The Disappearance of Emily by Elizabeth Pantley Blog Tour!

 May 23, 2023 Book Blast

A magic mirror. An enchanted world. A mysterious missing mother. A suspicious package. An unexplained death. A community of strange, quirky people. A sassy cat and a hilarious, perpetually annoyed witch. Come visit Destiny Falls and escape to a great time.

…Hayden’s life was normal until she fell through a mirror and was thrust into an alternate, magical place. Destiny Falls is not on any map and is home to a family she never knew she had. The town is enchanted and charming, and the amazing mansion she lives in changes to meet the needs of the people who live there, including her! Every day she discovers a new enchantment.

But something is amiss. Hayden gets an ominous warning from a strange woman, who promises to tell her the town secrets and give her a package – if she’ll meet her at the mysterious ferry that lacks a published destination. The ferry visit is cancelled, but the package is delivered. Once it arrives, someone turns up dead. Then the suspicious episodes start, too many to call them coincidences. She and her family are targeted and in danger.

Who or what is causing the chaos? All signs point to the mysterious disappearance of her mother - way back when Hayden was just two days old. Can she identify and eliminate the threat before another person in her life is stolen away? Can she learn more about the secrets kept for her lifetime? With the help of her sassy sidekick cat, and a host of new family and friends, Hayden finds herself surrounded with support as she solves the mystery of the death and learns secrets about herself.

Praise for The Disappearance of Emily:

'Intriguing and totally unput-downable, it draws you in from the word go, and you will not want to leave until it chucks you at "The End."'
~ Carol, Goodreads

"Will blow you away!"
~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by: Better Beginnings, Inc.
Publication Date: March 2021
Number of Pages: 208
ASIN: B08MDZDQY7
Series: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series, Book 2
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

1

The mountain trail was tricky. I was moving slowly through the deep snow. I knew the lake had to be nearby. It was important to find it, but I could barely see ten feet in front of me due to the storm. The trail was steep and slippery, and I was making my way using trekking poles to assess where I should step next. My hands and feet were cold. I heard Latifa calling out to me. Where was she? What was she saying?

“Good morning, Sunshine!” Her lilting voice woke me from my dream. “Happy one-month-a-versary!”

It’s amazing how accustomed I’d grown to my cat’s telepathic voice in my head. I squinted at my fluffy Himalayan sidekick. She was sitting beside me on the bed. I stretched out my arms and gave an extra-loud yawn in her direction, hoping she’d get the hint that she had woken me up.

“Message received. Woke you up. So sorry. Got it.” She squinted at me and whispered, “Not sorry.”

I yawned at her again.

“Bet you forgot today is one month from the earth-shattering day we arrived in Destiny Falls.” Her big, baby blues were focused on me, and her whiskers were twitching. “I have appointed myself Keeper of Your Calendar. You can be so forgetful about celebratory dates.” She shook her furry head as if it were impossible to believe.

I gave another exaggerated stretch and reached over to the bedside table. With a flourish, I presented her with a small, gift-wrapped package.

“Squeeee! You remembered!” She head-butted my face and spun a little circle on the bed, then turned to tear open the package. There was more squealing as she discovered her new, feathered cat toy.

I patted my sidekick’s head and tossed my legs over the side of the bed. A glance at my phone confirmed that Latifa-the-alarm-clock was right on time. I needed to get changed and meet Axel downstairs for a morning jog into town. He was often too busy with work to join me in the morning, so it was a wonderful treat to have some extra time with my newfound brother.

My brother. How I loved the sound of that. After a lifetime as an only child in a tiny three-person family, finding out that I had siblings and a large hidden family was monumental. Add to that a mysterious, magical new world, and I was floating on cloud nine.

The only dark spot was missing my family and my best friend, Luna. I was still trying to figure out how to tell them about Destiny Falls. I’d have to sort this out soon, since my cover story of a working trip to Denmark was nearing its expiration. A month overseas was feasible, but as the timeline continued, I’d need to address my disappearance.

My Nana and Granana would be happy that I was happy. They’d been my biggest cheerleaders my entire life. They always said my happiness mattered most to them. Both my parents disappeared the week I was born, so my grandmother and great-grandmother jumped into raising me. They were dedicated to the job, with an enthusiasm that was a complete contrast to their tiny, delicate appearances. Luna and I referred to them as the Mighty Minis, which was an apt description.

Figuring out how to explain that I wasn’t really in Denmark, but in a magical, hidden town in an unknown location was a whole new ball of wax. Especially since the town was finicky about who it revealed itself to. Any e-mails or texts I attempted to send explaining my location, disappeared into the ether in a wisp of bounces— undeliverable, message not sent, connection lost. Even phone calls suddenly lost the signal. Maybe Axel, my brother—deep sigh of joy—could help me solve this problem.

 

I turned on the movie channel for Latifa, my furry little movie buff, tucked my ponytail through the back of my baseball cap, and headed out. I strolled slowly down the hallway, so I could absorb the beauty of this amazing home.

Hmm. That was odd. Where was the window seat? It was usually somewhere in my hallway, but it was oddly absent. There was a glorious swatch of sunlight, which is where it normally would be lounging. I snickered. Imagine that. A window seat that can lounge in the sun. Magic touched the Caldwell Crest home in the most interesting ways.

Caldwell Crest is a masterpiece of design. It could be described as a cozy, mansion-sized mountain cabin. I felt embraced by the sweeping staircase made of polished wood. I loved the plank wood floors and ceilings and the gorgeous but understated chandeliers. I adored the stone fireplaces that soared all the way up to the tall ceilings. The earthy colors of the décor were soothing. Even after a month, I was still adjusting to the fact that it was now where I lived.

The home was enchanting. I could almost believe the rumors that it was originally built as a castle back in the 1800s and magically remodeled many times. It’s difficult to understand Caldwell Crest and the mysterious place that was Destiny Falls, especially since the definition seemed to always be changing.

It had been a wild ride of a month since I’d been thrown through a portal and landed here.

Destiny Falls is different from any place I’ve ever known before. I had to let go of my preconceived notions of what defines a town. I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that the town isn’t on any map and isn’t accessible by normal means.

You must be called here by either the home or the town. Then you whoosh through time and space, to the accompaniment of a flash of brilliant light, as you tumble through a mirror. It’s a one-way trip. Once you’re here, you are, well . . . “trapped” is a harsh word for such a lovely place. However, it’s accurate. I cannot choose to leave. Destiny Falls controls the comings and goings.

I feel a bit like Alice falling through the mirror into wonderland. Albeit a much nicer wonderland than Alice had to deal with.

I’ve figured out that’s it’s easier if I just go with the flow and don’t try to understand all the nuances of this place.

***

Excerpt from The Disappearance of Emily by Elizabeth Pantley. Copyright 2023 by Elizabeth Pantley. Reproduced with permission from Elizabeth Pantley. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Pantley is the international bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents, published in over twenty languages.

She simultaneously writes the well-loved Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic book series and the new Magical Mystery Book Club series.

Elizabeth lives in the Pacific Northwest, the gorgeous inspiration for the setting in many of her books.

Catch Up With Elizabeth Pantley:
www.nocrysolution.com/books
Goodreads
BookBub - @DestinyFalls
Instagram - @destinyfallsmystery
Facebook - @DestinyFallsMysteryandMagic

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She Calls Her Mom by @kanawuauthor Book Reveal! #kanawu #SheCallsHerMom #XpressoTours @XpressoTours

 #booklover #greatreads #booknerd #fortheloveofreading #bookstagrammer #bibliophile #bookaholic #mustread #authorsofinstagram #bookblogger #amreading

She Calls Her Mom
Kana Wu

Publication date: June 1st 2023
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Romance, Women’s Fiction

Zoey Matthews is excited to celebrate her upcoming 21st birthday and begin building the life she’s always wanted. However, her dreams are shattered when her sister and brother-in-law die in a hit-and-run accident, leaving their baby, Ella, in her care. Suddenly she has to learn how to take care of an infant and juggle her new career while grieving the loss of her sister, who had been like a mom to her after their own mother abandoned them. And losing her dad at a young age right before her mom left without a word has Zoey feeling lost and less than adequate for the job of becoming a mother to Ella.

Encountering frequent challenges, Zoey gives up her career to care for her niece and throws in the towel on ever having a love life since she believes no man will be interested in her—a woman with a baby. Feeling alone and vulnerable, she finds hope and joy in the presence of new friends: a kind-hearted Claudia and a charming-baby whisperer, Derek.

Zoey realizes that her life can never truly be at peace until her sister’s murderer is brought to justice and she finds out who is behind the mysterious weekly grocery deliveries. Will she uncover the truth and find closure, or will the disclosures shatter her world even further?

Add to Goodreads

Kana Wu is a bilingual author who writes her novels in English as her second language. She also enjoys traveling and incorporates the places she visits into her books.

Her debut novel, No Romance Allowed, won the Romance category for the 2020 TCK Publishing Readers’ Choice Awards Contest.

Her second novel, No Secrets Allowed, earned a 1st Place Blue Ribbon for the Chatelaine Book Awards for Romantic Fiction, a division of the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards.

Her third book, A Warm Rainy Day In Tokyo, was published in 2022, and she had the idea when she was stranded in a Japanese café in Tokyo because of the rain.

Currently, she resides in beautiful Southern California with her husband, surrounded by her books and the occasional hummingbird or wild bird visitors.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

Portraits of Red and Gray and Canvas by James C. Morehead Spotlight and Guest Post!

 

In this collection of memoir poems, James C. Morehead (Poet Laureate of Dublin, California) brings universal themes to life through journeys to the USSR and the mountains of Tuscany, the concert halls in San Francisco and a tiny town in Wyoming, the cables of Yosemite’s Half Dome and the beaches of Normandy.

Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2022

Praise for "portraits of red and gray: memoir poems"
"In this second collection of poems, James Morehead's imagery is vivid, spare and elemental, and it is consistently chosen and arranged to achieve intensely poetic effects. The rhythmic control is impeccable. The centerpiece of this collection, a long series of poems that chronicle a trip through the former Soviet Union, is a fast moving, impressionistic feast of imagery. Sunglasses, denim shirts, vodka debauches, dollars, rubles, steely-eyed Russian authorities ever on the lookout for forbidden deals - all of it is transparent and engaging." - Carmine Di Biase, Distinguished Professor of English, Emeritus, Jacksonville State University

In his debut collection, James Morehead paints powerful images of life, love, and loss through the thoughtful selection and careful placement of words. "canvas" features the extraordinary art of Kari Byron and Alla Tsank. The year 2020 and its pandemic-induced solitude inspired the poems that lead this collection. Most are autobiographical, in particular the title poem "canvas," and collectively form a fragmented memoir of memories and melancholy. Some are fanciful, like "tethered," inspired by a fleeting image seen while hiking the Pacific coastline. All strive to paint images in the reader's mind through the power of poetry.

124 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2021

Praise for "canvas: poems"
“These are poems to be savored, re-read, kept handy for those times when only poetry will do.” - W. J. T. Mitchell, Senior Editor of Critical Inquiry and Gaylord Donnelley Distinguished Service Professor, English and Art History, University of Chicago

Nine Tips for Writing Memoir Poems that Capture the Human Condition

by James Morehead, Poet Laureate - Dublin, California

Memoir poetry draws on the writer's personal experiences and memories to tell a story or convey emotions. It often includes elements of autobiography, as the poet reflects on their own life and relationships, but it is not limited to literal truth. Memoir poetry can include symbolic or metaphorical language, as well as creative interpretations of events and emotions. The focus is on capturing the essence of a particular experience or moment in time, and conveying it in a way that resonates with the reader.

Writing memoir poetry is a powerful way to explore and understand your past, and unlock memories long buried. Poetry is also a powerful tool for sharing personal stories with others, and to connect with them on a deeper level. When I was a teenager in 1983 I took a life-changing 18-day trip to the U.S.S.R. with a group of teenagers from my high school. We traveled from Moscow to Leningrad (as Saint Petersburg was known during the Soviet era), and many places in between, never spending more than two days in any one place. Years later I wrote a series of poems about that experience which became the core of my most recent book, a collection of memoir poems, “portraits of red and gray”.

When writing the series of U.S.S.R. poems I had only my memories to draw from. I was amazed at how the act of writing poetry, the necessary immersion into every human sense to capture images and experiences in poetic phrases, unlocked memories. In poetry readings and open mics, people connected with my experiences in Soviet Russia and it taught me a valuable lesson that personal experience can be universal.

If you're interested in writing memoir poetry, there are a few things you can do to get started. First, think about what you want to write about. What are some of the most important moments in your life? What have you learned from your experiences? Once you have a topic, start writing. Don't worry about the form of the poem, just capture raw images, emotions, sounds, sensations. Just get your thoughts down on paper, you’ll mold that raw material into poetry later. Below is an excerpt from “portraits of red and gray” where I tried to capture a simple experience in a tea house in Samarkand (a city in Uzbekistan):

#15

sipping tea in samarkand

a nestled perch

on concrete stilts

an eerie cove

in shadows glow

from sunlight seeping

patterned walls

open air a warmer breeze

so strangely whispers

this hidden space

on kneeling mats and

wooden slats

a simple teacup held in place

Memoir poems don’t need to be momentous, they can focus on small, personal moments. Ideally a memoir poem will tap into and express a moment that has a strong emotional or sensory connection to the writer; have faith that the experience will resonate with readers.

Another example from “portraits of red and gray”, an excerpt from the poem “That Summer in Savery, Wyoming”. I spent a memorable summer in rural Wyoming as a young child, visiting my cousins, and found creative ways to fill each day. Memoir poetry was the perfect tool for capturing snapshots from that summer in the tightest way possible. A series of images that transport the reader into an experience:

I’m awoken by a rooster to

collect eggs each morning,

reaching under the soft of hens.

I explore every corner of the dusty, manure-scented barns.

I watch a family of foxes pop up, then scurry

when I’m hiking near their den.

I build a spaceship from discarded wood.

Memoir poems can range from free verse to prose poetry to formal verse (e.g., sonnets, villanelles, and other poems with rhyme and/or meter). The form of a poem may be evident from the first word but more typically emerges from the raw material of images, phrases, and lines. I’m obsessed with live music and the Shakespearean sonnet form was perfect for capturing my love of live music. I didn’t know during early drafts that “At the barricade” would become a sonnet.

At the barricade

Packed in the Fillmore, hordes of t-shirts, no

signs of color just shades of ebony. 

Crushed bodies at the barricade below, 

my refuge above in the balcony

where I wait for blackout and tell-tale beams 

guiding shadows to the stage. Guitars are

slung on shoulders, a pair of drumsticks seem

to float on fog from hidden reservoirs. 

The crowd erupts, flash pots trigger war cries

and from the first, deep, subwoofer rumble

we are one. Speaker towers amplify

each beat, chord, strum, and lead singer mumble.

I lose myself in the torrent of sound, 

flashing color, seething masses—spellbound.

(first appeared on the San Francisco Chronicle TotalSF Podcast, 2023)

Enough of my poetry, it’s time for you to try writing a memoir poem. Here are a nine tips to help you get started: 

1. Choose a specific moment or event from your life that holds significance to you. Trust that your experience will resonate with others, no matter how personal or small.

2. Reflect on the emotions and thoughts you experienced during that time, be brave and vulnerable.

3. Write down sensory details that bring the moment to life, such as sights, sounds, smells, and textures.

4. Use figurative language, such as metaphors and similes, to add depth and meaning to your words.

5. Put the poem first: invent if it serves the poem, the poem doesn’t need to be a documentary or fact-checkable.

6. Experiment with different forms and structures, such as free verse, rhyming couplets, or a sonnet.

7. Consider using symbols or objects that hold personal significance in your poem.

8. Revise and refine your work, paying attention to your word choice and the overall tone of the poem.

9. Share your poem with others, recite out loud, and be open to constructive criticism to improve your work

I’ll close with a video of me reciting one of my favorite poems, “crush”, from my first book "canvas”, where I capture an experience everyone can relate, having a crush, through an experience as a teenager:

https://youtu.be/aS5DAi0gg3Q]

James Morehead is Poet Laureate of Dublin, California. James has published two collections of poetry: "canvas” and "portraits of red and gray". James' poem "tethered" was transformed into an award-winning hand drawn animated short film, "gallery" was set to music for baritone and piano, and his poems have appeared in the Ignatian Literary Magazine, Beyond Words Literary Magazine, 2nd Place - Oprelle Oxbow Poetry Contest 2022, Wingless Dreamer, Prometheus Dreaming, Cathexis Northwest Press, and other publications. He also hosts the Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast which features interviews with poets and artists.

https://www.goodreads.com/dublinranch

https://jamesmorehead.com

Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena Blog Tour!

 

Of Light and Shadow
Tanaz Bhathena

Publication date: May 23rd 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

When they don’t give us our birthright, we steal it.

Roshan Chaya is out for justice. Abandoned by her parents at birth and adopted by the kingdom of Jwala’s most notorious bandit before his brutal murder, she is now leader of the Shadow Clan, a gang of farmers-turned-bandits impoverished by the provincial governor’s atrocities and corruption. Roshan’s goal: to avenge her adoptive father and earn back rights and dignity for her people.

Prince Navin has always felt like an outcast. Second in line for the throne, he has never been close to his grandmother, Queen Bhairavi of Jwala. When a night out drinking with friends leads to his capture by the infamous Shadow Clan, Navin schemes to befriend Roshan and use her as a means to escape. His ploy, however, brings Navin closer to the corruption and poverty at the heart of Roshan’s province, raising questions about its governor and Navin’s own family.

To further complicate things, the closer Roshan and Navin get, the harder it becomes to fight their growing attraction. But how can they trust each other when the world as they know it starts to fall apart?

Set in a magical world inspired by the badlands of 17th century India, this standalone epic fantasy novel by Tanaz Bhathena is packed with political tensions, dangerous schemes, and swoon-worthy romance that asks the age old question: can love conquer all?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

Read an Excerpt!

The morning of the raid Sunheri hung full and brassy in the sky, dappling the black water with a trail of gold. The blue moon, Neel, was invisible and would remain so until the night of the moon festival next year—a small blessing as far as Roshan Chaya was concerned. The light of one moon was bad enough, two moons together would have likely given away her position by the riverbank, along with every other member of the Shadow Clan.

Her breath fogged the air before her; nights were chilly here in Jwala’s westernmost province, no matter the time of the year. But tonight, Roshan barely felt the cold. She watched the vessel emerge from the darkness, a large cargo dhow slowly making its way across the gleaming river, its sails rolled up. The carved figurehead of the fire goddess gleamed eerily on the bow, protective enchantments lending it a dull blue sheen.

Roshan whistled: a passable imitation of a bulbul in a tree. An owl hooted back perfectly: confirmation that Governor Yazad Aspa’s weekly shipment of grain was on its way to the capital city of Prabha. Smack-dab in the middle of the river.

Completely out of reach.

Another hoot followed and Chotu rose into the air, small and wingless, his slender form slowly blending in with the sky. He would soon be invisible to everyone, except for Roshan, who knew exactly where to look. If she didn’t love the little boy with her whole heart, Roshan would have been envious of Chotu’s gifts. Levitation was hard enough magic without adding a reflector spell to the mix. Now she watched him float toward the dhow, his body but a blur against a scene that would have appeared tranquil—if not for the bloated corpse of a ruddy shelduck floating in the water nearby, its sour, peaty odor lingering in the air.

Without thinking, Roshan reached up to touch the amulet between her collarbones. Made of firebloom wood, it was a perfect, flat square embossed with a tree, the remnant of parents she had never known. That is . . . if it had been her parents who’d gifted her the one object that best amplified her magic—before abandoning her as a newborn eighteen years ago.

Do not dwell on the past, bitiya, Baba had told her whenever she’d asked him questions about them. It is best left behind.

It had been difficult for Roshan to drink in her bitterness. To leave thoughts of her parents behind. But for Baba, she’d done her best. Baba, who’d called her his bitiya, even though he wasn’t her father. Baba, who took her in, taught her to pick locks without magic, to fight. To kill, if necessary—and only if necessary.

After Baba’s death a year ago, Roshan had had no choice but to kill. As Bandit Bhim Chaya’s adoptee and favored successor, she had known that someday she would have to prove herself, even fight for the clan’s leadership. She had not expected a battle to the death mere hours after Baba was killed. Roshan still remembered the way her hands had locked around her rival’s throat. How she’d blocked his arteries with a magic normally used to fix broken bones, smooth bruised skin, and knit torn flesh. The world classified life magic and death magic as two separate things—the first wielded by healers and the second by warriors. But healers like Roshan knew that those who breathed life into a body or extended it with magic could also take it away.

Last year was the only time Roshan had used her life magic against a member of the Shadow Clan—an act that had earned her its leadership and also cleaved it in two.

She could hear some of the bandits behind her now: viperous susurrations followed by loud giggles, an intentional violation of her order for silence on this raid. Roshan hadn’t taken the bait before. And she wouldn’t tonight.

“When they don’t give us our birthright, we steal it,” she whispered.

Tanaz Bhathena is an award-winning Zoroastrian author of contemporary and fantasy fiction. Her books include Of Light and Shadow, Hunted by the Sky which won the Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Award and the Bapsi Sidhwa Literary Prize, and The Beauty of the Moment which won the Nautilus Award for Young Adult Fiction. Her acclaimed debut, A Girl Like That, was named a Best Book of the Year by numerous outlets including The Globe and Mail, Seventeen, and The Times of India. Born in India and raised in Saudi Arabia and Canada, Tanaz lives in Mississauga, Ontario, with her family.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!

Print copy of Of Light and Shadow

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—

Overdue by Jo A Hiestand Review Tour!

 

GENRE:   British mystery

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A spate of three murders in as many months has Derbyshire’s local police and populace in near panic. And there will most likely be a fourth killing in two weeks unless something happens to stop the cycle. Former police detective Michael McLaren is that “something” that his best mate, Jamie Kydd, is counting on to end the alarming deaths. He enlists McLaren’s help to look into the events, hoping his friend can solve what, so far, has confounded the Constabulary.

Each of the three crime scenes is the same, yet different: the same types of things but not the same specific things left with each body. As McLaren becomes enmeshed in the hunt for the killer, his friend Melanie arrives for a planned visit. Can his days become more complicated than simultaneously playing host and unmasking a killer? They can when he’s aware that each tick of the clock brings them closer to the next planned murder. And perhaps an unplanned one...thrown in for fun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

McLaren tapped the tip of the pen on the pertinent item as he read his list. “One victim lived in Staffordshire, one in Derbyshire, and one in Nottinghamshire. And yet their bodies were all found in Derbyshire?”

“And, oddly, a distance away from where they lived, be it Derbyshire or Staffordshire or Nottinghamshire. As you know, Pleasley is nearly straight southwest of Hilton, where Dylan’s was found.”

“What is that?”

“Nearly forty-one miles. Clive Sheridan lived in Callow but was found in Hanging Bridge. That’s an hour’s journey. Twenty-six and a half miles.”

“A long drive, yes.”

“And Emma, who lived in Longnor, Staffordshire, was found nearly as far north as you can get in Derbyshire. In the wood near the Derwent Water Reservoir.”

“Unbelievable. That’s what...? An hour drive from her place?”

“Close. The lads clocked it at fifty minutes. Just under twenty-four miles.” Jamie folded the paper but placed it on the table. “All three people are like that, Mike. Their bodies were discovered miles from where they lived.”

“How, then, did they get to the crime scenes? And why did they go?”

My Thoughts

Overdue is part of the McLaren Mysteries has the protagonist, Mike McLaren off the police force and investigating cold cases on his own. Jamie Kydd, along with the local constabulary are investigating three murders that have happened. Each body was found near water and items left on their chests along with abbreviated parts of names. Jamie enlists the help of Mike in investigating the murders before another one occurs.

In the meantime his hopefully "significant other' Melanie is coming for a visit and Jamie's phone call happens right when Mike is preparing for her visit. While all of this is going on, Mike goes on a mission to speak to the people involved with the three deceased people, families, parents, coworkers, etc. Mike soon finds a lot of clues that are not easy to figure out. He perseveres and finally comes to a few conclusions as to who the killer is and why he/she has killed these three people.

This book was a fast-paced, character-driven, mystery novel that I really enjoy. I read it in two sittings and was surprised to find that it is the latest in a series. Reads like a stand-alone novel, but I think if you want to learn more about the characters, starting at the beginning will be beneficial. I love a good British mystery and this one is right up there with the best. It held my attention and got pretty intense towards the end of the book.

I give the book 5 stars.

I received a copy of the book for review purposes only.

Jo A. Hiestand grew up on regular doses of music, books, and Girl Scout camping. She gravitated toward writing in her post-high school years and finally did something sensible about it, graduating from Webster University with a BA degree in English and departmental honors.

She writes a British mystery series (the McLaren Mysteries)—of which three books have garnered the prestigious N.N. Light’s Book Heaven ‘Best Mystery Novel’ three years straight. She also writes a Missouri-based cozy mystery series (The Cookies & Kilts Mysteries, of which "A Trifling Murder" is the second book) grounded in places associated with her camping haunts.

The camping is a thing of the past, for the most part, but the music stayed with her in the form of playing guitar and harpsichord and singing in a folk group. Jo carves jack o’ lanterns badly and sings loudly. She loves barbecue sauce and ice cream (separately, not together), kilts (especially if men wear them), clouds and stormy skies, and the music of G.F. Handel. You can usually find her pulling mystery plots out of scenery—whether from photographs or the real thing.

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jo-a-hiestand

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jo.hiestand.3 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AnglophileJo

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/joahiestand

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/JoHiestand

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoHiestand

Website: http://www.johiestand.com

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MysteryAuthorinSTL

Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Overdue-McLaren-Mysteries-Book-17-ebook/dp/B0BSVMJVM8/

The book will be on sale for $0.99. 

GIVEAWAY RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

Jo A Hiestand will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC, to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway