SPOTLIGHT ON PIGEON-BLOOD RED BY ED DUNCAN & #GIVEAWAY (Suspenseful Crime Thriller)

For underworld enforcer Richard "Rico" Sanders, it seemed like an ordinary job. Retrieve his gangster boss's priceless pigeon-blood red ruby necklace and teach the double-dealing cheat who stole it a lesson. A job like a hundred before it. But the chase quickly goes sideways and takes Rico from the mean streets of Chicago to sunny Honolulu, where the hardened hit man finds himself in uncharted territory when a couple of innocent bystanders are accidentally embroiled in the crime.

As Rico pursues his new targets, the hunter and his prey develop an unlikely respect for one another and Rico is faced with a momentous decision: follow his orders to kill the couple whose courage and character have won his admiration, or refuse and endanger the life of the woman he loves?

Published:  March 2016
Publisher:  Zharmae

Pigeon-Blood Red is a fast-paced and suspenseful crime thriller by Ed Duncan

Praise for Pigeon-Blood Red

“Pigeon Blood Red has a dramatic and satisfying conclusion, leaving the reader nodding his head with approval." - Readers' Favorite

“In a novel with as much action as love, it is sure to be a story that will fulfill the desires of readers of all ages, genders, and areas of interest.” – Red City Review

"This charming, classically-told crime thriller is a must for noir fans...refreshingly old-school pulp, inhabited by a familiar cast of gamblers, con men and hustlers found in Dennis Lehane and Elmore Leonard novels” – Best Thrillers

About the Author

Ed Duncan is a graduate of Oberlin College and Northwestern University Law School. He was a partner at a national law firm in Cleveland, Ohio for many years. He currently lives outside of Cleveland, OH and is at work on the second installment in the Pigeon-Blood Red trilogy. To learn more, go to http://eduncan.net/

Readers can connect with Ed on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Duncan says, “It’s always been said that you should write what you know. I am a lawyer - as is a pivotal character in the novel who is being pursued by a hit man - and I'm excited to be able to use my legal training creatively as well as professionally.”

GIVEAWAY

I am thrilled to be able to give away a kindle copy of  Pigeon-Blood Red on my blog

Giveaway is open worldwide

Winner will be notified by email soon after the giveaway ends

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Book Review: INVINCIBLE SUMMER BY ALICE ADAMS

Inseparable throughout University, four friends graduate into an exhilarating world on the brink of the shiny new millennium.  
Eager to shrug off the hardships of her childhood, Eva breaks away to work in the City.
Benedict stays behind to complete is PhD in Physics and pine for Eva, while siblings Sylvie and Lucien seek a more bohemian life of art, travel and adventure.
As their twenties give way to their thirties, the four friends find their paths diverging as they struggle to navigate broken hearts and thwarted dreams.  With every summer that passes, they try to remain as close as they once were - but this is far from easy.  
Who knows where any of us will be in twenty summers time?
The highs and lows of adulthood, about life's stubborn refusal to turn out as expected, and the way that friendship, love and laughter can give us the strength to make it through.


Published:  2 June 2016
Publisher:  Picador

Four Friends - Two Decades - Twenty Summers

We first meet the four friends when they're just finishing their first years exams at Bristol University in the summer of 1995. The main protagonist is Eva, struggling to make ends meet and has a weekend supermarket job.  Sylvie doing a History of Art course, of whom they all agreed that it was impossible to imagine her being anything other than a great success as an artist, her brother Lucien, sardonic, unpredictable and prone to sleeping around.  Then Benedict, from a wealthy family background who dreams of working at CERN in Switzerland as a Physicist.

We follow them through the summers as they go their separate ways, keeping in touch, meeting up occasionally, reflecting on life's ups and downs.  

Each chapter moves the story on another year as Eva's high flying job takes her around the world, Lucien continues partying, Benedict's working hard, and Sylvie's confidence slowly ebbs away as she tries to find work as an artist.  Their friendship is tested several times over the summers but always they come back to each other because they care.

An enjoyable and engaging read, I cared about the characters, even selfish Lucien.  It's poignant and moving, funny and witty, sad and frustrating .... but never boring .... just like real life!

About the Author

Alice Adams studied philosophy in Bristol and creative writing in Manchester and now lives in London, though escapes into the wilderness as often as possible. She has done a variety of jobs from waitressing to a stint as an analyst in the City. Invincible Summer is her first novel.

#InvincibleSummer

Available from AmazonUK - AmazonUS - BookDepository

Book Review: THE CREPES OF WRATH BY SARAH FOX (Cozy Mystery)

The Crepes of Wrath

by

Sarah Fox

New Cozy Series
File Size: 6124 KB
Print Length: 257 pages
Publisher: Alibi (August 16, 2016)
ASIN: B01A4ATX58

Synopsis

When Marley McKinney’s aging cousin, Jimmy, is hospitalized with pneumonia, she agrees to help run his pancake house while he recovers. With its rustic interior and syrupy scent, the Flip Side Pancake House is just as she pictured it—and the surly chef is a wizard with crêpes. Marley expects to spend a leisurely week or two in Wildwood Cove, the quaint, coastal community where she used to spend her summers, but then Cousin Jimmy is found murdered, sprawled on the rocks beneath a nearby cliff.

After she stumbles across evidence of stolen goods in Jimmy’s workshop, Marley is determined to find out what’s really going on in the not-so-quiet town of Wildwood Cove. With help from her childhood crush and her adopted cat, Flapjack, Marley sinks her teeth into the investigation. But if she’s not careful, she’s going to get burned by a killer who’s only interested in serving up trouble. 

Welcome to Wildwood Cove, an idyllic seaside town, home to rambling Victorian houses, fabulous views, friendly locals and charming shops........but also home to someone with murderous intentions!

The first in a new series of Pancake House Mysteries introduces us to Marley who's arrived from Seattle to help out at her cousin Jimmy's Flip Side Pancake House for a few weeks while he's recovering in hospital.  She has fond memories of long ago summers spent at Wildwood Cove with her cousin and his family.

But when Jimmy is murdered and Marley discovers some stolen paintings in his workshop, her stay turns out to be longer than she anticipated as she is determined to clear his name and find out who killed him.

This is an enjoyable read with some quirky characters, plenty of suspicious suspects with motives, delicious pancake recipes, a little romance and a charming heroine in Marley McKinney.

I liked the Pancake House setting, and I look forward to the next in this new series.

About The Author

Sarah Fox was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she developed a love for mysteries at a young age. When not writing novels or working as a legal writer, she is often reading her way through a stack of books or spending time outdoors with her English Springer Spaniel.

Author website http://www.authorsarahfox.com/

Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/authorsarahfox

Twitter: @thewritefox

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14950357.Sarah_Fox

 Purchase Links:

Penguin Random House     Amazon.com     Amazon.ca   Chapters     Barnes&Noble     Google Play

Tour Participants

August 15 – Reading Reality – REVIEW

August 16 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – INTERVIEW

August 16 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW

August 16 – Carole’s Book Corner – REVIEW

August 17 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

August 17 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW

August 18 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

August 18 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW

August 19 – Babs Book Bistro – REVIEW

August 19 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

August 19 – Cassidy Salem Reads & Writes – SPOTLIGHT

August 20 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW

August 21 – Classy Cheapskate  – REVIEW

August 22 – Jersey Girl Book Reviews – REVIEW, GUEST POST

August 23 – Ashleyz Wonderland – REVIEW,

August 23 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

August 24 – The Broke Book Bank – REVIEW

August 24 – A Blue Million Books – GUEST POST

August 25 – Book Babble – REVIEW

August 26 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

August 27 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT

August 27 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 28 – A Holland Reads – GUEST POST

August 29 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

August 30 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW

August 31 – The Girl with Book Lungs – REVIEW

August 31 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW

Book Tour Spotlight & Kindle Giveaway: SILK STALKINGS BY DIANE VALLERE (Cozy Mystery)

Silk Stalkings

by

Diane Vallere

Silk Stalkings (A Material Witness Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Berkley (August 2, 2016)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425270592
E-Book ASIN: B01839Q47C

Fabric shop owner Polyester Monroe can get tangled up in textiles, but it’s murder that really throws her for a loop in the latest mystery from the national bestselling author of Crushed Velvet.
The time has come for San Ladrón, California’s annual Miss Tangorli beauty pageant, and Poly has agreed to use Material Girl’s inventory of shimmery silks to create embellished gowns fit for a crown. But when millionaire Harvey Halliwell—the man who revived the city’s citrus trade with his imported tangorli tree—is found dead days before the pageant contestants are announced, something sour takes over the town.

To make matters worse, her friend, mechanic Charlie Brooks, is soon caught up in the crime, having been seen in the company of the case’s prime suspect. Now Poly’s on a mission to squeeze out the truth. But as she searches for a pattern, the killer seems intent on cutting up the evidence…

About The Author

I’m a former fashion buyer turned mystery writer, trading fashion accessories for accessories to murder. I was bit by the mystery bug as a kid reading Trixie Belden, Connie Blair, and The Three Investigators. Now I’m writing three series: the Style & Error Mysteries, the Mad for Mod Mysteries,  Material Witness Mysteries, and the new Costume Shop Cozy Mysteries!

The Material Witness mysteries feature Polyester Monroe, who inherits the fabric shop where she was born. Books include SUEDE TO REST  and CRUSHED VELVET . The third, SILK STALKINGS,  will be out in August 2016.

The Style & Error Series features former fashion buyer turned amateur sleuth Samantha Kidd. Books in that series include DESIGNER DIRTY LAUNDRY ; BUYER, BEWARE ; THE BRIM REAPER ; and SOME LIKE IT HAUTE . (A short story, “Just Kidding ,” tells the story of how Samantha first met shoe designer Nick Taylor). Book 5, GRAND THEFT RETRO, will be out in 2016.

The Madison Night Mysteries feature a modern day interior decorator who specializes in midcentury design (studying Doris Day movies to get the look right). Books are PILLOW STALK,THAT TOUCH OF INK , and WITH VICS YOU GET EGGROLL . A prequel novella, “Midnight Ice,” can be found in OTHER PEOPLE’S BAGGAGE .

The new Costume Shop Cozy Mysteries feature former magician’s assistant Margo Tamblyn who has come home to run her family’s costume chop. A Disguise to Die For was released February 2, 2016 and Masking for Trouble will be released October 4.

Author Links

Webpage: http://www.dianevallere.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/DianeVallereAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianevallere

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4739022.Diane_Vallere

Purchase Links

Amazon – B&N – Google Play  

Giveaway

A Kindle Fire pre-loaded with the 1st book in each of her series ..... what a fantastic prize!

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Promo Blitz: SHADOWS MAY FALL BY MELL CORCORAN (Thriller)

Thriller / Mystery / Crime

Publisher: Mill City Press

Date Published: June 2016

Barely catching her breath after wrapping up a string of complex murders, homicide detective Lou Donovan finds herself on the hunt for a new killer with some seriously twisted methods. The ghastly slaughters turn even veteran cops several shades of green, and it’s up to Lou and her new partner to follow their instincts down their dark and deadly path.

As if tracking down a murderer wasn’t enough, Lou finds herself in the middle of a delicate balancing act. Her new and unfamiliar role among one of the world’s most powerful, clandestine organizations has her second-guessing her own instincts. It’s made all the more difficult due to Lou’s refusal to face her inexplicable longing for the new man that looms at the center of her universe.

The third installment in the Series of Shadows saga, Shadows May Fall, follows the series’s beloved detective as she faces new challenges, both professional and personal. Will Lou sort out her tangled life, or will her unresolved emotions result in tragedy?

Other Books in the Series of Shadows Series

Publisher: Mill City Press

Published: March 2013

Humans sit comfortably at the summit of the food chain; rarely does any other animal get the advantage. But other people? Now there's something to fear. 

In Mell Corcoran's thrilling crime novel debut, Shadows of Doubt, women are being hunted, tortured, killed and their assailant leaves the same clue on each of them but it has no scientific explanation. Detective Lou Donovan must figure out this killer's signature because he's escalating and no one knows where he will strike next. 

When the first victim appears in Shadow of Doubt Lou nor her partner wants the case but it's shoved in their laps. As soon as they make some progress, however, the case is taken from them and the explanation is weak at best. Lou won't let go and tries to work below the radar but she's foiled at every turn. It's as if someone is watching her and knows her every move. 

Publisher: Mill City Press

Published: February 2014

An affluent community, a gruesome crime scene and zero forensic evidence. Three headless bodies and an empty house are all detectives have to go on and the clock is ticking. In this second installment in a Series of Shadows, Detective Lou Donovan is back on the case barely recovered from her brush with death in Shadows of Doubt. Despite her life being turned upside down after stumbling upon a world she never knew existed, Lou must adapt and face her new circumstances in a hurry before more bodies start piling up.

In this intense and complex case, Lou and her team must figure out who their headless victims are, who would go to such elaborate lengths and why. As they dig, they uncover more questions than answers. On top of that, Lou must deal with being assigned a new partner and the problems that adds to the mix.

Is a notorious drug cartel behind these brutal slayings or is something far more evil behind the scenes? Sometimes the truth is better left in the shadows.

About the Author

After nearly two decades working in the legal profession, Mell Corcoran made a major career shift to pursue her passion as a writer. The author of the critically acclaimed Series of Shadows, including Shadows of Doubt and Shadows of Deceit, Mell has found her bliss as a mystery-thriller writer.

A native Southern Californian, Mell was born into a large stereotypical Irish-American family, many in law enforcement, which fostered a unique perspective in her writing. She is an avid animal lover, hockey fan, would-be golfer and aspiring tech geek. Mell resides with her family just outside Los Angeles, California.

Contact Links

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Purchase Links

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Book Review Book Tour: THE BLUEBONNET BETRAYAL BY MARTY WINGATE (Cozy Mystery)

The Bluebonnet Betrayal: A Potting Shed Mystery
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Publisher: Alibi (August 2, 2016)
Print Length: 294 pages
ASIN: B017QLSIU4

Bestselling author Marty Wingate “plants clever clues with a dash of romantic spice,” raves Mary Daheim. Now Wingate’s inimitable gardening heroine, Pru Parke, is importing a precious bloom from Texas—and she won’t let a vicious murder stop her.

Pru’s life in England is coming full circle. A Texas transplant, she’s married to the love of her life, thriving in the plum gardening position she shares with her long-lost brother, and prepping a Chelsea Flower Show exhibit featuring the beloved bluebonnets of the Texas hill country. Technically, Twyla Woodford, the president of a gardening club in the Lone Star State, is in charge of the London event, but Pru seems to be the one getting her hands dirty. When they finally do meet, Pru senses a kindred spirit—until Twyla turns up dead.

Although Twyla’s body was half buried under a wall in their display, Pru remains determined to mount a spectacular show. Twyla would have insisted. So Pru recruits her husband, former Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, to go undercover and do a bit of unofficial digging into Twyla’s final hours. If Pru has anything to say about it, this killer is going to learn the hard way not to mess with Texas.

The Bluebonnet Betrayal is the fifth in the Potting Shed Mysteries and I've loved every one of them.  I love Texan Pru and her determination, she doesn't give up in her pursuit of justice.

This time she's asked to be a sort of liaison with the designer and contractor at the Chelsea Flower Show until the Austin Rock Garden Society turn up, they can't get there in time for the first day of build up.  But when they arrive and one of them is murdered straight away Pru can't help digging for clues, with the help of her hubby Christopher who goes undercover this time.

When Pru's not building stone walls, fitting tarpaulin sheets and struggling to get the garden ready in time for the opening, she's trying to discover who killed one of their members but she also finds there was some tension within the society and tension within the garden crew over the Texan Bluebonnets too.

The Chelsea Flower Show was a super setting for the story, I really got a feel of what goes on during the build up to this famous show.  I thought the plot was excellent, I didn't guess whodunnit, there were many suspects and, as usual Pru gets herself into trouble with several of the main characters, including the police! 

I particularly enjoyed Christopher's involvement and these were the fun elements of the book for me. I won't give too much away but I think regular readers will like this part.

Although this is the fifth in the series, it can be read as a standalone.

Check out my thoughts on the earlier books:  

The Garden Plot
The Red Book of Primrose House
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
The Skeleton Garden

About the Author

Marty Wingate is a Seattle-based writer and speaker who shares her love of Britain in her two mystery series. The Potting Shed books feature Pru Parke, a middle-aged American gardener transplanted from Texas to England, and Birds of a Feather follows Julia Lanchester, bird lover, who runs a tourist office in a Suffolk village. Marty writes garden articles for magazines including Country Gardens and the American Gardener. She is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Crime Writers Association. She leads garden tours to England, Scotland and Ireland, spending free moments deep in research for her books. Or in pubs.

Author Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martywingateauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/martywingate

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/453259.Marty_Wingate

Website: www.martywingate.com

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

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Marty-Wingate/e/B001JS1AIS

Purchase Links

Amazon  B&N  kobo

iBooks    Google Play

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