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#MidweekMystery Damned if She Does by Kathleen Kelley Reardon

Professor Meg Doherty has a dark secret.

When a renowned professor is viciously murdered at a Manhattan conference, Meg stumbles upon the scene and quickly comes under police scrutiny. It falls to her brother, Shamus, to help prove Meg’s innocence.

Damned if She Does by Kathleen Kelley Reardon

 

Did Meg do it? Did the weight of the secret and guilt at not protecting others become too much? Is that what such secrets do – grow until the victim can take no more? Is there really a right time to speak up?

Or even in this #MeToo era are women damned if we do and damned if we don’t?

About the Author


Kathleen Kelley Reardon is the author of several acclaimed nonfiction books, professor emerita at USC’s Marshall School of Business, a featured political blogger at The Huffington Post since 2005, and the recipient of the 2013 Humanitarian Award from the UConn Alumni Association.

She has appeared on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News and Good Morning America. Her research and writings have been covered in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and broadcast news segments.

Dr. Reardon is also a visual artist, capturing Irish landscapes and waterways in watercolors and oils. 

In her debut mystery SHADOW CAMPUS, and its sequel, DAMNED IF SHE DOES, Dr. Reardon has taken her knowledge of politics in the workplace to fiction. The results are deeply unsettling and strangely satisfying. 

Website – Amazon 

 

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#MidweekMystery Don’t Look Down by Hilary Davidson

From the bestselling author of One Small Sacrifice, a gripping mystery about a sinister murder that everyone wants to stay buried—except one dogged NYPD detective.

Don't Look Down

Jo Greaver is a model of success. Young and ambitious, she’s built a thriving beauty business from nothing. But she has secrets she’ll do anything to keep buried. When her blackmailer offers to meet, Jo expects to pay him off—but gets a bullet instead. Bleeding and in shock, Jo flees with no one to turn to.

When NYPD detective Sheryn Sterling and her partner, Rafael Mendoza, find Andray Baxter murdered in his own home—shot through the heart—everything points to Jo as the killer. Her blood is at the scene, and so are disturbing photos of her taken as a young teen. But Sheryn has doubts. Was the kindhearted Andray really a criminal? Why did he repeatedly report finding spyware in his apartment? Was there something shady about Jo’s sister dying a year earlier?

Something’s not right, and it’s up to Sheryn to piece together the sinister puzzle, no matter the cost.

About the Author

Hilary Davidson

Hilary Davidson

Hilary Davidson is the bestselling author of One Small Sacrifice and the winner of two Anthony Awards. Her novels include the Lily Moore series—The Damage Done, The Next One to Fall, and Evil in All Its Disguises—and the standalone thriller Blood Always Tells. Her widely acclaimed short stories have won numerous awards and have been featured everywhere from Ellery Queen to Thuglit, as well as in her collection The Black Widow Club. A Toronto-born travel journalist who’s lived in New York City since October 2001, Davidson is also the author of eighteen nonfiction books. Visit her online at hilarydavidson.com or on GoodReads .
Amazon   – B&N – IndieBound

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#FridayFreebie In the Library with a Candlestick, a Prolific Works Mystery Giveaway!

The Prolific Works team is proud to present the In The Library With The Candlestick Group Giveaway! This giveaway has all types of crime, mystery, and thriller books. Claim as many as you’d like and enjoy your new reads!

Why would mystery authors give away our books for free? We love to tell stories and we hope you enjoy them. If they’re not your cup of tea, no harm, no foul. If you like the freebies, great! And if you want more…we have sequels.

Download your free mysteries

Giveaway ends Feb. 4, 2020

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Survival Can Be Deadly: A Discount Detective Mystery by Charlotte Stuart #Midweek Mystery

When single mom and recent widow Cameron Chandler takes a much-needed job at Penny-wise Investigations, a detective agency conveniently located in a suburban shopping mall, she grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Her first case is to locate a runaway girl, something her predecessor had been pursuing before he disappeared. Following in his footsteps, the trail leads to a survivalist camp on a remote island in northern Puget Sound. Armed with only a Swiss Army Knife and her quirky on-the-job training as a suburban sleuth, Cameron uncovers more than she bargained for. She soon finds herself in a fight for her own survival in this lighthearted mystery set in Seattle and the San Juan Islands to the north.

Survival can be Deadly: A Discount Detective Mystery
Charlotte Stuart

Charlotte Stuart

Discount Detective Mysteries

In a world filled with uncertainty and too little chocolate, Charlotte Stuart, PhD, has taught college courses in communication, gone commercial fishing in Alaska, and was the VP of HR and Training for a large credit union. Her current passion is for writing lighthearted mysteries with a pinch of adventure and a dollop of humor. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys watching herons, eagles, seals and other sea life from her Vashon Island home office.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Kobo | Amazon | Barnes & Noble  | IndieBound

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#MidweekMystery Dead Week by Kelly Brakenhoff

Will Dead Week kill Cassandra’s career?

VP of Student Affairs Cassandra Sato has a desk full of problems and it’s not even Thanksgiving break.

Dead Week by Kelly Brakenhoff

 

A student’s injury and a deaf advocacy project brings national media attention to underfunded Morton College.

Cassandra’s new boss talks to her dead husband. Cassandra’s mentor thinks he’s a superhero in a senior citizen’s body. And Cassandra, recently moved from Hawai’i, can’t crack the code of what to wear during November in Nebraska.

Is there more to the Vietnam-era story of a student’s death? Cassandra’s search for the long-buried truth stirs up the wrath of those who want to keep the past forgotten.

About the Author


Kelly Brakenhoff is an American Sign Language Interpreter whose motivation for learning ASL began in high school when she wanted to converse with her deaf friends. As an American Sign Language Interpreter with more than twenty years of experience, Kelly’s worked in college classrooms for fifteen different majors. From traipsing across muddy farm fields to stomach-churning medical procedures, and stage interpreting for famous figures, Kelly’s community interpreting interactions number in the thousands. Unfortunately, once she’s stepped away from the job, she usually forgets 90% of what happened. Which helps her keep confidential information safe, but also makes it really hard to grocery shop for more than 5 items without a written list.
Kelly wants to live in a world filled with peace, love, and joy, where people who can hear learn enough sign language to include deaf people in everyday conversations and work. Where every deaf child has early access to language and books with characters like them, and dark chocolate is cheap and plentiful.
When she’s not interpreting or writing, you can find Kelly cheering for her favorite Husker teams or training for half-marathons because she really likes dessert.

Website – Amazon – Twitter– Instagram

 

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#TuesdayTip: Create your own shirt folder in under a minute

Folded Shirts

Take a medium-sized box and carefully separate the seams.

Cut in half.

Done! This is your new shirt folder.

Note the pile of clothes waiting in the background.

Now what?

Oh hello, long-lost friend! I haven’t seen you for ages!

Place a shirt on the cardboard. Make sure none of it’s flopping over the edge.

Long sleeves will need to be folded in.

Now the magic happens….

Take the two left flaps and quickly fold them over. Whap!
Do the same thing with the two right flaps.
Return the side flaps to their original position. Now take the bottom half of the cardboard and fold it up.

Ta-da! A neat rectangle

Fold it in half once more to give it some heft…

Place the shirts so that you can see all of them at the same time.

You will not be able to stop folding.

Stack them vertically, store horizontally.
Folded Clothes in a Basket
Soon your whole life will be folded into neat squares.
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#Midweek Mystery Hems and Homicide, First in Series Apron Shop Mystery by Elizabeth Penney

Welcome to the first in the Apron Shop mystery series by Elizabeth Penney, set in the quaint village of Blueberry Cove, Maine where an expert seamstress turned amateur sleuth is getting measured for murder. . .

Iris Buckley is sew ready for a change. After the death of her beloved grandfather, Iris decides to stay in her Maine hometown to help out her widowed grandmother, Anne—and bring her online hand-made apron designs to real-time retail life. Her and Anne’s shop, Ruffles & Bows, is set to include all the latest and vintage linen fashions, a studio for sewing groups and classes, and a friendly orange cat. The only thing that they were not planning to have on the property? A skeleton in the basement.

Anne recognizes the remains of an old friend, and when a second body shows up in the apron shop—this time their corrupt landlord, whom Anne had been feuding with for decades—she becomes a prime suspect. Now, it’s up to Iris to help clear her name. Enlisting the help of her old high-school crush Ian Stewart who, like certain fabrics, has only gotten better-looking with age and her plucky BFF Madison Morris, Iris must piece together an investigation to find out who the real killer is. . .and find a way to keep her brand-new business from being scrapped in the process.

Elizabeth Penney

Apron Shop Series

Elizabeth Penney is an author, entrepreneur, and local food advocate living in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In addition to writing full-time, she operates a small farm. Elements that often appear in her novels include vintage summer cottages, past/present mysteries, and the arts. She is represented by the fabulous Elizabeth Bewley at Sterling Lord Literistic.

Elizabeth’s writing credits include over twenty mysteries, short stories, and hundreds of business articles. A former consultant and nonprofit executive, she holds a BS and an MBA. She’s also written screenplays with her musician husband.

She loves walking in the woods, kayaking on quiet ponds, trying new recipes, and feeding family and friends.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

 Amazon | Barnes & Noble  | IndieBound

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#MidweekMystery Murder She Encountered, by Peg Cochran, and Southern Harm by Caroline Fardig

A gutsy Manhattan socialite encounters murder and corruption at the World’s Fair in this captivating historical cozy mystery for readers of Victoria Thompson, Susan Elia MacNeal, and Rhys Bowen.

New York City, 1939. A rising star at the Daily Trumpet, Elizabeth “Biz” Adams has been sent to the World’s Fair—billed as the “World of Tomorrow,” a look toward a brighter future even as the drumbeats of war grow louder—to cover a robbery. What she stumbles upon instead is a dead woman, dumped into the Aquacade’s pool with a nylon stocking wrapped around her neck.

Elizabeth snaps a photo as the police arrest Joey Dorman, a gentle young hot dog vendor who made no secret of his obsession with the murder victim. Even though she’s thrilled that her photo makes the front page, the fear and confusion evident on Joey’s face are haunting. So Elizabeth vows to prove his innocence—or his guilt—with her partner at the Daily Trumpet, Ralph Kaminsky. Meanwhile, her romance with Detective Sal Marino is heating up, and Elizabeth is more determined than ever to follow her heart.

But when Kaminsky’s efforts to expose the real killer land him in the hospital, Elizabeth is forced to continue the investigation on her own. And as she tries to narrow down the long list of suspects, she discovers a dark secret running through the Fair—a secret some would kill to protect.

Look for all of Peg Cochran’s delightful mysteries featuring Elizabeth Adams, which can be read together or separately:
MURDER, SHE REPORTED
MURDER, SHE UNCOVERED
MURDER, SHE ENCOUNTERED

Peg Cochran

Peg Cochran

The Murder, She Reported Cozy Mystery Series

Mystery writing lets Peg indulge her curiosity under the guise of “work” (aka research). As a kid, she read the entire set of children’s encyclopedias her parents gave her and has been known to read the dictionary. She put pen to paper at age seven when she wrote plays and forced her cousins to perform them at Christmas dinner. She switched to mysteries when she discovered the perfect hiding place for a body down the street from her house.

When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading, cooking, spoiling her granddaughter and checking her books’ stats on Amazon.

A former Jersey girl, Peg now resides in Michigan with her husband and Westhighland white terrier, Reg. She is the author of the Sweet Nothings Lingerie series  (written as Meg London), the Gourmet De-Lite series, the Lucille series, the Cranberry Cove series, 
  and the Farmer’s Daughter series.

Website | Newsletter Sign Up | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | BookBub

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Google Play |  BookBub 

A little Southern charm never killed anybody—until now—in an enchanting cozy mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Southern Discomfort and the Java Jive novels.

After solving a murder at a local restaurant, Quinn Bellandini just wants to get back to her comfortable life running her grandfather’s B&B in Savannah, Georgia, with her sister, Delilah. But those plans get buried when Quinn and her new boyfriend, Tucker Heyward, dig up an old skeleton while doing some landscaping in his aunt Lela’s backyard. Before long, Lela becomes the prime suspect in the thirty-three-year-old unsolved murder of a high school homecoming queen.

Tucker is devastated. But Quinn’s conscience won’t let her risk an elderly woman spending her twilight years in jail for a crime she didn’t commit. And Delilah, bored by the quiet B&B biz, has been itching to do some more investigating of her own.

Soon they’re questioning a growing list of suspects, from nosy neighbors and snooty Savannah socialites to mild-mannered teachers and old high-school friends of the victim—including Quinn and Delilah’s own parents. But no one is safe from a killer who’s totally old school.

Caroline Fardig

Caroline Fardig

The Java Jive Mysteries and the Lizzie Hart Mysteries

CAROLINE FARDIG is the USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR of the Java Jive Mysteries series and the Lizzie Hart Mysteries series. Fardig’s BAD MEDICINE was named one of the “Best Books of 2015” by Suspense Magazine. She worked as a schoolteacher, church organist, insurance agent, funeral parlor associate, and stay-at-home mom before she realized that she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Born and raised in a small town in Indiana, Fardig still lives in that same town with an understanding husband, two sweet kids, two energetic dogs, and one malevolent cat.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |  B&N |  Kobo  

Don’t miss Caroline Fardig’s Java Jive mysteries, which can be read together or separately:
DEATH BEFORE DECAF | MUG SHOT | A WHOLE LATTE MURDER | BREW OR DIE | MURDER OVER MOCHAS

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#FridayFreebie Stay or Go, a Regan Harris Novella set in Costa Rica

After a heart-wrenching breakup from a boyfriend, Regan retreats into herself. She floats through life, but isn’t actually living it. Her friends are concerned and fed-up with her zombie-like behavior until …One man seems to bring her back from the dead.

Gray Thomas.

On a short trip to Chicago, his carefree attitude and dangerously handsome looks instantly draw Regan to him. While the two weeks are fun, what happens after? Will Regan make the leap? Will she trust herself with this stranger? Can she walk away from the security of Chicago and her friends for a new adventure? Can she leave her job at Patrick O’Kelly’s? Follow Regan as her life hangs in the balance on the most important question, should she stay or go?

Download Stay or Go

It’s FREE

About the Author

Kelly Wood

Kelly Wood loves to write the kind of books she likes to read, light-hearted cozy mysteries. She likes to curl up with a good book or seek adventure. She has hiked active volcanoes only to sled down them, jumped out of airplanes, hiked behind waterfalls, and run up the 700+ stairs at the Vatican.
Kelly loves to travel. Her passport has 23 stamps and counting. She has backpacked through Europe and Central America, along with many other countries in between. She now lives in Northwest Indiana with her husband and can be found writing most days.

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#MidweekMystery: Brewed Awakening (A Coffeehouse Mystery) by Cleo Coyle and Bookmarked for Murder by V.M. Burns

Amateur sleuth Samantha Washington’s shopping trip to Chicago takes a deadly detour when a man is murdered on her bus . . .

Bookmarked for Murder (Mystery Bookshop) by V.M. Burns
a Rafflecopter giveaway

After some post-Christmas retail therapy in the Windy City, mystery bookshop owner and historical whodunit novelist Sam Washington is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. With Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village along for the ride, it’s a lively trip. But one passenger is not so lively—a gentleman Irma befriended is found dead in his seat after an unscheduled stop. The ladies immediately shift gears to find out who punched his ticket, while Sam slips into the driver’s seat to make sure Nana Jo and her crew steer clear of fatal conclusions . . .

When coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi awakens on a bench in Washington Square Park, she has no idea she’s been missing for the past week.

Brewed Awakening: A Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now that she’s back, everyone is overjoyed, including a handsome NYPD detective who claims to be her fiancé. But to Mike Quinn’s crushing distress, Clare doesn’t remember him, or much of anything about the last decade of her life.

Clare’s missing memory is tied to a crime she witnessed. A kidnapping was captured on camera, and the authorities grow suspicious. Is Clare really a victim? Or merely acting like one?

V.M. Burns

Mystery Bookshop Mysteries

V.M. Burns was born in Northwestern Indiana and spent many years in Southwestern Michigan on the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is a lover of dogs, British historic cozies, and scones with clotted cream. After many years in the Midwest, she went in search of milder winters and currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her poodles. Her debut novel, The Plot is Murder was nominated for a 2017 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and a lifetime member of  Sisters in Crime. Readers can learn more by visiting her website at vmburns.com
Author Links:
Website:  http://www.vmburns.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vmburnsbooks/
Twitter:  @vmburns
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble | IndieBound  | Books-A-Million |  Hudson Booksellers | Kobo

Cleo Coyle

Coffeehouse Mysteries

CLEO COYLE is the pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini.  CLEO COYLE grew up in a small town near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After earning scholarships to study writing at Carnegie Mellon and American Universities, she began her career as a cub reporter for The New York Times. Now an author of popular fiction and New York Times bestselling media tie-in writer, Cleo lives and works in New York City, where she collaborates with her husband (also a bestselling author) to pen the Coffeehouse Mysteries for Penguin. When not haunting coffeehouses, hunting ghosts, or rescuing stray cats, Cleo and Marc are bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for NBC, Lucasfilm, Disney, Fox, Imagine, and MGM.
Visit Cleo online: www.coffeehousemystery.com
Friend Cleo on Facebook:www.Facebook.com/CleoCoyle
Follow Cleo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cleocoyle/
Amazon  |   B&N  |   Kobo |  Google Play | BookBub

Cleo Coyle’s Nutella Fudge Recipe

To download this recipe in a free PDF that you can print, save, or share, click here.  

Makes one 8×8 pan of fudge 

5 minutes to prepare + 3 hours to chill

Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 (12 ounce) package good quality semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup Nutella (or your favorite) chocolate-hazelnut spread (room temperature)

Step 1 – Crisscross the bottom of an 8 x 8 square pan with two sheets of parchment paper, allowing the paper to extend over the sides, like handles. You’ll use these paper handles to lift the finished block of fudge from the pan. 

Step 2 – Place the milk, pieces of butter, and chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring between sessions, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Be patient with this process, taking care not to burn the chocolate. Once the mixture is melted, add the salt, vanilla, and Nutella. Stir from the bottom, lifting and folding to blend everything well. Pour the mixture into your lined pan, and use a rubber spatula to level the top. 
Step 3 – Chill the pan until the block of fudge is firm. This will take about 3 hours. Remove, cut into small squares, and serve in mini cupcake liners. Match the design of the paper liners to reflect whatever you’re celebrating, and this recipe will work for almost any holiday or party that comes along. Store fudge inside an airtight container and keep in your refrigerator.