fuonlyknew

I immediately became engrossed in this story and couldn’t put my Kindle down. ~Socrates Cozy Cafe/ Socrates Book Reviews

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Don’t you just love the catchy title? I couldn’t resist this cozy mystery.

Get comfortable and enjoy my review.

And remember to enter the giveaway. You can win your own print copy!

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Don’t Cry Over Killed Milk: A Damon Lassard Dabbling Detective Mystery

Cozy Mystery

Paperback: 240 pages

Publisher: Cozy Cat Press (August 28, 2013)

ISBN-13: 978-1939816184 E-Book File Size: 697 KB  ASIN: B00EV45NAS

Synopsis

Jeremiah Milk lived a life filled with emotional extremes. Amniotic band syndrome—a congenital condition—left his fingers and toes malformed. Ridiculed as a child, he became an adolescent hermit. As an adult, Jeremiah’s wounds healed when he landed a position as a park ranger and married a woman who loved him despite his physical appearance. But fate ripped his life to shreds when his wife and infant son died on the same night in separate calamities. Shortly thereafter, the tides turned once more as an act of Jeremiah’s ostensible benevolence translates into a financial boon. The book on Jeremiah’s life closes without mercy when he’s found murdered at Tripping Falls State Park.

Damon Lassard—Hollydale’s loveable civic leader, amateur sleuth, and Jeremiah’s neighbor—springs into action. He’s obstructed by a prickly lieutenant, but wriggles information unknown to the police from a colorful bevy of suspects. Aided by his best friend Rebecca and his reluctant ally Detective Gerry Sloman, Damon engineers a deep dive into Jeremiah’s past to solve the crime. Along the way, Damon strengthens his relationship with the breathtaking Bethany Krims, cracks a local horticultural mystery, and tries in vain to tame his wickedly sarcastic mother.

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My Review

There’s not one mystery to be solved in this book, there’s two.

Something is killing the crepe myrtles. People are treating their trees to get rid of bug infestations, but within a few days, the bugs re-infest the trees.

And someone killed Jeremiah Milk.

The author does a superb job of leading you through these two mysteries, keeping you following the clues, but not confusing you.  And I was just as eager to find out who was killing the crepe myrtles as I was about who killed Jeremiah Milk.

There are lots of clues, false trails, and some bumbling by Damon Lassard.

Damon kind of made me think of Columbo but not as shabbily dressed. He appeared amateurish, but had a keen mind and lots of curiosity.

This isn’t the first time he’s dabbled in a mystery and he’s got an enemy in Lieutenant Margaret Hobbes, but an inside source in Detective Gerry Sloman.

Damon helped Gerry solve a previous case but Hobbes wants him to keep out of police matters. These two bump into each now and then and Hobbes makes no bones about how she feels. I could just see her glaring, face all red, as she bellows at Damon. Good for a few laughs.

I was so engrossed in solving these mysteries, I never stopped reading until I had to. I had reached the end.

The writing is excellent, going from one mystery to the other with no awkwardness, flowing easily. You follow the bread crumbs from one false trail to the next, finally reaching each pot of gold.

You don”t need to have read the first Damon Lassard mystery to enjoy this one. The author does a quick recap a little ways into this one, giving you a bit of background without spilling the beans from the first mystery.

Once you’ve read Don’t Cry Over Killed Milk, you’ll want to read It Takes Two To Strangle .

I look forward to going back to the beginning.

4 Stars

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About The Author

STEPHEN KAMINSKI is the author of the Damon Lassard Dabbling Detective series published by Cozy Cat Press. The first two cozy mysteries in the series are “It Takes Two to Strangle” (2012) and “Don’t Cry Over Killed Milk” (2013). Stephen is the winner of the 2012 Reader Views Literary Award for the Mid-Atlantic Region.  He’s a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Law School, has practiced law for over a decade, and currently serves as Senior Vice President and General Counsel to a national non-profit organization. Stephen is a lifelong lover of all types of mysteries and lives with his wife and daughter in Arlington, Virginia.

Author Links:

Blog / Goodreads / Facebook

Purchase Links:

Amazon B&N

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I have one print copy to give away.

US Only. Sorry to my International friends.

To enter, please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win, and answer this question:

“Have you ever done some sleuthing?”

Giveaway ends 1/25

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Tour Participants

January 13 –Socrates Book Reviews/ Socrates Cozy Café – Review, Giveaway

January 14 – Kelly P’s Blog – Interview

January 15 – fuonlyknew – Review, Giveaway

January 16 – readalot blog – Review

January 17 – My Devotional Thoughts – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway

January 19 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview

January 20 – A Year of Jubilee Reviews – Review

January 21 – Shelley’s Book Case– Review, Interview

January 22 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Giveaway

January 23 – Chloe Gets A Clue – Interview

January 24 – Omnimystery News – Guest Post

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