Month: February 2022

Posted in Freebies and Special Offers

Travel Through Time with TIME’S RELATIVE for 99 cents Until February 27

Posted on by Debbie

For less than a dollar, you can travel through time with a librarian, computer programmer, detective, and two cats. Book your trip here by February 27: http://mybook.to/timesrelative

It’s the fall of 1998, and librarian Samantha Stewart is looking for a new job. After seeing an ad for a high-paying position at a company called Virtual Software that entails research and travel, Sam investigates the company and learns that its president has gone missing, and that it’s currently being run by the vice-president Greg Parsons.

Before Sam makes it to the interview, she’s visited by a strange woman who introduces herself as Jane Oldsfield: a time traveler whose mission Greg Parsons is trying to prevent.

Sam ignores the woman and goes on the job interview anyway. Soon, she finds herself involved not only with Greg Parsons, but also Philip Montmart, a chain-smoking detective with a vendetta for his wife’s killer, and the time-traveling Oldsfield and her feline accomplice.

Witnessing world events that have yet to happen in her lifetime, including 9/11, Hurricane Sandy, Y2K hysteria and the COVID pandemic, can Samantha figure out Oldsfield’s plans?

Read what reviewers are saying:

*****Prepare yourself for a thrilling roller coaster ride of a story that will make you hold your breath as you flip the pages as fast as you can read them. Loved it!!

*****I loved the characters in this book.

*****A very fun, fast-moving story. I loved the author’s use of time-travel and “rules”, very original. Being an animal lover, I really liked the cats in the story. A good read!

 

 

Advertisement
Posted in Reviews

Review of Pets on the Prowl: An Animal Mystery Anthology edited by J.K. Larkin

Posted on by Debbie

*****5 stars

If you’re an animal lover and a mystery fan, you’ll love this collection of twelve pet mysteries by talented authors.

“Stealing Roscoe” by John M. Floyd is the first story in the anthology. Taking place on a college campus, it involves the dog napping of a bulldog that’s the mascot of the school’s sports team. The next story in this collection, “Murder Gone A-Stray” by Debbie De Louise (me) features an officer who is invited to attend the will reading of a rich, old man whose children may have played a role in his death. When Officer McDonald arrives at the mansion, she discovers that she must spend a night at the house with the relatives and a cat who has witnessed his master’s murder. “The Catbird Seat” by Dawn DeBraal is told in the point-of-view of a cat who also witnesses a murder. “Troubles in Paradise” by Kathy Chencharik features a cat who interacts with other neighborhood animals in a search for missing pets.

Not many would consider a cockroach a pet, but the main character considers it her mascot and uses it as inspiration for revenge in Jeffrey A. Lockwood’s “La Cucaracha.” Another unusual addition to this collection is “My Best Friend is a Ghost Who Happens to be a Dog Named Rosie” by Stephen Johnson. This is a story about a young girl who meets up with a canine ghost on Halloween who helps solve the case of missing pets.

“Fetch” by Ken Goldman was one of my favorites in this anthology. It has a supernatural element to it and involves an old man and his dog who begins to bring home human bones. The ending is quite a twist. “The Daring Duo of Shady Elm” by Shari Held features a Siamese and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel as the main characters. The cat and dog help solve neighborhood burglaries. “The Three Lives of Thomasina Bug” by Elizabeth Elwood is a cute story about a cat who, with his favorite toy, leads police to where illegal drugs are hidden.

“His Sister’s Keeper” by Matt McGee features a wildlife sanctuary employee whose brother alerts her about a bear blocking traffic on a busy road. Arriving at the scene with her dog, she figures a clever way to deal with the bear without harming it. “Null and Void” by Rashmi Agrawal is another unusual tale. This one involves a woman whose boyfriend asks her to get a divorce from the dog she married at the request of her parents. Last, but not least, David Lange’s “Bessie’s Cap,” is a fun romp of an adventure involving two raccoons in an air and space museum who set out to discover the thief of two historic aviation artifacts. Lots of fun as they interview the mice and other inhabitants of the museum while trying to avoid the snake.

I highly recommend this book of pet mysteries which is another fine addition to the Red Penguin Collection edited by J.K. Larkin. Pick up your copy here: https://amzn.to/34Ul1qT

Posted in Freebies and Special Offers

Valentine’s Book Sale and Free Audio Offer

Posted on by Debbie

Two of my books are on sale from Friday, February 11. to Monday, February 15. My romantic comedy novella, When Jack Trumps Ace, and my cozy mystery, Love on the Rocks, are only 99 cents on these dates.Purchase Link: mybook.to/Jackebook

Jackie Riordan’s in trouble . . .

When her jewel-thief father is caught in the middle of a heist, Jackie makes her getaway to his ex-jail pal’s apartment. a man called Ace, who lives in an upscale neighborhood of Chicago. What she doesn’t count on is falling in love with him and becoming his partner in crime. She also doesn’t expect to compete with Ace’s old flame or deal with his cat Roxie who causes her allergy attacks.

All bets are off . . .

After Jackie discovers clues left by her father which lead her to a treasure that Ace may have stolen, she contemplates her next move. Should she trust Ace and believe her father gave him the money, or head home to her mother, a religious hypocrite who would have no qualms about ratting out her own daughter to the cops?

Things that sparkle aren’t always Diamonds . . .

Before Jackie can decide who the good guys really are, she finds herself atop the Willis Tower carrying her father’s ashes in her pocket and aiding Ace in the largest jewelry heist of his life. Things go terribly wrong, and Jackie’s only choice seems to be to walk away from Ace or face imprisonment.

Purchase Link: mybook.to/cc4

It’s February in the small town of Cobble Cove. Love is in the air . . . but so is murder!

When Alicia helps plan a Valentine’s Day Party at the Cobble Cove library that also includes a surprise for her newlywed friend, Gilly, things go wrong when a mysterious box of chocolates addressed to the director turns out laced with poison.

Clues Lead to A Dead Suspect

Although Alicia promised John she’ll no longer meddle in crime investigations, she and Gilly set out to find the person threatening Sheila who murdered the courier of the deadly candy. The three people they suspect include the professor from California who’s been romancing Sheila while she assists him with research for his book; the obnoxious patron Rhonda Kleisman who threw coffee at the director after refusing to pay for a damaged book; and a visiting widow staying at Gilly’s inn who’s unnaturally curious about Sheila and earns the nickname of Madame Defarge for her interest in knitting.

New Cat in Town

While Alicia and Gilly are trying to solve this new Cobble Cove mystery, Sneaky is introduced to Gilly’s new kitten, Kittykai, a calico she brought home from her honeymoon in Hawaii. It’s not like at first sight, but the two cats eventually become friends. They also both play a part in foiling the killer’s murder attempts, but will Alicia and Sheila survive unscathed?

My time-travel novel, Time’s Relative, is now available on audio. A limited number of free copies are available. Contact me for information.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3JgTy1M

My calico, Hermione, is running in America’s Favorite Pet contest. She is a sweet and beautiful 3-year-old girl. All votes are appreciated.

Thank you so much. Here’s the link to Hermione’s page:
https://americasfavpet.com/2022/hermione-cf74

Posted in Reviews

Review of the Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

Posted on by Debbie

*****5-stars

I don’t read a lot of historical fiction but, as a librarian and an author, I like to try various genres. Fiona Davis is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. Her books are compelling, set in New York, and well researched. Her latest, The Magnolia Palace, is no exception. In fact, it kept me glued to the pages until the end and then I was rewarded with historical details about the Frick family who were featured in the book.

I enjoyed how the story alternated between the years 1919 and 1966. The two main characters, Lilly Carter (Angelica), a model who lost her mother in 1919 from the Spanish flu, ends up as private secretary to Helen Frick at her home before it’s turned into the New York City art museum that she founds. Lilly takes on this position by accident after fleeing her home when suspected of concealing information about her landlord’s murder. In 1966, a young woman named Veronica, also a model, travels from England to New York to audition at the Frick Museum in the hope that she can make enough money to bring home her sick sister whose medical expenses and care her mother can no longer afford.

What ties Lilly and Veronica together is a missing jewel — the magnolia diamond that is hidden somewhere in the Frick residence. When Lilly worked there, she’d followed scavenger hunt clues to locate it without any luck. Veronica, trapped alone there with a young man during a snowstorm, comes across these clues and follows the hunt with her friend.

There’s much more to the story including a romance, a murder, and a twist, but I don’t want to ruin it for those who like surprises. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good, can’t-put-down read.