Book Title: FAMILY IS MURDER
Author: Carolyn Arnold
Series: McKinley Mysteries, Book 5
Published by: Hibbert & Stiles
Publishing Inc.
ISBN (e-book): 978-1-988064-58-1
ISBN
(paperback 4 x 6): 978-1-988353-29-6
ISBN (paperback 5 x 8): 978-1-988064-47-5
ASIN: B00LLLG28Q
148 pages
If only there were someone to clean up
this mess…
Sean
and Sara McKinley put out an ad for a maid, but they never expected Sara’s
birth mother to apply—or at least that’s who the woman is claiming she is.
While Sean is suspicious of her true identity and motive, Sara opens her heart
to the woman. But when a dead body turns up soon after Sara’s supposed mother
takes off without so much as a good-bye, they both start to question the truth.
Could
they have welcomed a killer into their home and not even known it?
Links & Goodreads:
What to expect from the McKinley Mysteries:
Romance. Humor. Murder. Are you looking for a murder
mystery without all the graphic violence and foul language? Something that you
can enjoy in an afternoon and walk away feeling good about afterward? How about
a dash of humor and romance? If so, meet former detectives Sean and Sara
McKinley. When a billionaire leaves them all his money, they no longer have to
work, but they find themselves sticking to what they’re good at—solving
murders. Undercover, off the books, and around the world, they’ll get to the
bottom of things…and romance it up along the way.
This is
the perfect book series for fans of Hart to Hart, Castle, Colombo, Monk, Rockford
Files, Psych, and Magnum PI.
Read in
any order or follow the series from the beginning.
Excerpt from chapter 3 of Family
is Murder (McKinley Mysteries)
Hasty Preparations
SEAN KNEW SARA’S HEART WAS jumping in
before she listened to the warnings that would be going off in her head. But
that was his Sara—always taking a leap before assessing the fall. He wasn’t
just going to stand by and watch the woman he loved get hurt, though. The
chances of this being her mother, after all these years, was hard to believe.
Why resurface now if it wasn’t for the money? It seemed easier to accept that
she was a fake, playing a role in staking a
claim in their fortune.
While the DNA tests would confirm or
deny whether she was, in fact, Sara’s biological mother, until then how much drama would
Sara live through? Whether she verbalized it or not, he could tell by the
subtle twist of her lips, the way she looked on this woman, that she wanted to
believe this was her real mom. There was also a mess in Sara’s eyes, a swirl
that, to him, spoke to guilt.
Sara hadn’t stopped moving since
they got back to the house. She was hurrying around tidying up and preparing
the meal.
On her way by this time, he took her
hand to slow her stride, and he drew her in to
him. “You can relax, darling. It will all work out.”
“I just want everything to be perfect.” Her eyes scanned his.
“And it will be.” He led her to a sofa in their sitting room. “Please,
darling, sit and let’s talk.”
Her eyes sparked. “I know what
you’re going to say.”
He tapped the tip of her nose. “You’ve always
been sort of a mind reader, but—”
“You’re going to tell me to keep my head about me, to not rush to accept
this woman as my mother.”
The way she stared into his eyes
made him feel like he was the enemy. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“And I appreciate that.” Her raised shoulders relaxed slightly, and her
tone softened when she continued. “I know that you had a rough life, Sean. You
lost your mother when you were nine, your father when you were a young adult.
But I’ve never known my real parents.” She paused, and there was that flicker
of guilt dancing across her eyes. “Jeannie and Leon are the world to me. They were there for me from the
beginning and will always be Mom and Dad. But, if this woman is who she claims
to be, well, this may sound silly, but I’ll feel I belong in this world.”
He wasn’t prepared for
those words and they attacked him as if a thrown fist, hitting him dead in the
heart.
She put her hand on his leg. “Darling,
please, know that I love you with all my heart and soul.”
He nodded. No words would form.
“And that didn’t come out right. I know I belong because of you, because
of Jeannie and Leon, but this is my chance to know where I came from. I have
never had a blood relative all my life.”
The way her eyes misted as she spoke
chipped away at the gnawing pain in his chest, somehow making his life
experience seem less significant. Still, losing his mother had impacted him as
a boy. He remembered the isolation, the separation from others his age when
there were school outings. Even watching his friends unpack their boxed
lunches, he knew their mothers had taken extra care. His dad had tried, bless
his soul, but he was a man. He didn’t put the little cards in his lunch box telling him
to smile or reminding him that he was
loved. While the boys who received these would blush from embarrassment, Sean
would have traded spots with them in a heartbeat.
Yes, he knew grief, he knew heartache, he knew what it was like to be
left in the world without a blood relative—but the latter not fully. He had his
dad until he was nineteen and, to this day, he had his uncle Ray, although he
lived in North Carolina.
He wanted to warn her to guard her
heart, but seeing the look in her eyes, he couldn’t speak those words. “I’m happy for you.”
She leaned in and kissed him, then
pulled back slowly. “I love you for that.”
He nodded and smiled. She had stolen
his heart two years ago when he’d first met her, and with their spoken vows
that bond had only solidified into concrete.
Sara tapped the couch and went to
get up. “I better get that roast in the oven.”
“Roast?”
One of her brows arched slightly
higher than the other, a smirk on her lips. “Yes, and I am fully capable of cooking it, you know.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, I never
said that you weren’t.”
“Uh-huh.” She laughed as she pranced back to the kitchen.
Sean stayed on the couch, his heart
wanting to accept Leslie, but his mind warring against the request. He would
try to open up, for Sara’s sake, but there was a little voice inside his head
that cautioned him to stay vigilant.
CAROLYN ARNOLD
is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker,
teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction
series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and
Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre
diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and
thrillers to action adventures.
Both her female
detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement
as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE
PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born
in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the
lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her
overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to
touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and
empower.
She currently
lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime
Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime.
Connect with CAROLYN ARNOLD Online:
Website - http://carolynarnold.net/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Carolyn_Arnold
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynArnold
And don’t forget to sign up for her
newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters.
No comments:
Post a Comment