Archive for February, 2022

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The Twist And Shout Murder

A Swinging Sixties Mystery

by Teresa Trent

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The Twist and Shout Murder: A Swinging Sixties Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Historia (January 4, 2022)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 212 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1685120709
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1685120702
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09NQWZTGR

In 1962, Dot Morgan was told the best thing she could do besides being a nurse or teacher was to learn to type. While attending secretarial school, she decides to rub elbows with an elite ladies’ club to help her father with a struggling campaign for city council. Instead of getting the help she sought, Dot is thrown into a world of adultery, deceit, and murder when one of the town’s sons is found dead.

Time to put that 45 on the record player and bring out your best dance moves in The Twist and Shout Murder.

About Teresa Trent

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Teresa Trent writes historical mysteries, cozy mysteries, romance, and short stories. She lives in South Texas with her husband and son with Down syndrome and splits her time between writing and caretaking.

Author Links: Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Website / Goodreads / Instagram

Purchase Links – AmazonB&NKobo 

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

February 2 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

February 2 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

February 3 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

February 3 – Carstairs Considers – REVIEW

February 4 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

February 4 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

February 5 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

February 5 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, GUEST POST

February 6 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

February 7 – fundinmental – CHARACTER GUEST POST

February 8 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

February 8 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

February 9 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST

February 10 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

February 10 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

February 11 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT

February 11 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Playing Possum

by Lois Schmitt
February 1-28, 2022 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:
Playing Possum by Lois Schmitt
Murder, Mayhem, and Missing Animals.

When animals mysteriously disappear from the Pendwell Wildlife Refuge, former English teacher turned magazine reporter Kristy Farrell is on the case. Days later, the body of the refuge’s director is found in a grassy clearing.

Kristy, assisted by her veterinarian daughter, investigates and discovers strong motives among the suspects, including greed, infidelity, betrayal, and blackmail.

As Kristy delves further, she finds herself up against the powerful Pendwell family, especially matriarch Victoria Buckley Pendwell, chair of the refuge board of trustees, and Victoria’s son, Austin Pendwell, who is slated to run for the state senate.

But ferreting out the murderer and finding the missing animals aren’t Kristy only challenges. While researching a story on puppy mills, she uncovers criminal activity that reaches far beyond the neighborhood pet store.

Meanwhile, strange things are happening back at the refuge, and soon a second murder occurs. Kristy is thwarted in her attempts to discover the murderer by her old nemesis, the blustery Detective Wolfe.

Kristy perseveres and as she unearths shady deals and dark secrets, Kristy slowly draws the killer out of the shadows.

Praise for Playing Possum:

Lois Schmitt’s Playing Possum does cozies proud. Fresh and traditional all at once.” -Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of Sleepless City

“In her third book of the series, writer Lois Schmitt has crafted an intricately-plotted mystery full of twists and humor, with a cast of colorful characters, set in a wildlife refuge rehab center. Cozy fans, and especially followers of Schmitt’s animal lovers’ mysteries, will find great entertainment in Playing Possum.” -Phyllis Gobbell, award-winning author of the Jordan Mayfair Mysteries

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Published by: Encircle Publications Publication Date: December 8, 2021 Number of Pages: 296 ISBN: 1645993051 (ISBN13‎ 978-1645993056) Series:A Kristy Farrell Animal Lovers Mystery, #3

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

I waited until a man and a woman emerged from the county medical examiner’s van. I followed them into the wildlife preserve, maintaining a discreet distance while wondering what happened. Did a jogger succumb to a heart attack? Did a child fall into a pond and drown? I inhaled deeply, hoping to steady my nerves. I passed the clearing on the right where the administration building was located. I continued trailing the two members of the medical examiner’s staff until another clearing came into view—this one bordered by yellow crime scene tape. I gasped. Not far from where I stood, spread out in full view was a female body with blood covering much of the head. The body was face down, but I recognized the small build, sandy colored hair, and jade green shirt. I tasted bile. I wanted to scream, but I slapped my hand in front of my mouth. After regaining my composure, I surveyed my surroundings. Three people wearing jackets emblazoned in the back with the words Crime Scene Investigator were near the front of the clearing. One was bent over the body and the other two appeared to be examining the nearby ground. When the medical examiner’s team approached, the investigator next to the body rose up and started talking. I couldn’t make it all out, but I did hear him say “Blow to the head.” “Oh, no,” I mumbled when I spied two homicide detectives I knew. Detective Adrian Fox, a thirty something African American, stood on the side of the clearing, near a small pond. He was talking to a woman who yesterday had been arguing with the preserve’s director. The director had called this woman Elena, so I assumed this was Elena Salazar, the education coordinator. I couldn’t hear what she was saying to the detective, but she was gesturing wildly with her arms. The other detective, Steve Wolfe, had marched over to the body and was now barking orders to the medical examiner’s staff, who didn’t seem pleased. As Wolfe turned around, the woman in the medical examiner’s jacket shook her head. I sighed. Wolfe and I had a history. He was a bully who had gone to school with my younger brother Tim, constantly picking on him. Granted Tim was the classic nerd who might as well have worn the sign “Kick Me” on his back. I had recently solved two of Wolfe’s murder cases, which only irritated him more. Wolfe spied me and headed in my direction, his face turning the color of a beet. His gray pants hung below his pot belly, his glacier blue eyes as cold as ever, and he wore the same annoying grin as when he was a kid that made me want to slap his face. “What happened?” I asked. “I’m here about a dead squirrel,” he said. “I’m a homicide detective. What do you think happened?” “I know the victim,” I said. He narrowed his eyes. “How do you know her?” “I’m doing a story on the wildlife refuge and—” “How come whenever you do a story people die?” Not really a nice way to put it. “Who found the body?” I asked. “Three hikers.” “What caused—” “This is none of your business. This is a crime scene.” He pointed a fat finger at me. “You need to leave.” “I’m behind the yellow tape,” I argued. I didn’t think his face could get any redder, but it did. “Stay out of my way.” He spun around and stomped off toward the side where Detective Fox appeared to be jotting something in a notepad. Elena Salazar was no longer there. I had no idea where she went. I had lots of questions, but I wasn’t getting answers from Wolfe. The crime scene investigators were packing up. Maybe I’d have better luck with them. “When was she killed” I asked the one investigator, who looked young enough to appear on an acne remedy commercial. “We need to wait for the autopsy.” “Do you have an approximate time of death?” “Sorry. We can’t talk to the public.” I sighed. I’d have to get the answers somewhere else. I wondered why the victim had been at the clearing. I glanced at the pond, guessing this was where the rehabilitated turtle would be released. Did she come here early to check things out before the release? But what would she be checking? My thoughts were interrupted as the medical examiner’s team passed by me carrying a stretcher with the covered body. I figured I might learn something if I listened to their conversation. Eavesdropping was one of my talents. I scratched my theory about arriving early to check on conditions for the turtle release when one of the attendants said, “I can’t imagine why anyone would be in these woods at midnight.” *** Excerpt from Playing Possum by Lois Schmitt. Copyright 2021 by Lois Schmitt. Reproduced with permission from Lois Schmitt. All rights reserved.

 

Author Lois Schmitt:

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Lois Schmitt

A mystery fan since she read her first Nancy Drew, Lois Schmitt combined a love of mysteries with a love of animals in her series featuring animal magazine reporter Kristy Farrell. Lois is member of several wildlife conservation and humane organizations, as well as Mystery Writers of America. She received 2nd runner-up for the Killer Nashville Claymore award for her second book in the series entitled Something Fishy, She previously served as media spokesperson for a local consumer affairs agency and currently teaches at a community college. Lois lives in Massapequa, Long Island with her family, which includes a 120 pound Bernese Mountain dog. This dog bears a striking resemblance to Archie, a dog of many breeds featured in her Kristy Farrell Mystery Series.

Catch Up With Lois Schmitt: LoisSchmitt.com Goodreads Instagram: @loisschmittmysteries Twitter: @schmittmystery Facebook: @LoisSchmittAuthor

 

 

Visit, Share, & Enter to WIN!

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Lois Schmitt. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.
 

   

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.


Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for The Last Keeper organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author J.V. Hilliard will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour and more chances to win.

The Last Keep

by J.V. Hilliard

A young boy’s prophetic visions.

Blind at birth, Daemus Alaric is blessed with the gift of prophetic Sight. Now, as a Keeper of the Forbidden, he must use his powers of the Sight to foil the plans of a fallen Keeper, Graytorris the Mad.

An elven Princess with a horrifying secret.

Princess Addilyn Elspeth travels from Eldwal, the magically hidden home of the Vermilion elves, to begin her life as a diplomat to the human capital of Castleshire. During her journey, she stumbles upon a mystical creature foretelling ill tidings. A terrifying force of evil.

Daemus’ recurring nightmare vision threatens to catapult him into a terrifying struggle that will leave the fate of the Keepers—and the realm—hanging in the balance. Daemus and Princess Addilyn must set out to face the menace that threatens their very existence. Will the entire realm fall to its knees?

The Last Keeper is the first book in The Warminster Series. With gripping, epic action and heart-pounding adventure, you’ll love this new adventure series.

Enjoy this peek inside:

The dust of one hundred horsehounds spread across the base of Homm Hill, their riders staring at the aging gates of the abandoned fortress. Misael dismounted and walked ahead of the horde. With a powerful swing, he planted the feathered flag of Clan Blood Axe into the ground as his followers cheered and hollered, the bloodlust high and the adrenaline rising. The flag, tattered by the winds of the plains and the bustle of a dozen battles, featured the faded symbol of a bloody battleaxe.

Misael’s keen eyes surveyed Blood Ridge. Fort Homm looked abandoned to the untrained eye, but Misael knew better. Appearances could be deceiving.

“We know you’re there,” he shouted, his powerful voice echoing off the imposing rocks. “We can smell your fear.”

“Ah-ooh!” The clan cried it out as one, banging their weapons rhythmically against their shields as their mounts sounded off with howls and growls like a pack of wolves on the path of a rabbit.

Misael surveyed his troops with approval and then lifted his fearsome battleaxe. The chants behind him ceased as quickly as they’d started. Misael tilted his head back and drew a protracted breath into his trollborn nose. He smiled at the result.

“Is that you I smell, Arjun Ezekyle?” he shouted. The taunt in his voice was obvious. Misael waited a few seconds, hoping for a response that never came, before he spoke again. “Your woman isn’t here to protect you this time, Ezekyle.”

The silence continued. It was a heavy, oppressive kind of silence, the kind that hung heavy in the air like when the great crowds gathered in the courtyard of Castle Thronehelm to honor the dead on the anniversary of the Battle of the Bridge. Even twenty years on, there was power in that silence.

But here, the silence was also tinged with an unspoken, underlying threat, as well as the panting of five score impatient horsehounds.

“I don’t want to kill you, Ezekyle,” Misael yelled. “Give us the boy or we’ll take him by force.”

A few moments of silence passed between predator and prey. Then Misael saw a trapdoor open at the base of the fortress. A human figure stepped through to face its aggressor, and Misael saw the familiar but aged face of Arjun Ezekyle looking down at him. Misael smiled and waited for Arjun to surrender.

He was disappointed.

Arjun drew his sword, a blade that Misael knew far too well. Arjun had taken it from the High Aldin when he’d left their service. Unlike the ruggedly forged swords of Clan Blood Axe, Arjun’s shining katana had been crafted by the master smithies of Abacus. Misael could see its keen red edge glinting in the sun, even from a distance. It was a weapon that would be the envy of any swordsman.

It was Misael’s turn to stand in silence as Arjun surveyed the trollborn from his vantage point on the edge of Fort Homm. Arjun took his katana and patiently scored a line on the ground with the edge of his sword. Then he turned slowly, never taking his gaze off the trollborn, and disappeared back into the fortress.

Misael cracked a half-smile and growled to himself at the gesture. He promised himself that Arjun’s sword would be his when the battle was over. But first, the battle must begin.

About Author J.V. Hilliard:

Born of steel, fire and black wind, J.V. Hilliard was raised as a highlander in the foothills of a once-great mountain chain on the confluence of the three mighty rivers that forged his realm’s wealth and power for generations.

His father, a peasant twerg, toiled away in industries of honest labor and instilled in him a work ethic that would shape his destiny. His mother, a local healer, cared for his elders and his warrior uncle, who helped to raise him during his formative years. His genius brother, whose wizardly prowess allowed him to master the art of the abacus and his own quill, trained with him for battles on fields of green and sheets of ice.

Hilliard’s earliest education took place in his warrior uncle’s tower, where he learned his first words. HIs uncle helped him to learn the basics of life—and, most importantly, creative writing.

Hilliard’s training and education readied him to lift a quill that would scribe the tale of the realm of Warminster, filled with brave knights, harrowing adventure and legendary struggles. He lives in the city of silver cups, hypocycloids and golden triangles with his wife, a ranger of the diamond. They built their castle not far into the countryside, guarded by his own two horsehounds, Thor and MacLeod, and resides there to this day.

Website
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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.