New Releases For The Week Of July 2nd, 2017–Part 1

Here is a list of some of the new releases for the week of July 2nd, 2017.  I am going to divide the list into two day. Here is the first day of my list for this week.  Hope you find some selections for your weekly reading.  Enjoy and happy reading.

 

 

Craft food royalty Stella and Ashley don’t care for each other, which is to say they’d rather eat roach-infested chili while dipped in burning oil than spend a minute in each other’s company. Writer Frank Dodge lands in the middle of their feud when he gets a plum assignment from a national magazine—to write about the growth of boutique food in the Midwest.

When Dodge’s rival Helen shows up at the same food convention in Dubuque, Dodge suspects she’s trying to steal another story from him. When a fire breaks out at the convention, Dodge and his friends escape but two people die. Dodge suspects that the fire is related to the feud between Stella and Ashley and won’t stop investigating until he gets justice for the victims.

Can he keep Helen at bay as he investigates the fire or will he get left sweeping up crumbs? And how far will Stella and Ashley ultimately go to skewer each other? Double-Dealing in Dubuque is a compelling novel that delves into what can go wrong when feuds get out of hand. (Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

Happiness, joy and a proposal? Merry Christmas from Shadow Lake.
Jack Harker is a nervous wreck. He has big Christmas plans for his girlfriend Ivy Morgan, and they involve a ring and house renovations all at one time. First, he has to make sure they both make it through a tense holiday season, though.
For Ivy, things are less clear. She knows Jack is hiding something but can’t figure out exactly what. Her problems are only compounded by the fact that her parents have delayed their usual winter travel plans, her brother is a terrible liar, and she feels as if everyone is in on a secret that she can’t quite grasp.
Things go from bad to worse during a shopping outing when a masked robber is shot in the back by his partner and left to die in Ivy’s arms. Ivy is determined to find the truth behind the man’s actions, and even Jack can’t talk her down when determination and desperation clash.
Jack knows Ivy is incapable of letting it go so it’s his job to make sure she doesn’t trip over trouble she can’t find her way out of. In the end, hearts and minds will collide when Ivy realizes she already knows the answer … but has to survive to share the truth.
It’s a race to the finish line, with Jack trying to give Ivy the best holiday gift ever and Ivy trying to overcome her own fear and let him.
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but it might not end with a happy holiday if Jack and Ivy can’t put together the pieces of a murder in time for peace, joy … and forever.  (Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Whispering Pines, Wisconsin, a place for those who don’t belong.

Sixteen years after a family feud drove her from the cozy Northwoods village of Whispering Pines, Wisconsin, former detective Jayne O’Shea returns to prepare her grandparents’ lake house for sale. Once there, not only does she find that the house has been trashed, her dog discovers a dead body in the backyard.

Jayne intends to stay out of it, but when it becomes obvious the sheriff isn’t interested in investigating the death, Jayne can’t stop herself. Her list of suspects grows faster than the plants in the commons’ pentacle garden. Could it be the local Wiccan green witch with her stash of deadly plants? The shopkeeper who slips into trances and foretells death? The visitor determined to practice black magic?

What Jayne knows for sure is that the closer she gets to solving this crime, the more the sheriff wants her to back off. And when a local fortune teller provides a crucial clue, Jayne knows it’s up to her to solve this murder.

Fans of Denise Grover Swank, Charlaine Harris, and Janet Evanovich will love the quirky small town setting with its even quirkier residents. (Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

An Old Love… A New Love… and Murder!

Many years ago, Jack Travis was madly in love with Anya Westfield who broke his heart when she cheated on him.

When she dies in suspicious circumstances Jack and Miranda (and Kyle) are drawn into the investigation. They discover that Anya had a secret which got her killed.

The more they uncover about Anya’s life the less Jack realizes he knew about her.

The trio must keep their wits about them and use all of their deductive powers to get to the truth of this murder.

In this psychic mystery will they be able to evade the watchful eye of the killer long enough to solve the case?  (Amazon)

 

 

 

 

Boston Homicide Detective, Christie Watson, wants nothing less than to bury her head in the sand in her hometown, Sleepy Creek, Ohio. Placed on sabbatical for a little ‘over-enthusiasm,’ Chris has to stay out of trouble or risk losing her job for good, and Sleepy Creek, with its clapboard homes and peaceful milieu, seems just the place to do that. But returning to Sleepy Creek means facing the one cold case she’s never solved: her mother’s murder.

The past becomes the least of her worries, however, when a man is murdered in her best friend’s back yard. Griselda, awesome human being all-round and owner of the local Burger Bar – serving scrumptious delights like the Mexican Fiesta Burger – is the prime suspect. To make matters worse, the handsome detective in charge of the case won’t quit asking questions or drop the icy professionalism whenever Chris counters with her own.

Det. Watson can’t let this one slide – sabbatical or not, she won’t let her friend wind up behind bars for a crime she didn’t commit. Equipped with her cop skills, and that thirst for truth, she sets off to solve the murder before it’s too late. (Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

When Simon Crowe’s body is discovered at Ballytierney, old secrets threaten to destroy the lives of the townspeople. Inspector Ben Cronin is coasting towards retirement, so the last thing he needs is a case that threatens to expose the town’s dark underbelly.

Maggie Cahill, a priest’s housekeeper, is at a crossroads in her personal life when she received a letter out of the blue from someone in her distant past. Her peace of mind and her livelihood are at risk as she seeks the truth of what happened to Simon Crowe, and why someone knows secrets she thought she’d buried long ago.

By the end of the investigation, will both Maggie’s and Cronin’s lives will be changed forever? And will Ballytierney ever be the same?  (Amazon)

 

 

 

 

 

Hush little baby…

Don’t say a word.

An abandoned newborn baby is found in a grocery store bathroom, swaddled only in paper towels and left with a note.

I couldn’t let them take her.

Detective London McKenna takes the case, desperate to find the cold-hearted mother who willingly left her child to die. But the terrified young woman wasn’t trying to harm her baby. Leaving the infant was the only way to save them both.

As London investigates the woman’s scandalous claims of abuse, the case of criminal neglect becomes a dangerous and heinous conspiracy.

A corrupt judge is trafficking women with criminal records to his rich and powerful allies.

The closer London gets to the truth, the more secrets are kept with blood. The conspiracy implicates influential and respected men who will do anything to avoid discovery.

Uncovering the truth will not only ruin her career…
It might also end her life.   (Goodreads)

 

 

 

Put a little magic in your Kindle!

Each book in the series is a stand-alone.

Normal Junction is anything but! It can’t be found on any map, but it’s a place not too far away from where you are. It’s a place where people go when things in their life are turned upside down – a haven, a place where Hope, Resilience, and even Miracles reside. Come, take a trip to Normal Junction, and watch how the spirits collide to turn things right-side up.

In this installment: Leah “Sunny” Lebowitz, a photographer by trade, found her way into Normal Junction when she saw a murder through the lens of her camera. Now she’s a person of interest in the investigation unless she can prove whodunit. And what kind of help has Normal Junction sent to her rescue? An angel that’s doesn’t seem to know he came to help.

Other Books in the Series
Witch’s Wheel
Ghostly Gadfly Release Date: August 7, 2017  (Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

Jack and Jill and the entire gang from the writers retreat agree to take a second look at a five year old murder investigation.

Five years ago award winning actor Rhett Crawford threw a Halloween party for a group of family members and friends. The party, which actually took place over a four day weekend, was held at his beachfront estate on Gull Island. On the third night of the party the groundskeeper, Wylie Slater, found the body of one of the guests, Georgia Darcy, bludgeoned and left in the toolshed beyond the garden. The authorities were notified immediately and interviews of all guests on the property were conducted. It was eventually determined that the victim’s date, a man named Dru Breland, had most likely killed the woman before fleeing the scene of the crime.

According to witness statements, Georgia and her date had been bickering constantly during the course of their stay, and more than one witness had seen Dru slap Georgia before stomping off on the night she died. The authorities conducted an exhaustive search but were unable to locate Mr. Breland. As far as anyone associated with the investigation could find out, he was never seen again. Dru was a wealthy man with a depth of resources. It was assumed by most that he had fled the country and started a new life elsewhere under an assumed name.

Then five days ago, the oceanfront estate, once owned by Rhett Crawford but now owned by an out of state developer, had been scheduled for demolition. During the destruction of the house a human skeleton was found in a hidden room off the wine cellar. After a thorough investigation by the medical examiner and his team, it was determined that the body in the hidden room was in fact the decomposed remains of murder suspect, Dru Breland. My friend Jackson Jones, owner of the fledging Gull Island News, latched onto the story and seems determined to find out who killed Georgia Darcy five years ago, and how her date, Dru Breland, ended up in the secret room.

Jack knew that the five year old mystery would be a complicated one to unravel, so he asked me, Jillian Hanford, if I would be willing to present the mystery to the writers group I currently lived and sleuthed with. I agreed to Jack’s request which brings us to the regular Monday meeting of the eclectic group of writers I call friend but consider family.   (Goodreads)