Tag: Mystery Novels | Page 4

February 9, 2018

Vangie Vale and the Strangled Strudel (The Matchbaker Mysteries) by NYT Bestseller R.L. Syme

You could call it the straw that broke the camel’s back but it was more like a Montana forest timber. Just when Vangie Vale’s life was getting back to normal after a murder that rocked her little Rocky Mountain tourist town, she found herself in the middle of another murder… as the chief suspect.
Vangie stood shocked on the side of the curb as the sheriff stretched yellow crime scene tape around the front of her new bakery. Wouldn’t this make a lovely headline in next week’s paper: Local Baker Kills Parishioner With Pudding. Vangie’s road back to good graces as a part-time pastor was bumpy enough already. This would be a roadblock. Can’t have that.
Book Three in a cozy culinary mystery series from USA Today Bestselling Author, R.L. Syme.

Character Interview with Sheriff Malcom Dean

Sheriff Dean, welcome to Island Confidential! Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?
I’m the Sheriff in Twin Valley County, Montana, and I have a son named Chandler. I don’t live with Chandler’s mother anymore. We’ve been divorced for awhile, and it was…a trial. Something readers might not guess about me: I’m not a sports fan. I’ll watch hockey if I have to. But I’m not much for sports.
Who is your favorite character in Strangled Strudel?
Can I say “myself”? Because that’s probably the most accurate. Everyone annoys me on some level. If people would follow the rules and do what they’re supposed to do, we’d get along better. I don’t like rule-breakers.
Is there anyone you don’t get along with so well?
It would be too easy to say “Vangie”, because I think that’s what this question is insinuating. That somehow, Vangie and I are destined for conflict. Who knows. Maybe you’re right. But I would actually say “Derek”. I don’t like that guy. He’s a rule-breaker. Always looking for a way to get around the law.
Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author?
Becca? I think she’s nosy. And she creates a lot of trouble. And talk about rule-breakers. In fact, can I change my answer to the last question? The author is a character in the world, too. I might have to pick her. She’s the source of all these troubles in my town.
Sheriff, what’s next for you?
Hopefully, no more murders. Let’s count on that.

About The Author

Rebecca Syme writes small town romance as Becca Boyd and cozy mystery as R.L. Syme. She is a long-time foodie and loves fancy cheese. Becca calls the mountains of Montana her home and draws inspiration from the beautiful vistas and heartwarming people. She is the USA Today bestselling author of the Line of Fire series of sweet romances and part of the Chick Tales series set in Somewhere, TX. You can find her on Twitter talking #fancycheese or #Chopped, and on Facebook with her fans in Becca Nation.

Webpage http://rlsyme.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bighopesbigheroes/
Becca Nation Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BeccaNation/
Twitter @beck_a_tron
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6878258.R_L_Syme
Amazon Author Page

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January 21, 2018

First in a new cozy series: Murder of a Good Man by Teresa Trent

When Nora Alexander drives into Piney Woods, Texas, to fulfill her dying mother’s last wish, she has no idea what awaits her. First she is run off the road, then the sealed letter she delivers turns out to be a scathing rebuke to the town’s most beloved citizen and favored candidate for Piney Woods Pioneer: Adam Brockwell. Next thing you know, Adam has been murdered in a nasty knife attack.

Suspicion instantly falls on Nora, one of the last people to see him alive. After all, everyone in Piney Woods loved him. Or did they? Nora learns that her mother had a complicated past she never shared with her daughter. Told not to leave town by Tuck the flirty sheriff, Nora finds a job with Tuck’s Aunt Marty trying to get the rundown Tunie Hotel back in the black. The old hotel was Piney Woods’ heart and soul in its heyday as an oil boomtown. Now the secrets it harbors may be the key to getting Nora off the hook. She’s going to need to solve the mystery quickly to avoid arrest, or worse: becoming the killer’s next victim.

Character Interview: Nora Alexander

Nora, welcome to Island Confidential. Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Nora Alexander and I have recently lost my mother. Upon her death I found a letter she had written to a man in Piney Woods, Texas. Texas? Really? Anyway, I took off for a state I had never been to and tracked this man down. From what I could figure, it must have been a love letter, because why else would it concern my mother in her final days?

Who’s your favorite character in Murder of a Good Man?

Luckily, when I hit town, I found a room at the Piney Woods Bed and Breakfast and met Tatty and Ed Tovar. They are the owners of the B&B and Tatty has a wonderful gift of smoothing things over. Having Tatty and her husband Ed around has provided a home away from home for me.

Anyone you’re not so fond of?

Tuck Watson is the law around this town and he is determined to arrest me. For what, I can’t tell you right now, but the man is infuriating, and handsome, but infuriating!

Just between you and me: What do you really think of your author, Teresa?

So, she writes my scenes and then rewrites them and then rewrites them again. Some days I feel like I’m on a loop that can’t stop repeating. I guess I like the scene better when she’s finished, but gee whiz, some days I want her to just give it a rest!

What’s next for you?

Well, I have some big changes in this book, and I can’t tell you too much without giving it away…but…it has a lot to do with cats.

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.
Author Links
FACEBOOK:   https://www.facebook.com/teresatrentmysterywriter
TWITTER:   https://twitter.com/ttrent_cozymys
BLOG: https://teresatrent.wordpress.com/
WEBSITE:   http://teresatrent.com

January 13, 2018

Unbridled Murder (A Carson Stables Mystery) by Leigh Hearon

Win a print copyAfter horse trainer and rancher Annie Carson visits a feedlot in eastern Washington, she is determined to save as many horses from slaughter as possible before hightailing it back home—until she discovers the sleazy owner seemingly trampled in his corral. With the fate of the feedlot herd in her hands, Annie must navigate unfamiliar territory while trying to track down a killer and solve an increasingly tangled mystery. But unfortunately for Annie, returning to the Olympic Peninsula alive will be trickier than she ever imagined.

Interview with author Leigh Hearon

Leigh, thanks for stopping by Island Confidential! Can you tell us a little bit about your protagonist?
Annie Carson is a 40-something Western horse trainer and sheep rancher, born and raised in a rural part of the Olympic Peninsula. She’s good friends with the local Sheriff and several deputies through their shared work in animal rescue missions. Annie’s a loner, mostly by necessity—taking care of her flock and horse herd consume most of her time. She sets a high bar for human conduct, and doesn’t tolerate perceived slackers, known liars, or people who cheat. Her mouth is one of her most dangerous weapons, although she does tote a .30-.30 Winchester with her on occasion. Annie lives alone, and except for one half-sister who was briefly dumped on her doorstep, she has no other family or truly close friends. When we meet her, Annie has no love interest. That aspect of her life soon changes.
Are you and Annie anything alike?
My husband is convinced I’m the spitting image of Annie. He’s the first to read what comes off the printer, and when I bring in a sheaf of new chapters and ask him where I left off, his invariable response is, “You were just about to….” Friends say they hear me talking when they read Annie’s dialogue.
For the record, I am not Annie. For one, she is a far better horsewoman than I am. Annie also likes single malt, and the stuff just gives me a headache. However, we probably do share some inherent traits, and I like Annie very much. If we were to meet, I’d probably be a bit intimidated. She’s accomplished so much by herself, and has solved more murders in a single year than I’ve cracked in my 25 years as a private investigator.
Do your characters change and evolve as the series progresses?
Absolutely, starting with Annie. At the start of book 1, Annie would much rather hang out with her horses than almost any other human, and isn’t shy about saying so. When Marcus Colbert, the prime suspect in the murder of his wife, appears on the scene, she is instantly smitten—and convinced of his innocence, of course. In this and the next two books, Annie frequently agonizes about the chances of the relationship’s success, given their disparate backgrounds. The decision to let Marcus into her life forces Annie to fully trust another human being, something she hasn’t done in a very long time. So far, everything seems to be working. In fact, in book 4 (out in July 2018), Annie and Marcus have their first fight, a true sign that the relationship is beginning to take root!
Have you ever thought of killing someone that you know in real life–on the pages of a murder mystery, I mean?
This is rhetorical, right? All of my characters are blends of people I’ve met and known over the years, so it’s impossible for me to fictionally slay a specific human being I’ve known in real life. That being said, there are times when the ability to kill someone off or subject to adverse circumstances on the written page is just too tantalizing to resist. No honest writer will disagree with that. In fact, I think having this literary outlet is quite healthy. Now, when someone really ticks me off, I don’t get mad. I just make a mental note to include them in my next novel, where I can deal with his or her behavior using my own dangerous weapon—my words.
How realistic is your setting? Do you take liberties, or are you true to life?
Suwana County is a fairly transparent double for Jefferson County in Washington State, where I live. A few of my friends think I should have skipped the overlay and just made it true to life. I have refrained from doing this simply because I need the ability to transform the landscape to suit my literary needs. My latest book, Unbridled Murder, takes place in Eastern Washington, which I’ve visited and traveled through many times. The environment is the same, but the towns don’t exist, nor the people in them.
When the movie or TV series is made, who plays the major parts?
Sandra Bullock, Kyra Sedgwick, or Julia Roberts for Annie. They’re all a few years older than she is, but then, so am I, and I can’t think of three smarter, sassier women to portray Annie Carson than the women I’ve seen so often on the silver screen (or HDTV).

Kyra Sedgwick. Photo credit: Angela George

As far as Marcus, I’m on the proverbial fence. He’s always been a bit amorphous to me when I picture him in my mind’s eye. Kind of a Cary Grant humor and good looks, but since Cary is no longer with us, I don’t have another actor in mind. But I’ll happily accept suggestions!

How about George Clooney? Photo: Public Domain

What’s the best and worst advice you’ve heard or received as an author?
Best advice has been to write what you know and love, without worrying about what the reading public might want, but also to be extremely proactive in promoting your book. Worst advice? To think about tabling the writing if you’re not going to be a famous, rich, best-selling author. That’s not the reason I write. Although a girl can dream, can’t she?

About The Author
Leigh Hearon began her own P.I. agency, Leigh Hearon Investigative Services, in 1992. Her cases have appeared on In the Dead of Night, Forensic Files, 48 Hours, Court TV, City Confidential, Unsolved Mysteries, America’s Most Wanted, and CBS Evening News with Connie Chung. Hearon was an avid rider of horses throughout her childhood. She currently has a Saddlebred mare, Jolie Jeune Femme, and enjoys watching Jolie and two rescue mares cavort on a fifty-five-acre farm she shares with her husband. Visit her on the Web at leighhearon.com, on Facebook and Twitter.