Sazerac, Sleuth & Slay (An Andi Anna Jones Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Setting - In, and around, New Orleans
The Wild Rose Press, Inc (February 27, 2023)
Paperback : 260 pages
ISBN-10 : 1509247440
ISBN-13 : 978-1509247448
Digital ASIN : B0BQGVDG7P
It’s gonna be a great day! Or, so she thought.
Andi Anna Jones, so-so travel agent, amateur sleuth, doesn’t suspect her least favorite client, Stewart (The Pain) Payne, will set off circumstances that lead to disappearance and death.
After his wife is a no-show for a convention in New Orleans, his threat to sue Graves Travel for “ten times more than it’s worth”, and Andi’s wish to honor one of her late dad's requests, leads her to The Big Easy in search of Grace Payne.
Five unsolved murders, a body caught in a crawfish cage, and a mysterious candle, magic, and incense shop, takes Andi deep into the bayou on a hunt for clues.
Will another victim be added to a serial killer’s list, or is the main suspect closer to Andi than she thinks?
My attention shifted to the sound of screeching tires in the agency parking lot. A ’91 faded orange Camaro flew into an empty parking space; one wheel climbing halfway up the tire abutment before thudding back to the pavement. The driver applied mascara as the car Sazerac, Sleuth & Slay 9 came to a stop. Ripping off her T-Shirt, she tugged at her bra, and grabbed something from the back seat. Slipping a sundress over her head, she sprang from the driver’s seat. A vigorous yank, on the hem of the dress that had caught in her waistband, allowed its fall to the appropriate place six inches above the knee.
Ellie. It always amazed me how she could roll out of bed and be at work in twenty minutes, especially when she lived fifteen minutes away. Snatching her purse off the passenger seat, she slammed the car door. Reopened the car door. Grabbed a gigantic gas station soda. Repeated the slamming process. Watching her barrel through the front door of the agency with the same gusto she’d parked the car, I braced for another dramatic entrance.
“Hey, Jonesy. Sorry I’m late,” she announced between slurps on the straw of the Big Gulp, “but I had a night you wouldn’t believe!” I braced again; this time for a thirty-minute account of hers and Rodney’s latest exploits. Did they prompt another visit from the fire department after setting on fire the top of another palmetto tree in a futile attempt to “burn out” the nasty black bugs that nested in the top fronds? Perhaps sink another paddle boat in the middle of the man-made lake bordering their Florida ranch?
Leaning back in my chair, I refocused my attention on her nasal twang as she yacked about Wan and Chantelle, their neighbors, whose arguments, according to Ellie, were legendary. Wan, swearing in high-pitched Chinese-English, and Chantelle threatening, in sing-song Jamaican, to lay a curse on every single one of his body parts.
“I swear, Jonesy, when we were at their place for dinner last night, I made the mistake of lifting the lid off a pot boiling on the stove. A goat head stared back at me! That was enough to convince me she could cook up some nasty curses on just about anybody.”
Ellie plopped down in front of a computer and quickly logged on while continuing her narrative. “One thing for sure, if Wan ever disappears, ain’t no way I’m looking in any of her pots!” She jumped up and headed to the back. “Can you hold the fort while I brush my teeth and spray some deodorant under my arms?”
I’ve been holding it down for the past hour-and-a half! “Sure, no problem. The customers and I will appreciate your efforts.”
She popped her head back around the corner. “Did you make coffee? I like to gargle with it to get that awful toothpaste taste out of my mouth.”
Well, that’s a new one. “Careful. It’s hot,” was all I managed to say.
Author, Mary Cunningham grew up on the northern side of the Ohio River in Corydon, Indiana.
Her first memories are of her dad’s original bedtime stories that no doubt inspired imagination and love of a well-spun “yarn”.
Through the author’s horrifying stint as a travel agent, protagonist Andi Anna Jones, travel agent and amateur sleuth, sprang to life. The adult/mystery series gives extra meaning to the phrase, “Write what you know.”
Cunningham also has a published biography depicting a military brat, college and professional basketball player, along with a five-book, middle-grade fantasy series.
She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime, Atlanta Chapter, International Thriller Writers, Inc., and the Carrollton Writers Guild.
When she gives her fingers a break from the keyboard, she enjoys golf, swimming, and exploring the mountains of West Georgia where she makes her home with her husband.
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
February 27 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
February 27 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
February 28 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 1 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 2 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 2 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 3 – Literary Gold – REVIEW
March 4 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW
March 5 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
March 5 – Jane Reads – AUTHOR INTERVIEW, EXCERPT
March 6 – Baroness Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 6 – Novels Alive – REVIEW – SPOTLIGHT
March 7 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
March 7 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 8 – I’m Into Books – AUTHOR GUEST POST
I so want to read this one this winter season it sounds super good.
ReplyDeleteheather hgtempaddy
Good luck!
DeleteThanks for the comment!
DeleteThanks for featuring my new release!
DeleteYou are welcome Mary!
DeleteHope you enjoy the book!!
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to try a sazerac, since the recipe sounded delicious! That alligator on the cover looks cute! The characters sound interesting too.
ReplyDeleteIt does sound interesting! Thanks Denise!
DeleteI’ve never had a Sazerac either, but thought the recipe on the Bulleit Bourbon website was interesting. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDelete