GoodReads – Page 66 – Rosepoint Publishing

#TBR – What’s Up Next? Crypto-Currency and Crime – or Is That Redundant?

#TBR

Just a little respite from the cozies to get into some serious, intelligent reading. I’m as ignorant of crypto-currency as I am of the Amazon algorithms, but thinking I’d tackle that subject downloaded The Enigma Source by Charles V Breakfield and Roxanne E Burkey from NetGalley. Holy Moly Batman, what have I gotten myself into!? Because the blurb is almost as long as the book, I’ll just mention that so far I am greatly enjoying a very intriguing, intricate, and solid technothriller.

The world is almost ready for fiat currency to be replaced by a superior digital currency. The trouble is, which one and who will own it? The R-Group is back and trying to guide the players to a safe destination in the complex world of cryptocurrency. The Global Bank has tasked Tonya to find and hire a cryptologist to create a new global cryptocurrency, though sometimes it seems she may not be up to the task. Along the way it appears she is the one getting played.

If you’ve heard the term and wondered what is going on with our greenbacks, you might tap into this, the tenth (yeah–the 10th!!–it’s possible I’ve missed something important in the first nine! Gees, always late to the party...) The Enigma Series Book 10 released August 11, 2018. Check it out.

Add to Goodreads

Malice by Jennifer Jaynes And I was ready for a rollicking good psychological thriller again and chose Malice by Jennifer Jaynes also from NetGalley. This one will release on September 25th, which means I’ll have to switch books temporarily.

The perfect life becomes the perfect nightmare in a twisting novel of psychological suspense from #1 USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Jaynes…

Dr. Daniel Winters is living a fairy-tale life. He has a beachfront home in Malibu, a career as a respected pediatrician at a thriving Los Angeles practice, and a gorgeous new wife, Mia. For a man whose past was rife with mental illness, addiction, and thoughts of suicide, it seems too good to be true.

This little ditty has already gotten 85 reviews on Goodreads at 4.62 stars. That’s pretty good for Goodreads and I’m looking forward to tearing into it.

High Crimes by Libby Fischer Hellmann And just in case I haven’t had enough on the thriller side of political conspiracies, I also downloaded from NetGalley High Crimes by Libby Fischer Hellman, the Georgia Davis PI Series Book 5. Oh good grief! When will I learn to start with Book 1? This one will be released on November 10, 2018. From the blurb…

How do you solve a murder when there are 42,000 suspects?
That’s the task facing Chicago PI Georgia Davis, hired to hunt down those ultimately responsible for the assassination of Resistance leader Dena Baldwin at a demonstration fourteen months after the 2016 election. The gunman, on a nearby hotel rooftop, dies within minutes of the shooting. As Georgia sifts through Dena’s 42,000 Facebook followers, she discovers that unknown enemies hiding behind fake profiles have infiltrated the group…

Reviews upcoming. After that, I’ll be ready to tackle those cozies I have lined up beginning in October. I’ll get back to you on those. Stay tuned…

#ThrowbackThursday – The 10th Cycle by JC Ryan

The 10th Cycle by JC Ryan

Renee began the #ThrowbackThursday meme on her blog, “It’s Book Talk“ to share some of her old favorites as well as sharing books published over a year ago. Hopefully, you’ll find either a story or author that interests you and you’ll check them out. And, if you’d like to join the fun, you’re welcome to use Renee’s pic from her website. Just provide the link back to her please).

This week I am highlighting JC Ryan, another terrific, prolific author who wrote The 10th Cycle: A Thriller. This novel was published on July 22, 2014 and is the first of seven in the Rossler Foundation Mystery series of technothrillers. He has written other series as well as standalones. He consistently runs approximately 4+ stars for any of his books sold on Amazon.

This book was recently downloaded as a freebie from BookBub and read by associate reviewer, the C E. It is his review that follows.

Book Blurb:

The truth about human history is about to be revealed. . . But will we be allowed to know it?

For thousands of years the truth about human history has intentionally been suppressed and exploited.

For decades scholars have been saying that the truth about human history will be found inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, but up till now no one has ever been able to find it. Those who tried have been ridiculed and persecuted.

Will Daniel Rossler and Dr. Sarah Clarke be allowed to uncover the real and true message? As they come closer to the truth, skepticism out of the academic community is replaced by evil and malicious adversaries, dumping them into a very hostile world where violence, deceit and duplicity become their daily companions. The mysterious Orion Society with its deranged and psychopathic members, the CIA, the Marines, the Mossad and even the President of the United States become involved. Not all of them have good intentions.

THE TENTH CYCLE is a full-length novel, a provocative technothriller about human history, conspiracies and an ancient society with power and money that will stop at nothing to reach their sinister goals.

Continue reading “#ThrowbackThursday – The 10th Cycle by JC Ryan”

Cast No Shadow: A Short Story #Review

Title: Cast No Shadow: A Short Story by Brandon Dragan

Genre: Literature & Fiction, Short Stories, Westerns(?)

Print Length: 65 pages

Publication Date: June 22, 2018

Source: Direct author request

ASIN: B07DHB437Q

Title and Cover: Cast No Shadow – Super cover reflects the timbre of the book

Dark and disturbing, this short story packs a wallop. Set in an early ’80s Texas locale, a Vietnam vet lives with his wife and nine-year-old son. He has a cadre of his military buddies close by and is together engaged in an unusual activity, creatively borne of a passionate love of country, military comrades, and the state of their world upon return with the brutal knowledge left by their collective/respective war experience.

First, you should know the dialogue is written in the style of Cormac McCarthy, a tribute by the author to McCathy’s particular style of writing. Dragan’s own style is clipped and adult or child appropriate and while the absence of quotation marks on dialogue is present, it quickly becomes part of the natural story progression and doesn’t cause a lot of tripping. The narrative is written in first person account, which lends you a strong masculine sensitivity to his personal backstory. (There are, of course, many words considered seaman worthy and the reader should also be aware of some adult activity.)

That said, there is an obvious love between protagonist Beau Moreland and his wife Annabelle and their son. He has been honest with his wife and she is aware of his “extracurricular” activities, sans specific details. His son loves to play ball and he is careful to interact with him in practice and attend games.

His after-hours activities involve members of his ex-troop who feel the need to pursue a fight against an inexorable and deadly activity despoiling their population. They will take a stand where justice fails. The author has an interesting descriptive manner and the short narrative doesn’t need to be broken up into chapters, but engages you immediately. You need no commercial breaks to march through to the heart-stopping conclusion.

This is not the first vigilante offering I’ve read of late but is certainly one of the most powerful and again seems to offer up the opinion that this form of justice may come at too great an extreme cost. Is it still wrong if you are trying to right a wrong?

This is a well-paced short story, devastating, haunting, and heartrending. The poignant love and lesson a father bestow to his child takes on epic proportions. This is a conclusion you can’t see coming, like a ninja in the night, it’s a black warrior, and it leaves you crying NOOO…(take it back!). But there are no do-overs, only unanswered questions.

I received this download from the author and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review. It is one that leaves an impression on your heart and a chill down your arms.

(Crap! Can we get a new ending? Please?)

Recommended for those who appreciate short stories, literature and fiction, thrillers, crime fiction, and vigilante justice.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five of Five Stars

The Author: Brandon Dragan grew up in New Jersey, just miles from the Lincoln Tunnel.

At eighteen he left home to attend Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

He draws on a wide range of influences—from literature to history, to philosophy—to craft meaningful and often surprising narratives that challenge the status quo and reach for a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.

Brandon and his wife Jami live in the Nashville area with their two daughters, Natalie and Brooklyn.

He enjoys road cycling and is an avid supporter of Arsenal Football Club.

Nice Try, Afton – a #BookReview

Title: Nice Try, Afton (Afton Morrison Series Book 3) by Brent Jones

Genre: Thriller, Crime Fiction, Vigilante Justice

Novella: 111 Pages

Publication Date: To be released September 17, 2018

Source: Direct author request

Title and Cover: Nice Try, Afton – Love these beautiful covers

With Wakefield smothering in the smoky haze from recent arsons and oppressive humidity from the recent downpour in the summer heat, Afton scrambled to avoid detection by the National Guard seeking a meeting with her nemesis. The dramatic conclusion to book 2 left the town in smoldering shambles and Afton’s unintentional cohorts, including her brother Chris and his girlfriend Tia, Jared, and Kim, extremely vulnerable. Afton makes a last-ditch effort to cloak her companions and perhaps divert the familial revelation divulged in book 2.

Discussing the brutal assault in the open with companions accidentally involved didn’t do much to clear the air or formulate a plan. But one thing is sure–they must move. Afton and brother Chris go on a search, hoping to track down that familial connection. They discover, however, that Tia’s expected safe haven was insufficient to provide the protection they thought was proffered.

In an ever-increasing tangle of deception, misdirection, and twists, the narrative continues to stump and perplex the reader. Can there be any solution to this dark plot involving a protagonist professed vigilante murderess? Is she too heinous to actually become empathetic or are we beginning to see the emergence of contrived misconception here. There appears some kind of evolution in a psyche long forged by birth and later circumstances.

As I’ve mentioned before, Jones delivers his unlikely protagonist in intense and raw dialogue, adult situations, and language. It is a novella of nail-biting hard-core suspense and you won’t get to breathe until Book 4 is done and won. These characters pit each other in good vs evil and we’ve yet to see their true colors as they continue to evolve.

Author Brent Jones calls his series an abstract of “moral ambiguity.” Indeed! A puzzling contradiction. See my review of the second in the series, See You Soon, Afton and Go Home, Afton (#1) here. It’s a series, and really, you can’t and shouldn’t see book 3 as a standalone. Go back and begin with Go Home, Afton. (These are short–you’ll catch up!)

The Afton Morrison Series by Brent Jones

I was sent this ebook novella download by the author and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review. You should begin with book 1 to get the complete fleshing of Afton. This series is recommended for any who enjoy a dark plot, graphic situations, crime, adrenaline-inducing action, mystery, and suspense.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four of Five Stars

The Author: From bad checks to bathroom graffiti, Brent Jones has always been drawn to writing. He won a national creative writing competition at the age of fourteen, although he can’t recall what the story was about. Seventeen years later, he gave up his career to pursue creative writing full-time.

Jones writes from his home in Fort Erie, Canada. He’s happily married, a bearded cyclist, a mediocre guitarist, and the proud owner of two dogs with a God complex. Subscribe to his newsletter (AuthorBrentJones.com) or follow him on social media (@AuthorBrentJ) for updates.

#ThrowbackThursday – Riptide: a Florida Panhandle Mystery #2 by Michaela Thompson

#ThrowbackThursday-Riptide

This week I am highlighting Michaela Thompson, another terrific, prolific author who wrote Riptide: a Florida Panhandle Mystery, which I reviewed on Goodreads and received through free download from BookBub. This novel was published by booksBnimble on March 5, 2014. She consistently runs approximately 3.5-4 stars for any of her books sold on Amazon.

Originally posted October 22, 2016

Book Blurb:

As intricate as a fisherman’s net, Riptide fairly writhes with sinister delights—family secrets, family feuds, lost family fortunes, betrayals, puzzles, sunken treasure… and murder, of course. With a bit of illicit romance and treachery thrown in for seasoning. This rife atmosphere swirls around New York artist Isabel Anders, who’s summoned home to tiny St. Elmo, Florida to deal with an emergency: the aunt who raised her has been brutally—and mysteriously—injured.

Isabel arrives to find the family mansion in ruins, her aunt living in a trailer, and, dangerous as a cottonmouth, the lover she left at sixteen just where he used to be. Waiting for her. Except now he’s got a grudge against her, a secret of his own, and some unsavory companions. Just when Isabel’s aunt seems to be getting better (but before she’s able to talk again) she dies just as mysteriously as she was injured. Suspecting murder, Isabel quickly ties her aunt’s death to another.

But to find the killer, she has to hack her way through a small-town jungle of intrigue and several generations of interrelated secrets, producing hours of pulse-pounding delight for the confirmed puzzle fan.

WHO WILL LIKE IT: Fans of Laura Lippman, Kate Atkinson, intelligent cozies like those by G.M. Malliett, Elizabeth Zelvin, and Gillian Roberts, British puzzlemeisters like the great Dorothy L. Sayers herself, all BBC mysteries, and of course, Michaela Thompson’s own Hurricane Season.

My Review:

So the story doesn’t move with the speed of a hurricane, but there is a slow building of character, setting, and backstory to clarify the reason for Isabel to reluctantly return to Cape St. Elmo and to an aunt that raised her with an iron fist.

Protagonist Isabel is a New York artist whose idea of love is an uncomplicated romp in the hay with an older French gentleman or a former high school sweetheart who she had left without so much as a kiss goodbye. Isabel is not a character that elicits a lot of empathy, though the plot does develop some side characters with enough sympathy to fill the void. Kimmie Dee seems to be the typical kid, and it’s obvious she still loves her dad, though he’s not exactly a rocket scientist. Former high school sweetheart isn’t one either and he is unhappy…just plain unhappy, so he is easy…just…easy.

The dialogue reflecting the intellect of the various characters takes on an interesting hue. Her hapless aunt, Merriam, has done the best she could and though no love lost, leaves Isabel knowing her death wasn’t a natural one. The antagonist was perhaps obvious, though certainly not the one we wanted to be the villain.

A treasure hunt begins rather early, and weaves in and out of the story, but it leaves a dissatisfying climax and a disappointing solution to characters that were hoped would fare better. A somewhat quirky, disquieting venture; but generates enough interest to keep turning pages. Mystery, treasure, and amateur sleuths, but you can’t really call it a cozy. Any redeeming qualities in the protagonist? hmm…I can’t think of any.

About the Author:

Michaela Thompson - author (Michaela Thompson) I’ve written seven mystery-suspense novels, set in wide-ranging locales: Hurricane Season and Riptide explore the beaches and swamps of the Florida Panhandle, where I grew up; Paper Phoenix features a romance between a disillusioned divorcee and a much younger crusading journalist in 70’s San Francisco; a failure analyst chases private demons to India in Fault Tree; a group of friends plays a deadly game at the Venice Carnival in Venetian Mask; and Magic Mirror and A Temporary Ghost recount the dangerous adventures of freelance journalist Georgia Lee Maxwell, who moves to France with her cat on a whim and ends up solving murders in Paris and Provence. All are now available as e-books.

I’ve been a mystery fan my entire life. I love the form because it’s endlessly flexible, yet the structure is always there.

I live in New York City, but spend significant time in the Florida Panhandle. My novels were originally published under the name Mickey Friedman.

More Throwback Thursday Blogs

Renee at Its Book Talk

Jill at Jill’s Book Cafe

Rebecca at The Book Whisperer

Lynne at Fictionophile

Sam at Clues and Reviews

Holly B at Dressedtoread

Deanna at DeesRadReads and Reviews

Amanda at Literary Weaponry

Annie at The Misstery

Mischenko at Read Rant Rock and Roll

Laurie at Cozy Nook Books

Ann Marie at LItWitWineDine

Susan at Susan Loves Books

Cathy at What Cathy Read Next

Cathy at Between the Lines

Amy at Novel Gossip

Diana at A Haven for Booklovers

Midnight Snacks are Murder by Libby Klein (A Poppy McAllister Mystery) #BookTour #BookReview #Giveaway

I am so delighted today to provide a review for you at my blog stop for Midnight Snacks are Murder by Libby Klein on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. Scroll down to enter for your chance to win the Giveaway!

Book Details

Midnight Snacks are Murder (A Poppy McAllister Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Kensington (July 31, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1496713056
Digital ASIN: B0776HFC8V

Book Blurb

When her sleepwalking aunt is accused of committing murder, Poppy McAllister finds out there’s no rest for the weary . . .

Between trying to get her gluten-free baking business off the ground and helping her aunt remodel her old Victorian into the Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast in Cape May, New Jersey, Poppy is ready to call, “Mayday!” And now Aunt Ginny—who’s a handful wide-awake—is sleepwalking on her new sleeping pill prescription and helping herself to neighbors’ snacks and knickknacks.

Even more alarming, a local humanitarian who worked with troubled teens is found murdered, and the police suspect the “Snack Bandit.” Other than a bad case of midnight munchies and some mild knickknack kleptomania, Aunt Ginny is harmless. Someone’s trying to frame her. Poppy will need to work tirelessly to uncover the killer and put the case to rest—before Aunt Ginny has to trade in her B & B for a bunk bed behind bars . . .

Includes Seven Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!

My Review

I love that this cozy mystery includes a plus-sized widow of middle age trying valiantly to get on with life! She has discovered a Paleo niché for herself with the local gorgeous Italian barista. Her gluten-free desserts are finding a market along with a new possible love interest, but is that just one more complication she doesn’t need?

Poppy McAllister is a 40ish protagonist who has moved into her Aunt Ginny’s old Victorian they are trying to convert into the Butterfly House B&B in Cape May, NJ. But as anyone with a cantankerous but healthy octogenarian in tow will tell you, that isn’t easy, even less so when former mother-in-law Georgina comes to help with the renovation with investment money and more than a little opinion about how the rooms should be finished.

Unfortunately, about this time, Aunt Ginny begins sleepwalking and helping herself to her neighbors’ cupboards in their kitchens and knick-knacks in general. By the time they’ve gotten to the bottom of her sleep-aid medications, there has been a homicide down the block and it doesn’t look good for feisty Aunt Ginny, the “Snack Bandit.”

Unfortunately, the victim was a recent recipient of the local Humanitarian Award for working tirelessly with at-risk teens. His fervor and every dime went into the Teen Center and he had made great strides with many of his wards. It doesn’t seem possible he could have an enemy at that level of passion.

As Poppy discovers, since Amber apparently had history with Poppy before, she is determined this time she has her (wo)man and won’t be working hard to find another suspect. This one appears just too easy.

In the meantime, this well-plotted cozy mystery starts uncovering all the twists and turns you’ve come to expect in a cozy mystery. The protagonist has been well developed in the first of the series and continues to flesh in #2. She has a BFF in Sawyer and old schoolmate Tim, who is trying for a second chance now that she is looking at the end of her mourning period. Red herrings are thrown in when Poppy feels she has a strong person of interest, but in going about gathering evidence appears to open more of Pandora’s boxes.

Sassy, snappy dialogue borders at times on being a bit juvenile or trying too hard (possibly) for a younger age group and Aunt Ginny’s antics push the patience button. Still, there are a number of humorous passages, scenes that include the resident cat Figaro, and confrontations with the independent contractor/handyman and Georgina to lighten the plot and keep a steady pace throughout the narrative. It’s easy to tear through to the end and in the end included a culprit that could not have been guessed earlier. A satisfying conclusion that ties all loose ends and proceeds to Epilogue.

I was given this ebook download by the publisher and NetGalley for the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review. This is definitely a fun book, looking to be a great series and an author to keep an eye on. Recommended to all cozy mystery fans. (And yes, gluten-free recipes to try at the back of the book. Even I found one of interest!)

Giveaway

Don’t forget to sign up for your chance to win one of two print copies of Midnight Snacks Are Murder in this Rafflecopter giveaway

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five of Five Stars

About the Author

Libby Klein dabbles in the position of Vice President of a technology company which mostly involves bossing other people around, making spreadsheets, and taking out the trash. She writes culinary cozy mysteries from her Northern Virginia office while trying to keep her cat Figaro off her keyboard.

(From Amazon Author page) Libby Klein graduated Lower Cape May Regional High School sometime in the ’80s. Her classes revolved mostly around the culinary sciences and theater, with the occasional nap in Chemistry. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that forced her to remove gluten from her kitchen and adopt a Paleo Diet. Now her life revolves around coffee and bacon. When she’s not feeling sorry for herself that she can’t eat bread, she writes from her Northern Virginia office… Most of her hobbies revolve around eating, and travel, and eating while traveling.

Author Links

Website – https://libbykleinbooks.com/

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

Twitter – https://twitter.com/LibbyKleinBooks

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/libbykleinbooks/

Purchase Links

Amazon B&N Kobo Google Play BookBub

Thank you for visiting my stop on the tour and please visit the other stops listed below!

Tour Participants:

July 31 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

July 31 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

August 1 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST

August 1 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT

August 2 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

August 2 – The Power of Words – REVIEW

August 3 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

August 3 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 4 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW

August 5 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

August 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

August 6 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW

August 6 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT

August 7 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – REVIEW

August 7 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

August 8 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW

August 8 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW, GUEST POST

August 9 – Maureen’s Musings – REVIEW

August 9 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

August 10 – The Cozy Pages – REVIEW

August 10 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW

August 11 – Bookworm Cafe – REVIEW

August 11 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW

August 12 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

August 12 – Readeropolis – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

August 13 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

August 13 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this cozy mystery!

#ThrowbackThursday – The Hawks of Kamalon by Michael Reisig

Throwback Thursday-The Hawks of Kamalon

This week I am highlighting Michael Reisig, another terrific, prolific author who wrote The Hawks of Kamalon, which I reviewed on Goodreads. He has actually written a number of amazing books and series, many of which I’ve already alluded to on this blog, either introducing a new Key West series novel, a Caribbean Gold series novel, or another Throwback Thursday offering. This novel was published by Write Way Publishing on December 16, 2013. He consistently runs approximately 4.5 stars for any of his books sold on Amazon. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading one of his action-adventures, you owe it to yourself to check them out!

Originally posted February 20, 2015

Book Blurb:

The Hawks of Kamalon is an amalgam of gripping science fiction and wonderful storytelling, with imagery that becomes more believable with each page. A Number One Nation-Wide Best-Selling Book for Books In Motion Audio Books!
A small squadron of British and American aircraft depart at dawn on a long-range strike into Germany, but as they cross the English Channel, the squadron vanishes.

Drawn thousands of light-years across the galaxy by Kamalon’s “Sensitive Mothers,” ten men and eight aircraft are greeted by a roaring crowd in a field before the provincial capitol, on the continent of Azra; a land in desperate need of champions.

Captain Ross Murdock and the ’51 Squadron are cast into a whirlwind adventure of intrigue, treachery, and romance as they are “culled” back and forth across the universe, outwitting and outrunning the Germans, while they attempt to foil the invasion of Azra by the neighboring continent of Krete.

The Hawks of Kamalon is a heart-hammering adventure in the classic tradition of Robert Heinlein, but it also examines the parameters of faith and friendship, the qualities that define civilization, and the width and depth of spirit.

Continue reading “#ThrowbackThursday – The Hawks of Kamalon by Michael Reisig”

Death Over Easy (A Country Store Mystery #5) by Maddie Day #BlogTour #BookReview #Giveaway

I am so delighted today to provide a review for you at my blog stop for Death Over Easy by Maddie Day on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. Scroll down to enter your chance to win the Giveaway!

Book Details

Death Over Easy (A Country Store Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Kensington (July 31, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1496711236
Digital ASIN: B0776H5T7B

Restaurateur Robbie Jordan is ready for the boost in business a local music festival brings to South Lick, Indiana, but the beloved event strikes a sour note when one of the musicians is murdered . . .

June’s annual Brown County Bluegrass Festival at the Bill Monroe Music Park in neighboring Beanblossom is always a hit for Robbie’s country store and café, Pans ‘N Pancakes. This year, Robbie is even more excited, because she’s launching a new bed and breakfast above her shop. A few festival musicians will be among Robbie’s first guests, along with her father, Roberto, and his wife, Maria. But the celebration is cut short when a performer is found choked to death by a banjo string. Now all the banjo players are featured in a different kind of lineup. To clear their names, Robbie must pair up with an unexpected partner to pick at the clues and find the plucky killer before he can conduct an encore performance . . .

Includes Recipes for You to Try!

Robbie Jordan has added several renovated rooms above her Pans ‘N Pancakes restaurant and turned the Country Store slash cafe into a B&B in South Lick, Indiana. She’s excited about the annual music bluegrass festival in Beanblossom, and will be hosting a few of the festival musicians as well as her Italian father, Roberto, and his wife.

It doesn’t take long, however, for things to turn a sour note when one of the musicians is found dead. Robbie’s boyfriend Abe played a trial set with the victim and it would seem she was a person you either loved or loved to hate, which helps to generate a multitude of suspects. Robbie hadn’t gotten to know the victim well, but as she was in her puzzle group (definitely a new one for me!), she knew of her. Pia was definitely on a rant prior to death, owing money and arguing about it, unhappy with the music set she was playing with Abe, and unhappy with the event coordinator. It would seem that Pia has her fingers on more than her banjo, however, being a music student at UI, connected with Phil, immigrant from Italy, and known to her dad. With the way she was boosting tension though, I’d have strangled her myself!

Lieutenant Buck Bird of the local South Lick Police Department and Detective Anne Henderson coordinate handling the case as it’s outside the jurisdiction of South Lick. These are small rural communities where everyone knows everyone and their business, and if they don’t, make it their business to know. It doesn’t take long for Robbie to begin working on the crossword puzzle, trying to make sense of the drama, when another homicide occurs that would appear connected by a musical string.

Part of Robbie’s staff includes Danna, who has a boyfriend Isaac who exhibits PTSD periodically and seems he is suspect by default. Danna is a big part of the cafe, often suggests and implements daily specials. She is worth far more than she is paid, I’m sure. The hours are crazy, the work non-stop, and especially with an event close by, requires solid, heads-up 24/7 attention. I enjoy bluegrass music and that attracted my attention, as well as the location in Indiana. Just love that cover! The dialect in some of the dialogue, however, sounded more like uneducated backwoods than Indiana. (HOPE we don’t sound like that!) Reading the description of the management of the cafe had me very glad it was one business I was never interested in.

There are twists and turns, characters perhaps fully fleshed in previous series installments somewhat lacking here, and a protagonist with a very nosy attitude but fairly keen sense of business. (That’s why she’s the sleuth and I’m not!) Perhaps reading previous installments would have led me deeper into empathy. The storyline progresses well and maintains interest, just that I couldn’t develop an invested interest in the protagonist and never really did get to know her boyfriend, or her aunt Adele.

I was given this ebook download by the publisher and NetGalley through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours and appreciated the opportunity to read and review this cozy mystery. Recommended for all familiar with the author, the series, and those who enjoy cozy mysteries with a crossword puzzle flavor and good southern Indiana recipes.

Don’t miss your opportunity to win one of two print copies of Death Over Easy in this Rafflecopter giveaway

Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef and holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-nominated author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and three cats in Massachusetts.

As Edith Maxwell, she writes the Local Foods Mysteries (Kensington Publishing) and the Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Midnight Ink).

You can find all Maddie’s/Edith’s identities at http://www.edithmaxwell.com. She blogs every weekday with the other Wicked Cozy Authors at wickedcozyauthors.com. Look for her as Edith M. Maxwell and Maddie Day on Facebook and @edithmaxwell and @maddiedayauthor on Twitter.