Book Review: Playing Possum by Lois Schmitt—and 2 Giveaways! @schmittmystery @encirclepub @partnersincr1me

Playing Possum

by Lois Schmitt

February 1-28, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Purchase Links:
Barnes & Noble // Indiebound // Amazon

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Playing Possum
A Kristy Farrell Animal Lovers Mystery, #3
Lois Schmitt
Encircle Publications, December 2021
ISBN‎ 978-1-64599-305-6
Hardcover

From the publisher—

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.

After having enjoyed Something Fishy, the second book in this series, I was looking forward to Kristy’s next adventure and Ms. Schmitt did not disappoint me at all. Playing Possum (I really get a smile out of her titles) is just as focused on the animal world, a big plus for me, and is built on an equally intriguing puzzle.

Being an investigative reporter, Kristy easily juggles the multiple issues that come up in addition to the initial murder and the interplay between mother and daughter (Abby), what you might call a dynamic duo, is spot on, sort of a well-oiled machine, and I really enjoy Kristy’s antagonistic relationship with the crabby detective. Yes, he’s obnoxious and certainly unappreciative of her nosing around but I find him to be a pleasant change from the usual romantic entanglement. After all, not every sleuthing woman needs to fall for the investigating cop , right?

As a proponent of animal rescue, I’m so glad the author chose to address the needs of distressed wildlife and domestic animals and the efforts made by many to make the world a safer place for all creatures. If even one reader is moved to participate in some way, we all will be the better for it. Meanwhile, any mystery fan is sure to like Playing Possum.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, February 2022.

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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

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An Excerpt from Playing Possum

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.

 

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About the Author

 

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

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Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews,
interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!
https://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=305439

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Giveaways

#1

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.

Enter here.

#2

Leave a comment below to enter the drawing for a
print copy of Playing Possum. The winning name will
be drawn on the evening of Friday, February 25th.
Open to the US and Canada.

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Get More Great Reads at
Partners In Crime Tours

Book Review: Matrimony, Mayhem and Murder by C.S. McDonald @CSMcDonald7 @iReadBookTours

Join us for this review tour from Jan 10 to Feb 4, 2022!

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Matrimony, Mayhem, and Murder
A Fiona Quinn Mystery #10
C.S. McDonald
McWriter Books, November 2021
ISBN 979-8746534804
Trade Paperback

From the author—

The venue is set, invitations sent, and the flowers ordered. It’s almost time for Fiona and Nathan to get married…again. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing…well, until the wedding planner is found dead.

Then the woman Fiona has never met shows up–Nathan’s enigmatic mom, Rita Landry. And she’s wearing a gorgeous but mysterious necklace. Worse, Rita is being followed by two sinister-looking men, forcing her to flee the country. And who gets dragged along? None other than the bride-to be! How does a girl prepare for all of that? Looks like Fiona’s perfectly planned matrimony has morphed into mayhem and murder!

You’re formally invited to Fiona and Nathan’s wedding. Question is: Will the wedding happen?

C.S. McDonald’s books are appropriate for YA readers as
well as adults–no bad language or sexual content.

Fiona and Nathan are about to get married again. The first time they did it was in secret just because but now everything is public and the coming festivities promise to be joyous and all that they could wish for…until their wedding planner turns up dead. That’s almost as uncomfortable as Fiona’s first meeting her about to be official mother-in-law, a woman who could pluck the nerves of the most saintly person. Besides murder, Fiona and Nathan have to plumb the depths of mysterious and forbidding tough guys and a beautiful necklace in Rita’s possession, not to mention Fiona’s own formidable mother, Nancy.

The most likely murder suspect is Fiona’s brother because the wedding planner was his girlfriend and he did have the knife on him and was practically covered in blood so, naturally, Nathan and Fiona set out to find the real killer. Along the way, the reader is treated to plenty of humor, lots of drama and an intriguing puzzle to solve. Mayhem indeed!

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, January 2022.

Buy the Book:
Amazon 
add to goodread

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Also Available for Your Reading or Listening Pleasure

 Book Details:

Book Title:  Mambo and Murder:  A Fiona Quinn Mystery #6
Author:  C.S. McDonald
Category:  YA Fiction, 160 pages
Run Time: 4 hours, 9 minutes
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  McWriter Books
Release date:  October 31, 2018
Content Rating:  G (The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone–adults love the books and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)

Book Description:

Three ballroom dancers were murdered over 40 years ago. Wow, that’s one old cold case. What’s more, the murderer, who was thought to have been killed during a police chase, has resurfaced in Pittsburgh. Yikes! How can that be? 

Worse, ballroom dancing simply isn’t Detective Nathan Landry’s forte. After weeks of practice, Nathan still has two left feet. Can Fiona step in to guide Nathan through this dancing debacle or will it take 40 years for the detective to find his footing? 

Double yikes! Join Fiona and detective Landry in this high-stepping whodunit!

 BUY THE BOOK:
Audible ~ Amazon

Book Details:

Book Title:  Banking on a Murder:  A Fiona Quinn Quick Mystery
Author:  C.S. McDonald
Category:  YA Fiction, 30 pages
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  McWriter Books
Release date:  January 31, 2018
Content Rating:  G (The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone–adults love the books and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)

Book Description:

Fiona’s old college chum, Priscilla Conroy, has recently moved back to the Pittsburgh area after a most unpleasant divorce. Fiona was looking forward to reconnecting with her friend to help cheer her up and the two had made plans to meet at the bank where her friend worked after it closed—only Priscilla never shows up for the lunch date. Thinking the worse, Fiona is beside herself and spends the entire Memorial Day weekend searching for her friend. Did her ex-husband abduct her? Has she been murdered? Somehow Fiona knows that the key to Priscilla Conroy’s disappearance lies within the bank. But how can that be?

Join Fiona Quinn for a quick mystery that’s sure to keep you guessing!

Buy the Book:
Amazon

Book Details:

Book Title:  Harriet’s Heist:  A Fiona Quinn Quick Mystery
Author:  C.S. McDonald
Category:  YA Fiction, 51 pages
Length: 1 hr, 11 minutes
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  McWriter Books
Release date:  August 14, 2018
Formats Available for review: audible download, ebook (mobi for kindle, epub, pdf)
Tour dates:  Jan 10 to Feb 4, 2022
Content Rating:  G (The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone–adults love the books and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)

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Book Description:

Fiona Quinn arrives at her parent’s home in Daytona, Florida for a short visit only to be informed that their usually quiet retirement community has been besieged with robberies—cash, jewelry, and more. Her mom told all the neighbors Fiona is a wiz at catching bad guys.

Yikes!

Can Fiona crack the case? Hopefully, but what’s an amateur sleuth supposed to do when her Maltese, Harriet, shows up decked out in the stolen
goods?

Double yikes!

Join Fiona, her parents, Harriet, and some pretty crazy old ladies for a real jewel of a quick mystery!

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~  Audible

Book Details:

Book Title:  Crystal Clear Confusion:  A Fiona Quinn Quick Mystery
Author:  C.S. McDonald
Category:  YA Fiction, 37 pages
Length: 1 hr, 22 minutes
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  McWriter Books
Release date:  January 15, 2019
Content Rating:  G (The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone–adults love the books and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)

Book Description:Yikes! Fiona’s been having a recurring nightmare and it’s driving her to distraction—so much so that she’s allowed her kooky neighbor, Astrid Dingle, to search for the answer through her crystal ball. What could be the cause of the dream, and what lengths will Fiona go to get to the crux of it all? You’ll be chasing dreams with Fiona, Detective Landry and Astrid in this fun quick mystery!

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~  Audible

Book Details:

Book Title:  The Christmas Cameo:  A Fiona Quinn Quick Mystery
Author:  C.S. McDonald
Category:  YA Fiction, 32 pages
Length: 1 hr, 16 minutes
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  McWriter Books
Release date:  November 13, 2019
Content Rating:  G (The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone–adults love the books and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)

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Book Description:

A lovely cameo brooch is discovered in Fiona’s late Uncle Wilbur’s house two days before Christmas. The pin bears a romantic Christmas message from Wilbur for his new wife with the initials, D.A.S.

How very strange! To the family’s knowledge, Uncle Wilbur had never been married. So, who is this mysterious woman? Now, Fiona is on a holiday mission to locate D.A.S. and deliver the belated gift.

Question is, what happened to the marriage? Is D.A.S. still alive after all these years? And if so, can Fiona find her before Christmas?

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~  Audible

 

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Meet the Author:  

 

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer.
During that time, she choreographed many musicals and an opera for the Pittsburgh Savoyards. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries to that expansion. She decided to write the cozy mystery series that everyone, including teens and tweens, can read and enjoy. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries nine books with a tenth slated for 2021. The books are also available on audio, narrated by Maren Swenson Waxenberg. Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh. The female protagonist, Alexa Owl, is much different from Fiona Quinn. The Owl’s Next Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy! Ms. McDonald resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister.

Connect with the author:  Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook

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Tour Schedule:
 

Jan 10 – Mystery Review Crew – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Jan 10 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 10 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – audiobook review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 11 – Olio by Marilyn – books review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 11 – Lisa’s Reading – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 12 – Olio by Marilyn – book review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 12 – All Booked Up Reviews – Instagram – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER
Jan 13 – Olio by Marilyn – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 13 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 13 – Kam’s Place – book review of MAMBO AND MURDER
Jan 13 – Buried Under Books – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER/ giveaway
Jan 14 – Blooming with Books – audiobook review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 14 – My Reading Journeys  – books review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 17 – Blooming with Books – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 17 – Kam’s Place – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER
Jan 17 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 17 – Buried Under Books – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 18 – She Just Loves Books – audiobook review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 18 – Kam’s Place – book review of BANKING ON MURDER
Jan 18 – My Reading Journeys  – book review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 19 – She Just Loves Books – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 19 – Kam’s Place – book review of HARRIET’S HEIST
Jan 19 – Splashes of Joy – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 19 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 20 – She Just Loves Books – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 20 – Kam’s Place – book review of CRYSTAL CLEAR CONFUSION
Jan 21 – Blooming with Books –book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 21 – Kam’s Place – book review of THE CHRISTMAS CAMEO
Jan 24 – Bigreadersite – books review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 24 – PuzzlePaws Blog – books review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 25 – PuzzlePaws Blog – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 25 – The Momma Spot – audiobooks review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 25 – Bigreadersite – book review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 26 – The Momma Spot – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 26 – Bigreadersite – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 26 – Locks, Hooks and Books – books review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 27 – @twilight_reader – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 27 – Splashes of Joy – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 27 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 28 – The Momma Spot –book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 28 – Pause for Tales – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 31 – @twilight_reader – audiobooks review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 31 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 1 – Westveil Publishing – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 1 – Chit Chat with Charity – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 1 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Feb 2 – Westveil Publishing – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 2 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book reviews of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Feb 2 – Splashes of Joy – audiobook review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Feb 3 – Literary Flits – book review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 3 – @twilight_reader – books review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 3 – Westveil Publishing – audiobooks review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Feb 4 – Literary Flits – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 4 – Chit Chat with Charity – audiobook review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Feb 4 – My Reading Journeys  – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway

 

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErLC4HFdFFE

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Enter the Giveaway:

MATRIMONY MAYHEM AND MURDER Book Tour Giveaway

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Book Review: Mambo and Murder by C.S. McDonald @CSMcDonald7 @iReadBookTours

Join us for this review tour from Jan 10 to Feb 4, 2022

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Mambo and Murder
A Fiona Quinn Mystery #6
C.S. McDonald
Narrated by Maren Swenson Waxenberg
McWriter Books, October 2018
Downloaded Unabridged Audiobook

 (The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone–adults love the books
and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)

From the author—

Three ballroom dancers were murdered over 40 years ago. Wow, that’s one old cold case. What’s more, the murderer, who was thought to have been killed during a police chase, has resurfaced in Pittsburgh. Yikes! How can that be? 

Worse, ballroom dancing simply isn’t Detective Nathan Landry’s forte. After weeks of practice, Nathan still has two left feet. Can Fiona step in to guide Nathan through this dancing debacle or will it take 40 years for the detective to find his footing? 

Double yikes! Join Fiona and detective Landry in this high-stepping whodunit!

Humor abounds when Detective Nathan Landry has to sign up for ballroom dancing lessons to work on a case involving a dance competition. Unfortunately for his hapless partner, Nathan turns out to be a menace on his feet. Never mind, though; his girl Fiona is happy to step in because it’s a great way to spend time together…and she gets to do some legitimate sleuthing.

*

It’s a very, very cold case indeed and the suspected perpetrator of those forty-year-old murders has apparently resurfaced after having thought to have died all those years ago. Can Nathan and Fiona catch their man on the dance floor?  Plenty of clues make this a real puzzle and working it together brings laughs as well as justice.

*

I can’t say that I care for Ms. Waxenberg’s interpretation of Fiona because she gives the character a rather grating voice.  Still, the narrator’s other vocalizations don’t affect me the same way and, although the main character is certainly important, she doesn’t prevent me from wanting to listen.

*

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, January 2022.

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BUY THE BOOK:
Audible ~ Amazon

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Enjoy All Four Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries:

Book Details:

Book Title:  Banking on a Murder:  A Fiona Quinn Quick Mystery
Author:  C.S. McDonald
Category:  YA Fiction, 30 pages
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  McWriter Books
Release date:  January 31, 2018
Content Rating:  G (The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone–adults love the books and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)

---

Book Description:

Fiona’s
old college chum, Priscilla Conroy, has recently moved back to the Pittsburgh area after a most unpleasant divorce. Fiona was looking forward to reconnecting with her friend to help cheer her up and the two had made plans to meet at the bank where her friend worked after it closed—only Priscilla never shows up for the lunch date. Thinking the
worse, Fiona is beside herself and spends the entire Memorial Day weekend searching for her friend. Did her ex-husband abduct her? Has she been murdered? Somehow Fiona knows that the key to Priscilla Conroy’s disappearance lies within the bank. But how can that be?

Join Fiona Quinn for a quick mystery that’s sure to keep you guessing!

Buy the Book:
Amazon

Book Details:

Book Title:  Harriet’s Heist:  A Fiona Quinn Quick Mystery
Author:  C.S. McDonald
Category:  YA Fiction, 51 pages
Length: 1 hr, 11 minutes
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  McWriter Books
Release date:  August 14, 2018
Formats Available for review: audible download, ebook (mobi for kindle, epub, pdf)
Tour dates:  Jan 10 to Feb 4, 2022
Content Rating:  G (The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone–adults love the books and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)

---

Book Description:

Fiona Quinn arrives at her parent’s home in Daytona, Florida for a short
visit only to be informed that their usually quiet retirement community has been besieged with robberies—cash, jewelry, and more. Her mom told all the neighbors Fiona is a wiz at catching bad guys.

Yikes!

Can Fiona crack the case? Hopefully, but what’s an amateur sleuth supposed to do when her Maltese, Harriet, shows up decked out in the stolen
goods?

Double yikes!

Join Fiona, her parents, Harriet, and some pretty crazy old ladies for a real jewel of a quick mystery!

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~  Audible

Book Details:

Book Title:  Crystal Clear Confusion:  A Fiona Quinn Quick Mystery
Author:  C.S. McDonald
Category:  YA Fiction, 37 pages
Length: 1 hr, 22 minutes
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  McWriter Books
Release date:  January 15, 2019
Content Rating:  G (The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone–adults love the books and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)

---

Book Description:

Yikes! Fiona’s been having a recurring nightmare and it’s driving her to
distraction—so much so that she’s allowed her kooky neighbor, Astrid Dingle, to search for the answer through her crystal ball. What could be the cause of the dream, and what lengths will Fiona go to get to the crux of it all? You’ll be chasing dreams with Fiona, Detective Landry and Astrid in this fun quick mystery!

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~  Audible

Book Details:

Book Title:  The Christmas Cameo:  A Fiona Quinn Quick Mystery
Author:  C.S. McDonald
Category:  YA Fiction, 32 pages
Length: 1 hr, 16 minutes
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  McWriter Books
Release date:  November 13, 2019
Content Rating:  G (The Fiona Quinn Mysteries are for everyone–adults love the books and they are appropriate for teens and tweens too!)

---

Book Description:

A lovely cameo brooch is discovered in Fiona’s late Uncle Wilbur’s house two days before Christmas. The pin bears a romantic Christmas message from Wilbur for his new wife with the initials, D.A.S.
How very strange! To the family’s knowledge, Uncle Wilbur had never been married. So, who is this mysterious woman? Now, Fiona is on a holiday mission to locate D.A.S. and deliver the belated gift.
Question is, what happened to the marriage? Is D.A.S. still alive after all these years? And if so, can Fiona find her before Christmas?

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~  Audible

Book Details:

Book Title:  Matrimony. Mayhem, and Murder (A Fiona Quinn Mystery)
Author:  C.S. McDonald
​Category:  Adult Fiction, 242 pages
Genre:  Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  McWriter Books
Release date:  Nov 10, 2021
Formats Available for review: print (paperback), ebook (mobi for kindle, epub, pdf)
Tour dates:  Jan 10 to Feb 4
Content Rating:  G. C.S. McDonald’s books are appropriate for YA readers as well as adults–no bad language or sexual content.

Book Description:

The venue is set, invitations sent, and the flowers ordered. It’s almost time for Fiona and Nathan to get married…again. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing…well, until the wedding planner is found dead.

Then the woman Fiona has never met shows up–Nathan’s enigmatic mom, Rita Landry. And she’s wearing a gorgeous but mysterious necklace. Worse, Rita is being followed by two sinister-looking men, forcing her to flee the country. And who gets dragged along? None other than the bride-to be! How does a girl prepare for all of that? Looks like Fiona’s perfectly planned matrimony has morphed into mayhem and murder!
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You’re formally invited to Fiona and Nathan’s wedding. Question is: Will the wedding happen?

Buy the Book:
Amazon 

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Meet the Author:

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer.
During that time, she choreographed many musicals and an opera for the Pittsburgh Savoyards. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries to that expansion. She decided to write the cozy mystery series that everyone, including teens and tweens, can read and enjoy. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries nine books with a tenth slated for 2021. The books are also available on audio, narrated by Maren Swenson Waxenberg. Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh. The female protagonist, Alexa Owl, is much different from Fiona Quinn. The Owl’s Next Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy! Ms. McDonald resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister.

Connect with the author:  Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook

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Tour Schedule:
 

Jan 10 – Mystery Review Crew – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Jan 10 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 10 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – audiobook review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 11 – Olio by Marilyn – books review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 11 – Lisa’s Reading – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 12 – Olio by Marilyn – book review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 12 – All Booked Up Reviews – Instagram – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER
Jan 13 – Olio by Marilyn – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 13 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 13 – Kam’s Place – book review of MAMBO AND MURDER
Jan 13 – Buried Under Books – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER/ giveaway
Jan 14 – Blooming with Books – audiobook review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 14 – My Reading Journeys  – books review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 17 – Blooming with Books – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 17 – Kam’s Place – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER
Jan 17 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 17 – Buried Under Books – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 18 – She Just Loves Books – audiobook review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 18 – Kam’s Place – book review of BANKING ON MURDER
Jan 18 – My Reading Journeys  – book review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 19 – She Just Loves Books – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 19 – Kam’s Place – book review of HARRIET’S HEIST
Jan 19 – Splashes of Joy – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 19 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 20 – She Just Loves Books – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 20 – Kam’s Place – book review of CRYSTAL CLEAR CONFUSION
Jan 21 – Blooming with Books –book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 21 – Kam’s Place – book review of THE CHRISTMAS CAMEO
Jan 24 – Bigreadersite – books review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 24 – PuzzlePaws Blog – books review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 25 – PuzzlePaws Blog – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 25 – The Momma Spot – audiobooks review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 25 – Bigreadersite – book review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 26 – The Momma Spot – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 26 – Bigreadersite – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 26 – Locks, Hooks and Books – books review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 27 – @twilight_reader – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 27 – Splashes of Joy – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 27 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 28 – The Momma Spot –book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 28 – Pause for Tales – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Jan 31 – @twilight_reader – audiobooks review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Jan 31 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 1 – Westveil Publishing – audiobook review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 1 – Chit Chat with Charity – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 1 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Feb 2 – Westveil Publishing – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 2 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book reviews of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Feb 2 – Splashes of Joy – audiobook review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Feb 3 – Literary Flits – book review of MAMBO AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 3 – @twilight_reader – books review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 3 – Westveil Publishing – audiobooks review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Feb 4 – Literary Flits – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway
Feb 4 – Chit Chat with Charity – audiobook review of Fiona Quinn Quick Mysteries / giveaway
Feb 4 – My Reading Journeys  – book review of MATRIMONY, MAYHEM, AND MURDER / giveaway

 

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Enter the Giveaway:

 MATRIMONY MAYHEM AND MURDER Book Tour Giveaway

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Book Review: The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly @Connellybooks @littlebrown

The Dark Hours
A Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch Novel #4
Michael Connelly
Little Brown and Company, November 2021
ISBN 978-0-316-48564-7
Hard Cover

Ballard and Bosch are back in another great read.  Connelly just gets better and better.

It’s New Year’s Eve and Ballard is working the graveyard shift when minutes after midnight, amid a noise of fireworks and gun shots fired into the air, she is called to the scene of a fatality.  A young auto-shop owner has been hit by a stray bullet at a street party.

On closer inspection Ballard isn’t totally convinced the shooting is accidental, and due to the busy night along with numerous calls to police she decides to investigate the incident, quickly learning through ballistics that there is a connection to another shooting, an unsolved homicide worked by Detective Bosch.

Ballard calls Bosch and they meet to talk about the murders trying to figure out a connection.  While she knows she will have to hand over the info she has gathered from the recent murder to another detective team, she hopes in the meantime with Bosch’s help they can uncover a clue that will lead them to the perpetrator.

Because of the trust she has for Bosch she tells him about the other case she’s working on with Detective Moore of the Sexual Assault Unit, a case involving a couple of serial rapists, dubbed The Midnight Men, who are targeting and terrorizing young women living alone. Her painstaking work questioning the victims and following every road of inquiry, she’s sure she’s on the right track. But when Detective Moore decides to take some time off, leaving Ballard to her own devices Bosch cautions her to be careful, worried that The Midnight Men appear to be growing more aggressive and might graduate to murder.

Tension mounts in both plot lines and Ballard grows increasingly frustrated when she’s ordered to hand over the file on the death of the auto-shop owner.  Ballard and Bosch agree to continue working the murder discovering that the murders are indeed connected.

It’s a roller-coaster of a ride as Ballard still working alone on The Midnight Men case, comes up with a plan to apprehend the brutal rapists.

Hang on to your hats as Ballard, with a little help from Bosch, proves she’s up to the challenge.

Don’t miss this one…

Respectfully submitted.

Reviewed by guest reviewer Moyra Tarling, December 2021.

Book Review: No Substitute for Matrimony by Carolyn J. Rose @CarolynJRose

No Substitute for Matrimony
Subbing Isn’t for Sissies #13
Carolyn J. Rose
Carolyn J. Rose, October 2020
ISBN 978-1-7342412-3-5
Trade Paperback

The author has written a score or more of what can be characterized as cozy mysteries. However, this novel is more of a deep dive into the subtle and not-so subtle characteristics of a lengthy cast of participants and their attitudes on life. They range from husband-to-be-Dave the detective to Barbara’s wealthy and intrusive friend, Mrs. B., to other faculty and staff at the school where Barbara substitute teaches.

Most of those who people the story are friendly, inquisitive, opinionated and talented. The narrative is well-done and the book is the kind that can fill several pleasant and warm afternoons. Yes, there’s a murder and Barbara’s husband-to-be is the detective charged with solving the puzzle. But that isn’t the most interesting element of the book.

The author has a penchant for giving readers access to her opinions about almost anything in sometimes calm, more often snarky terms. Her humor at times I found misplaced, but that’s a minor criticism. The writing is clean, the story proceeds at a reasonable pace and reaches its logical and satisfactory conclusion.

Reviewed by Carl Brookins, August 2021.
http://www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com
Traces, Grand Lac, Sins of Edom, Red Sky.

Book Review: His and Hers by Alice Feeney @alicewriterland @Flatironbooks

His & Hers
Alice Feeney
Flatiron Books, July 2020
E-Book

The Title – His and Hers –  refers to the book’s two main characters.

Hers:  Anna Andrews, a newsreader, divorced and living and working in London, with a troubled past.

His:    Detective Chief Inspector Jack Harper who lives and works in the small English village of Blackdown where he grew up.

We are introduced to these two characters in separate chapters at the beginning and throughout this rather unusual and intriguing novel.

When the body of a young woman is found in Blackdown Woods, Detective Chief Inspector Jack Harper is called to the scene.

Anna Andrews, who has recently been taken off her job as newsreader, is asked to travel to Blackdown to cover the murder. She is somewhat reluctant to go.  Anna grew up in Blackdown, her mother still lives there, but Anna hasn’t seen her in months and the village holds no good memories for her.

The murder victim, Rachel Hopkins, is known to both Anna and Jack,  a fact neither wants revealed.  But as the investigation unfolds the reader is privy to both Anna’s and Jack’s take on the murder. It isn’t long before the connections between Jack and Rachel and Anna and Rachel  surface, casting suspicions on both of them.

This twisted tale is full of surprises and more victims before it reaches an exciting and dramatic climax.  But even there the tale isn’t quite over…

You’ll have to check this one out… You’ll be glad you did.

Respectfully submitted.

Reviewed by guest reviewer Moyra Tarling, November 2020.

Book Review: His & Hers by Alice Feeney @alicewriterland @MacmillanAudio

His & Hers
Alice Feeney
Narrated by Richard Armitage and Stephanie Racine
Macmillan Audio, July 2020
Downloaded Unabridged Audiobook

From the publisher—

There are two sides to every story: yours and mine, ours and theirs, his and hers. Which means someone is always lying.

When a woman is murdered in Blackdown, a quintessentially British village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Detective Jack Harper is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation.

Someone isn’t telling the truth, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.

I haven’t read anything by Alice Feeney before but, oh my goodness, His & Hers will most certainly not be the last. There are serial killer books and then there are serial killer books but this one stands head and shoulders above many that I’ve read before.

I can’t say much without giving away important plot details but let me just say that the author has done a masterful job of creating characters of such depth that none are completely good or bad (or perhaps I should say most are not) and none can be 100% trusted (I was especially intrigued by Jack’s young colleague, Priya). Ms. Feeney has also developed a high-tension plot that has a dramatic backstory and is largely dependent on all the bodies that keep showing up; the reader has a pretty good idea of who is going to end up being those bodies but guessing the killer’s identity is something else entirely. Twice—twice!—I was sure I had the murderer pegged and, both times, I was wrong. Boy, was I wrong.

There are three points of view here and the narrators handle them beautifully, Richard Armitage for Detective Jack Harper and Stephanie Racine for TV news personality Anna Andrews. The third POV is that of the killer but that voice is cleverly disguised electronically so the listener can’t tell if it’s a man or a woman and also can’t tell if it might be one of the two protagonists. Nice touch!

Serial killer stories aren’t for everyone but if, like me, you find them interesting and compelling, His & Hers is one you won’t want to miss. As for me, I’m adding it to my list of Best Books read in 2020.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, September 2020.