Blog Tour and Review: THE GOLD PAWN (An Art Deco Mystery) by LA Chandlar

Synopsis

November 1936. Mayor La Guardia’s political future buckles under a missing person case in New York City. Simultaneously, Lane unravels devastating secrets in the outskirts of Detroit. As two crimes converge, judging friends from enemies can be a dangerous game . . .

Finally summoning the courage to face the past, Lane Sanders breaks away from her busy job at City Hall to confront childhood nightmares in Rochester, Michigan. An unknown assailant left Lane with scattered memories after viciously murdering her parents. However, one memory of a dazzling solid gold pawn piece remains—and with it lies a startling connection between the midwestern tragedy and a current mystery haunting the Big Apple . . .

Meanwhile, fears climb in Manhattan after the disappearance of a respected banker and family friend threatens the crippled financial industry and the pristine reputation of Lane’s virtuous boss, Mayor Fiorello “Fio” La Guardia. Fio’s fight to restore order leads him into more trouble as he meets a familiar foe intent on ending his mayoral term—and his life . . .

Guided by overseas telegrams from the man she loves and painful memories, only Lane can silence old ghosts and derail present-day schemes. But when the investigation awakens a darker side of her own nature, will she and New York City’s most prominent movers and shakers still forge ahead into a prosperous new age . . . or is history doomed to repeat itself?

Review

It was fun to read about Lane and her memories from childhood as they haunt her in her current life. She returns to Michigan to uncover and put to rest her fears, only to return to New York, fears still there. With the crisis in Manhattan, she goes back to Michigan. Filled with 1936 gangsters and secret connections that parallel her past and her parents' involvement so many years before, Lane unravels some of her memories and the Gold Pawn. Finn, Roarke, and, of course Fio, bring interesting aspects to the story as it unfolds and Lane must decide who to trust. 

This is the second in the Art Deco Mystery series. If you read the SILVER GUN, you will definitely enjoy this one as Chandlar again captures the time and brings delightful characters to the pages. Although this is the second, it can be read as a stand alone mystery.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

About the Author 

L. A. Chandlar is the author of the Art Deco Mystery Series with Kensington Publishing featuring Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and a fresh take on the innovation and liveliness of 1930s New York City. Her debut novel, The Silver Gun released August 29, 2017, and the sequel, The Gold Pawn, will release September 25^th, 2018. Laurie has been living and writing in New York City for 16 years and has been speaking for a wide variety of audiences for over 20 years including a women’s group with the United Nations. Her talks range from NYC history, the psychology of creativity, and the history of holiday traditions. Laurie has also worked in PR for General Motors, writes and fund-raises for a global nonprofit is the mother of two boys, and has toured the nation managing a rock band.

Author Links

Website: lachandlar.com
Facebook: @LAChandlar
Twitter: @LAChandlar
Instagram: @LAChandlar
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOc8aw0RmT-MTKuCGKJ7dOw
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7656965.L_A_Chandlar
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lachandlar/

Purchase Links

Amazon
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
Google
Hudson Booksellers
IndieBound
Kobo
Walmart
BookBub

Blog Tour - Spotlight: DEADLY DRAM: A Whiskey Business Mystery by Melinda Mullett

Synopsis

Distillery owner Abigail Logan discovers that high spirits are no match for a cold-blooded killer as the Whisky Business Mystery series puts a fatal twist on stiff competition.

It’s been a year since globe-trotting photojournalist Abi Logan inherited Abbey Glen, a whisky distillery in the heart of the Scottish countryside. To her surprise, the village of Balfour already feels like home, and her new business partner, Grant MacEwan, continues to be too charming to resist. But Abi has a history of relationship disasters, so she struggles to avoid an ill-fated romance with Grant. Steering clear is hard enough on a day-to-day basis, but when the two head off to a whisky industry competition together, Abi panics. Five-star resort, four glorious days of nonstop whisky tasting, and a fatally attractive Scotsman—what could possibly go wrong?

The night before the award presentations, with foreign and domestic whisky makers at one anothers’ throats, two judges are found dead under mysterious circumstances. What started with three dream-come-true nominations for Abby Glen’s whisky soon turns into a nightmare for Abi. With a killer on the loose, she must call on her investigative skills to stop another murder—before she gets taken out of the running herself.

About the Author

Melinda Mullet was born in Dallas and attended school in Texas, Washington D.C., England, and Austria. She spent many years as a practicing attorney before pursuing a career as a writer. Author of the Whisky Business Mystery series, Mullet is a passionate supporter of childhood literacy. She works with numerous domestic and international charities striving to promote functional literacy for all children. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her family.

Author Links

Website – http://melindamullet.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/mulletmysteries/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/mulletmysteries

Purchase Links

Amazon B&N Kobo Google Play BookBub

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Blog Tour & Review: DEATH SAID THE GYPSY QUEEN by Susan Boles

About the Book

“Beware the sign of the vampire blood,” said the fortune teller. “It brings madness and turmoil.”

Lily Gayle knows what that means, but, for the life of her, can’t figure out how the fortune teller does. A quick road trip with Dixie. An unplanned stop at a roadside park. And, an hour later a dead body. Lily Gayle, Dixie and Miss Edna find themselves knee deep in another homicide investigation when the local vet assistant turns up dead behind an outbuilding at the farmers market.

Lily Gayle believes the words of the fortune teller will have a major impact on the investigation but can’t bring herself to tell the other ladies. To reveal what she believes the words mean might bring trouble to another old friend. And would betray a trust. Only Ben knows and he, as usual, advises Lily Gayle to stay out of his investigation – which she isn’t about to do.

When the secret is revealed, the townspeople go mad and the fortune tellers words come true. Can Lily Gayle, Dixie and Miss Edna solve the murder before more people are harmed?

About the Author
Susan is the award-winning author of the Lily Gayle Lambert Mystery Series and a contributing author to the Brotherhood Protectors World.

A lifelong long love of all things mysterious led Susan to write cozy mysteries. Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden were the first to show her that girls can be crime solvers. Agatha Christie showed her that even small towns have big secrets. And Phryne Fisher showed her lady detectives can be outrageously individual. She lives in Mississippi with her rescue mini dachshund, Lucy, and her rescue cat of no particular breed, Zimba. She currently writes the Lily Gayle Lambert mystery series set in the fictional town of Mercy, Mississippi featuring a multi-generational cast of female sleuths and romantic suspense in the Brotherhood Protectors Kindle World.

Susan writes mysteries and set in the big city of Memphis, TN and the fictional small town of Mercy, Mississippi.

CONTACT SUSAN:

Susan loves to hear from readers and book lovers! Visit her website at www.susanbolesauthor.com Or drop her a line at susan@susanbolesauthor.com

Author Links:
Website – Twitter – @SusanBAuthor – Blog – Facebook – Linked In – GoodReads – Instagram – Pinterest – Bookbub

Buy Links:
AMAZON

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Guest Post: A Different Point of View by Cathy Perkins

Today I'm pleased to have Cathy Perkins, author of mysteries with a financial twist: Trust Issues; Family Bonds, as my guest as part of #mysteryexchange...

A Different Point of View

By Cathy Perkins

When I was young, if you’d asked me for the last place I’d expect—or want—to live, my answer would’ve been, “In a small town.” Small towns seemed to be cultural wastelands, populated by gossiping neighbors who were all related to each other. And out west? That option never entered my Southern soul.

Fast forward a few years and dangle the right job opportunity at the right time and—you got it in one—we moved to a small town in eastern Washington state. We quickly discovered most of those myths about small towns were simply…myths.  

As we settled into our new hometown, I debated whether my novels should make a similar cross-country leap. My South Carolina based mysteries featured a law enforcement protagonist. To get appropriate operational procedures, along with cop attitudes and humor, I drew from a circle of friends at various levels of local, state and federal law enforcement. Curious about procedures in our new town, I participated in the Citizen’s Police Academy and discovered most of the same policies and philosophies I’d encountered back east. (I also learned more than I ever wanted to know about making meth. Nasty nasty stuff.)

Volunteering for the Sexual Assault Center as a hospital victim’s advocate provided an intimate view of law enforcement. Other than one cocky, testosterone-laden patrol officer and another older guy I wanted to strangle (except that would be assault and I really had no interest in going to jail), I found the officers professional, well educated and well trained.  Nobody’s perfect, and I appreciated what these men and women did on a daily basis.

And those inevitable slow days in a small town? Well, let’s just say the day my in-law’s moving van got stuck at the entrance to the retirement village (blocking traffic on the main road—another relative term), all four patrol cars PLUS the sergeant showed up. Once they finished laughing, they helped a retired mechanic (who was in heaven being the expert, by the way) do something to a suspension part and un-stuck it. For some strange reason, the chief of police was not amused when I relayed this story at a party… So far, I’ve refrained from using this tidbit in a book.

With only five patrol officers on duty during a shift (and fewer than this in the even smaller nearby towns) reciprocal agreements were a must. Neighboring cities, counties, even Washington State Patrol was a welcome addition when suspects took to the highways to escape. I made use of this mutual support during Holly Price’s carjacking in So About the Money (Book 1 in the series). In addition to the local officers, county deputies and state patrol officers joined the chase to catch the villains in that scene. On a broader scale, I’ve used the involvement of outside agencies—the DEA, for example, in In It For The Money (the most recent release in the series)—to work with—and against—the local law enforcement agencies.

I’d better back up a second. For this series, along with changing locations from South Carolina’s cities to a small town in eastern Washington, I switched from a multiple (hero, heroine, villain) point of view approach and a law enforcement main character to a single, civilian character. Whew! Talk about stretching and growing as an author. Everything that happened in the story had to come through that one character’s experiences and reactions. (And no cheating with, “Well, Laurie, as you know, this thing you should already know about happened, but let me give you the complete backstory.”) Action and body language became as important as dialogue for revealing character—but that’s a different discussion.

Rather than having my new protagonist act as a private investigator or a journalist working the crime beat, I made my heroine an accountant. Curious, bright and loyal to friends and family (hmm, she’s much better at crime solving than my dog) she made a terrific character to “follow the money.” Of course, when you poke at villains, they have a tendency to poke back, harder. It was fun to write the scenes where Holly bumped up against law enforcement and filter the scene through her impressions—her point of view—rather than another cop’s.

My new law enforcement friends did insist I get the details right. Even if they produced giant eye-rolls from my heroine.

So About the Money romps through eastern Washington with its rivers, wineries, Native American casinos, and assorted farm animals. Add in some wicked fun chemistry between the CPA amateur sleuth and a local detective and Holly Price better solve the case before the next dead body found beside the river is hers.

In It For The Money continues Holly’s adventures:

Holly Price traded professional goals for personal plans when she agreed to leave her high-flying position with the Seattle Mergers and Acquisition team and take over the family accounting practice. Reunited with JC Dimitrak, her former fiancé, she’s already questioning whether she’s ready to flip her condo for marriage and a house in the ‘burbs.

When her cousin Tate needs investors for his innovative car suspension, Holly works her business matchmaking skills and connects him with a client. The Rockcrawler showcasing the new part crashes at its debut event, however, and the driver dies. Framed for the sabotage, Tate turns to Holly when the local cops—including JC—are ready to haul him to jail. Holly soon finds her cousin and client embroiled in multiple criminal schemes. She’s drawn into the investigation, a position that threatens her life, her family and her increasingly shaky relationship with JC.

Links

Amazon:  http://bit.ly/In_It_ForTheMoney

Nook    http://bit.ly/Nook_InItForTheMoney

Kobo http://bit.ly/Kobo_InItForTheMoney

iBooks  http://bit.ly/iBooks_InItForTheMoney

Thanks for letting me visit today! I invite your readers to head over to my blog and read your #mysteryexchange post, Mysteries and M&Ms at https://cperkinswrites.com

Author Bio

An award-winning author of financial mysteries, Cathy Perkins writes twisting dark suspense and light amateur sleuth stories.  When not writing, she battles with the beavers over the pond height or heads out on another travel adventure. She lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd. Learn more at her website, http://cperkinswrites.com.

Cathy, thank you for stopping by today!  I'm jumping into the series and can't wait to get to know Holly Price.

Blog Tour Spotlight: DIE NOON by Elise Sax

DIE MOON by Elise Sax, Cozy Mystery/Humor/Romance, 259 pp., $10.99 (paperback) $4.99 (Kindle)

Title: DIE NOON (Goodnight Mysteries Book 1)
Author: Elise Sax
Publisher: 13 Lakes Publishing
Pages: 259
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Humorous Romantic Mystery

Synopsis

Matilda Dare can’t sleep. Her insomnia is one more reason to move to the quirky small town of  Goodnight, New Mexico after she inherits a house, a small newspaper, and two old dogs there. But despite the Goodnight name, Matilda still spends her nights wide awake, and she has good reason after a reporter is murdered. With a mystery to solve, she begins to investigate the town and uncovers more suspects than she knows what to do with. Meanwhile, the hottie cowboy sheriff is doing his own investigation into Matilda, and the mysterious, handsome stranger, who just happens to live with her, is showing up in all the wrong places. As her investigation continues, danger increases, and it might end up spelling lights out for Matilda.

Die Noon is the first installment in the hilarious, romantic Goodnight Mysteries series and a spinoff of the Matchmaker Mysteries. Goodnight…Sometimes sweet dreams end in murder.

“Elise Sax will win your heart.”—New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis

“Sax will make you laugh. Her larger-than-life characters jump off the page and make crazy seem like a fun place to hang out.”—New York Times bestselling author Christie Craig

“With quirky characters reminiscent of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series and a small-town heroine redolent of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse” —RT Book Reviews

“Fans of laugh-out-loud romantic suspense will enjoy this new author as she joins the ranks of Janet Evanovich, Katie MacAllister, and Jennifer Crusie.”—Booklist, on An Affair to Dismember

“A lighthearted and amusing caper with a sexy side order of romance .
. . Gladie is an endearing mess of a character, and the book is
fast-paced and amusing, with a large cast of quirky, small-town
characters.”—Kirkus Reviews, on Matchpoint

“There’s plenty for fans to enjoy in Sax’s third Matchmaker
installment, complete with energetic narration, zany humor and a mystery
that’s as engaging as the details of Gladie’s love life.”—RT Book
Reviews, on Love Game

ORDER YOUR COPY:

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

BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/die-noon-elise-sax/1128558019?ean=2940159017956

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/die-noon/id1377013071?mt=11

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/die-noon

Google Play:https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=E_lYDwAAQBAJ

Google Books: https://books.google.com/books/about?id=E_lYDwAAQBAJ

Excerpt:

“They can’t get me,” he told me with earnest glee, as he pushed the button for more morphine. “I’m immortal. Do you know why?”

“No. Why?” I asked.

“Because I’m the press, baby. I’m the First Amendment. I’m democracy and all that’s the best of this wonderful and terrible country of ours. Do you understand?”

No, I didn’t understand at all. One man was dead, and another almost killed. I wasn’t sure that a water rights story involving frackers was

worth a life. “I guess so?” I said like a question.

“And that means that you’re immortal, too, boss. You get me?

You’re immortal. And now you’re going to be my eyes and ears. My legs, boss. You’re going to be my legs.”

I tried to swallow, but I couldn’t. “I’m not sure I can be your legs,” I said.

“You don’t want to find out who killed Jimmy?” he asked. “You don’t want to find out who tossed me off the roof of Goodnight UFOs?”

“Yes,” I breathed. My pulse began to race, and my breathing grew ragged. I wanted to find that out more than anything. It was like a disease, like a crack addiction, but with me it was simple curiosity. And a matter of justice, too.

Oh my God, Silas was contagious. I had been bitten by the justice bug. I had whodunititis.

About the Author

Elise Sax writes hilarious happy endings. She worked as a journalist, mostly in Paris, France for many years but always wanted to write fiction. Finally, she decided to go for her dream and write a novel. She was thrilled when An Affair to Dismember, the first in the Matchmaker Mysteries series, was sold at auction.

Elise is an overwhelmed single mother of two boys in Southern California. She’s an avid traveler, a swing dancer, an occasional piano player, and an online shopping junkie. 

Her latest book is the cozy mystery/humorous romantic mystery, Die Noon (Book 1 in the Goodnight Mysteries series).

Friend her on Facebook: facebook.com/ei.sax.9
Send her an email: elisesax@gmail.com
You can also visit her website: elisesax.com
And sign up for her newsletter to know about new releases and sales: elisesax.com/mailing-list.php

Visit us at Pump Up Your Book!

Book Review: GONE AND DONE IT (A Dreamwalker Mystery) by Maggie Toussaint

Synopsis:

While planting a cherry tree, landscaper Baxley Powell discovers a human skull buried in the sand. After calling the sheriff, Baxley uses her dreamwalking abilities to get a jump-start on identifying the victim. Then deputies arrive, and, believing she’s tampering with evidence, taser her. Emotions flare, but the sheriff agrees to hire her as a consultant. With a daughter to support and bills she can’t pay, Baxley is motivated to succeed.

Things get dicey when she unearths a murder victim on the same jobsite, planting Baxley in the suspect pool. For calling unwanted attention to her private retreat, Baxley’s landscaping client fires her, stiffing her for the plants and labor.

Meanwhile, her father retires as county dreamwalker, passing the community service responsibility along to her.

Baxley’s dreamwalking sideline competes for her time with her day jobs of landscaping and pet-sitting. Folks show up on her doorstep at all hours to pass messages to the departed. Though her money problems persist, food randomly appears at her door, and her hair develops a telltale white streak in the forelock overnight.

Just what every young woman wants, a permanent bad hair day.
Threats to her safety mount as Baxley delves into the victim’s life—in both worlds. With a killer dogging her heels and spirits nipping at her mind, Baxley follows her dreams to find the truth.

Review:

A while ago, as part of a blog tour, I read and reviewed CONFOUND IT - the fifth in the Dreamwalker Mysteries, and I loved it. So, of course I had to go back to the beginning. Happy to say, I wasn't disappointed. 

In GONE AND DONE IT, Baxley is just coming to terms with her dreamwalking abilities and can't help but see if she can assist the sheriff after discovering a body in the ornate garden of a very particular and grouchy client. What she doesn't realize is that she can't keep her abilities a secret no matter how hard she tries. No more hats and suddenly food is showing up at her front door. She goes from police consultant to suspect to possible next victim. Once again, Toussaint writes a fascinating tale with great characters, much angst, and more than a touch of humanity. It looks like I have to add the rest of the series to my TBR list.

Books in the series:

GONE AND DONE IT (A Dreamwalker Mystery)

BUBBA DONE IT (A Dreamwalker Mystery)

DOGGONE IT (A Dreamwalker Mystery)

DADGUMMIT (A Dreamwalker Mystery #4)

CONFOUND IT (A Dreamwalker Mystery #5)

Book Review: BURNED TO A CRISP (Cookies & Chance Mysteries Book 3) by Catherine Bruns

Synopsis

Just when things appear to be going well for baker and sometime sleuth, Sally Muccio, life turns up the heat again.

It’s summertime, and the living is easy for the Muccio clan. Sal’s wedding to her beloved fiancé is rapidly approaching, Mom’s won a beauty contest, and sister Gianna is now a licensed public defender. But when the bakery Sal’s worked so hard for goes up in smoke—along with her dreams!—she’s not sure how much more she can stand. Even worse, the man found dead in the bakery’s back room is none other than Gianna’s latest client, Bernardo Napoli.

The dough really hits the fan for Sal and Josie when they’re forced to temporarily relocate their bakery to the crazy Muccio home. Trouble is quickly stirred up as the best friend team must now contend with Sal’s father and his new mortuary business “undertakings,” a middle aged mother parading around customers in bikinis, and an Italian family hell bent on revenge. For Sal, several questions demand answers. Where has Gianna disappeared to? What role did she play in Bernardo’s death? What secret is Sal’s fiancé hiding from her? Sal is determined to find answers...before she gets burned once again!

Review

When the bakery burns down with Bernado Napoli dead, Sally and Josie have to come up with a way to meet the orders they have, and Sally is forced to move home with her parents. Aside from the murder, Sally’s sister, Gianna is missing and a suspect. Sally’s parents, not to mention the neighbor lady and her obsession with the fortune cookies, are unique and add humor to the story. The characters are well rounded and well developed. There is drama, humor, romance, and mystery.

The story is well-paced and flows smoothly; the book is a quick easy read.  Although 3rd in a series of 6 in the Cookies & Chance Mystery series, this was easily read as a stand alone. If you like cozy mysteries, I'd recommend this book - as always, it's probably a good idea to start at the beginning of the series though.

AMAZON


Tastes Like Murder (Book 1)
Baked to Death (Book 2)