Sticks & Stones by K. J. Larsen

Sticks & Stones by K. J. Larsen is the second book in the “Cat DeLuca” mystery series. Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, February 2012

What does a woman do when she discovers her husband is an incurable cheater? If she’s Cat DeLuca she launches the Pants On Fire Detective Agency to do what two years of unholy matrimony taught her: she catches cheaters.

After client Cleo Jones shoots her cheating husband’s bum full of buckshot, he disappears, taking her money, her dog, and her sister with him. Private Investigator Cat DeLuca promises to return the dog and money if her client stops shooting at Walter. Cleo promises to return the dog and the money if her client stops shooting at Walter. She finds the dog and a mysterious bag full of cash, and then she finds Walter, his very dead body still warm. The cop quickly arrest Cleo for the murder of her husband. She had motive and opportunity and a dozen witnesses heard her scream bloody murder. One made a video. Cat is determined to prove her client’s innocence and it’s not an easy sell. Cat’s investigation leads to four players with secrets: a childhood friend, a gambler, a construction tycoon, and a legendary Chicago designer. But when forensic evidence suggests the detective knows more about the murder than she’s telling, Cat faces the certain loss of her agency…and maybe much more.

This book cracks me up. The pairing of Cat and her assistant took me on a fun ride as Cat looks for clues to save her friend from moving to Cuba. Surrounded by an eccentrically quirky family, Cat can always count on them when the need arises, especially with the amusing interludes that she winds up involved in when pursuing her suspects or helping out a friend. This fast-moving mystery with a good plot kept me on my toes and I enjoyed the engaging and witty dialogue throughout this book. All in all this was a fantastic read and I can’t wait for the next book in the thrill-a-minute romp through the chapters of Cat’s life. They say a cat has nine lives and I hope that’s the number of books we see in this hilariously entertaining series.

A Day in the Life of Alison Kerby by E. J. Copperman

Running a Jersey Shore guesthouse means the day starts early. Really early. I’m talking early here. Like, five a.m. See? Early.

You have to be up before the guests, make sure everything’s in order, clean up anything that didn’t get cleaned up the night before, get coffee and tea ready (I don’t make breakfast; this ain’t no B&B—it’s just a B), get my daughter Melissa ready for school (although she does that mostly on her own; she’s 10) and make sure everything is all set up for the morning spook show.

Have to get the house ghosts in line.

Most mornings with Paul Harrison, our resident PI ghost, that’s not an issue; Paul is very conscientious and never misses a “performance,” especially since they are part of a deal we have. My guesthouse has gained—not surprisingly—a reputation for being haunted, and some guests really want to interact with “the spirits,” so I need to provide evidence of their residence (not bad, huh?) twice a day. I hold up my end of the bargain by occasionally, like whenever I can’t talk my way out of it, acting as Paul’s “legs” to the outside, living world when he finds a case he’d like to investigate. Apparently, being dead isn’t just a horror and a tragedy; it’s also boring.

Paul’s side of the bargain is that he performs at the daily spook shows and makes sure Maxie Malone does the same.

I haven’t told you about Maxie. Is there an emoticon for eye-rolling?

In addition to the usual guesthouse responsibilities, like making sure the guests have clean rooms, access to the beach, activities nearby and clean towels, I need to play den mother to Paul and (mostly) Maxie, who died by poisoning when she was 28-going-on 16. She keeps our lives… interesting. Worse, she’s actually become friends with Melissa, whom she considers her “roommate” in Melissa’s attic bedroom.

When Paul is forcing me against my will to look into a crime, that’ll happen mostly in the afternoon, between spook shows and when the guests are likely to be occupied elsewhere. The guesthouse comes first, and that means the guests come first.

But lately, the past has been coming to visit. Paul wants me to find some woman he was going to propose to before he died, just to see if she’s all right. Maxie wants me to find out who murdered her ex-husband—of four days—the biker “Big Bob,” whose remains were just found under the boardwalk in Seaside Heights.

And my own past—in the form of my ex-husband Steven (not at all affectionately referred to as The Swine)—has just arrived on my doorstep.

It’s going to be an interesting week.

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Alison Kerby appears in the Haunted Guesthouse Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime. The latest book in the series, OLD HAUNTS, was just published. You can find out more about Alison, her resident ghosts, and a contest to win OLD HAUNTS prizes at www.ejcopperman.com E.J.’s last name is not “Cooperman.”

** Thanks to the publisher, I have one (1) copy of OLD HAUNTS to give away. Contest open to residents of the US only. Contest ends February 29. Leave a valid-email address with your comment. The book will be shipped directly from the publisher. **

Meet the author
E.J. Copperman is the author of the Haunted Guesthouse Mystery series, which began with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEED and AN UNINVITED GHOST and continues now with OLD HAUNTS. E.J., whose last name is NOT “Cooperman,” lives and writes in New Jersey, because somebody has to, and no, has never seen a ghost. Unless you count Casper, but that was a long time ago.

Books are available at retail and online booksellers.

Restless In The Grave by Dana Stabenow

Restless In The Grave by Dana Stabenow is the 19th book in the “Kate Shugak” mystery series. Publisher: Minotaur Books, February 2012

New York Times bestseller Dana Stabenow returns with her most outstanding novel yet, teaming up two of her most beloved characters, Aleut private investigator Kate Shugak and Alaska state trooper Liam Campbell, in the same story for the first time.

Alaska aviation entrepreneur Finn Grant died in the fiery crash of his Piper Super Cub. Someone sabotaged his engine, and virtually everyone in southwestern Alaska has a motive, including his betrayed wife, his bullied children, and Liam’s wife, bush pilot Wyanet Chouinard. With few places to turn, Liam asks his former mentor Niniltna post commander Sergeant Jim Chopin, for help, and Jim quickly brings Kate onto the case.

Working undercover as—of all things—a waitress at Bill’s Bar and Grill, Kate learns over beer and burgers that Grant’s business had expanded meteorically over the last two years. After buying the closed Air Force base south of town from the federal government at a bargain-basement price, he became a fixed-base operator running his fishing, hunting, and flight-seeing business, servicing planes flying through the area, and most interestingly and lucratively, getting into the air freight business. But what kind of freight was he moving, and where?

The answers involve Kate in her most challenging case to date, one that starts with murder and quickly sprawls into a much larger conspiracy ranging from the darkest family secrets to treason and beyond. Restless in the Grave is a treat for fans and another outstanding addition to Dana Stabenow’s acclaimed and award-winning series.

In her latest case, Kate goes undercover and in less than 24 hours upon her arrival in town, she’s turned up a hornet’s nest of hidden secrets, blackmail and murder. I love this series and the action started immediately and did not let up from the very first page to an ending that left me saying “Wow”. Leaving no stones unturned as she digs deeper into this case, Kate finds herself in precarious situations handling it with amusing anecdote. I quickly devoured this gripping mystery of intriguing that boasts a strong cast of characters and a locale that I would love to visit. I eagerly await the next book in this wonderfully well-scripted and fabulous series.

Dying To Sell by Maggie Sefton

Dying To Sell by Maggie Sefton. January 2012

Real estate agent Kate Doyle knew divorce was messy, but she didn’t expect it to be bloody. Kate agrees to sell the home of old friends who’re locked in a bitter divorce. She’s hoping the upscale house will be an easy sell in the Colorado college town. But her hopes turn to horror when she walks into the lawyer-client’s study to find him brutally murdered—stabbed in the throat. “A crime of passion,” says Kate’s police detective brother-in-law. The prime suspect is Kate’s close friend, the spurned wife, who begs Kate to help her.

Kate’s meddling turns up some surprising suspects. The successful lawyer deceived numerous ex-lovers as well as his wife. He’d also played off one land developer against another, dangling a choice tract of land as bait. Businesses were ruined and fortunes lost. Had the loser taken revenge on the wily lawyer? Or had an ex-lover killed in jealous rage? Kate’s real estate license helps her dig into the scheming lawyer’s dealings as she sifts clues from cyberspace to crawl space. Unfortunately, her snooping tempts the killer to exercise his own license—to kill.

This fast-moving, page turning drama immediately grabbed my attention from the first opening line, as I could not put this book down. The author did a good job at keeping me guessing with the many plot twists and palpable suspense surrounding this whodunit. With a great storyline, likable characters and a strong heroine, this novel was suspense-fully enjoyable.

Back In The Habit by Alice Loweecey

Back In The Habit by Alice Loweecey is the second book in the “Falcone & Driscoll Investigation” mystery series. Publisher: Midnight Ink, February 2012

An undercover job from hell

It’s been over a year since Giulia Falcone fled the convent, and her new case is the stuff of nightmares: she’s going back. Giulia’s former Superior General has hired Driscoll Investigations to confirm that the sudden death of Sister Bridget, a troubled young Novice, was a suicide in order to squelch a lawsuit. Did something drive Sister Bridget to desperation? Or was she murdered? Gathering every ounce of courage to confront her past, Giulia dons the dreaded habit—putting a serious damper on her budding romance with her boss, Frank—and returns to the Motherhouse to investigate. What she uncovers is less than holy.

The unthinkable has happened to Giulia; she’s headed back to the convent as a nun. Luckily, it’s only undercover and the things that goes on behind the convent doors is deeply puzzling to say the least. What a great read. The mysterious elements in this well-crafted and action-packed drama created a wonderful story that I could not put down and pulled me in from the beginning. The tone of the story was very comfortable and the characters very likeable. Our heroine, Giulia, is an interesting character and watching her learn to survive in this new world is fun and I especially liked the internal dialogue that helps her cope with a variety of situations. This is an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book in this pleasant series.

A Day In The Life Of Cat DeLuca by K. J. Larsen

I raised the pint to my lips and peered over the foam at the couple in the next booth. She was a bleach-bottle-blonde in a red sweater that stretched tight in all the right places. He was a turtleneck and sports coat guy. His glasses fogged when he stared at the sweater.

They had been lovers less than a month. I know this because he hung on every word she said. When he was with her he felt sexy again. He almost forgot he had a jerk-wad boss. A preoccupied wife. And a big, angry ulcer.

She made him feel young again. And guilty. His fingers rubbed the tan line where his wedding band should be. The ring would be in his pocket.

I know this because I was married to a man whose ring dropped in his pocket like his finger was greased. The cheater at the next table could be my run-around ex. Except Johnnie Rizzo was much hotter. He was also a lying, sack of crap.

The blonde torpedoed her knockers into the cheater’s chest and kissed him. When he came up for air, his glasses dangled off his nose.

His name is Bernard Martini and he’s married to Olivia Martini. Yesterday Olivia found condoms in Bernie’s pocket. Two left in a five-pack. Today she’s emptying their savings account and buying a condo. Tonight she’ll serve him a plate of my 8X10 glossies.

I know these things because it’s my business to know. I’m a private detective. I don’t snoop for insurance companies and I won’t find your lost Aunt Edna. I do what two years of unholy matrimony taught me. I catch cheaters.

My name is Caterina DeLuca. Olivia Martini is my client. I own the Pants On Fire Detective Agency. And right now, I owned Bernie’s sorry, dumb ass.

My purse is a camouflaged camera. I purchased it last month from an online spy store. I adjusted the lens to snag a shot of the hootchie’s nimble hands beneath the table.

I smiled. Say cheese, Bernie.

I live on the south side of Chicago, too close to my parents and not far from the White Sox. It’s where I grew up with three brothers and a sister. Chicago is two-hundred thirty-four square miles of nesting possibilities but Mama sucks us in like the Bermuda Triangle.

The door opened to a blast of December air and a half-dozen longshoremen stumbled in. They were beefy and loud and feeling no pain. This Irish bar was not their first stop.

A shitfaced guy howled from the door. “Barmaid. Dogs and brewskis around. “ His unfocused eyes swept the bar and settled on me. “I’ll have her.”

“Seriously?” I said.

“I should have gone to college,” the server said.

Another burst of winter blew Santa into the bar. He was chubby and plump in his red suit even without the stuffing. Blue eyes danced above the fluffy, white beard.

“Ho ho ho,” he said. He disappeared behind a door that read For Employees and Leprechauns Only.

“Hey Nick,” the shitfaced guy called after him. “You’re early.”

I glanced around the bar. The server would be on Santa’s “nice” list. The shitfaced longshoreman was “naughty” today but we all want to believe Santa makes his list when we’re sober. Bernie could expect a “lump of coal” this Christmas. And I wasn’t entirely sure about my own stocking.

Shouts erupted. Santa burst through the leprechaun door, boots pounding the floor. Two guys tore after him. They had guns in their coats. One clutched Santa’s beard in his hand.

I gazed into Santa’s face and Billy Bonham grinned back at me. He tweeked a thumb and pinky to his ear. Call me.

I didn’t think. I shot out a leg. The charging posse tumbled over my Uggs. In a sputtering nosedive, they crashed and burned on the backs of the tanked-up longshoremen. A drunken howl sliced the air. Chaos exploded. The fight was on.
Santa escaped cleanly though the door.

I emptied my glass, dropped a wad of cash on the table, and slung the camera over my shoulder. Then I scooted out the door behind Santa.

And that’s how I saved Christmas.

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** Thanks to the K.J., I have one (1) copy of STICKS AND STONES to give away. Contest open to residents of the US only. Contest ends February 27. Leave a valid-email address with your comment. Book will be shipped directly from the author. **

Meet the author
Three sisters, Kari, Julianne, and Kristen Larsen, write the Cat DeLuca Mysteries. Their debut novel, LIAR LIAR, was awarded Library Journal’s Best Mystery 2010. A second book in the series, STICKS AND STONES, is available February 2012. Please visit the sisters at www.kjlarsenauthor.com

Books are available at retail and online booksellers.

File M for Murder by Miranda James

File M for Murder by Miranda James is the third book in the “Cat In the Stacks” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin), January 2012

Everyone in Athena, Mississippi, knows Charlie Harris, the good-natured librarian with a rescued Maine coon cat named Diesel that he walks on a leash. Charlie’s returned to his hometown to immerse himself in books, but his daughter’s unexpected visit may take them all for a walk…straight into trouble!

Athena College’s new writer in residence is a famous native son, playwright Connor Lawton, known for his sharp writing—and sharper tongue. After an unpleasant encounter, librarian Charlie Harris heads home to a nice surprise: his daughter, Laura, is subbing for another Athena professor this fall semester. It’s great news until he hears who got her the job: her old flame Connor Lawton.

Fearing competition for Connor’s affection, one of his admirers tries to drive Laura out of town. And then, before Connor finishes the play he is writing, he is murdered—and Laura is the prime suspect. Knowing she’s innocent, Charlie and his faithful sidekick, Diesel, follow Connor’s cluttered trail of angry lovers, bitter enemies, and intriguing library research to find the true killer before his daughter is forever catalogued under “M”—for murderer.

What a happy surprise for Charlie as his daughter, Laura, arrives for a visit that includes teaching at the local college. Laura’s visit is later marred when her ex-boyfriend is found dead and her life is threatened. This was a good read and I love the pace of this well-written story. I adore the relationship that Charlie has with his family and friends in this character-driven tale. I look forward to the next book in this enjoyably charming series.

Celebrity in Death by J. D. Robb

Celebrity in Death by J. D. Robb is the 34th book in the “In Death” mystery series. Publisher: Putnam, February 2012

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is no party girl, but she’s managing to have a reasonably good time at the celebrity-packed bash celebrating The Icove Agenda, a film based on one of her famous cases. It’s a little spooky seeing the actress playing her, who looks almost like her long-lost twin. Not as unsettling, though, as seeing the actress who plays Peabody—drowned in the lap pool on the roof of the director’s luxury building. Talented but rude, and widely disliked, K. T. Harris had made an embarrassing scene during dinner. Now she’s at the center of a crime scene—and Eve is more than ready to get out of her high heels and strap on her holster, to step into the role she was born to play: cop.

J. D. Robb has done it again, she pulled me right into the Eve’s world and I didn’t not want to let go. When an actress falls prey to her evil machinations, Eve must stand for her and sift out the one person who had the balls to shut this woman down. When Eve works a case, her dedicated pursuit of the killer will end when they are locked up in a cage and the irony is they don’t think they belong there. Everything is in place for a great story, the murder, the apprehension of the killer, the romance, the friendship and in this book, that precious moment with Eve and Bella. This was another great read in this wonderfully awesome series.

A Day In The Life Of Wanda Boyle by B. B. Haywood

This blog was supposed to be about Candy Holliday. Why does everything have to be about Candy Holliday? Her life is not that interesting. First of all, she wears the same jeans and yellow fleece jacket everywhere she goes. How boring is that? I wear striking bold colors, the way a woman should. Especially one in my position, which is the sole Welcome Committee member for the Town of Cape Willington, Maine. I have lived here my whole life, born and raised. Candy has been here only a few years, yet everyone in town looks up to her like she is a long lost daughter come home.

Here is an example of Candy’s day. She gets up, feeds her chickens-”the girls” she calls them. Then she bakes pies for Melody’s Cafe. She bakes all the pies for the Cafe now. Okay, I admit they are delicious, but really. Then she goes to work part time for Georg Wolfsburger, the owner of The Black Forest Bakery. I think she works the counter, and helps with the baking as well. He and Candy got to be close friends after the murder of Sapphire Vine, Cape Willington’s elected Blueberry Queen in 2010.

That is when she started to annoy me. She solved two murders that year, and has solved two more since then. Now everyone in town thinks she is a sleuth. They call on her for any missing kitty, or lost slipper sock. To make matters worse, she got the job as Community Correspondent for the town newspaper, The Cape Crier. That job should have been mine and everyone knows it. So, I had to take matters into my own hands and start my own, better, superior paper. Mine is a website and blog, with photos and the most current need to know right away information. I call it The Cape Crusader.

In fact the life of Wanda Boyle is so important I need to sign off and head over to the Pruitt Opera House. I hear Elsie Lingholt is Hoola Hooping and I want to get there before Candy does. Wanda signing out for now….

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You can read about Candy and Wanda in TOWN IN A WILD MOOSE CHASE, the third book in the “The Candy Holliday” murder mystery series. The first book in the series is TOWN IN A BLUEBERRY JAM.

** Thanks to the publisher, I have one (1) copy of TOWN IN A WILD MOOSE CHASE to give away. Contest open to residents of the US only. Contest ends February 25. Leave a valid-email address with your comment. The book will be shipped directly from the publisher. **

Meet the author:
B.B. Haywood is a pseudonym of writing team Beth Feeman and Robert Feeman. They conceived the idea for the Candy Holliday mysteries while driving around the Maine countryside, stopping at different small towns throughout the state. B.B. has worn the same fleece jacket for 12 years. Visit B.B. Haywood at http://hollidaysblueberryacres.com

Books are available at retail and online booksellers.

A Day In The Life Of Emily Andrew-Miceli by Maddy Hunter

I’d been escorting a tour group of local seniors through Helsinki, Finland, when my mom phoned to tell me that my hometown of Windsor City, Iowa, had been flattened by an F4 tornado. To make matters worse, the reception hall for my upcoming nuptials ended up in Minnesota, the church steeple in Dubuque, and my custom designed dress in a cornfield near Lars Bakke’s grain elevator.

To prevent me from suffering immediate cardiac arrest, my mom had offered to become my wedding planner, which spared my heart, but left me with agonizing heartburn. Hoping to save me from my mother, my grandmother and her cronies stunned me with a surprise wedding that took place aboard a Norwegian ship, on the high seas, just south of the Arctic Circle. I returned home with a new hyphenated last name, a new husband, and an impulse to build something wonderful out of the rubble.

The “wonderful” thing that we built is a dazzling steel and glass building that is home to “Destinations Travel” – a full service agency that offers domestic and international tour packages to active seniors. Our very own travel agency! Etienne and I run the whole show ourselves, so it’s here where I spend the majority of my days when I’m stateside.

My favorite part of our suite of rooms is the photo gallery, where I can give prospective clients a glimpse of some of my favorite tour destinations. There’s Lake Lucerne, where I’d hauled George Farkas’s wooden leg out of the drink, Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway, where Bernice Zwerg got stranded in the rising tide, and Ballybantry Castle, where we were plagued by the resident ghost. There’s Florence’s leather market, where my hair caught fire, and the reindeer farm in Lapland, where I’d run across a dead body. There’s the Twelve Apostles geologic formation in Australia, where I’d discovered another dead body, and the Na Pali coast in Kauai, where our helicopter had been forced to make a hard landing because of the passenger in the back seat… whose sudden death had caused a critical shift in weight.

Our brochures don’t advertise the fact that all my escorted tours have included an endless cavalcade of dead of bodies, but my core group of travelers keep signing up for trips, despite my checkered reputation.

Today I’m going over the roster for our upcoming trip to Holland, checking medical history forms and reconfirming reservations. All my regulars are on board—Margi Swanson, a part-time nurse whose obsessive use of hand sanitizer has caused its stock price to soar on the Dow Jones market; Tilly Hovick, a retired anthropology professor with so much knowledge in her head that she doesn’t need to use Google as her homepage; Osmond Chelsvig, a veritable institution on the local board of elections, his very first vote having been cast on a stone tablet; the two Dicks –Teig and Stolee – a couple of practical jokers who are better friends with each other than they are with their wives; Alice Tjarks, the former voice of the KORN morning agricultural report, who is as unassuming as Bernice Zwerg is difficult; and Marion Sippel, my Nana, whose formal education ended at the eighth grade, but who, in spite of that, is the smartest person I know.

In Holland, we’ll be sharing a bus and tour director with a group from Maine who are celebrating their 50th class reunion. We’re scheduled to visit a windmill, a port town where residents still don authentic Dutch dress, the Rembrandt Museum, the Anne Frank House, the fairytale city of Bruge, Belgium, and the famous Atlantic Wall on the North Sea. Etienne assures me that my run of bad luck has come to a close and will never rear its ugly head again, and I’m determined to believe him. I mean, I have a brand new lease on life—a new business, a new husband, a new name, and a great new group from Maine to travel with.

Given all my new advantages, what could possibly go wrong?

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You can read more about Emily in DUTCH ME DEADLY, the seventh book in the ”Passport to Peril” mystery series. The first book in the series is ALPINE FOR YOU.

** Thanks to Maddy, I have one (1) copy of DUTCH ME DEADLY to give away. Contest open to residents of the US only. Contest ends February 23. Leave a valid-email address with your comment. Book will be shipped directly from the author.**

Meet the author:
When Maddy Hunter travels abroad, she has a hidden agenda. She’s not looking for famous sites; she’s looking for places to kill people. It makes for very interesting holidays! DUTCH ME DEADLY is the 7th book in her nationally bestselling Passport to Peril mystery series. Bonnie of Evidence, the gang’s Scottish adventure, will be released in February of 2013. Maddy lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and a bunch of character’s in her head who keep asking, “Are we there yet?”

Please visit her website at www.maddyhunter.com or become a follower on her Facebook Fan page. Her backlist is available on Kindle, Nook, and perhaps a few other platforms that she doesn’t know about.

Books are available at retail and online booksellers.