Tag Archives: mystery

Giveaway – The Holiday Photo Murder by Jeanne Quigley @dollycas #theholidayphotomurder #jeannequigley

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The Holiday Photo Murder: A Robyn Cavanagh Mystery
by Jeanne Quigley

About The Holiday Photo Murder

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The Holiday Photo Murder: A Robyn Cavanagh Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – New York
Independently Published (November 11, 2025)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FQ3C8GST

Portrait Photographer Robyn Cavanagh has had a busy fall season taking a record number of client photos for holiday cards. She’s ready for a quiet December to do her own Christmas preparations, but she has one more job to close the year. It’s the best gift of the season: taking photographs at wealthy Natalie Hoffmann’s holiday party.

Excited to be the official photographer at the party held at the publisher’s estate overlooking the majestic Hudson River, Robyn hopes the event will win her new clients. Everyone will want to forget the evening, however, after Natalie’s companion, Russell Nowak, is found dead in the garden.

Who among the guests wanted the successful businessman dead? While everyone counts down to Christmas, Robyn’s wish list is filled with suspects. She teams with her friend Will Vonderlin to catch the killer and restore her holiday spirit in time to enjoy the festive season.

About Jeanne Quigley

Jeanne Quigley is the author of the Veronica Walsh Mysteries and the Robyn Cavanagh Mysteries. Unlike her fictional sleuths, she has never been a soap opera star, accountant, or professional photographer, but she has worked in the music industry, for an educational publisher, and in a county agency. She lives in New York’s historic Hudson Valley.

Author Links

Website  www.jeannequigley.wordpress.com
Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/jeannemquigley
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jeannequigleyauthor/

Purchase Links:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Kobo   Apple 

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Review – Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni @robertdugoni #herdeadlygame

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Amazon / KindleUnlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I love a good start to a book, and Robert Dugoni’s Prologue for Her Deadly Game had me hooked from the opening page.

Keera Duggan is a prime example of why you don’t cross professional boundries in the workplace. Because her romantic relationship with a senior colleague ended badly, she was pushed out of her job as a Seattle prosecutor. She feels she has no choice, but to return to the family criminal defense law firm.

Keera was a professional chess player, and it will take all her moves to save her client from a life sentence. I do like the push pull of whether what she is doing is right or wrong. Her father, Patsy, an esteemed defense lawyer until alcohol took over his life, keeps stressing to her that it is her job to give the client the best defense possible and it is the prosecutor’s job to convict him.

This was going to be the game of her life.

I had a feeling about what happened, I just couldn’t figure out the how of it. Guess you can find most anything on Google.

It didn’t take me long to get involved in Keera’s world. The characters and scenarios are realistic and the book was impossible to put down. The mystery and suspense kept the story flowing at a rapid pace. The deeper into the story I got, the more I was determined to find out the ending before going to bed…and I made it.

In the acknowledgments, Robert Dugoni shares that he likes to give each novel a challenge. In Her Deadly Game he creates a dysfunctional family, and a character, Keera, who escaped a future of alcoholism by becoming a chess prodigy. He knows that some lawyers are very good chess players and I think he wove the game throughout the story with panache.

I want to thank Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

A defense attorney is prepared to play. But is she a pawn in a master’s deadly match? A twisting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

Keera Duggan was building a solid reputation as a Seattle prosecutor, until her romantic relationship with a senior colleague ended badly. For the competitive former chess prodigy, returning to her family’s failing criminal defense law firm to work for her father is the best shot she has. With the right moves, she hopes to restore the family’s reputation, her relationship with her father, and her career.

Keera’s chance to play in the big leagues comes when she’s retained by Vince LaRussa, an investment adviser accused of murdering his wealthy wife. There’s little hard evidence against him, but considering the couple’s impending and potentially nasty divorce, LaRussa faces life in prison. The prosecutor is equally challenging: Miller Ambrose, Keera’s former lover, who’s eager to destroy her in court on her first homicide defense.

As Keera and her team follow the evidence, they uncover a complicated and deadly game that’s more than Keera bargained for. When shocking information turns the case upside down, Keera must decide between her duty to her client, her family’s legacy, and her own future.

  • Genre: Fiction, Legal, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
  • Format: 396 pages, Hardcover
  • Published: March 28, 2023 by Thomas & Mercer
  • Series: Keera Duggan #1

ABOUT ROBERT DUGONI

Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite police series set in Seattle, which has sold more than 11 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, the David Sloane legal thriller series, and The Keera Duggan legal thriller series. He has written several stand-alone novels including the historical novels A Killing on the Hill and Hold Strong, as well as the suspense novel The 7th Canon, and Damage Control. He has written the literary novels, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – one of Newsweek Magazine’s Best Books of All-Time and Suspense Magazine’s 2018 Book of the Year, for which Dugoni’s narration won an AudioFile Earphones Award. He has also written the critically acclaimed novel, The World Played Chess; as well as the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. His novels have been optioned for movies and television series. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and a four-time winner of the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He has also been a finalist for many other awards including the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award.

Robert Dugoni’s books are sold in more than thirty-five countries and have been translated into more than thirty languages.

Visit his website at www.robertdugoni.com, and follow him on twitter @robertdugoni and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorRobertDugoni

 

MY ROBERT DUGONI REVIEWS

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Review – Her Buried Past by Carolyn Arnold #NetGalley @Carolyn_Arnold #herburiedpast

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The blade slices deeply into her neck, and arterial spray sweeps across her vision.

OMG. With a start like that, there is no way I could pass up a chance to read Her Buried Past by Carolyn Arnold. I wonder how Detective Madison Knight will handle all the blood. Even though she has an aversion to blood, she wanted to be a cop, like her grandfather.

Madison is married to Troy, a SWAT commander for the Stiles police department. She had lost a baby eleven months earlier. She never considered herself as the maternal type, but if she would have had the baby, she would have cared for it, loved it as only a mother can. I can relate to Madison eating cold pizza for breakfast. I do it too. I love when an author includes moments that make the characters come to life.

Her partner, Terry, is married to the love of his life, Annabelle, and has an eighteen months old baby girl, Dani. He is a proud papa.

Sidney is a new age therapist, believing in past life regression. But, she has secrets. As Madison and Terry dig into her life, the secrets are exposed, putting them in danger.

At the end of the book, Carolyn Arnold poses a question:

Did the twists and turns catch you by surprise, as they did Madison, and keep you flipping the pages.

You betcha. But, that’s no surprise to me. I expect that from Carolyn Arnold. She breaks her mysteries down and take us step by step to the conclusion. She does put those twists and turns into her novels, drawing me in, making it hard to put the book down until the last page is read.

My thanks go out to Carolyn Arnold, Hibbert & Stiles Publishing, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review Her Buried Past.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The blade slices deeply into her neck, and arterial spray sweeps across her vision. She puts her hand over the wound, feeling the fight already leaving her. In a moment of surrender, she must believe something marvelous will come after she takes her last breath. Otherwise, she’ll be left with nothing but the blackness that is edging in.

After therapist Sidney Callahan is found dead in her home office, Detective Madison Knight drives out to her remote cabin. Also used as a spiritual retreat to explore past-life regression, the otherwise peaceful property stands out in stark contrast to the messy murder scene. With signs of a struggle but no forced entry, Madison must figure out who would want to harm this woman.

Madison soon discovers that Sidney had planned to release a book featuring her patients’ past lives, and she suspects one of them didn’t want their secrets exposed. But as Madison and her partner, Terry Grant, dig deeper, they make the shocking discovery that the therapist had her own dark past.

As they continue their investigation, Madison and Terry must navigate a web of lies and danger. But just as they are inching closer to the truth, someone tries to stop them with deadly force. Will they be able to bring justice to Sidney? Or will they become the next victims?

  • Genre:  Fiction, Mystery, Police Procedural, Suspense, Thriller
  • 282 pages, Paperback
  • Expected publication October 8, 2025 by Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc
  • Series: Detective Madison Knight #14

ABOUT CAROLYN ARNOLD

CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has many published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from police procedurals, hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures. Her crime fiction series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining. This led to her adopting the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

She currently lives near London, Ontario, Canada with her husband and two beagles.

MY REVIEWS FOR CAROLYN ARNOLD

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$25 GC – Descendants Of The Big House by C Vanzale Lewis @xpressotours #cvanzalelewis #descendantsofthebighouse

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Descendants of the Big House
C. Vonzale Lewis
(A Horde of Dead Poets)
Publication date: October 14th 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy, Mystery

Beatrice Monroe is still getting used to the knowledge that she was born a champion for Good and Evil. She spends her days combing through her great grandmother’s journals trying to find answers to what this newfound ability means for her as a member of law enforcement.

When a woman walks into her precinct claiming her aunt was murdered, Beatrice discovers a link between their families that may just have the answers she needs. But those answers are not easy to find. Because this mystery’s roots are buried in the past with five young girls and what they gave birth to…in The Big House.

Descendants of the Big House is a standalone installment in A Horde of Dead Poets collection featuring seven authors and their stories inspired by famous literary poems. If you often find yourself steering toward a dark, mysterious, isolated location; if family curses haunt you and unreliable narrators keep you in suspense, you won’t want to miss a single volume in this gripping collection.

Perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, Simone St. James, Stephen King, and Shirley Jackson.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

“I think somebody did something,” Mr. Taylor announced suddenly, voice raised. “My wife, my children. Not right. Not right at all.” He started crying. “I can’t convince anybody to listen to me.”

I got up and kneeled by his chair. “I’m listening, Mr. Elijah.” It didn’t dawn on me that I might have overstepped. The pain in his plea just pulled at me. I understood the feeling of being lost so well, growing up in a home filled with abuse and no one listening to my own cries for help.

He looked down at me. “I appreciate that. You find ’em. You find the one that took my Mary. She was the only woman I ever loved. And our children. Godsend. No matter what that man told her at the crossroads.”

“What man?” I asked, my blood running cold. Of course, I knew what man he was referring to, but I didn’t dare say it out loud.

He flapped his hand in the air again.

I looked at Gautier and dipped my head toward my bag. I didn’t want to upset him further, but I needed to confirm what I already suspected. Mary had met Papa Sin at the crossroads.

Gautier pulled out the book Odette gave us, still in an evidence bag, and came over and gave it to me. I pulled it out and Mr. Taylor gasped.

“Get that evil book out of my house!” He tried to get to his feet and ended up falling back in the chair. I straightened and, after thrusting the book at Gautier, helped Mr. Elijah right himself.

“What’s wrong, Daddy?” Cherie asked, rushing over. “What evil?” She looked at the book. “I don’t understand what’s going on, but it’s upsetting my daddy.”

“I’m sorry about that, ma’am. But your sister Natalie sent this book to Odette along with a letter claiming she was going to…” I looked down at Mr. Taylor. His eyes were wild.

“She swore she’d gotten rid of that book. She swore.” He let out a sob. “That man told her she’d birth evil. That twins were broken.” He caved in on himself, chest heaving as he cried.

“I better take him to his room,” Cherie said, her face filled with concern.

Gautier got up and helped her take him in the back. I stood there berating myself for upsetting him. I shouldn’t have asked about the book. But I had to get answers, right?

Author Bio:

Carla Vonzale Lewis likes her martini’s shaken…never stirred. Though she was born in Georgia, please don’t mistake her for a Georgia peach. She’s more like a prickly pear. Speaking of being born, someone asked her recently if she remembered her birth, and all she had to say was, “Yes, I do remember that handsy doctor pulling me out into the cold. Right Bastard!!!”

Despite being born in the South, she grew up in the North. California to be exact. And every once in a great while, she gets to experience all four seasons. But mostly, it’s just heat.

Her debut novel, LINEAGE, was released July 16, 2019 and she fully intends to ride that joy for the rest of her life.

When she’s not concocting her next contemporary fantasy story, she enjoys reading, binge watching shows on Netflix, and trying to convince her husband that getting a dog is a wonderful idea.

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bookbub / Pinterest


GIVEAWAY!

Descendants of the Big House Blitz

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Review – The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens #netgalley #thehitchhikers @ChevyStevens

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The Hitchhikers Chevy Stevens

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens sounded like Tom and Alice bit off more than they could chew. I felt like very bad things were headed their way, I wasn’t sure what twisty turns they would have to travel and whether or not they would come out of the experience whole.

Alice and Tom have hit a rough patch in their marriage and Alice has a lot of baggage she struggles to get past, as she tries to navigate her way back to Tom. She felt Tom was making a mistake when he offered Ocean and Blue a ride to the next town. She should have paid attention to her instincts. I felt a sense of anticipation, an eerie feeling that there was a shit load of bad that was going to come down on them.

Up in the front, Alice spun the radio dial. Jenny’s thoughts flipped into new fears. She hadn’t thought about the radio. Would they be on the news?

Wondering who Jenny is? Think about it. Who names their children Ocean and Blue? It had me wondering what they did. What are they running from?

Tom…well, he spends most of the trip in serious straits. As they move from town to town, things only become worse, more frightening for Alice. How many bodies will drop? How can anything end well for Ocean and Blue? I felt empathy for Blue, but…

The ending, I thought something like that would come about, but I wasn’t sure how we would get there. I loved it. And when the facts for their life on the run are fully explained, well, I didn’t see that coming. I was surprised, but it also made perfect sense. A cornered animal will be forced to defend itself.

I want to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

On the remote Canadian highways in 1976, Tom and Alice set out to heal their fractured marriage.
An RV, a new beginning, and the hope of recovery after a devastating tragedy.
Then they meet two young hitchhikers,
Ocean and Blue—a seemingly innocent couple who aren’t who they seem. . . .
They are Jenny and Simon.
And they have left a trail of blood, destruction, and madness behind them.
Now Tom and Alice are trapped—prisoners in a deadly game, with nowhere to turn.
But as the tension builds and the lines blur,
the question becomes, In whose heart does evil truly lie?

A chilling, twist-laden ride to the final page—THE HITCHHIKERS is a master class in suspense and shock.

  • Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
  • Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication October 7, 2025 by St Martin’s Press

ABOUT CHEVY STEVENS

CHEVY STEVENS lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and daughter. When she’s not working on her next book, she’s spending time with her family and their two dogs. Chevy’s debut novel, STILL MISSING, was a New York Times bestseller and won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel. Her books, including THOSE GIRLS which Stephen King called “incredibly scary” have been published in more than thirty countries. Her seventh novel, DARK ROADS, is now available. Please visit her at www.ChevyStevens.com.

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Giveaway & Preorder of She’s Going To Pay by Alexandra Ivy @AlexandraIvy #shesgoingtopay

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She’s Going To Pay by Alexandra Ivy is up for preorder, with a publishing date of 10.28.25.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I won a copy of She’s Going To Pay by Alexandra Ivy from a Goodreads Giveaway and I wasted no time cracking open the book and diving right in. I’m glad I did. I was immediately drawn into this twisty, unpredictable mystery. We have lots of danger and a sprinkle of romance.

The characters, well, some were easy to get to know and others were a total shock to me. We have lies, secrets, betrayals. And…just when you think you know someone….SURPRISE! Think again.

I love an author who can surprise me, and Alexandra Ivy did that with a book that keeps on giving until the very end. At times, I thought….this is the end. But, wait. There’s more. At times, I thought I knew what was coming next, but Alexandra Ivy doesn’t make it that easy. I do love a book that keeps on giving and I was left with a smile on my face when all was said and done.

I can’t believe that She’s Going To Pay by Alexandra Ivy is my first book of hers. but it won’t be my last. She is a prolific author and while I was checking her out further, I see that has many scrumptious books that are my target reading.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

In a tense, twisting novel of domestic suspense from New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Ivy, a woman returns to her sleepy Missouri hometown and discovers her family’s grisly secrets . . .

Leaving Canton, Missouri, behind was no hardship for Jesse Hudson. When she was a teenager, her stepmother and stepsister abruptly disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Their bodies were never found, but Jesse’s father, Mac, became a murder suspect. When he too vanished, Jesse waited months for him to return. Finally, she left, bouncing from one bartending job to another for years.

Now Jesse is back, hoping to quickly sell her father’s old bar before moving on for good. But coming home to Canton’s quiet, cobblestone streets doesn’t go quite as expected. There are memories resurfacing, and ties that haven’t broken. Then her father’s lawyer makes a startling admission: before he disappeared, Mac had discovered that Jesse’s stepmother, Victoria, was living under an assumed name. “Victoria Hudson” never even existed. Who was she really?

Delving deeper, Jesse grows convinced that her father’s assumed death is tied to Victoria’s real identity. And looking to the past is yielding more than secrets. Someone has been waiting for this homecoming, for a chance to unleash revenge for sins real and imagined. And they’ll make sure that Jesse never leaves town again . . .

  • Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
  • 304 pages, Paperback
  • Expected publication October 28, 2025 by Kensington

ABOUT ALEXANDRA IVY

I’m not exactly sure when I fell in love with books. Probably on my mother’s knee listening to her read Dr. Seuss to me. I do remember that I was barely old enough to cross the street by myself when I discovered the delights of the local library. Could anything be more wonderful than spending summer days surrounded by stacks of Nancy Drew mysteries? Over the years I fell in love with Victoria Holt, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and J.R.R. Tolkien just to name a few. I read poetry, essays, biographies, and plays. In fact, I read anything I could get my hands on.

Years later (no, I’m not admitting how many) I’m still an avid reader, and my tastes are still as varied as they were in my youth, which I suppose helps to explain why I enjoy writing regency historicals under the name of Deborah Raleigh, as well as my contemporary paranormals as Alexandra Ivy. For now that is enough to keep me busy, but who knows what the future might hold!

I do have a few other loves in my life besides reading and writing, the most important being my unbelievably patient husband, David, and my two sons, Chance and Alexander. Without their constant support and belief in me, I never could have been able to follow my dreams. They are truly my heroes.

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Review – Muscat And Motorcycles by Sandra Woffington #sandrawoffington #muscatandmotorcycles

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Grizzly blew up, literally; Rogue’s world blew up, figuratively, and Hellfire went to prison.

Now she’s out and whoever wanted Grizzly dead finishes the job, knowing she will be the prime suspect. She is determined to prove it wasn’t her that blew up Grizzly the first time and it sure the hell wasn’t her that finished the job.

Hellfire’s family wants nothing to do with her, so we can put them on the list, along with some of the guys from the Alchemists motorcycle club. There are plenty of suspects and I bounced from one to the other.

We have plenty of action from the opening pages, and it doesn’t let up until the story is told. Sandra Woffington did a great job of keeping the mystery alive. Every time I thought I could eliminate one of the suspects, she makes me second guess myself. I do love a mystery that has plenty of villains. Many times they are more interesting to me than the good guy.

My thanks go out to Sandra Woffington for the opportunity to read and review Muscat And Motorcycles: Wine Valley Mystery 14.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Motorcycles. Mayhem. Murder.

This heart-stopping mystery begins at the California Institute for Women, where Hellfire, mid-twenties, strolls out of prison. She slides onto the back seat of a Harley Davidson, wraps her arms around Rogue’s chest, and they head home to Wine Valley.

Hellfire is bent on clearing her name. She starts with Grizzly, the former president of the Alchemists motorcycle club—the man she supposedly maimed by setting off an explosion. But whoever wanted Grizzly dead, now wants Hellfire dead, too, and history repeats itself.

Detective Max King and Dr. Joy Burton arrive at what’s left of Grizzly’s house to find Rogue hovering over Hellfire’s inert body. It appears that Hellfire has done it again—and Rogue is her accomplice.

Can Max and Joy find the explosive truth and send the guilty party to prison? Or did Hellfire successfully enact revenge?

Sandra Woffington is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author. Step into the wicked world of Wine Valley. Read Muscat and Motorcycles today.

  • Genre: Fiction, Mystery
  • 170 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication September 27, 2025 by Red Summit Publishers
  • Series: Wine Valley Mystery Series: #14

ABOUT SANDRA WOFFINGTON

Hi, readers! I love to create stories with pithy dialogue, gritty action, mind-blowing plots and unique characters: flawed, passionate, and sometimes disturbed.

I’m a USA Today and Amazon #1 Bestselling author. I completed the Humanities Honors Program at U.C. Irvine and earned my MFA in Creative Writing and MA in English from Chapman University. I’ve spent 15+ years teaching multiple subjects to middle school students. I love to teach as much as I love to write. My students inspire me!

Wine Valley Mystery series is for adults—Noir Crime/Traditional Detective. The boxed set hit #1 Best Seller on Amazon upon release. The prequels of light and cheery Detective Max King, dark and disturbed Dr. Joy Burton, and tough-guy, Officer Reed Steele are FREE.

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/91qn64o3vc

My debut novel, Unveiling, a stand-alone, takes place in the colorful deserts of Saudi Arabia as well as America. It won Honorable Mention from the Writer’s Digest SP book awards. Evil Speaks, first book in the Warriors and Watchers Saga Series, a middle grade fantasy, was Finalist (4th place) in the Reader’s Favorite 5-star awards (that’s out of all of the 5-star books in that category for the year).

I love to hear from readers! Please email me at sandra@sandrawoffington.com or visit my website at SandraWoffington.com. Join my FB Reading group Woffington’s Reading Warriors: Mystery, Murder, Magic & More for updates and freebies. Or follow me on Amazon. Thanks for spending time with me!

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    The Spotlight Is On Open To Death by Sophie Mattis @xpressotours

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    Open to Death
    Sophie Mattis
    (A DI Rena Hunt Mystery, #1)
    Publication date: September 16th 2025
    Genres: Adult, Mystery, Romance

    In the picturesque town of Rucklesby, peace is shattered when a young woman is found brutally murdered in her home. Detective Inspector Serena “Rena” Hunt is called to the scene, still haunted by her last case and questioning her instincts.

    The victim, Sicily Avery—a wife and mother—has been stabbed through the heart with chilling precision. When another woman is killed in the same way, Rena realises a calculated murderer is on the loose, leaving cryptic notes on the victims as part of a twisted agenda.

    With the body count rising, Rena and her team race to stop the killer before they strike again. Tensions mount with the arrival of new forensic pathologist Dr. Lucas Mann—bringing both friction and unexpected chemistry—as they work together to outwit a murderer who always seems one step ahead.

    Open to Death intricately combines themes of murder, betrayal, and the unyielding quest for justice, all while subtly developing a slow-burn romance.

    Add to Goodreads / Pre-order


    Author Bio:

    Sophie Mattis is a British mystery author known for her suspenseful, character-driven stories that keep readers turning pages. Born and raised in the UK, she writes contemporary mysteries featuring complex investigators, layered intrigue, touches of romance, and flashes of humour. When she’s not plotting her next twist, Sophie enjoys travelling, cycling, and curling up with a good crime drama.

    Follow her on her socials at: @sophiemattisbooks

    Website / Goodreads / TikTok / Facebook / Instagram


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    Review – Three Girls Gone by Carolyn Arnold #ThreeGirlsGone #NetGalley @Carolyn_Arnold

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    Amazon / Goodreads

    MY REVIEW

    I am always happy to be back with Detective Amanda Steele of the Prince William County Police Department and eagerly crack open Three Girls Gone by Carolyn Arnold. We are in the small town of Dumfries, Virginia.

    I love Prologues. I love the tease. I love the hook that gets set from the opening pages.

    They ended up where they were supposed to be, just like destiny had intended.

    Unfortunately, that is not a good thing, seeing the killer is doing the placing of the young girls’ bodies. The murder struck close to home for Amanda. She has an adopted nine year old daughter that she loves to pieces. She has the whole work/life conflict, but Zoe understands how important Amanda’s job is, even though she feels disappointed at times. Amanda could relate to the loss of a child, because she had lost her husband and six year old daughter to a car accident.

    There was a child, Julie Gilbert, twelve years back, and a colleague of Amanda’s, Katherine Graves, was back and determined to find out who killed the child. Secrets will be revealed

    I always wonder when Carolyn Arnold will let Amanda have her happy every after. Her and her partner Trent have a push pull relationship. They already have a great working relationship and I think a personal relationship would work for them as well.

    The detailed descriptions of Zoe’s actions are so sweet and easy to visualize, putting a smile on my face.

    Carolyn Arnold never lets me down. She manages to write stories that grab me and never let me go. I race through the pages, having to know what’s coming next, who is doing what to who and how is Amanda going to catch the bad guy. The mystery is not easily solved and I like an author who can keep me guessing.

    My thanks go out to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Three Girls Gone by Carolyn Arnold.

    Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
    4 Stars

    GOODREADS BLURB

    The girl in the ballerina dress lies still on the carousel with her face toward the blue sky. In her tutu and slippers, she’s ready for her next performance. But as the morning sun shines down upon her, she no longer feels its warmth on her cheeks. Her bright light is gone forever.

    When the body of Hailey Tanner is found in a local park, Detective Amanda Steele races to the scene. Interviewing her devastated parents, they confirm that Hailey never made it home from her dance class. Searching for clues in the family home, Amanda discovers that some ballet clothing was taken from Hailey’s room. Could the killer have been close to her?

    As Amanda and Trent question potential suspects, they’re painfully reminded of a similar case. Julie Gilbert, another gifted performer, was murdered in exactly the same way twelve years ago. Amanda’s former colleague, Katherine Graves, never gave up hope of bringing the killer to justice and now with a clear link between the two victims, she steps back into the investigation.

    But she’s soon warned off when a threatening note is found in the hem of Hailey’s dress. “This girl’s your fault. Stop looking or there will be more.”

    With boxes of evidence files and potential leads, Amanda knows that Katherine must have been getting close, but when a third girl is taken soon after, the clock starts ticking again. There’s no way Amanda will let another child suffer at the hands of this twisted killer. But how much will the team be prepared to sacrifice, and can they save this girl before it’s too late?

    • Genre: Fiction, Mystery
    • 356 pages, Kindle Edition
    • Expected publication August 27, 2025 by Bookouture
    • Series: Detective Amanda Steele #14

    ABOUT CAROLYN ARNOLD

    CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has many published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from police procedurals, hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures. Her crime fiction series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining. This led to her adopting the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

    Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

    She currently lives near London, Ontario, Canada with her husband and two beagles.

    MY REVIEWS FOR CAROLYN ARNOLD

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    Review – The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan #thewitchsorchard #NetGalley #archersullivan

    Posted on by

    Amazon / Goodreads

    MY REVIEW

    It looks like The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan is a debut novel, and I must say, it was a great start to Archer Sullivan’s writing career. I was quickly drawn in by Annie Gore, a Former Air Force Special Investigator turned private investigator. Three little girls had gone missing ten years ago. One was returned, but the brother of one of the girls that was never found wants to hire her to discover what happened.

    Annie knows about small mountain villages and knows her poking around will make a lot of people uncomfortable. That doesn’t stop her from seeking out the answers to her questions. I love watching an outsider come in and stir up a hornets nest in a place where everyone knows everyone else, but do they? Do we ever really know what someone is thinking or doing?

    “Does chaos just happen to follow you around or do you invite it along for rides in that ugly clunker of yours?”

    Through the horror and sorrow that Annie investigates, we have some light hearted moments. I love stories that take place in small towns and I love watching the secrets being exposed. The novel moves along at a steady clip. I would categorize The Witch’s Orchard more a mystery than a suspense or a thriller. It lacks those intense nail biting moments that move at a rapid pace, but do deliver on the steady work of Annie as she uncovers what others wish would remain buried.

    I would like to thank Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan.

    Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
    4 Stars

    GOODREADS BLURB

    A ninth generation Appalachian herself, Archer Sullivan brings the mountains of North Carolina to life in The Witch’s Orchard, a wonderfully atmospheric novel that introduces private investigator Annie Gore.

    Former Air Force Special Investigator Annie Gore joined the military right after high school to escape the fraught homelife of her childhood. Now, she’s getting by as a private investigator and her latest case takes her to an Appalachian holler not unlike the one where she grew up.

    Ten years ago, three little girls went missing from their tiny mountain town. While one was returned, the others were never seen again. After all this time without answers, the brother of one of the girls wants to hire an outsider, and he wants Annie. While she may not be from his town, she gets mountain towns. Mountain people. Driving back into the hills for a case this old—it might be a fool’s errand. But Annie needs to put money in the bank and she can’t turn down a case. Not even one that dredges up her own painful past.

    In the shadow of the Blue Ridge, Annie begins to track the truth, navigating a decade’s worth of secrets, folklore of witches and crows, and a whole town that prefers to forget. But while the case may have been buried, echoes of the past linger. And Annie’s arrival stirs someone into action.

    • Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, Witches
    • 304 pages, Kindle Edition
    • Expected publication August 12, 2025 by Minotaur Books
    • Setting: Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina, United States

    ABOUT ARCHER SULLIVAN (from Amazon)

    ARCHER SULLIVAN is a ninth generation Appalachian. She’s moved thirty-seven times and has lived everywhere from Monticello, Kentucky to Manhattan, New York and from Black Mountain, North Carolina to Beverly Hills, California. Her work has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Tough, Shotgun Honey, Reckon Review, Rock and a Hard Place, and The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2024.

    • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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    • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
    • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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    • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!