"Beach Blanket Homicide" by Maria Geraci

EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY

Beach Blanket Homicide
(Whispering Bay Mystery Book 1)

by Maria Geraci

Beach Blanket Homicide is the first book in the Whispering Bay Mystery series by Maria Geraci. Also available: Whack the Mole.

Beach Blanket Homicide is currently on tour with Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. The tour stops here today for an excerpt and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.

Description

The first book in a fun, quirky chick-lit mystery series featuring Lucy McGuffin, world’s best muffin maker and amateur sleuth.

Everyone agrees that Lucy McGuffin bakes the best muffins in Whispering Bay, but she’s got another talent, one that she’s tried her whole life to hide. Lucy can always tell when a person is lying or telling the truth. Being a human lie detector isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Especially when you don’t really want the answer to the universal question: Does this dress make my butt look too big?

When Lucy is hired to cater the grand opening celebration of the city’s new community center, she stumbles across the dead body of Abby Delgado, a prominent member of the Sunshine Ghost Society. Lucy’s brother, Father Sebastian, a local priest, is the last person to have seen Abby alive. Convinced he’ll be breaking a confidence, Sebastian refuses to cooperate with the police, forcing Lucy to put her skills to the test to save her brother’s good name.

Enter the town’s new hotshot deputy, Travis Fontaine. Travis doesn’t want an amateur like Lucy snooping around his turf, so he offers her a deal. He’ll stay out of her kitchen if she’ll stay away from his crime scene. But Lucy isn’t about to let her brother’s fate rest in the hands of an arrogant cop. Good thing she has her best friend Will and her new little rescue dog, Paco, to back her up, because it’s up to Lucy to figure out what everyone in the quaint little beachside town is hiding.

Excerpt

It is a truth universally acknowledged that everyone lies.

I don’t say this to be judgmental. Lying is part of the human psyche. Even my perfect, older brother Sebastian, a priest and the pastor at St. Perpetua’s Catholic Church here in Whispering Bay resorts to the occasional fib.

“I left the rectory ten minutes ago. The traffic is murder,” Sebastian said just the other day when he was late meeting me for dinner.

“You’re not even in the car, are you?” I shot back.

Sebastian let out the sort of long-suffering sigh he’d mastered long before he’d thought of becoming a priest. “Cut me some slack, Lucy, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Most people can see through those kinds of lies. Those are the easy ones. The thing is, I can also see through the trickier, more deceptive lies as well, which sounds like a good thing, right?

Not necessarily.

When I was five, a brand-new set of paintbrushes went missing in my kindergarten class. Our teacher, Mrs. Jackson, tore apart our small classroom looking for them. Eventually, she asked us kids if we knew where they were. No one admitted to anything, but there was something odd in Brittany Kelly’s demeanor. Some small tell that went unnoticed by everyone. Except me.

After class, I went to Mrs. Jackson and told her that I thought Brittany had taken the brushes.

“How do you know this?” she asked.

My naïve five-year-old self shrugged. “I don’t know. I just do.”

“Lucille McGuffin,” she said, using my full name like she meant business, “It’s not nice to accuse someone without proof.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you sure you didn’t take them?”

A week later, Brittany admitted to taking the brushes.

Now, did Mrs. Jackson ever give me credit for exposing the culprit, or apologize for accusing me? Nope. All I got for my honesty was a letter sent home to my parents telling them that I was a tattletale, and even worse, Brittany Kelly as a lifelong enemy (and believe me, over the years she’s made me suffer).

By high school, I’d pretty much concluded that despite what people said, no one really wanted to know if their boyfriend was cheating on them or if the real reason they’d been excluded from the math club was because they had bad breath.

How I was chosen to receive this “gift” is a mystery. If someone up there wanted to give me special powers, why couldn’t I have been born with the ability to pick winning lottery numbers? Or a perfect nose? I’d kill for a cute little button nose. Or better yet, a metabolism that allows me to eat all the muffins I want without gaining weight.

Lies are a daily occurrence in everyone’s life, and I just have to live with them as best I can, which for me, means to smile and ignore them.

Take right now. I’m currently being lied to by Abby Delgado.

[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]

Praise for the Book

“Beach Blanket Homicide by Maria Geraci is a wonderful cozy and one that I fell in love with from the start. Lucy McGruffin is a great character and a real hoot.” ~ Baroness’Book Trove

“This is the first book that I have read by this author but it definitely will not be the last. I so enjoyed this book, I thought it was fantastic.” ~ MJBReviewers

“5 FUN MYSTERY STARS!! Wow, this story was fun with mystery and fantastic characters. I enjoyed everything about this story, it was different from my normal reads, but definitely held my attention. I can't wait to read more. Maria Geraci knows how to keep us readers engaged.” ~ Rhonda

“The over the top characters and never ending antics of Lucy along with some great character depth make this a fun and witty Florida cozy mystery. And with just a touch of romantic possibility, there seems to be something for everyone. I read this book quickly and would recommend it for a light hearted mystery, perhaps perfect for your own day at the beach.” ~ Petunia P.

“This was my first book by Maria Geraci, but it won’t be my last. I loved the characters and the story line.” ~ Judy

About the Author

Maria Geraci writes quirky, fun, romantic women’s fiction and cozy mysteries. She’s a two time RITA® Finalist, as well as a finalist in the National Readers’ Choice Awards and Romantic Times’ American Beach Blanket Homicide Contest. She lives in central Florida and is always on the lookout for the perfect key lime pie recipe (but not the kind they served on Dexter).

Giveaway

Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win one of three print copies of Beach Blanket Homicide by Maria Geraci (US only).

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Books featured in this post:

"Past and Present" by Judy Penz Sheluk

EXCERPT

Past & Present
(A Marketville Mystery Book 2)

by Judy Penz Sheluk

Past & Present is the second book in the Marketville Mystery series by Judy Penz Sheluk. Also available: Skeletons in the Attic (read my blog post).

Past & Present is currently on tour with Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. The tour stops here today for an excerpt. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.

For another book by this author, please check out my blog post on A Hole in One.

Description

Sometimes the past reaches out to the present …

It’s been thirteen months since Calamity (Callie) Barnstable inherited a house in Marketville under the condition that she search for the person who murdered her mother thirty years earlier. She solves the mystery, but what next? Unemployment? Another nine-to-five job in Toronto?

Callie decides to set down roots in Marketville, take the skills and knowledge she acquired over the past year, and start her own business: Past & Present Investigations.

It’s not long before Callie and her new business partner, best friend Chantelle Marchand, get their first client: a woman who wants to find out everything she can about her grandmother, Anneliese Prei, and how she came to a “bad end” in 1956. It sounds like a perfect first assignment. Except for one thing: Anneliese’s past winds its way into Callie’s present, and not in a manner anyone - least of all Callie - could have predicted.

Excerpt from Chapter 5

“What brings you to Past & Present Investigations?”

Louisa took a sip of water. “May I rest the suitcase on the table?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you.” She popped open the brass locks. Inside the case were several plastic storage bags, the kind you used at the airport to store your liquids. “I didn’t even know my mom owned this. It belonged to my maternal grandmother, not that I ever met her. My mom was raised in foster care. She aged out at sixteen, shoved out of the system without any support. The experience soured her.”

“What about your father?”

“Not in the picture. My mom got pregnant at eighteen. I don’t know whether it was a one-night stand or she fell for the wrong guy. She never elaborated. I do know that whoever he was, he didn’t contribute a dime of support. I’ve certainly never met him. Nor do I care to.”

“Did your mom ever marry?”

“Never even dated anyone again, or if she did, she certainly never brought him home. We weren’t rich, but I didn’t want for anything.” Louisa grimaced. “Well, that may not be entirely accurate. I longed for affection. My mom had a hard time displaying any emotion. Every feeling she ever had was neatly compartmentalized. Not surprising considering her upbringing and my deadbeat dad. But she did her best. We did our best.”

I wondered if Louisa had ever been married, or if she’d followed in her mother’s footsteps.

“You’re probably wondering if I ever married,” she said, reading my mind. “The answer is, yes, three times. Husband number one when I was barely legal age to tie the knot. He turned out to be a gambler. He lost our toy poodle in a poker game, if you can imagine that. Husband number two was a drinker who couldn’t hold down a job when he went to the trouble of finding one. Husband number three was a serial cheater who didn’t even try to hide his infidelity. I left him two years ago and swore off men. I earn a decent living as a credit manager. It helps that I’m bilingual, especially if I’m traveling in Quebec.” She named a national automotive glass company. I knew they owned a couple hundred windshield replacement retail stores across Canada.

“What’s in the train case that makes you want to dig into the past?”

Louisa removed one of the plastic bags, pulled out a photograph and handed it to me. “This is my grandmother. Her name was Anneliese Prei.”

The resemblance to Louisa was uncanny. Despite the sepia tones of the old photo, it was obvious that her hair had the same honey-gold soft waves, and that her eyes were the color of milk chocolate. Even the mouth, full lipped and pouty, was identical. But it was the tilt of her nose, the slightly haughty way she held herself, which took her from look-alike to doppelgänger.

“She was beautiful. You look like her. You’re older, of course, and she has an edge about her that you don’t seem to possess, but overall, the resemblance is uncanny.”

“I always assumed that I took after my father. I certainly don’t look anything like my mom. When I saw this picture, it was as if my grandmother was calling out to me from the grave.”

[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]

Praise for the Book

“Past and Present is a fascinating mystery with more intertwining appendages than an octopus trying to juggle!” ~ Cozy Up With Kathy

“Past and Present is an electrifying cozy mystery weaving history, genealogy, and contemporary issues into an engrossing multilayered tapestry.” ~ Mallory Heart’s Cozies

“This was a fabulous quick read that I really couldn’t get enough of. I absolutely love mysteries that have a historical aspect to them.” ~ A Chick Who Reads

“Very interesting plot, well-crafted, with layered and engaging characters.” ~ Reading Is My SuperPower

About the Author

Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries (The Hanged Man’s Noose and A Hole in One) and The Marketville Mysteries (Skeletons in the Attic and Past & Present). Judy’s short crime fiction appears is several collections. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she currently serves on the Board of Directors as the Regional Representative for Toronto/Southern Ontario. Find Judy on her website/blog, where she interviews other authors and blogs about the writing life.

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"Color Me Dead" by Teresa Trent

GUEST POST and EXCERPT

Color Me Dead
(Henry Park Book 1)

by Teresa Trent

Color Me Dead by Teresa Trent is currently on tour with Great Escapes Book Tours. The tour stops here today for a guest post by the author and an excerpt. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.

Description

Artist Gabby Wolfe has the ability to see not only the beauty of the living, but the despair of the dead. When she returns to her childhood home in Henry Park Colorado, she is forced to bring along her younger brother Mitch. He is on a “break” from college where he was majoring in wine, women and song. If that isn’t enough they also have Mitch’s rambunctious beagle Luigi along who prefers to spend his days wallowing in junk food. When Gabby draws the death of a young woman before it happens, she knows she must tell someone and risk a new job and her professional credibility. Will she reveal her secret in time to save the woman in the water or will it be too late?

Excerpt

Click below to read an excerpt.

Praise for the Book

~" From the beginning, I was absolutely riveted by this book…" ~ Valerie’s Musings

"5 PAW REVIEW – I thought this was a great start to a new series!" ~ Storeybook Reviews

Guest Post by the Author

Could You Trust Someone Who Has a Vision About You?

Would you trust a psychic if they told you your life was in danger?

In Color Me Dead, Gabby Wolfe, artist and slightly uncontrolled psychic keeps zeroing in on a dead woman. She doesn’t know who it is at first, but if she did and conveyed her fears, you have to wonder how the other character might respond to her. 

If I was confronted by someone who told me they thought my life would be in danger somewhere in the future, not sure how, not sure when, just watch out ... I’d have hard time believing in the legitimacy of the claim. There are just too many scammers out there trying to push buttons of innocent people. This is one reason why my main character, Gabby, chooses not to share the little circus she has going on in her head. She’s starting a new job and doesn’t want to screw it up. She has always had these visions but it was usually something harmless like a phone about to ring or where her keys were. (Personally, I would love to have that ability to find my keys) Now she seeing grisly things and isn’t even sure how to turn it off. Then she realizes she will need to go the other way and try to make her visions stronger to solve the mystery.

Gabby is helped by her little brother Mitch who has been dumped on her after six years of unfinished college and along with him comes his junk food addicted beagle, Luigi. As they return to the small town in the mountains where they lived before their parent’s divorce, not much has changed. The tourists come. The tourists go and the town quiets down from October until May. That’s when Henry Park really gets interesting. 

I hope you’ll come along for a little trip to Henry Park and pick up a free [to 27 January] copy of Color Me Dead today. Leave me a comment below and tell me if you would put your faith in a psychic or tell them to hit the road.

About the Author

Teresa Trent lives in Houston, Texas and is an award-winning mystery writer. She writes the Pecan Bayou Mystery Series, is a regular contributor to the Happy Homicides Anthologies. Teresa is happy to add her Henry Park Mystery Series to her publishing credits with Color Me Dead, the first book in the series. Teresa has also won awards for her work in short stories where she loves to dabble in tales that are closer to the Twilight Zone than small town cozies. When Teresa isn’t writing, she is a full-time caregiver for her son and teaches preschoolers music part-time. Her favorite things include spending time with family and friends, waiting for brownies to come out of the oven, and of course, a good mystery.

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"Skeletons in the Attic" by Judy Penz Sheluk

EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY

Skeletons in the Attic
(A Marketville Mystery Book 1)

by Judy Penz Sheluk

Skeletons in the Attic by Judy Penz Sheluk is ON SALE for only $0.99 (save $4) to 15 December. This book blast and giveaway is brought to you by Goddess Fish Promotions. Please be sure to visit the other participating blogs as well.

Description

What goes on behind closed doors doesn’t always stay there ...

Calamity (Callie) Barnstable isn’t surprised to learn she’s the sole beneficiary of her late father’s estate, though she is shocked to discover she has inherited a house in the town of Marketville - a house she didn’t know existed. However, there are conditions attached to Callie’s inheritance: she must move to Marketville, live in the house, and solve her mother’s murder.

Callie’s not keen on dredging up a thirty-year-old mystery, but if she doesn’t do it, there’s a scheming psychic named Misty Rivers who is more than happy to expose the Barnstable family secrets. Determined to thwart Misty and fulfill her father’s wishes, Callie accepts the challenge. But is she ready to face the skeletons hidden in the attic?

Excerpt

Leith let out a theatrical courtroom sigh, well practiced but over the top for his audience of one. “You haven’t really been listening, have you, Calamity?”

I was forced to admit I had not, although he now had my undivided attention. Marketville was a commuter community about an hour north of Toronto, the sort of town where families with two kids, a collie, and a cat moved to looking for a bigger house, a better school, and soccer fields. It didn’t sound much like me, or my father.

“You’re saying my father owned a house in Marketville? I don’t understand. Why didn’t he live there?”

Leith shrugged. “It seems he couldn’t bear to part with it, and he couldn’t stand living in it. He’s been renting it out since 1986.”

The year my mother had left. I’d been six. I tried to remember a house in Marketville. Nothing came to mind. Even my memories of my mother were vague.

“The house has gone through some hard times, what with tenants coming and going over the years,” Leith continued. “I’ve done my best to manage the property for a modest monthly maintenance fee, but not living nearby…” He colored slightly and I wondered just how modest that fee had been. I glanced back at the photo of his vibrant young family and suspected such treasures did not come cheap. There was probably alimony for the other trophy wives as well. I decided to let it go. My father had trusted him. That had to be enough.

[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]

Praise for the Book

"Skeletons in the Attic is a thought-provoking, haunting tale of decades-old deception. In this first-of-a-new series, Judy Penz Sheluk reveals herself to be a masterful storyteller, weaving a page-turner that hooked me from the start and kept me intrigued until the stunning finale." ~ Annette Dashofy, USA Today bestselling author of the Zoe Chambers mystery series

"Mystery readers will find Callie a compelling protagonist, the plot a fine, winding investigative piece that redefines the concept of 'dirty laundry' and whether or not it should be aired in public or secreted forever, and the story of how family connections, wealth, and truth can take on lives of their own a vivid production that translates to thoroughly engrossing reading right up to a completely unexpected, thought-provoking surprise conclusion." ~ Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review

"With Skeletons in the Attic, Judy Penz Sheluk delivers a complex plot, an extremely likeable protagonist, and a bombshell ending you never saw coming. A delightful and heartwarming mystery!" ~ Diane Vallere, bestselling author of the Costume Shop Mysteries

"Sheluk has created a memorable and powerful character that lingers long after the final page, while giving Callie Barnstable a caustic wit, tenacity and a penchant for unraveling mysteries. By the last page, she’ll need all that and more. Relentless as it moves forward, Skeletons in the Attic takes the reader on a quest for a decades-old truth." ~ Jeff Buick, author of Bloodline

"Skeletons in the Attic is a beautifully crafted page-turner, whose heroine, Callie Barnstable, gives Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone a run for her money. S is for Skeletons in the Attic!" ~ Ellen Byron, author of Plantation Shudders

"Skeletons in the Attic is a delight. Callie’s plight grabs the reader from the get-go and, as the plot twists and twists again, you follow her with heart in mouth. Is there any way for this to end well? Yes, there is, and you won't see it coming! I’m already looking forward to book 2." ~ Catriona McPherson, author of The Child Garden

About the Author

An Amazon International Bestselling Author, Judy Penz Sheluk’s debut mystery novel, The Hanged Man’s Noose, was published in July 2015. Skeletons in the Attic, the first book in her Marketville Mystery series, was published in August 2016.

Judy’s short crime fiction appears in World Enough and Crime, The Whole She-Bang 2, The Whole She-Bang 3, Flash and Bang, and Live Free or Tri.

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, International Thriller Writers, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Find Judy on her website/blog, where she interviews other authors and blogs about the writing life.

Giveaway

Enter the blast-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $10 Amazon or B$N gift card.

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