#greatescapes

Guest Post, Spotlight & Giveaway: DYING DECLARATION by Solange Ritchie

~ CassidySalem ~ Leave a comment

Today I have very special guest on my blog! Dr. Catherine Powers’ nine-year-old son, Joey, has stopped by to tell us all about life with his mom, the FBI forensic pathologist/special agent and main character in Dying Declaration by Solange Ritchie.

Here’s what Joey wants you to know:

Hi, my name is Joey Powers. My mom is Dr. Catherine Powers, but everyone calls her Cat. She is the best mom in the world. I am nine years old now. My favorite things in the world are swimming in our back yard pool, hanging out with my dog, Max, who is a chocolate Labrador and movies. I love the Avatar movies. I love video games too. They are awesome. I love the game Fortnight. Have you ever played it?  If not, that’s your loss. While I like school, I hate math. It gives me a headache.

So, my favorite thing about my mom, you ask? She’s a great cook. Every Tuesday night at our house is Spaghetti night. Mom sometimes mixes it up with her homemade Italian meatballs, which are the best. I also love her blueberry pancakes. She has a secret ingredient for them, but I am not allowed to tell you what it is. You’ll have to guess.

Two years ago, my life changed forever. My dad was shot to death in front of me by The Burning Man.  Then he kidnapped me from my driveway and threw me in the back of his SUV. I was so scared and frightened. I thought I would never see my mom or Max again. I prayed my dad was still alive. I prayed a lot those few days and nights. I prayed I would survive. I prayed The Burning Man would not kill my mom. I prayed he would not kill me. Somehow, I survived. It made me stronger. I realized I am a tough kid. What’s the word mom uses? Resilient. Yes, I am resilient.

My mom is my favorite person in the world. She’s pretty amazing. I miss her a lot when she is gone but I know she has to be gone for long periods of time for work. She catches bad guys, criminals. That’s her job.  She works for the FBI. Her job takes her all over the United States. I think her job is pretty awesome. I stay with our neighbors when she is gone. They treat me like I am their grandson so I get spoiled a lot. And of course, Max is always by my side. He sleeps on my bed at night and kisses me good morning every day. I don’t even care that he has doggie breath sometimes. He’s my best friend in the world.

At school, I am a little bit of a loner. I guess when my dad died it made me even more of a loner. How can you explain how it feels like to loose your dad?  How can you explain what it feels like to loose your hero?  How can you explain those memories that stick in your head? The answer is you can’t. So, I stopped trying to explain it to my friends, my teachers, or anyone at school. No one would understand, not even my mom. I still carry those memories with me every day and every night. I talk to Max about them when I am alone – that’s it. No one else needs to know. If I talk about them to anyone else, I appear weak. I don’t want to be weak. I want to be strong. With my dad gone, my mom needs me to be strong. Now, I am the man of the house. That’s what mom always says. 

In Dying Declaration, it starts out on vacation with my mom in Belize. We had such an amazing time. The ocean water was so clear and blue. When we went snorkeling, I had never seen so many fish before. So many different colors and sizes. They were all around me. I followed the instructions of the man at the hotel and took a bag of Cheetos into the water. I opened it just a bit so the wet Cheetos could float out, a little bit at a time. The fish went crazy for those things. It was like I was inside my own personal aquarium! I think I might want to become an oceanographer or a marine biologist because the fish were so cool. I loved Belize. I definitely want to go back soon. Mom says maybe next year in the summer we can go back there and see some more fish. Maybe, I can swim with the dolphins too. That would be so awesome.  I’ve always wanted to do that.  

Well, that’s it for now. I hope you enjoyed talking with me as much as I enjoyed talking with you.           

About Dying Declaration

Dr. Catherine “Cat” Powers is FBI Forensic pathologist and special agent with an uncanny sixth sense for bringing murders to justice.

During a vacation in Belize with her young son, Joey, Cat gets a phone call from her boss. Young prostitutes are being picked up, murdered and left for dead in the Florida Everglades. The first victim does not fit the killer’s modus operandi. She was a legal secretary working for the Fort Lauderdale based international law firm, Black and Knight.

As Cat investigates this and other deaths, they lead back to the firm’s henchmen and to its partners. With the help of another firm employee, Cat discovers a secret web of murder, illicit drugs, prostitution, sex trafficking, corruption and more. The firm’s partners intend to kill anyone who can lead the law back to them, including Cat.

As the body count grows, powerful people will make decisions that will change lives. Decisions that will destroy families. As Cat uncovers the conspiracy, only one partner, the mastermind, will become Cat’s ally. She will walk away, after seeing that the others are brought to justice.

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Books-a-Million – Bookshop.org 

Giveaway

Enter a raffflecopter for your chance to win one of five print copies of Dying Declaration from the author (US only).

About the Author

Born on the tropica island of Jamaica to a Jamaican father and a French mother, Solange Ritchie (then Solange Levy) immigrated to the United States at age eleven. Since then, she has become a dynamic force for change. Fed up with thrillers that start with a fizzle and longing to see more powerful women as lead characters, Solange decided to create her own characters. Despite the demands of a busy legal career, she accomplished her ambitious goal by rising each morning to write before work, dedicating her weekends to writing, and even spending her vacation time writing. Solange is fortunate to have traveled to over 19 countries in her lifetime.

Words have always been Solange’s passion – now so more than ever.

Solange achieved a successful writing career while doing “last minute trial,” mostly in Southern California. Dubbed “the Case Saver,” Solange handled intense legal motions that either make or break a case, especially in the areas of business, labor, and employment law. In 2014, she received the State Bar of California’s Solo and Small Firm’s Section’s highest award, the Myer J. Sankary Attorney of the Year Award. It is given to only one attorney each year in California.

When Solange was just thirty-seven years old, her first husband, John, died due to gross medical negligence at a leading Southern California hospital. This life-altering experience helped shape her into the person she is today. She began writing creatively to deal with the stress of his hospitalization and his death.

Solange’s first psychological thriller, The Burning Man, featuring FBI forensic pathologist Dr. Catherine “Cat” Powers was published in 2015. Her second novel in the series, Firestorm, was released to critical acclaim, on May 15, 2018. Dying Declaration is the third novel in the Dr. Catherine “Cat” Powers series. Bomb Blast is Solange’s fourth novel in the series. Solange plans at least two more books in the Dr. Catherine Powers series. A fan of things that go bump in the night, Solange has also penned a Southern Gothic novel called Fiona’s Box, which will be released shortly.

Solange lives in Southern Florida. She enjoys traveling, writing, gardening, time with her family, as well as good food and conversation. Solange is available for speaking engagements. She especially enjoys talking with book clubs. To receive her Sunday blog post, Notes from Solange, just go to her author website, www.solangeritchie.com, and leave your e-mail address. Nothing negative or political is ever posted. Her author website, www.authorsolange.com, includes a blog, reviews, recipes, events, and the latest on Solange’s adventures. Solange welcomes your comments, reviews, and suggestions, and invites you to contact her at:

For reviews, interviews, recipes, and more, visit the tour page.

Spotlight & Giveaway: #TAGME FOR MURDER by Sarah E. Burr

~ CassidySalem ~ 3 Comments

Last week Sarah E. Burr celebrated the release of #TagMe for Murder: A Trending Topic Murder. It is the second book in a series brings to the fore a very current topic – social media. Sounds like and interesting read.

About the Book

When murder trends too close to home, social media influencer Coco Cline will have to swipe through a sea of trolls to tag a killer.

After cracking her first case, Cordelia “Coco” Cline’s life is finally getting back to normal—or as normal as life can be when you have over three million followers online. With a thriving business, a devoted boyfriend, and her two besties living right up the street, Coco is set to have the most fun summer of her life until Larry and Rosalynn Dunmer move into the condo next door.

Coco and her friends do their best to avoid the confrontational duo, but when a party at a swanky new wine bar brings everyone together, things become less than neighborly faster than a celebrity-themed hashtag goes viral. Larry levels some super shady threats toward Coco and her BFF Jasper, which could have dire consequences for their multimedia empires. Just as Coco begins to wonder if she’ll have to spend the rest of the summer looking over her shoulder, she gets a shocking request from police. As part of her PR gig with the Central Shores PD, they need her to come to the beach and keep the public at bay. A body has washed ashore.

Thinking a poor swimmer drowned just before the Salute to Summer festival kicks off, Coco arrives to find Larry Dunmer, dead with a corkscrew sticking out of his neck. What’s even more unbelievable is that Jasper quickly shoots to the top of Chief McInnis’s suspect list. In full-on panic mode, Coco decides to use her tech-savvy sleuthing skills to clear her best friend’s name before his rep is ruined. She soon discovers that Larry made quite a few enemies during his very short stay in town. But who hated him enough to kill him?

Return to the beaches of Central Shores as Coco Cline and her squad assemble to catch a killer before they get canceled…permanently.

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win a $30 TJMaxx gift card from the author (US only).

About the Author

Sarah E. Burr is the award-winning author of the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries, Trending Topic Mysteries, and Court of Mystery series. She currently serves as the social media manager for the New York/Tri-State chapter of Sisters in Crime and is the creative mind behind BookstaBundles, a content creation service for authors. Sarah is the co-host of The Bookish Hour, a live-streamed YouTube series featuring author interviews and book discussions. When she’s not spinning up stories, Sarah is singing show tunes, reading everything from mystery to manga, and enjoying walks with her dog, Eevee.

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Review & Giveaway: A WEALTH OF DECEPTION by Trish Esden

~ CassidySalem ~ 1 Comment

I recently had the pleasure of reading an advance review copy of Trish Esden’s latest mystery – A Wealth of Deception, the second book in the Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery series.

About the Book

Danger, art, and a touch of romance collide in Trish Esden’s second exquisitely crafted Scandal Mountain Antiques mystery, perfect for fans of Jane K. Cleland and Connie Berry.

Some people are willing to die for their art. Others are willing to kill for it.

When Vermont antique and art dealer Edie Brown discovers an unsettlingly dark collage by the famed reclusive “outsider” artist known only as Vespa, she opens a Pandora’s Box of deception and danger.

Edie teams up with Uncle Tuck and Kala to investigate the background of the collage but only uncover secrets that are more disturbing than the artwork itself. As Edie tracks down the validity of the piece, she stumbles into an art underground where some people are willing to kill to keep their schemes a secret.

Esden expertly crafts a complex cast of characters, a breathtakingly gorgeous setting, and a twisty plot that often poses more questions than answers.

My Review

Although Edie’s family operates an antique business, this well-written story highlights her background and connections with the art world as she tries to determine whether she has discovered a true masterpiece or the work of a copycat.

Edie is a great character. She isn’t perfect, a fact made immediately clear from her arrest record and her family’s checkered past. She is smart, and cautious yet bold at the same time. With the help of her Uncle Tuck and Kala’s, who has some specialized computer skills, Edie pieces together the puzzle and brings the truth to light. The book is well paced, with a variety of twists along the way. There were some aspects of the resolution that I saw coming, but not the resolution in total.

Whereas the first book in this series had a more cozy vibe, this one is more intense. The subject matter – both in the collage and throughout the story – leans to the dark side, while drawing attention to the potential for post-traumatic stress for witnesses to violent crime.

FTC Disclosure: I received an advance review copy of this book from the author. This has not affected the content of my review.

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to an amazing prize package including a hardcover copy of The Art of the Decoy, a hand painted Russian Matryoshka doll, and Swag (USA only) from the author.

About the Author

Trish Esden loves museums, gardens, wilderness, dogs and birds, in various orders depending on the day. She lives in northern Vermont where she deals antiques with her husband, a profession she’s been involved with since her teens. Don’t ask what her favorite type of antique is. She loves hunting for old bottles and rusty barn junk as much as she enjoys fine art and furnishings. Trish is the author of the Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery series which explores the secretive and adrenaline-charged underbelly of the antique and art world.

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Spotlight & Giveaway: MURDER IN POSTSCRIPT by Mary Winters

~ CassidySalem ~ 2 Comments

Recently released, Murder in Postscript is the 1st book in the Lady of Letters Mystery series – a new cozy historical mystery series set in Victorian England.

About the Book

When one of her readers asks for advice following a suspected murder, Victorian countess Amelia Amesbury, who secretly pens the popular Lady Agony column, has no choice but to investigate in this first book in a charming new historical mystery series.

Amelia Amesbury—widow, mother, and countess—has a secret. Amelia writes for a London penny paper, doling out advice on fashion, relationships, and manners under the pen name Lady Agony. But when a lady’s maid writes Amelia to ask for advice when she believes her mistress has been murdered—and then ends up a victim herself—Amelia is determined to solve the case.

With the help of her best friend and a handsome marquis, Amelia begins to piece together the puzzle, but as each new thread of inquiry ends with a different suspect, the investigation grows ever more daunting. From London’s docks and ballrooms to grand country houses, Amelia tracks a killer, putting her reputation—and her life—on the line.

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card from the author.

About the Author

Mary Winters is the author of Murder in Postscript, the debut novel in A Lady of Letters Mystery series. A longtime reader of historical fiction and an author of two other mystery series, Mary set her latest work in Victorian England after being inspired by a trip to London. Since then, she’s been busily planning her next mystery—and another trip! Find out more about Mary and her writing at marywintersauthor.com.

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Review & Giveaway: PURLS BEFORE SWINE by Rebecca McKinnon

~ CassidySalem ~ 4 Comments

This week, Rebecca McKinnon is celebrating the release of Purls Before Swine and I was lucky enough to received an ARC of this cozy mystery. Although this is the third book in the Clear Creek Mystery series, it can be read as a standalone (I haven’t read the previous books yet).

About the Book

Autumn has arrived in the Rocky Mountains. The resort that was almost the death of the small town of Clear Creek is trying to mend relations by hosting a local artisan show.

Jemma has been asked to create a display showing beginner projects all the way up to expert. Hoping to knit up attention for the shops in Clear Creek, she agrees. The last thing she expects is to trip over a body in the middle of the exhibits.

Curiosity piqued, she wants to know how someone was killed under the watchful eyes of the resort’s security staff — headed by the man she loves.

Even though her past experiences have taught Jemma she doesn’t want to be anywhere near a killer, when Deputy Chase surprises everyone by asking for her help she can’t bring herself to say no. Because if the killer isn’t bound off before the resort guests leave, someone will get away with murder.

My Review

Set in a small town in Colorado, where everyone knows each other’s buisiness (or at least thinks they do), this mystery follows Jemma as she investigates another murder in Clear Creek.

Jemma is smart, likeable, and easy to identify with. She does a good job rooting out the truth, with help from her friends. One quirky character in particular, Granny (not her grandmother) adds a bit of spice and humor to the character mix. And the charming man in her life is, of course, ready and willing to help in any way he can – as long as it doesn’t mean a conflict of interest, given his job at the resort.

The story is well written and the plot unravels at a nice pace, with twists and turns along the way. The closeknit community and light-writing style make this a good choice for cozy mystery lovers. BTW, if you are on the fence about reading a knitting-themed mystery, don’t be. Unlike some craft-themed cozies, there is just enough detail to appreciate the craft without getting tedious.

FTC Disclosure: I received an advance review copy from the publisher. This has not affected the content of my review.

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card from the author.

About the Author

Rebecca McKinnon enjoys playing with her imaginary friends and introducing them to others through her writing. She dreams of living in the middle of nowhere, but has been unable to find an acceptable location that wouldn’t require crossing an ocean.

Website/Social Media Links:

Purchase Link – Amazon

Spotlight & Giveaway: TUESDAY TRASH AND TROUBLE by Joanna Campbell Slan

~ CassidySalem ~ 1 Comment

Joanna Campbell Slan’s Tuesday Trash and Trouble features a down-on-her-luck divorcée whose passion for solving crimes lands her in the arms of a secretive cowboy–and the cross-hairs of a vengeful killer. Tuesday Trash and Trouble is the third book in the Friday Night Mystery Club Series by Joanna Campbell Slan.

About the Book

The year is 1986, the place is…pitiful. It’s Decatur, Illinois, known for high unemployment, striking unions, the pervasive stink of soybean processing, and seven railroad crossings at one intersection.

A wrong turn along life’s marital highway has left Catherine “Cragan” Collins stuck in Decatur. With a mountain of post-divorce bills to pay, Cragan takes a job selling high-priced newspaper advertising. If she’s lucky, her commissions will cover the cost of her grandmother’s stay in a nearby retirement home.

After the divorce, Cragan swears off men, but she’s a sucker for a guy in a nice suit. She falls hard for a man who publicly snubs her. On the rebound, she accepts an invitation from Ross Gentry, a quiet hunk who favors pearl snaps and cowboy boots. Cragan reasons that her heart is safe, because she and Ross come from two different worlds. But one night in his arms might be enough to prove her wrong.

Without warning, everything blows up in Cragan’s face. Her boss threatens to take away her accounts, a friend’s little sister is kidnapped, and an overnight guest is shot. Cragan’s best friend, Pru, is accused of attempted murder. After all, Pru’s gun was used in the crime.

Cragan calls an emergency meeting of the Friday Night Mystery Club. These mystery-loving career women are a group of smart cookies. Can their combined talents prove that Pru is innocent? And will they find an answer in time to save Cragan from the wrath of a vengeful shooter?

It takes a club to solve a mystery!

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win a $10 gift card from the author.

About the Author

Joanna is a New York Times Bestselling, USA Today Bestselling, and Amazon Bestselling author as well as a woman prone to frequent bursts of crafting frenzy, leaving her with burns from her hot glue gun and paint on her clothes. And the mess? Let’s not even go there.

Otherwise, Joanna’s a productive author with more than 80 written projects to her credit. Her non-fiction work includes how to books, a college textbook for public speakers, and books of personal essays (think Chicken Soup for the Soul).

Currently, she writes six fiction series: The Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series (Agatha Award Finalist, contemporary, St. Louis setting, crafting), the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series (contemporary, Florida setting, DIY, and recycling), the Jane Eyre Chronicles (Daphne du Maurier Award Winner, 1830s England, based on Charlotte Brontë’s classic), the Sherlock Holmes Fantasy Thrillers (late 1800s, based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s books), the Tai Chi Mystery Series (featuring a mature female amateur sleuth!) and the Friday Night Mystery Series (set in Decatur, IL in 1986 with a spunky female heroine.)

A former TV talk show host, college teacher, and public relations specialist, Joanna was one of the early Chicken Soup for the Soul contributors. She won a Silver Anvil for her work on the original FarmAid concert to benefit farmers.

In her ongoing quest never to see snow again, Joanna lives with her husband and their Havanese puppy, Jax, on an island off the coast of Florida. You can email her at jcslan@joannaslan.com or visit her website at https://linktr.ee/jcslan

Author Links 

Purchase Link – Amazon 

Review & Giveaway: BORN TO BEAD WILD by Janice Peacock

~ CassidySalem ~ Leave a comment

I recently had the pleasure of reading an advance review copy of Born to Bead Wild, a Glass Bead Mystery, by Janice Peacock. Gotta say, I loved the dog on the cover – such expressive puppy dog eyes. This is the fifth book in a successful series that began with High Strung, which I reviewed on this blog several years ago.

About the Book

Something is strange at Full Moon Farms—and it isn’t just Val’s Eggplant Surprise for dinner.

Jax, Tessa, and the rest of the arts and crafts retreat attendees are shocked when they find charred bones in a glass kiln. Are the remains human or animal?

The camp owners insist the bones in the coffin-sized kiln are from a deer, but Jax finds a clue that leads her to believe the owners are lying. After Tessa’s least favorite person turns up dead, there is no doubt that a killer lurks somewhere in the deep forest of the Olympic Peninsula. As clues lead Jax and Tessa down mysterious paths, they hope they live long enough to find the culprit and make it out alive.

My Review

Jax and her pals, Tessa and Val, join fellow glass bead-making enthusiasts at purposed camp – the traditional kind without all the creature comforts – and with questional food choices, to boot. The weeklong workshop starts off with a few minor glitches, and goes downhill with a rash of increasingly suspicious incidents at the camp.

As in other books in this series, the bead-makers in the story are a quirky group. Of course, Jax, the main character, is snoopy; she wants to know the truth, and she won’t leave well enough alone until sbe knows what’s going on and why. Tessa is great friend, and both women are quick to pitch and help others when the need arises. The mystery was an interesting one and well paced, with the clues revealed gradually as the story progressed in an unexpected way. Sorry, no spoilers here.

For my review of High Strung, the first book in the series, click here.

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win a paperback set of all five Glass Bead Mysteries and a glass bead bookmark from the author.

About the Author

Janice Peacock is a cozy mystery author who specializes in craft and hobby mysteries. She loves to write about artists who find new ways to live their lives and perhaps catch a criminal or two in the process. While working in a glass studio with several colorful and quirky artists, she was inspired to write the Glass Bead Mystery Series. The Ruby Shaw Mysteries, which are set in a small hillside mining town, were inspired by her trips to Jerome, Arizona, and Jacksonville, Oregon.

When Janice isn’t writing about amateur detectives, she wields a 2,500-degree torch to melt glass and create one-of-kind beads and jewelry. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, an enormous white dog, and an undisclosed number of cats. Visit Janice online at www.janicepeacock.com.

Author Links

Purchase Link – Amazon 

Review & Giveaway: DIAL M FOR MEOW by Ruth J. Hartman

~ CassidySalem ~ 1 Comment

As a bookwom and a confessed fan of almost all things furry, I was happy for the chance to read Dial M for Meow, a recent release by Ruth J. Hartman, and the first book in the new Bookshop Kitties Mysteries.

About the Book

When children’s book author, Christy Bailey, receives a call from her aunt Betty to help out at her bookshop, she drops everything to go. Christy packs up her two cats—Milton and Pearl, the stars of her children’s mystery books—and leaves busy Philadelphia for tiny Green Meadow, Indiana. The timing of the call is perfect, as Christy’s letch of an ex-boyfriend has just cleaned out her savings, leaving Christy with a pile of unpaid bills and a desire to start over. And what better place to do that than a charming small town in Middle America?

But when Christy reaches her aunt’s bookshop, instead of small town hospitality she finds a dead body! Even worse, her aunt is passed out in the corner, hands covered in blood. The dead woman is an old frenemy of her Aunt Betty, and while Christy knows her aunt is innocent, the local detective isn’t so sure. With Milton and Pearl prowling for clues, Christy is determined to find the real killer and clear her aunt’s name… before her story ends in tragedy!

My Review

Christy has only just arrived when a body is found in her aunt’s apartment. Predictably, she is determined to provide her Aunt’s innocence. In the course of her investigative efforts, she becomes acquainted (in some cases reacquainted) with the key players in the small town. Christy is strong willed and decidedly enamored of her real-life cats, who happen to star in her children’s books as well. With the help of friends, she discovers several persons who were quite happy to see Nan dead and buried, suspense builds, and the identify of the killer remains a mystery until almost the very end.

Overall, the story is well written. I loved the cats and their antics, but I think some of the cat-centered narrative could have been trimmed down to focus more on the mystery and its human characters and improve the overall place and flow of the book.

Cat lovers will particularly enjoy the personalities of Milton and Pearl, playful kittens who do their part in bringing the culprit to justice in what I found to be an enjoyable mystery.

FTC disclosure: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher. This has not affected the content of my review.

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win one of four copies of Dial M for Meow from the author.

About the Author

Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people’s recliners. Not that the cats couldn’t get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else’s.

Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying.

Ruth’s husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her despite her insistence all of her books have at least one cat in them. See updates about her cozy mysteries at Ruthjhartman.com.

Author Links

Purchase Link – Amazon 

Spotlight & Giveaway: DUMPSTER DYING by Michelle Bennington

~ CassidySalem ~ 3 Comments

Today’s post showcases the first book in a new cozy mystery series by an accomplished author – Michelle Bennington. I haen’t had a chance to read Dumpster Dying: A Hazardous Hoarder Mystery yet, but it sounds like a fun read to me.

About the Book

Birdie Harper is a widowed hoarder who lives with her husband’s ghost. The only thing she enjoys more than a good yard sale is a good dumpster dive. When she finds her latest treasure—a ceramic angel— she knows just who to bring it to.

Jenna Lawson is a cashier at the Blue Market convenience store where Birdie often shops. The two women have formed a strong bond to assuage the losses in their lives, and Birdie thinks of Jenna like the daughter she lost long ago. So, when Jenna goes missing, Birdie is determined to find out what happened to her.

As she works to unravel the mystery, a man at church, Neville Miller, shows interest in Birdie, leading her to wonder if the lonely days are finally coming to an end. But her ghostly husband, Walter, sure isn’t going to like it.

Birdie is on a hunt that may claim the ultimate price—her own life.

Giveaway

Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win an amazing prize package from the author: A mug, a paperback, candy, pen, and a home-made candle!

About the Author

Born and raised in the beautiful Bluegrass state of Kentucky, Michelle Bennington developed a passion for books early on that has progressed into a mild hoarding situation and an ever-growing to-read pile. She delights in spinning mysteries and histories. Find out more on her website: www.michellebennington.com

Author Links

Purchase Link – Amazon 

Review: SUMMER CAMP CULPRIT by C.K. Fyfe

~ CassidySalem ~ Leave a comment

For those of us who went to summer camp, it is easy to look back at those days through rose-colored glasses. Nostalgia for times gone by and sweet memories. But not all memories are sweet, as soon becomes apparent in Summer Camp Culprit, a romantic cozy mystery novella by C.K. Fyfe.

About the Book

Camp Starfall is closing. But that doesn’t mean the past is going with it.

Despite her misgivings, Lindsey returns to the campground she last left as a broken-hearted teen. She’s determined to spend Camp Starfall’s farewell weekend focusing on the good memories she has of her time as a camper. But fate has other plans.

Lindsey’s teenage sweetheart Tyler shows up, stirring up feelings in her that had long lain dormant. Too bad she doesn’t have time to dwell on him. Someone is breaking into the cabins, and if she doesn’t find the culprit, more than her heart will be at stake.

My Review

A visit to the summer camp she attended in her youth gives Lindsey the chance to reconnect with friends from her past, as well as get closure with respect to a painful memory from her last summer at the camp. I found it easy to identify with Lindsey and her misgivings. The story is sprinkled with a mixture of reminiscing, humor, and flashbacks to antics and events of the past. But something sinister is going on and Lindsey seizes on the opportunity to out the culprit, put her own demons to rest, and lay the foundation for new beginnings. This well written novella was ideal for a quick escape while travelling.

FTC disclosure: I received an advance review copy from the publisher. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

About the Author

C.K. Fyfe has always enjoyed a good mystery. Fyfe’s childhood love of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys led to a grown-up love of writing cozy mysteries with quirky, funny, and kindhearted characters. Fyfe lives in “The Wolverine State.” Much like wolverines, Fyfe’s villains have vicious dispositions, but the clever sleuths know how to tame their foes’ tempers.

Author Links