Boca Undercover by Miriam Auerbach

Boca Undercover
by Miriam Auerbach

Boca Undercover: The Dirty Harriet Mystery Series (Volume 4)
Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books (October 30, 2014)
Paperback: 160 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1611945584
E-Copy ASIN: B00P2WL8KM

Patients at a posh Boca Raton rehab center are ending up stiffer than a Boca babe’s smile. Tough PI Harriet Horowitz, once a bedazzled babe herself, signs in at The Oasis at the request of a frightened friend.

As a pattern emerges in the murders, it’s clear the killer is targeting patients with an unusual addiction. How did they end up with the same drug problem at the same time and in the same rehab together? Harriet’s sleuthing leads her down a path of secrets and danger, and what she learns could lead her undercover assignment to a dead end.

 

 

About This Author

Miriam Auerbach is the author of a satirical mystery series set in Boca Raton, Florida and featuring Harley-riding, wisecracking female private eye Harriet Horowitz. Her debut novel, Dirty Harriet, won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best First Series Romance. Miriam can only assume that this is because the heroine kills her husband on page one. In a parallel universe, Miriam is known as Miriam Potocky, professor of social work at Florida International University in Miami. She lives in South Florida with her husband and their multicultural canines, a Welsh Corgi and a Brussels Griffon.

Author Links:
Webpage: www.miriamauerbach.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorMiriamAuerbach
GoodReads: Miriam Auerbach – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/872348.Miriam_Auerbach
Purchase Links
Amazon B&N

Boca Under cover will be on sale for $2.99, ending today, and the first two in the series are $1.99.

The Body in the Birches by Katherine Hall Page

The Body in the Birches: A Faith Fairchild Mystery
Cozy Mystery
22nd in Series
Publisher: William Morrow (May 12, 2015)
Hardcover: 256 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0062310828
E-Book ASIN: B00MTS3MEW

At home on Sanpere Island, Maine, caterer and amateur sleuth Faith Fairchild discovers that real estate can be murder, especially when it’s all in the family, in this twenty-third book in the popular mystery series.

The Fourth of July is one of the hottest on record and even the breeze off Penobscot Bay can’t seem to cool things down for Faith Fairchild and the rest of the folks on Sanpere Island. But the fireworks are just beginning. After the celebrations are over, Faith discovers a body in the woods near The Birches, an early twentieth-century “cottage.”

The body is identified as The Birches’ housekeeper, who seems to have succumbed to a heart attack. The death is only one of the dramatic events upending the historic house. A family gathering has been called to decide who will inherit the much loved, and very valuable, estate that has been in the Proctor family for generations. With this much money involved, it’s just a matter of time before trouble arises.

Faith is juggling her own family problems. Her teenage son, Ben, has started a new job as a dishwasher at The Laughing Gull Lodge—learning things that could land him in very hot water. And her daughter Amy is worried about her new friend, Daisy Proctor. Daisy is terrified—convinced that someone is trying to eliminate her mother from getting a share of The Birches. To protect her children, Faith has to find a possible murderer—before he strikes too close to her own home.

 

What I Thought:

 

I enjoyed this book, although it had more family drama in than murder mystery.  The book was very well written and flowed really well, which made it an easy read.  It kept my attention throughout.  The Procter offspring have been summoned to Sanpere Island to find out which one will inherit The Birches.  There are more "mysteries" going in this book than just who is going to inherit, and you don't even realize that some of the things are "mysteries".   This book had a very good ending which I wasn't even expecting.  This is book is also set during the Fourth of July so that makes it a great Summer read.

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

 

About This Author

   Katherine Hall Page is the author of twenty-two previous Faith Fairchild mysteries, the first of which received the Agatha Award for best first mystery. The Body in the Snowdrift was honored with the Agatha Award for best novel of 2006. Page also won an Agatha for her short story “The Would-Be Widower.” In addition, she has been nominated for the Edgar Award, the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and the Macavity Award. She lives in Massachusetts and Maine with her husband.

Author Links:
http://www.katherine-hall-page.org/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21167.Katherine_Hall_Page

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Called to be Amish

About the book:
Called to Be Amish (MennoMedia, February 2015)

Fewer than one hundred outsiders have joined the Old-Order Amish---and stayed---since 1950. Marlene C. Miller is one of them.

In this rare memoir, Marlene recounts her unhappy and abusive childhood, how she throws herself into cheerleading and marching band, and how she falls in love with Johnny, the gentle young Amish man who helps her lace her ice skates.

Against the wishes of both sets of parents, Marlene and Johnny get married and begin a family. Follow the author on this unusual journey to find out how God's love called her out of bitterness and depression and into the warm embrace of her new Amish community.

Accompany her as she dons an Amish dress and prayer covering and gets baptized. Learn how she endures the strain of ten children, a hundred-acre farm, and accidents and tragedy, and find out how she comes close to walking away from it all. Turning Amish has proven to be anything but plain and simple for this former majorette. But nearly fifty years later, Marlene is still living out God's call as an Old Order Amish woman.

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1ESK6eR

About the author:

Marlene C. Miller joined the Amish as an adult and has been a member of the Old Order Amish for almost 50 years. She and her husband of 48 years live on a farm in Ohio surrounded by their nine children, more than 40 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

 

What I Thought:

 

This was both an informative and entertaining book.  It gave a real glimpse of what it would be like to become Amish.  I have read some fiction books where "English" become Amish, but this true account was so much better.  It is also a heartwarming story.  I found it very moving.  I felt so bad for Marlene when she recounted her growing up years and her struggles in her family.  This is a must read for anyone who loves to read about the Amish, true or fiction.

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

 

 

Pleasant Day by Vera Jane Cook, Review and Giveaway

Publisher: Moonshine Cove Press  (February 1, 2015)
Category: Contemporary Fiction/ Women’s Fiction/ Southern Fiction
Tour Date: February-March, 2015
Available in: Print & ebook,  285 Pages

With murder in common friendship is inevitable:

As fifteen year old Pleasant Day struggles with her mother's distance, her father's infidelity and the death of her best friend, she draws closer to Clarissa, an older woman with the secrets to heal her. But Clarissa has struggles of her own as she faces betrayal and seeks to come to terms with old wounds. With her unpredictable but psychic ability to 'read people' Clarissa uncovers the answers to a deadly crime and to Pleasant's true identity. In the end, both Pleasant and Clarissa's worlds are transformed by the truths they're forced to accept.

Praise for 'Pleasant Day' By Vera Jane Cook:

"Absolutely unputdownable, a real page turner. Be prepared to clear your schedule for the day. You're going to read this one straight through! This is Vera Jane Cook's best one yet!" -Wall to Wall Books

"A beautiful blend of past and present with loveable, memorable characters and a page turning pace, I was sorry I couldn't read it in one sitting." -Jenn Doyle, Books & Life. 

"A beautiful piece of southern fiction...a great page turner...this book is filled with delightful characters, charm, warmth, love and last but certainly not least, wonderful humor."-Arlene Uslander, Editor and writer.

What I Thought:

This story had more twists and turns in it than a back country road.  It will really keep you on the edge of your seat.  The main character, Pleasant Day, sure is unique.  The relationships in this book are complex and there are many secrets being kept. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

About Vera Jane Cook:

Winner: Eric Hoffer Award for publishing
excellence and the Indie Excellence Award for
notable new fiction!
5 Star Clarion ForeWord Review!

Vera Jane Cook, writer of Award Winning Women’s Fiction, is the author of The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, Lies a River Deep, Where the Wildflowers Grow, Dancing Backward in Paradise and Annabel Horton, Lost Witch of Salem.

Jane, as she is known to family and friends, was born in New York City and grew up amid the eccentricity of her southern and glamorous mother on the Upper West and Upper East Side of Manhattan.

An only child, Jane turned to reading novels at an early age and was deeply influenced by an eclectic group of authors. Some of her favorite authors today are Nelson DeMille, Calib Carr, Wally Lamb, Anne Rice, Sue Monk Kidd, Anita Shreve, Jodi Picoult, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Her favorite novels are too long to list but include The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Cheri and The Last of Cheri, The Picture of Dorian Grey, Wuthering Heights, Look at Me, Dogs of Babel, The Bluest Eye, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Body Surfing, Lolita, The Brothers Karamazov, She’s Come Undone, Tale of Two Cities, etc., etc., etc.,

Vera Jane Cook’s Website: http://www.verajanecook.com/

Vera Jane Cook on Twitter: https://twitter.com/verajanecook
Vera Jane Cook on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vera.j.cook

Buy 'Pleasant Day' by Vera Jane Cook:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Follow the Tour:

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Apr 7 Spotlight & Giveaway

Bound 4 Escape Apr 8 Review

Confessions Of A Reader Apr 9 Interview

What U Talking Bout Willis? Apr 13 Review

Mythical Books Apr 14 Interview

Room With Books Apr 15 Review & Giveaway

Winter Reads Apr 17 Interview & Giveaway

Elizabeth McKenna Romance Author Apr 20 Excerpt

Wall To Wall Books Apr 21 Review

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Apr 22 Review

From Isi Apr 27 Review

Writer In Progress Apr 28 Review & Giveaway

Sapphyria's Book Reviews Apr 29 Excerpt

The Book Diva's Reads Apr 30 Review & Excerpt

Suko's Notebook May 5 Review                                                                  

Deal Sharing Aunt May 6 Review & Giveaway

Lightning Chronicles May 12 Review, Interview & Giveaway

Indie Review Behind the Scenes May 14 live I 6 pm cst

Melina's Book Blog May 19 Review & Giveaway

Cassandra M's Place May 21 Review & Giveaway

Jersey Girl Book Reviews May 22 Review & Excerpt

The Mama Games May 25 Review

Pinky's Favorite Reads May 26 Review

Pinky's Favorite Reads May 27 I & G

Bassgiraffe's Thoughts May 28 Review

GIVEAWAY:  THERE IS GOING TO BE ONE PRINT OR E-COPY OF PLEASANT DAY GIVEN AWAY, WINNERS CHOICE. E-COPY IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY, PRINT IS ONLY FOR US, SORRY.  PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR EMAIL, NO EMAIL NO ENTRY AND I WILL RANDOMLY CHOOSE A WINNER ON MAY 26.

Ruined Abbey by Anne Emery

                    

Ruined Abbey

A Collins-Burke Mystery

By

Anne Emery

$24.95

It’s 1989. The Troubles are raging in Ireland, bombs exploding in England. In this prequel to the Collins-Burke series, Father Brennan Burke is home in New York when news of his sister’s arrest in London sends him flying across the ocean. The family troubles deepen when Brennan’s cousin Conn is charged with the murder of a Special Branch detective and suspected in a terrorist plot against Westminster Abbey. The Burkes come under surveillance by the murdered cop’s partner and are caught in a tangle of buried family memories. 

From the bullet-riddled bars of Belfast to an elegant English estate, Ruined Abbey combines a whodunit with a war story, love story, and historical novel, while exploring the eternal question: what is fair in love and war? It all starts with a ruined abbey.

 

What I Thought:

 

Anne Emery is an author who really does her research.  This novel is filled with so much Irish history, you will think you are taking an Irish History course.  She also has a unique writing style.  Sometimes her writing is hard to understand, but all in all this is an interesting book. 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

 

 

Carolyn Haines Guest Post

 

 

 

 

SARAH BOOTH DELANEY AND HER NEWEST ADVENTURE

 

 

            Growing up in a very small town (Lucedale, Mississippi), books were my best friends. I recently gave a talk at a Creative Writing awards ceremony and as I was working on my speech, I remember those long ago days when I could fall into a book and forget everything around me. Even though I lived in rural Mississippi, I traveled all over the world with exciting characters who were far smarter and bolder than I was. I was an insatiable reader, and as a writer, I have had the pleasure of writing in multiple genres, from general fiction to horror. But mysteries hold a special place in my heart.

            When I wrote THEM BONES, the first Sarah Booth Delaney book, I didn’t actually set out to write a mystery. I was sitting at my computer when I heard Sarah Booth (the main protagonist) and Jitty (a Civil War era ghost with fashion sense and a quick humor) arguing. Jitty was concerned that Sarah Booth was unwed and without an heir. The Delaney family plantation, Dahlia House, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, was about to be foreclosed on by the bank.

            Sarah Booth (double names are commonly used in the South) had recently returned to Mississippi after trying, and failing, at a Broadway career. When a former high school acquaintance hires Sarah Booth to find out the secrets of one very handsome man, Sarah Booth discovers that while she may not be a Broadway actress, she is a pretty darn good sleuth.

            Once I had hold of the characters—and they are a fun group to write about--I was off and running. I had read mysteries all of my life, beginning with Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling creations, and dozens more. While I’d loved reading mysteries, I wasn’t certain I could plot a mystery. All I knew was that I was writing about my home state, a place I love madly, and about characters who quickly became my close friends. In other words, I was in hog heaven for a writer.

            The book coming out May 19, BONE TO BE WILD, is the 15^th in the series of books featuring Sarah Booth and her friends. It’s a story about a sexy blues guitarist and a blues club at a crossroads that is a target for an anonymous killer. And it’s a story about murder and the importance friendship.

            While the Sarah Booth mysteries don’t need to be read in order, many people enjoy the development of the friendships between the characters. In my real life, my friends have played a huge role in my joys, successes, and the sad parts, too. So in the world of Zinnia, Mississippi, friendships are equally important. Sarah Booth’s love life is a total mess, and she isn’t one to listen to reasonable advice from her friends or even from the ghost who haunts her home.

            As Jitty would say, “Bless her soul, she tries.”

            A word here about Jitty. She is a ghost who wears the most outlandish outfits and offers Sarah Booth advice and sometimes a message from “the Great Beyond” where Sarah Booth’s parents are. (They died when she was 12.) But Jitty plays no role in solving the mystery. She is Sarah Booth’s guiding angel (and sometimes a devious little devil) but her role is to offer Sarah Booth personal advice, not to engage in solving the mystery. She is also a thorn in Sarah Booth’s side because she’s smart and sassy and unwilling to accept less than a hundred percent from her charge.

            BONE TO BE WILD incorporates many story elements that I love. Who can go wrong writing about the blues in the very place they were born—the cotton fields of Mississippi. There is also a threat from the past, a murder and an attempted murder, a friend finds true love, a fiendish little dog is rescued, a prissy and arrogant woman gets her comeuppance, and Sarah Booth finds a rare moment for a horseback ride across the barren cotton fields on a brisk November day (with a handsome man).

            I live on a small farm where I am the chief bottle washer at Good Fortune Farm Refuge, a 501c3 rescue. I care for dogs, cats, and horses. When I was growing up, my two ambitions were to be Nancy Drew and a cowgirl. It didn’t work out exactly as I planned—but I wouldn’t trade a minute of any day.

            I hope you’ll give the books a try. Kick your heels up, grab a book and a beverage, and have a good, long read.

 

 

 

Carolyn Haines is the author of over 70 books in many genres. BONE TO BE WILD is the 15^th book in the Sarah Booth Delaney series. Haines is the recipient of the Harper Lee Award for Distinguished Writing and the Richard Wright Award for Literary Excellence. The series has also been named best female sleuth by Romantic Times. She is currently at work on #16, LULLABY BONES, which will be published May 2016 by St. Martin’s Minotaur. You can learn more about Carolyn, her rescue, or her crazy life at www.carolynhaines.com  Or join her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

           

           

             

Medium Dead by Paula Paul

About Medium Dead
On Sale: April 14, 2015
Pages: 188
Published by : Alibi
Sure to delight readers of Jacqueline Winspear and Ellis Peters, Medium Dead features Queen Victoria herself—and she’s rumored to have slain a local psychic in Newton-upon-Sea. Now the task of clearing her name and catching the real killer falls to Dr. Alexandra Gladstone.
Under Victoria’s reign, women are barred from calling themselves physicians, but that hasn’t stopped Alexandra Gladstone. As the first female doctor in Newton-upon-Sea, she spends her days tending sick villagers in the practice she inherited from her father, with her loyal and sometimes overprotective dog, Zack, by her side.
After the corpse of village spiritualist Alvina Elwold is discovered aboveground at a church boneyard, wild rumors circulate through the charming seaside village, including one implicating a certain regal guest lodging nearby. Tales of the dead Alvina hobnobbing with spirits and hexing her enemies are even more outlandish—but as a woman of science and reason, Alexandra has no doubt that a murderer made of flesh and blood is on the loose.
Finding out the truth means sorting through a deluge of ghostly visitors, royal sightings, and shifty suspects. At least her attentive and handsome friend Nicholas Forsyth, Lord Dunsford, has come to her aid. Alexandra will need all the help she can get, because she’s stumbled upon dangerous secrets—while provoking a deadly adversary who wants to keep them buried.



What I Thought:

Could Queen Victoria have been a killer?  That is what Alexandra Gladstone has to figure out in this mystery.  This was the first time I had visited Newton-upon-Sea.  I enjoyed this visit, it was filled with interesting characters and a story that kept my attention and kept me guessing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About Paula Paul

Award-winning novelist Paula Paul was born on her grandparents’ cotton farm near Shallowater, Texas, and graduated from a country high school near Maple, Texas. She earned a BA in journalism and has worked as a reporter for newspapers in both Texas and New Mexico. She’s been the recipient of state and national awards for her work as a journalist as well as a novelist. Her previous novels featuring Dr. Alexandra Gladstone, including Symptoms of Death, have appeared on bookstore and online bestseller lists. She is also the author of the Mystery by Design series, which she wrote as Paula Carter. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
To learn more about Paula, visit her WEBSITE.
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