Friday, March 06, 2015

Murder Ties the Knot by Christy Fifield, New on the Mystery Bookshelf during March 2015

New on the Mystery Bookshelf during March 2015 …

Murder Ties the Knot by Christy Fifield

Murder Ties the Knot by Christy Fifield, A Glory Martine, Haunted Souvenir Shop Mystery (4th in series)

Publisher: Berkley

Murder Ties the Knot by Christy Fifield, Amazon Kindle format

It's winter in Keyhole Bay, Florida, and while the tourist trade is slow, souvenir shop owner Glory Martine is busy with her best friend's wedding. But between managing preparations, the bride's in-laws, and a haunted parrot named Bluebeard, Glory makes plans to catch a killer …

As her friends Karen and Riley approach their wedding day, Glory could use a break from the nuptial madness. She takes a peaceful drive to Alabama's piney woods to pick up the wedding quilt she ordered from a supplier. But the supplier, Beth, has disappeared along with the quilt and her husband, Everett.

Glory learns that two men were found murdered near Beth and Everett's home and that the couple is wanted for questioning. Believing they are innocent, Glory convinces them to cooperate with authorities. But when they're thrown in jail, Glory vows to catch the real killer before one happy couple walks down the aisle and another gets sent up the river.

Murder Ties the Knot by Christy Fifield

To see more new paperback titles scheduled to be published this month, visit The Mystery Bookshelf for March 2015. For new hardcover mysteries, visit New Mysteries where for a list of March 2015 mysteries, novels of suspense, and thrillers is provided.

Bitter Legacy, A Matt Royal Mystery by H. Terrell Griffin, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy.

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Oceanview Publishing …

Bitter Legacy by H. Terrell Griffin

Bitter Legacy by H. Terrell Griffin

A Matt Royal Mystery (5th in series)

Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

Price: 99¢ (as of 03/06/2015 at 1:00 PM ET).

Bitter Legacy by H. Terrell Griffin, Amazon Kindle format

After a week away, Matt Royal's ready to get back to the Longboat Key good life good fishing, good food, good beer, and more good fishing. But Matt comes back to bad news: while he was away, a sniper tried to kill one of his best friends. Even worse, now that Matt's back, someone's trying to kill him. And whoever is trying to kill him is trying really hard.

With no clue who's after him or why, Matt soon finds he's at the center of a mystery involving a lawyer's murder, a tourist left for dead, a ruthless biker gang, a reclusive billionaire with nothing to lose, and an ancient document that could bring ruin to some of the most entrenched financial interests in Florida.

Between solving the mystery and staying alive, Matt's got his hands full. But he'd better watch out or his hard-charging ways could get him sideways with the newest member of Longboat Key's police force, the undeniably attractive Jennifer Duncan.For Matt, it's shaping up to be a really long week.

Bitter Legacy by H. Terrell Griffin

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Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Southern Peach Pie and a Dead Guy, A Poppy Peters Mystery by A. Gardner, New This Week from Gemma Halliday

Gemma Halliday Publishing is a boutique publisher of light-hearted mystery, romantic suspense and romantic comedy novels, perfect for popping into your beach bag for a weekend away or cozying up beside a warm fire for a quiet night in.

We've selected one of their recently published titles to feature here today …

Southern Peach Pie and a Dead Guy by A. Gardner

Southern Peach Pie and a Dead Guy by A. Gardner

A Poppy Peters Mystery (1st in series)

Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing

Price: 99¢ (as of 03/06/2015 at 12:30 PM ET).

Southern Peach Pie and a Dead Guy by A. Gardner, Amazon Kindle format

After an injury derails Poppy Peters' ballet career, she gathers the courage to follow in her grandmother's footsteps and attend Calle Pastry Academy in a small-town Georgia. Poppy has her work cut out for her not only fitting in with her charming (and not-so-charming ) Southern classmates but also proving her worth to her teachers after her first publicly humiliating attempt a making the school's famous peach pie.

But Poppy's pastry problems go from bad to worse when she's suddenly accused of stealing expensive black truffles, and her attempt to clear her name goes awry … resulting in her finding a dead body instead! If Poppy's going to survive this culinary experience, she'll need to find the missing truffles and track down a killer, all while honing her baking skills to compete in the school's dessert competition for a coveted pastry internship in Paris.

Can Poppy prove she's one tough cookie? Or is her life about to crumble?

Southern Peach Pie and a Dead Guy by A. Gardner

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Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

An Excerpt from Aftershock, a Donovan Nash Thriller by Philip Donlay

Omnimystery News: An Excerpt courtesy of Philip Donlay
Aftershock by Philip Donlay

We are delighted to welcome back author Philip Donlay to Omnimystery News.

Earlier this week we spoke with Philip about his new thriller Aftershock (Oceanview Publishing; March 2015 hardcover and ebook formats), the fifth to feature globe-trotting pilot Donovan Nash, and today we're pleased to introduce you to the book with an excerpt, the prologue.

— ♦ —

Aftershock by Philip Donlay

THE MIST SWIRLED IN THE TREETOPS and the steep trail rose into the opaque sky, then vanished altogether. Stephanie VanGelder felt both wary and excited. Towering above her, unseen in the fog were three volcanoes; one of them, named Atitlán, was showing signs of life after lying dormant for nearly one hundred sixty years. The sounds of the forest were muted and soft in the damp air. In the gray overcast Guatemalan morning, each unidentifiable noise made her hesitate and wonder, at least on some primal level, if the sound was coming from the volcano. She was thrilled to once again be heading to a photo shoot, and a little apprehensive that the assignment was an active volcano.
  Stephanie felt the burn in her lungs and her legs. She was breathing hard in the thin air and tried to convince herself that she wasn't out of shape, that it was only a combination of the steep path and the ever-present camera equipment she carried. They'd been climbing for nearly two hours. She continued to put one foot in front of the other as she trudged up the moisture-dampened trail, determined to keep pace with Rick Mathews, who was a dozen paces in front of her.
  Rick was a volcanologist with the United States Geological Survey. He was tall and muscular, with seemingly endless energy. His intelligent eyes dominated his angular face — and he seemed on the verge of a perpetual smile. His head was topped with a mass of curly black hair badly in need of a trim. In fact, he needed both a shave and a haircut. His attitude was casual and carefree, reminding her of an overgrown puppy. She joined up with this group because the USGS was keenly interested in the recent signs of life from Atitlán, one of the three peaks that made up the southern shore of the lake, and one of five active volcanoes in Guatemala. The job this morning was to hike up the mountain and place a seismometer in a predetermined spot to better follow the volcano. Stephanie registered satisfaction at the sight of sweat beginning to soak the collar of Rick's shirt. He was in his mid-thirties, a good ten years younger than she.
  Behind her was Oliver Pelletier, an aspiring volcanologist who had eagerly volunteered to accompany Rick on this journey. In his mid-twenties, Oliver was short and very fair-skinned. His rounded face was smooth and his cheeks flushed easily. From what little Stephanie had gathered, he'd recently joined the USGS as an intern. Stephanie didn't know much beyond the fact that he was from Canada, and that he was working on his PhD in geophysics. Oliver seemed quiet and reserved, but he whistled softly as they climbed — she wondered if it was because he was musically inclined, or just nervous.
  A young armed guard brought up the rear of their small group. Quiet, with a quick smile, he dressed in civilian clothes and toted a rifle, but, as they climbed higher into the foothills and left the town of Santiago Atitlán behind, she decided she didn't mind the idea of protection. The State Department reports of the general lawlessness in the country had been disturbing. This part of Guatemala was fairly remote and the USGS staff in Guatemala City had assured her that their small group would be safe.
  "We're almost there," Rick called over his shoulder. He held up the small GPS unit in his hand to confirm. "It's just beyond the next rise."
  Stephanie felt a little deflated — she hoped they would climb above the cloud layer or that the cloud deck would show some signs of burning off. She wanted a mix of sunshine and clouds to shoot. Rick warned her it was the rainy season, and that the sun was somewhat elusive this time of year. Still, even with the subdued light, observing these two scientists installing a seismic monitor in the rugged terrain would go a long way in her photo essay documenting the efforts of volcano researchers.
  Atitlán had been considered dormant until a week ago. There had been a series of earthquake swarms detected by the USGS lab in Guatemala City, followed by a cloud of steam and ash released from a vent at the summit of the mountain. The nearest seismic arrays were focused on Mt. Fuego and Mt. Pacaya, the active volcanoes located just outside Guatemala City. In a race to get a more accurate pulse of the mountain, to try to discover what may or may not be happening deep underground, Rick and Oliver were "wiring the mountain," as they called it, and Stephanie had been granted the opportunity to photograph the process.
  Stephanie had been a professional photographer for twenty-five of her forty-eight years, and she frowned as she studied the light coming through the swirling mist at the tops of the trees. As happened so often in her line of work, the site and Mother Nature would dictate how she approached the subjects.
  "This is the place!" Rick stopped and spread his arms as if he were giving the clearing his own personal blessing. "Perfect."
  Stephanie joined Rick at the edge of what amounted to a small cornfield carved out of the surrounding vegetation. She turned and looked north, towards the lake. Through the trees she could just make out the water far below, and she felt a slight twinge of vertigo as she saw how far they'd climbed. Above her she caught sight of a sliver of blue sky through the drifting clouds. They might have sunshine yet.
  "Oliver," Rick said, as the two scientists stood together on the narrow path and surveyed the immediate terrain, "I think if we set up the equipment over there, at the edge of this field next to those trees, it'll be fairly unobtrusive."
  "I agree," Oliver replied.
  "Which way is it — the volcano?" Stephanie asked.
  Rick pulled himself up to his full six-foot-three height, spun his baseball cap smartly until the bill was pointed backwards, and pivoted on one heel to his left. He put out his arm and raised his thumb as if making a precision measurement. "Up above us we have the tallest of the three volcanoes, Atitlán, the object of our immediate concern. It rises to nearly eleven-thousand six-hundred feet above sea level. Slightly to the north we have Tolimán, its cone is a shade over ten-thousand three-hundred feet in height, and behind us, across the bay from Santiago, is San Pedro, another ten-thousand foot volcano. These three volcanoes form the southern edge of Lake Atitlán, which is actually a huge volcanic crater that filled up with water. The noted author Aldous Huxley once called this place the most beautiful on earth."
  "I might agree with him — this is amazing." Stephanie shrugged herself free of her backpack and lowered it gently to the ground. "You do what you need to do, and I'll maneuver around and see where I can get the best shot."
  "No problem," Rick replied. "We'll be over here where it's fairly level, just before the path starts back up the mountain."
  Stephanie guessed that the clearing was a little less than an acre. It gave her enough room to maneuver and capture a variety of angles. While Rick and Oliver began to shed their gear, she slung two cameras over her shoulder and moved up the incline to shoot down the hill towards the lake. The air was perfectly still, and as she moved away from the two scientists and their conversation, she could hear the sounds of birds high in the trees. It took her several minutes to find exactly where she wanted to start, carefully eyeing the light and her subjects. Satisfied, she checked her beloved Nikon digital camera, removed the lens cover, and began to frame her shot. Slightly below her, Rick was leaning over, hands on his knees as he discussed something with Oliver. Beyond, small shafts of light were penetrating the clouds, creating small irregular shapes of sunlight on the distant water. It was a beautiful sight.
  Stephanie began shooting; first she zoomed in on the men, and then adjusted the lens to take in more of the surrounding area. Without taking her eye from the camera, she moved more to her right, then forward, seeing the results through the lens and firing off several exposures. Stephanie focused in for a tight shot of Rick, who was holding up a GPS receiver, a serious expression on his boyish face. She was still adjusting her framing when she saw him jerk his head downhill towards the path, a look of confusion in his eyes. Out of habit, she swung the camera to her left in one fluid motion and found a young girl running up the path. It took Stephanie a moment to understand the girl wasn't running for fun; her youthful features radiated stark fear — she looked like she was fleeing for her life. Stephanie zoomed in on her face, could see the terror in her large brown eyes. The girl was barefoot, wearing a bright red dress and loose-fitting white top. Her long brown hair flew back from her dirty face. Stephanie guessed she was no more than ten years old. Instinctively, her actions honed by years of covering war-torn locations around the world, Stephanie fired off a string of exposures.
  Through her lens, Stephanie watched as the girl flung herself at Rick, who had moved to intercept her. She heard shouts, but the voices came outside her framed shot and she was forced to swing her camera back along the trail where the girl had appeared. She found three men charging up the path; they wore civilian clothes and makeshift masks. Each of the men moved quickly, rifles at the ready. Stephanie squeezed off three more shots, then swung back smoothly to Rick and the girl as the shouts grew louder.
  As if she were completely separate from events, but only thirty yards away, Stephanie crouched to make herself smaller and continued to shoot. She focused on their security guard who had now raised his weapon. He was yelling in Spanish when a bright plume of red erupted from his chest. Stephanie caught the image as the single shot echoed through the clearing. In her viewfinder, Rick was pushing the girl behind him as the gunmen moved closer. Two more gunshots reached her ears, and she saw Rick's knees buckle, two crimson stains spread out from the center of his USGS sweatshirt. The force of the bullets staggered him backwards and he fell to the ground.
  Oliver moved sideways, reaching for the girl, when a small round hole appeared on his forehead followed by a plume of red mist from the back of his head. Wordlessly, he crumpled to the ground, landing face first in the dirt. Fighting her horror, Stephanie tried to make herself invisible behind the vegetation. Afraid to move, she watched as one of the gunmen grabbed the young girl around the waist and held her there as she flailed helplessly in midair.
  Stephanie knew she hadn't been seen. Carefully, she began to inch backwards towards the trees. If she could make it to the heavier foliage, she could disappear into the forest. If she panicked, she knew she'd be killed along with the others. She tried to visualize how far she would have to circle around to make her way back down the mountain for help. She stayed low, backpedaling in the soft dirt towards the trees. She never took her eyes off the armed men as she inched her way toward safety. Stephanie hesitated as she sensed something behind her, more of a feeling than a sound, then she felt cold steel pressing into the tender skin just behind her left ear. She wanted to scream, but no sound came from her throat — it was as if in her final moments she'd been robbed of the ability to speak. She silently pleaded with the gods to let her live — but all she heard was the dry metallic click of a gun being cocked.

— ♦ —

Philip Donlay
Photo provided courtesy of
Philip Donlay

Philip Donlay learned to fly at age seventeen and was first published at eighteen. In the aviation world, success came quickly and he's been flying jets since he was twenty years old. Whether flying a Saudi sheik, nighttime freight, or executives of a Fortune 500 company, Donlay has logged over six million miles while spanning the globe. He is an avid fly fisherman and divides his time between Montana and the Pacific Northwest.

For more information about the author, please visit his website at PhilipDonlay.com and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.

— ♦ —

Aftershock by Philip Donlay

Aftershock
Philip Donlay
A Donovan Nash Thriller

The flames of Donovan Nash's worst nightmare are fanned to life when Stephanie VanGelder, one of those closest to him, is kidnapped in the volcanic powder keg of a lawless Guatemala. With help from his inner circle that includes his estranged wife, Dr. Lauren McKenna, Donovan races headlong into the world of corruption and deception. Battling the kidnappers, as well as the deadly gas and lava from the impending eruption of a volcano, Donovan only has one chance to save Stephanie.

Amid earthquakes, volcanic ash, and lava from the eruption, the rescue goes horribly wrong, and Donovan is forced to find a way for everyone, including a mysterious woman who holds the secrets to his past, to escape one of the most powerful forces on earth. In the face of impending death, Donovan must garner the courage to endure a shocking revelation he's sought for decades — a truth that will change him forever.

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Please Welcome Mystery Author Daithi Kavanagh

Omnimystery News: Guest Post by Daithi Kavanagh
with Daithi Kavanagh

We are delighted to welcome author Daithi Kavanagh to Omnimystery News.

Daithi's new first in series mystery is The Gun (Tirgearr Publishing; September 2014 ebook formats) introducing Garda Detective Tadgh Sullivan, who leads a special unit that investigates politically motivated crimes.

We asked Daithi to tell us more about how the book came to be written, which is the subject of his guest post for us today.

— ♦ —

Daithi Kavanagh
Photo provided courtesy of
Daithi Kavanagh

I started writing in 2012. I went back to adult education having found myself unemployed due to the recession in Ireland. I hadn't completed my Leaving Certificate (U.S. High School Diploma) having left school at fifteen, so I saw this as an opportunity for me to complete my education. I passed the Leaving Certificate in September 2014 (a great achievement for me). During my time at school I had a great interest in English and my English teacher Jim Maguire encouraged me to write. I wrote a few pieces and from these got the idea to write a book. I had been feeling frustrated with what was going on in Ireland in relation to the collapse of the economy and how this had left many ordinary people in a precarious situation through no fault of their own. From this I started writing The Gun. In the beginning I used to give what I had written to Jim to check and then after a while just went with it myself.

I did most of my writing of The Gun in bed! I find that it is an escape from the hustle and bustle of family life and for some reason my thoughts seem to flow there. In the summer I have a little place in my garden that I can sit in and I find that my writing flows there too. I would hand write it the book and when I had written a certain amount my wife Caroline would type it and we would keep it up to date every day. We then proof read it about four times and Caroline sent it to every publisher she could find. Eventually Tirgearr Publishing contacted me and I signed a contract with them which is a dream come true for me. The Gun was published on 30th September 2014 and is the first in a series called The Tadhg Sullivan Series. I have just completed and submitted my second book in the series called The Brotherhood where Tadhg is in pursuit of an evil cult called The Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is due for release in May 2015. I have started on my third book in the series.

In the opening chapter The Deerstalker comes into possession (by chance) of a gun and as the gun played a central part in the story this is where I got the name from.

Tirgearr Publishing designed the cover which I am really pleased with and which I think captures the essence of the book very well.

I read a lot of Nordic Crime thrillers which built up my interest in that genre. In the era that I grew up in the Garda Siochana (Irish police force) dealt with a lot of political crime and that is where the character of Detective Tadhg Sullivan came from. His nemesis The Deerstalker was an ordinary Joe Soap who became embittered and twisted because of the situation he found himself in with his children emigrating and the dire financial situation he found himself in. I also go into the past of the characters and tried to flesh them both out to give the reader an understanding of why the characters are the way they are and hope this comes across in my book.

I set The Gun mainly in my home town of Wexford. I was born in Wales but my family moved to Wexford Ireland when I was seven. I have grown to love this town with its beautiful narrow streets, quay front and numerous beaches. But mainly it is the people who make a town and I love the Wexford sense of humour and have gotten to know a lot of Wexford characters over the years. It gave me great pleasure to have my book set in my home town.

Overall writing The Gun has been a great experience for me and a huge learning curve and to have my book published is a huge honour. When I started my second book The Brotherhood I felt I had learned a lot from writing The Gun and my confidence as a writer has grown. I would say to anyone who wants to write a book to keep going no matter what and to believe in yourself. Never give up, It is never too late to start.

— ♦ —

Daithi Kavanagh lives with his wife and two teenage children in Trinity, Wexford. Up to 2012 when the recession hit Ireland, he was making a living as a musician. He then went back to adult education and completed his Leaving Certificate in 2014. He is now studying for a degree in Culture and Heritage Studies at Wexford Campus. He plays guitar and sings in many of the pubs in his hometown of Wexford, where he is often joined by his two children Ella and Rory, who play fiddle and flute. In his spare time he likes to walk his two dogs with his wife Caroline.

For more information about the author, please find him on Facebook and Twitter.

— ♦ —

The Gun by Daithi Kavanagh

The Gun
Daithi Kavanagh
A Tadhg Sullivan Mystery

Debt was hard … Death was easy …

Garda Detective Tadhg Sullivan leads a special unit that investigates politically motivated crime. A man known only as The Deerstalker is a cancer who has infected the Irish political system.

Sullivan teams up with journalist Helen Carty, and together they try tracking down the mysterious killer. Carty adds to Sullivan's problems, when he finds himself falling in love with her. And further complicating things, he starts losing trust in his partner, Detective Pat Carter, who appears to be on the side of the Garda Commissioner, who Sullivan is rapidly falling out with.

Sullivan's case is further thrown into confusion when a copycat killer, Tommy Walsh, is shot dead by the CIA. When the CIA discovers that they've killed the wrong person, the two agents involved — Simon, who has become disillusioned by his time stationed in the Middle East, and Joey, a psychopath who confuses zealotry with patriotism — are also in pursuit of The Deerstalker.

Sullivan finds himself in a race against time, if he is to arrest The Deerstalker before the CIA take him out, and use his death as a pawn in a political game of chess.

Who will win out in the end?

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