EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
The Deep End
(The Country Club Murders Book 1)
(The Country Club Murders Book 1)
by Julie Mulhern
The Deep End is the first book in Julie Mulhern's Country Club Murders series set in the 1970s. Coming October 2015: Guaranteed to Bleed.
The Deep End is currently on tour with Enchanted Book Promotions. The tour stops here today for an excerpt and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Swimming into the lifeless body of her husband’s mistress tends to ruin a woman’s day, but becoming a murder suspect can ruin her whole life.
It’s 1974 and Ellison Russell’s life revolves around her daughter and her art. She’s long since stopped caring about her cheating husband, Henry, and the women with whom he entertains himself. That is, until she becomes a suspect in Madeline Harper’s death. The murder forces Ellison to confront her husband’s proclivities and his crimes - kinky sex, petty cruelties and blackmail.
As the body count approaches par on the seventh hole, Ellison knows she has to catch a killer. But with an interfering mother, an adoring father, a teenage daughter, and a cadre of well-meaning friends demanding her attention, can Ellison find the killer before he finds her?
Excerpt
“You want to know my name?”
“Seems only fair. You know mine.”
“Everyone calls me Jones.”
I put the can back on the table. The aluminum made a hollow sound. “What do your parents call you?”
He mumbled.
“Pardon me?”
He mumbled again.
“Did you say Anthony?”
“No.” He glanced over his shoulder at the mirror then leaned forward and whispered, “Anarchy.”
I had to have misheard him. “That’s not a name.”
“It is in San Francisco.”
No wonder he went by Jones. Detective Follow-the-Rules was named Anarchy? “How?”
“My father wears his politics on his sleeve.”
Professor Jones advocated for the abolition of law. Detective Jones enforced them.
And I thought I had problems with Mother.
My fingers, quite of their own volition reached across the table. I stopped their progress before they touched Detective Jones’ hand.
We both stared at them, my hand hovering an inch above his. It was as if some magnetic force was drawing me to touch him, to connect. My gaze traveled to his face, tanned, lean, a frame for the nicest brown eyes I’d ever seen. Those eyes looked into mine.
We sat, opposite sides of the table, our hands almost touching, our questions forgotten.
Then I remembered who we were. Detective Jones didn’t need empathy from a murder suspect any more than I needed sympathy from the man who might arrest me.
Praise for the Book
"Part mystery, part women’s fiction, part poetry, Mulhern’s debut, The Deep End, will draw you in with the first sentence and entrance you until the last. An engaging whodunit that kept me guessing until the end!" ~ Tracy Weber, Author of the Downward Dog Mysteries
"What truly stands out is the development of Ellison as a very realistic and very likable character ... Not to be overlooked is the humor and wit that entertains throughout the novel as readers enjoy following an intelligent heroine completely coming into her own as a compelling, funny, and very intelligent woman." ~ Kings River Life Magazine
"A well-written traditional mystery ... Plotting is tight and suspense-filled with plenty of twists and turns. Ellison was a likable character and I'm looking forward to reading more about her." ~ Loralee Peterson, NetGalley Reviewer
"What a fun read! Murder in the days before cell phones, the internet, DNA and AFIS." ~ Books for Avid Readers
"Intriguing plots, fascinating characters. From the first page to the last, Julie’s mysteries grab the reader and don’t let up. When all is resolved and I read the last page, I wanted to read more." ~ Sally Berneathy, USA Today Bestselling Author
"Ms. Mulhern weaves a tidy tale of murder, blackmail, and life behind the scenes in the Country Club set of the 70s ... an excellent mystery, highly recommended, and I eagerly await the next in the series." ~ Any Good Book
About the Author
Julie Mulhern is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean -a nd she's got an active imagination. Truth is - she's an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog, and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions. She is a 2014 Golden Heart® Finalist. The Deep End is her first mystery and is the winner of The Sheila Award.
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