

Regarding Felix he is very conscious of her feelings. He is very supportive of her. She sees him as a friend, but he is jealous of how the Major and she interact.

EC: Does the love triangle represent something more to Ellie?

AW: Yes. She is not just deciding between the two men, but her two different futures. With Felix she can continue her criminal enterprises, but with the Major she knows being from different worlds she would have to adapt and change a bit. She is wondering who she wants to be when the war ends.

EC: Next book?

AW: There is one more, book 4, which is the last book in my contract. I am waiting to hear back but hopefully there will be more, fingers crossed. At some point Ellie will decide between Felix and the Major. In book 4 we know who she is leaning towards. It takes place in 1941. They are back in London. Ellie knows of a robbery ring operating. Because of her family ties to the criminal world, she thinks these burglaries can be tied to espionage. She tells the Major about it. The network of criminal friends will be pulled in.

THANK YOU!!

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Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: None Without Sin by Michael Bradley

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for NONE WITHOUT SIN by Michael Bradley on this Black Tide Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

When a Delaware real estate mogul is murdered, newspaper journalist Brian Wilder wants the scoop on the killing, including the meaning behind the mysterious loaf of bread left with the corpse. Reverend Candice Miller, called to minister to the grieving family, quickly realizes that the killer has adopted the symbolism of sin eating, a Victorian-era religious ritual, as a calling card. Is it the work of a religious fanatic set to punish people for their missteps, or something even more sinister?

As more victims fall, Brian and Candice follow a trail of deceit and blackmail, hoping to discover the identity of the killer―and praying that their own sins won’t catch the killer’s attention.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59659956-none-without-sin?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=OxQ9bYMxKf&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

NONE WITHOUT SIN by Michael Bradley is an intriguing amateur sleuth mystery/serial killer crime thriller with an interesting historical religious hook, secrets, lies and murder. There are several murders in this standalone, but they are not overly graphic.

Pastor Candice Miller is an Episcopalian minister who is called to help with a woman and her daughter from her church when the husband is found dead when they return home from a show. The locally known real estate agent is found with a knife stabbed into his chest through a loaf of round bread.

Brian Wilder is an award-winning journalist who has started over by opening his own small town local newspaper. He meets his detective friend, at the scene of the murder and learns of the bread and the fact that a word was scrawled on the dead man’s sleeve.

As more murders occur Brian and Candice are at each scene and begin to trade information and discover the ritual meaning of the bread left on each victim goes back to the tradition of sin-eaters from the 18^th and early 19^th centuries. They also discover all the victims have a sin they are hiding and so do Candice and Brian. Could they become victims, too?

This is an easy-to-read interesting character driven mystery. So many secrets and lies among the entire cast of characters and yet they are believable secrets and lies. While Candice and Brian are the dual POV characters throughout the story, I developed a real empathy for Brian, and I can see the author being able to bring him back for follow-up stories. The historical information was woven into the story without slowing the pace of the investigation. The pace of the plot was steady throughout until the fast-paced climax, with plenty of twists and red herrings. While the climax was not a surprise to me, it was still well written.

I recommend this engaging amateur sleuth mystery.

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Excerpt

PREVIEWBradley_NONE-WITHOUT-SIN-3-21-1 Download

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About the Author

Michael Bradley was born and raised in New Jersey, a fact he hopes no one will hold against him. He spent eight years as a radio DJ “on the air” before realizing he needed a real job and turned to IT. Never one to waste an experience, he uses his familiarity with life on the radio for many of his suspense novels, among them his first, the supernatural thriller Sirens in the Night (2015), a “smart, terrifying, heartbreaking” and “compelling read,” and his third, the thriller Dead Air (2020), a “phenomenal read” that will “make you look over your shoulder the moment night falls.”

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.mbradleyonline.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjbradley88

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjbradley88

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/michael-bradley-32147eb5-2f6d-4287-87c6-afeae5f4a2f3

Amazon Purchase Link

https://bookgoodies.com/a/B09RJNQLS3

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Sadness on the Island by Stewart Giles

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SADNESS ON THE ISLAND (DI Liam O’Reilly Mysteries Book #10) by Stewart Giles on the Books ‘n’ All Promotions Blog Tour.

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

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Book Blurb

Detective Liam O’Reilly has reached a low point in his life.

The love of his life has just been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and his daughter is about to move out of the apartment they’ve shared for the past year.

Even his cats are bringing him down, and he doesn’t think life can get much worse.

But then everything is suddenly put into perspective when news of a horrific incident comes in.

A man has arrived home to find his entire family slaughtered. His wife and children have been brutally murdered. The family dog has also been viciously attacked.

O’Reilly soon forgets his own woes and throws himself headlong into the case. His own sadness can wait.

But soon, O’Reilly realises things are rarely as they appear to be. Not all sadness is real. Sometimes there is something much deeper running beneath the surface, and as he gets closer to the truth, his own misery is forgotten when he comes face to face with an evil so dark, he starts to wonder if sadness is destined to be the norm from now on.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/114470601-sadness-on-the-island?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=fIWAMdG51L&rank=1

DI O’REILLY MYSTERIES

Book 1 – Blood on the Island

Book 2 – Lies on the Island

Book 3 – Fear on the Island

Book 4 – Malice on the Island

Book 5 – Revenge on the Island

Book 6 – Christmas on the Island

Book 7 – Silence on the Island

Book 8 – Secrets on the Island

Book 9 – Chaos on the Island

Book 10 – Sadness on the Island

Book 11 – Danger on the Island

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

SADNESS ON THE ISLAND (DI Liam O’Reilly Mysteries Book #10) by Stewart Giles is an intricately plotted murder mystery/police procedural that had me reading this book in the series from start to finish in one sitting. While it is not necessary to read the previous books to follow the criminal investigation, the recurring characters personal lives and circumstances continue to evolve in each book, and I am glad I read them in order.

DI Liam O’Reilly has noticed a general feeling of sadness, not only in his personal life, but throughout the island of Guernsey. His girlfriend has been diagnosed with cancer, his daughter has moved into a home of her own, and his cats are in revolt.

And then he is called to a triple homicide. A mother and her two children have been brutally murdered and set on display. When O’Reilly arrives the family dog is barely alive in the backyard and the husband is sitting at the dining room table with a blood covered shirt playing chess.

As O’Reilly and his team investigate the murders, not all the clues are adding up and when they do, O’Reilly does not believe the easy resolution. This crime is so dark and twisted that sadness may be the norm.

I love this protagonist and all the recurring characters in this series. It is as if I am just catching up with old friends when I get a new book, but with the added bonus of a new crime mystery to solve. O’Reilly’s personal issues were more prevalent in this book, and it is interesting to read his personal evolution which has been a lot since the first book in the series. This crime mystery and the subsequent police investigation are extremely well plotted around the game of chess with many twists and red herrings that kept me guessing. No spoilers, but I believe you will agree that the resolution of the mystery is brilliant, and the resolution of O’Reilly’s personal issues is believable. Nothing though prepared me for the emotionally charged ending. I need the next book immediately!

I highly recommend this addition to the series.

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Author Bio

After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.

In 2014 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.

3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor: Cornwall series.

The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.

I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series which was published in July 2018.

After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brought together the broody, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor.

The Miranda trilogy is something totally different. A psychological thriller trilogy. It is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before.

The Detective Jason Smith series continues to grow. I also have another series featuring an Irish detective who relocated to Guernsey, the Detective Liam O’Reilly series. There are also 3 stand alone novels.

Social Media Links

Website: www.stewartgiles.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stewart.giles.33

Twitter: @stewartgiles

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier

Book Description

When the nouveau riche Parker family moves to an exclusive community in the heart of Southern California, they believe it’s their chance at a fresh start. Heather Parker is determined to give her daughters the life she never had—starting with horses.

She signs them up for riding lessons at Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian, where horses are a lifestyle. Heather becomes a “Barn Mom,” part of a group of wealthy women who hang at the stables, drink wine, and prepare their daughters for competition.

It’s not long before the Parker family is fully enmeshed in the horse world—from mean girl cliques to barn romances and dark secrets. With the end of summer horse show fast approaching, the pressure is on, and these mothers will stop at nothing to give their daughters everything they deserve.

Before the summer is over, lies will turn lethal, accidents will happen, and someone will end up dead.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier is more than just a book about horses. Readers should think about sports travel teams and stage mothers. Those parents who try to put their own dreams on their children and push them to succeed, even when the dream does not seem realistic. The book explores the world of competitive horse jumping, with overbearing mothers who push their children to compete, toxic coaches, and mean girls.

The story opens with a suspicious death at a horse show. Throughout the book readers are trying to figure out who has been killed since the author does not reveal the victim until late in the story. This adds to the suspense along with other accidents that put some of the girls in danger.

Besides the murder there is also bullying. One of the families, the Parkers, have joined the Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian Center, to make a fresh start. They left their Texas home because the youngest daughter, Maple, was constantly being bullied. Besides Maple, readers get the perspective of her sister Piper, her mom Heather, and some of the other families, Vera, and Pamela. While all appear superficial at the beginning of the book as readers get to know the characters they begin to like and dislike them.

Then there are the men in the story. Kieran, the owner of the center and the head trainer appears to only care about his prestige. Douglas works with the horses and is involved with some of the female characters. The father of Piper and Maple, Jeff, is only concerned about making money.

Anyone who has never read Brazier should start with this book. It is a fabulous story involving smoldering tension, manipulation, poisonous female friendships, and wealthy power dynamics, a depiction on the elite world of teen horse competitions.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Are you a horse person?

Eliza Jane Brazier: I live ten minutes from Rancho Santa Fe. I worked in the horse industry for several years as a working student, a rider in a training program, and a riding instructor. I would observe the different dynamics between parents and children, which is what was the original spark for this book. There were some incidents where a mom wanted to pass her dream of riding horses to her child.

EC: Do you think in the beginning of the book the characters appeared superficial?

EJB: My characters might have presented themselves that way. I want to write my characters taking a journey. In the beginning of the book as in most cases when someone first meets a person that person can appear superficial. It is only after the reader gets to know them, spending more time with them, they see the characters reveal themselves in a natural way.

EC: How would you describe Mable?

EJB: Bullied, which affected her. She went along to get along. Very anxious, jealous, with an attitude of woe is me. She idolizes her mom, is jealous of her sister Piper, and feels unlikeable.

EC: You describe the bullying affect?

EJB: Yes. Bullies tease, push people around, and humiliate them. By complaining or showing fear the bullies are energized. I was bullied. The scene in the book happened to me, where someone pulled me down by my hair and threw me on the ground. I wanted to show how a parent feels powerless and helpless in those type of situations. The bullying motivated Heather, Maple’s mom, because she really wants to help her child, but does not know how.

EC: How would describe Piper?

EJB: She is a go-getter, a problem solver, lonely, and tried to hide her feelings about horses.

EC: How about Heather?

EJB: She wants good things for her children and is very supportive. She does not see herself as a good mom. Heather is affected by being abandoned as a child. She has not dealt with her past and is not happy in her marriage. By marrying Jeff, Heather thought she would be safe and secure with him, someone to count on. They never had any romance or love in the relationship. Her focus is on making her children happy instead of making herself happy. Heather has lost herself as a person.

EC: What about Heather’s relationship with her daughters?

EJB: She can be pushy and controlling. Eventually she realizes this and tries to back down. Her journey is the backbone of the whole book. The premise is a mom’s influence over their children and how they should yield it. No parent should be completely hands off yet should not be domineering. The other mom, Pamela, lets her daughter Vida do whatever she wants and then there is Heather, who tries to figure out where she is as a parent.

EC: How would you describe Vida and her relationship with her mom?

EJB: A bully, self-centered, devious, basically a complete mean girl. Her mom Pamela related more to Maple than Vida.

EC: Can you explain why the mother quote?

EJB: You are referring to this one. “You would worry and torment and impact your kids for the rest of their lives. They would blame you for everything. They would blame you for nothing.” I have eight brothers and sisters, with thirty nieces and nephews. I get to observe many different dynamics between parents and their children. As people get older, they realize it is not about a right or wrong decision, but which decision will be the least harmful. With parenting the consequences are huge and somewhat scary because it affects someone’s life. The characters in the book have a complicated relationship with their parents.

EC: How would you describe Kieran, the owner of the Equestrian?

EJB: He thought himself of G-d, is obsessed, narcissist, manipulative, controlling, and intimidating. All that mattered to him are the horses.

EC: He abused humans, but did he also abuse horses?

EJB: Many readers who are not familiar with horses might think he abused them. ACE is a commonly used horse tranquilizer, which he gave the horse Commotion. It is something commonly used. It is administered to calm a horse, especially after an injury. ACE is a mild sedative. This does not mask a horse’s injury.

EC: Douglas played an important role in the story?

EJB: He was confident, patient, sensitive, passionate, and charming. But he was also desperate to be loved.

EC: What was the role of the horses?

EJB: They are beautiful and smart, powerful, and can help someone. I put in this book quote, “Anyone that did not believe in magic, had never written a horse.” The horse Commotion brought Piper out of her shell, but also created jealousy among the girls. Through Commotion everyone projected their dreams. Maybe Douglas and Piper appreciated the horse as a separate being, but they also wanted to see how they can achieve their dreams through the horse. Both looked on the horse as a friend.

EC: What about any movies/TV shows?

EJB: There is something in the works.

EC: Next book?

EJB: I went into a different direction. It is about a guy and gal who meet on an overnight sleeper train going from Florence to Paris. They have a flirtation, but he disappears. Both are contract killers. It has murder, romance, and adventure. It should be out the end of the summer next year.

THANK YOU!!

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Feature Post and Book Review: A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver

Book Description

The first in the Electra McDonnell series from Edgar-nominated author Ashley Weaver, set in England during World War II, A Peculiar Combination is a delightful mystery filled with spies, murder, romance, and the author’s signature wit.

FIRST RULE: DON’T LOSE YOUR CONCENTRATION.

Electra McDonnell and her family earn their living outside the law. Breaking into the homes of the rich and picking the locks on their safes may not be condoned by British law enforcement, but with World War II in full swing, Uncle Mick’s locksmith business just can’t pay the bills anymore.

SECOND RULE: DON’T MAKE MISTAKES.
So when Uncle Mick receives a tip about a safe full of jewels in an empty house, he and Ellie can’t resist. All is going as planned—until the pair is caught red-handed. But instead of arresting them, government official Major Ramsey has an offer: either Ellie agrees to help him break into a safe and retrieve blueprints crucial to the British war effort, or he turns her over to the police.

THIRD RULE: DON’T GET CAUGHT.
Ellie doesn’t care for the major’s imperious manner, but she has no choice. However, when they break into the house, they find the safe open and empty, and a German spy dead on the floor. Soon, Ellie and Major Ramsey are forced to put aside their differences to unmask the double agent, and stop Allied plans from falling into enemy hands.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54860475-a-peculiar-combination?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=UZS4Nw8jxe&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A PECULIAR COMBINATION (Electra McDonnell Series Book #1) by Ashley Weaver is an entertaining and unique WWII historical cozy mystery featuring a resourceful female well versed in the family business of locks and safe cracking and a strait-laced English Intelligence officer. I love finding a new series that guarantees more stories with strong characters for me to enjoy in the future.

Electra “Ellie” McDonnell grew up with an uncle and cousins who earned their living slightly outside the law when their locksmithing business was not quite enough to pay the bills. With her cousins away serving their country in the fight against Hitler, Ellie goes with her Uncle Mick on a late-night job. They are caught red handed and taken not to jail, but to the government office of Major Gabriel Ramsey. Ellie and Uncle Mick are offered a deal, work for the government using their unique skill set or go to prison.

Ellie must break into a safe to exchange critical weapons blueprints before they are delivered to a German spy. While Ellie does not like the high-handed Major, she is more than willing to do her part for the war effort. But things do not go as planned and Ellie and the Major must race to uncover all the traitors involved in the plot as the dead bodies stack up.

This is a great start to this new historical mystery series by this new to me author. All the characters are very well developed and feel very believable and appropriate to this time in history. Not only is the research on London before the blitz evident, but the author does a great job of making the reader feel the appropriate atmosphere of living in the black outed city. The mystery/espionage plot is fast-paced and tightly written with plenty of twists throughout. Electra is a wonderful protagonist and there is still so much to learn about her, her mother’s conviction and which possible gentleman she will find romance with in the future, Major Ramsey or Felix.

I highly recommend this wonderfully enjoyable start to this new WWII historical mystery series!

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About the Author

Ashley Weaver is the author of the Amory Ames Mysteries and the Electra McDonnell series. She is also the Technical Services Coordinator for the Allen Parish Libraries in Louisiana. Weaver has worked in libraries since she was 14; she was a page and then a clerk before obtaining her MLIS from Louisiana State University. She lives in Oakdale, Louisiana.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.ashley-weaver.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshleyCWeaver