Category: Books

Posted in Books, mystery, Reviews, Uncategorized

Book Review for The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Posted on by Debbie

*****5 stars

I read this for a book club and found it unique and interesting. When Nell learns of her father’s death after a long separation, she discovers a map that he’s hidden in his desk at the New York Public Library’s map room. The map, what appears to be a simple gas station street map, turns out to be a precious commodity that collectors will pay exorbitant money for and someone will even kill for it.

As Nell uncovers the map’s secret she becomes embroiled in a dangerous quest that leads her to an imaginary town called Agloe where her parents and their college friends ventured using the same map. When Nell’s father’s death is termed a murder and more victims are killed, Nell must solve the map’s mystery to learn what really happened to her mother who supposedly was killed in a fire when Nell was a child.

Once Nell meets her parents’ college friends, the past story unfolds through each of them. The end features a twist, and there’s also a romantic subplot. I highly recommend this book to those who like magical mysteries.

Posted in Books, Reviews

Review of the Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn

Posted on by Debbie

*****5 stars

*Note: I read this book on NetGalley. It will be published on February 25, 2025 but is available for pre-order at https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Passenger-Novel-Frances-Quinn-ebook/dp/B0D57VB3R8

Elinor Coombes has a problem. She married a rich man she was chosen for because of her father’s money. Believing he loved her, she was happy at first. Then she learned he was in love with someone else, a woman pretending to be her friend. The worst part was they had a son who would inherit the family fortune and title. Because of this, she was hardly allowed to spend any time with him and was informed that he would be sent away to boarding school at the age of seven.

As Elinor rebels against her husband and the life that no longer brings her joy, she is treated by her father to a voyage on the new ship, the Titanic. She convinces her husband to take their son along and leave his nanny behind. On the ship, she meets a woman who has experience with children and offers to help her with her boy. The woman is headed for New York and a family she hasn’t seen in many years. As Elinor befriends her, she learns more about the people that the woman plans to meet and how she intends to start a new life.

When the ship sinks, Elinor and her son escape, but the rest of her family and the woman who was with them perish.

Dreading returning to the life she had and the constraints that would be put upon her son, Elinor decides to take the identity of the other woman. The rest of the book relates Elinor’s experience trying to fit into a lower-class existence, her struggles pretending to be part of another family, and how she deals with protecting her and her son from discovery.

For fans of fictional tales about the Titanic, this book would be a perfect read. It would also appeal to other historical fiction readers.

 

Posted in Books

Something for Every Reader

Posted on by Debbie

I write a variety of books. Most of them are mysteries, some are part of a series, and others are mixed genres. Recently, I posted readalike themes on my social media. I’m sharing them here for those who may have missed them. I hope you find a few books to add to your virtual or real bookshelves.

These books can be found in several places online, and some can be ordered from your local bookstore. All are available as eBooks and paperbacks. Some are on Kindle Unlimited. Some are also available in hardcover, large print, and audio. A few have been translated into other languages.

Posted in Books

Four of My Books Are Going Wide

Posted on by Debbie

Hi, everyone. This is just to let you know that some of my books are now available on other platforms besides Amazon. Below are the links to the books. Right now, the Kindle/Amazon link might be the only one visible from these links but eventually they will include Apple, B&N, Kobo, Google Play and Scribd. Although the links may not be found yet, you can still search for the titles on any of these platforms and chances are they will be there. Thank you for your interest and patience while my publisher makes these changes.

Time’s Relative

https://books2read.com/u/mYyR0d

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?

Memory Makers

https://books2read.com/u/3Jp0we

Twenty-five years ago, Lauren Phelps and her sister Patty were kidnapped from their backyard on Long Island. Lauren escaped her captor, but Patty was killed.

Ever since, Lauren has suffered from nightmares of the “Shadow Man.” Trying to recall his face and avenge her sister’s murder, Lauren, now a kidnapping investigator, enrolls in a clinical trial for a new memory drug.

At the offices of Memory Makers in California, she receives the injections of the Memory Makers’ serum, and begins to experience flashbacks of repressed memories. Along with the flashbacks, she receives threats from an anonymous source that point back to her childhood trauma.

Soon, Lauren becomes involved with a fellow trial participant who seeks to recall his own traumatic past. But can Lauren discover the identity of the “Shadow Man” before history repeats itself?

Sea Scope

https://books2read.com/u/bQyBgZ

Sarah Collins needs an escape. Mourning her brother’s death and the impending breakup of her marriage, she returns to her childhood home in South Carolina, where her family operated an inn.

Sarah hasn’t been back to Sea Scope for twenty years; not since she and her brother Glen discovered a body by the nearby lighthouse. She never understood why her parents left Sea Scope so suddenly, or the reasons behind her father’s suicide.

After Sarah returns to the inn, she faces long-buried memories, text messages and strange clues. Something is not right in Sea Scope. Reunited with people from her past, she tries to figure out what’s going on in her childhood home.

When past and present collide, Sarah must face truths about her family, and what happened that summer day by the lighthouse. But will she survive to tell the tale?

Meows and Purrs

*Note: This book’s link has not yet been updated, but it’s still available here: http://mybook.to/mapddl

In this collection of 30 cat poems, author Debbie De Louise shares her love and knowledge of the felines she’s known throughout her life.

Most of the poems are inspired by her current and past cats. Some poems are funny; others are sad, but all reflect the beauty, intelligence, and special characteristics of these animals.

If you are a cat lover or enjoy reading poems about cats, you will be both touched and entertained by this poetry collection that also includes photos of the author’s cats, and notes about how they inspired her to write the poems.

Posted in Books, Reviews

Review: The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

Posted on by Debbie

 

*****5 stars

Note: I reviewed this book through a NetGalley advanced reader copy. It will be published in February.

Jess has a dilemma. She’s come to visit her brother, Ben, who is a reporter in Paris. Although they haven’t had the best relationship over the years because, after their mother’s death, he ended up with a more privileged life while she landed in less fortunate circumstances in various foster homes. Upon her arrival at his apartment, she discovers some unusual things. He doesn’t answer his phone to let her in and when she manages to follow someone else into the locked complex and knocks on his door, he doesn’t seem to be there, although he’d contacted her only minutes before. Gaining access to his apartment, she finds evidence that frightens her — blood on the floor and Ben’s broken medallion that he never removes.

Meeting the other occupants of the apartment building who tell her they haven’t seen Ben recently, she doesn’t know who to believe or trust. This book features alternate points-of-view of each of the apartment residents. There are multiple twists on the way to learning what really happened to Ben. Each character is well depicted with both good and bad traits, and each one has a motive to kill Ben and make sure his sister doesn’t ask too many questions.

Jess befriends Nick, Ben’s friend who invited him to stay in the apartment and who has a secret of his own. They go to the police together to file a report about Ben’s disappearance, but since Jess can’t speak French, Nick translates her request for the investigation. Because the police don’t consider the issue a priority, Jess takes matters into her own hands and contacts Theo, a man that Ben was scheduled to interview for a story before he disappeared. When Theo takes her somewhere that he tells her may help her find out what happened to her brother, the answers put her life in jeopardy as they reveal the truth about what took place at Ben’s apartment before Jess arrived.

If you like a mystery with twists and interesting characters, I recommend this book.

Posted in Books, Reviews

Review: The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa (traslated from the Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai)

Posted on by Debbie

****4 stars

Note: I reviewed this book through a NetGalley advanced reader copy. It will be published in December.

Although this book is geared toward a young adult audience, as the main character, Rintaro Natsuki, is a high school student, book lovers of all ages will enjoy this story. There’s a paranormal theme as well as a sweet romance, and it all takes place during the holiday season.

Rintaro’s grandfather has died leaving him a used bookstore. As he is grieving for his grandfather and contemplating his move to his aunt’s house, Rintaro is visited by a talking tabby cat who requests his help saving books. Thus follows Rintaro’s adventures into three labyrinths that appear in the back of the bookstore. After solving the mystery of the first labyrinth, Rintaro’s friend, Sayo, the school rep who has been bringing him makeup work after he’s missed classes, is able to see the cat who reappears and asks for help in the second labyrinth.

As Rintaro becomes more involved with Sayo, the cat named Tiger begins to make comments that they could be girlfiend and boyfriend. Working together, Sayo and Rintaro solve two other labyrinths and save more books. The stories behind these adventures will make sense to booklovers who know that in today’s society, print books and classics are less in demand than digital, commercial reads. Rintaro’s love of books increases as he solves each labyrinth’s dilemma.

The final labyrinth has Rintaro facing his feelings for Sayo and realizing the true worth of books and how they connect people. A story that can be read on several levels. Book and cat lovers will enjoy it very much.

Posted in Books, Cat Writers' Association, Freebies and Special Offers, New Releases

December News: Stocking Stuffers and a New Release

Posted on by Debbie

It’s hard to believe the holiday season is already here, and a new year is on its way. I know most of us are hoping 2021 is better than 2020. I certainly am. While we look forward to better days, we can make the most of the holidays by keeping our hopes and spirits high. One good way to do this is to relax with holiday reads. For the whole month of December, starting December 1, four of my holiday stories and books will cost less than a dollar. You can get all 4 eBooks for less than $5. Check out these stocking stuffers for yourself or someone on your gift list.

Here’s a peek inside each stocking.

Sneaky’s Christmas Mystery

Purchase Link: mybook.to/sneakyxmas

My award-winning Christmas story featuring the characters from my Cobble Cove cozy mystery series, Sneaky’s Christmas Mystery, won the 2019 MUSE Medallion from the Cat Writers’ Association. Who killed the pet store owner? Can Sneaky, the Siamese, help Alicia solve this mystery before Christmas Day?

Celebrating Christmas with My Characters

Purchase Link: mybook.to/XmasCharacters

Celebrating Christmas with My Characters introduces the characters from my Cobble Cove series. As the characters gather in the library of the Cobble Inn, each one has a gift for their author, and I have a gift for each of them.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Purchase Link: mybook.to/CobbleCove2

This 2nd book of the series takes place in Cobble Cove and also New York City during the holidays.

The Missing Mistletoe

Purchase Link: mybook.to/missingmistletoe

While not a part of the Cobble Cove series, this is a holiday time-travel mystery with a touch of romance taking place in San Francisco during the time of the Great Earthquake.

As you stuff your stockings with this great deal, keep your eye out for my new release, my first non-fiction book, Pet Posts: The Cat Chats publishing in early December and on blog tour from December 9 to December 23 with a $20 Amazon gift card giveaway. Information will be posted on this blog and on my social media channels.

Posted in Books, mystery, New Releases, Next Chapter

Vote for Memory Makers in the September AllAuthor Cover of the Month Contest

Posted on by Debbie

My new mystery, Memory Makers, has been chosen as a contender for the September AllAuthor Book of the Month. I personally think the cover is outstanding and reflects the theme of my book. If you agree, please vote here: https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/9222/ 

Thanks so much for your support.

Also, my blog tour for Memory Makers is still running until September 21. Follow it for a chance to win an Amazon Card giveaway and learn more about the book through spotlights, excerpts, and guest posts.

https://www.silverdaggertours.com/sdsxx-tours/memory-makers-book-tour-and-giveaway

Posted in Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Celebrating Christmas with my Characters, Cozy Mysteries, Freebies and Special Offers, holidays

3 FREE Books to Celebrate Christmas in July

Posted on by Debbie

Stay cool and enjoy 3 Free holiday and winter eBooks.

(Free July 17 – 21)

Celebrating Christmas with My Characters

The characters from my Cobble Cove cozy mysteries gather in the Cobble Cove library to celebrate the holidays. Each character receives a gift from the author, and Alicia, the main character, reads some excerpts from the first and second book of the series.

(Free July 18 -22)

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Librarian Alicia McKinney has put the past behind her…

Two years ago, Alicia discovered both a terrible truth and lasting love with John McKinney in the small town of Cobble Cove, New York. Now a busy mother of twin babies and co-author of a mystery series, Alicia couldn’t be happier.

Alicia’s contentment and safety are challenged…

Walking home alone from the library, Alicia senses someone following her, and on more than one occasion, she believes she is being watched. Does she have a stalker? When the local gift shop is burglarized, the troubling event causes unrest among Alicia and the residents of the quiet town.

John and Alicia receive an offer they can’t refuse…

When John’s sister offers to babysit while she and John take a much-needed vacation in New York City, Alicia is reluctant to leave her children because of the disturbances in Cobble Cove. John assures her the town is safe in the hands of Sheriff-elect Ramsay. Although Alicia’s experience with and dislike of the former Long Island detective don’t alleviate her concern, she and John take their trip.

Alicia faces her worst nightmare…

The McKinneys’ vacation is cut short when they learn their babies have been kidnapped and John’s sister shot. Alicia and John’s situation puts them between a rock and a hard place when the main suspect is found dead before the ransom is paid. In order to save their children, the McKinneys race against the clock to solve a mystery more puzzling than those found in their own books. Can they do it before time runs out?

(Free July 17 – 21)

Sneaky’s Christmas Mystery