Something Shady at Sunshine Haven (The Accidental Detective) by Kris Bock
About Something Shady at Sunshine Haven
Something Shady at Sunshine Haven (The Accidental Detective)
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Arizona Tule Publishing (April 7, 2022)
Paperback : 324 pages
ISBN-10 : 195489449X
ISBN-13 : 978-1954894495
Digital ASIN : B097WJYYBZ
She’s pursued the most dangerous news stories around the world. But can she survive going home?
Injured in a bombing, war correspondent Kate Tessler returns to her hometown in Arizona to recover. For the first time in her life, she's starting to feel her age of nearly fifty despite living like a teenager again: staying in her childhood bedroom with only a cat for company, trying to understand why her sister resents her so much, and running into people who still refer to her as Kitty. The hardest part? Seeing her once-sharp and witty mother stuck in an Alzheimer's unit.
When an old friend asks her to investigate suspicious deaths at the nursing home, Kate limps into action. Is a self-appointed "Angel of Mercy" killing patients to end their suffering? Are family members hastening their inheritance? Is an employee extorting money and removing the witnesses? Kate uses her journalism skills to track clues, but the puzzle pieces simply won’t fit.
If Kate can't uncover the truth quickly, her mother could be next on the killer's list.
Read an Excerpt!
My childhood home had faded in the harsh Arizona sun and now showed its age—rather like me. I’d never dreamed of living here again after thirty years of traveling the world.
This is temporary. You’ll find a way out.
“Do you need help?” My sister had already hinted that picking me up at the airport had been one more burden in her busy life.
“I got it.” I eased out of the car and limped to the trunk to retrieve my travel backpack, still getting used to my new cane. My thigh throbbed where the doctors had dug out the shrapnel and stitched it back together with Frankenstein scars. My usual fast stride was an awkward hobble up the walkway. My luggage might have been “light,” considering it held everything I owned, but it still nudged the airline’s weight limit.
The front door opened, and I forced a smile. Jen disappeared inside, and Dad and I stood face-to-face.
Our smiles faltered. I dropped the backpack and stumbled into his arms. Tension drained out of my body. I blinked back tears and felt his frailty, the tremor in his hands. He smelled like Dad with a hint of a newer scent, something that only seemed to come from old men.
“Welcome home,” he whispered.
“It’s good to be home.” I needed to rest and heal, and where better to do that than in my parents’ house? In a few weeks—I promised myself weeks, not months, and definitely not years—I would be well enough to return to journalism. “How’s Mom?”
“Good. Well, you know. She’s settled in. She can’t wait to see you.”
I didn’t ask if she’d remember me. I hadn’t noticed signs of Alzheimer’s on my last visit, but that had been a year ago, and Jen assured me Mom had faded fast.
“Hey, a friend of yours runs the care home. She gave me a message for you. Said it was urgent.” He shuffled through the mail on the little table by the door.
I couldn’t think of any friends in Arizona. I hadn’t had any here since my childhood. My friends were scattered around the world, wherever news was happening. If she ran the nursing home, she might hope I’d write a story on the facility to promote it, or do some free PR work. Drat. Were people going to treat me like I had nothing better to do than give away my time?
Double drat. I did not, in fact, have anything better to do. And I wanted a nap.
Dad handed me an envelope. I leaned on the door and propped my cane against the table so I had two hands to tear open the envelope. The handwritten message inside was brief:
Kitty—Please come see me ASAP. I need your help.
—Heather Garcia
“She sounded . . .” Dad hesitated. “She asked about your journalism and begged me to bring you in as soon as possible.”
About Kris Bock
Kris Bock writes novels of mystery, suspense, and romance, many with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Get a free Accidental Detective short story and bonus material when you sign up for her newsletter. You’ll also get a free 30-page sweet romance set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café and a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels
Kris is also writing a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Follow the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie. Sign up for our romantic comedy newsletter and get Felony Melanie Destroys the Moonshiner’s Cabin. Or find the books on Amazon US or All E-book retailers
Find Kris:TOUR PARTICIPANTS
May 24 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 24 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 25 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
May 25 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
May 26 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
May 26 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
May 27 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
May 27 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
May 28 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
May 28 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
May 29 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
May 30 – Novels Alive – SPOTLIGHT
May 31 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 31 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
June 1 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST
June 2 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
June 2 – Rebecca M Douglass, Author – REVIEW, GUEST POST
June 3 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
June 3 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 4 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
June 4 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 5 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – SPOTLIGHT
June 5 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
June 6 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
June 6 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
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