Edith/Maddie here, admiring how much light has returned to the sky despite the still cold temperatures of a New England winter (even with climate change, it’s chilly out there). Read down for a giveaway!
I’m excited to present the next two covers in the Country Store Mysteries. I realized the cover of Nacho Average Murder, book seven, has already slid out into the public eye, but I never gave it a coming-out party, so, voila!
Isn’t that fabulous? While looking forward to her high school reunion back in California, Robbie’s anticipation is complicated by memories of her mother’s untimely death. At first, she has fun hanging out with her old classmates and reuniting with the local flavors—avocados, citrus, fish, and spicy Cali-Mex dishes. But then she gets wind of rumors that her mother, an environmental activist, may not have died of natural causes. With the help of friends, Robbie starts clearing the smoke surrounding the mystery—but what she finds could make it hard to get back to Indiana alive . . .
I had a delicious time doing the research (yes, IN Santa Barbara a year ago) and testing the recipes. If you were to preorder it, I would be delighted! It releases at the end of June.
And now, so the next cover doesn’t also slide out without fanfare, may I present #8 in the series, Candy Slain Murder?
Robbie’s back in South Lick and pretty amazed there hasn’t been a murder in town in nearly a year. But...a man raises eyebrows at Pans ‘N Pancakes when he claiming to be the long-lost half-brother of Robbie’s assistant. Then a fire destroys the home of a controversial anesthesiologist, exposing skeletal remains in his attic. Helplessly intrigued, all Robbie wants for Christmas is to stop her winter wonderland from becoming a real nightmare. With a decades-old mystery taking shape, plus a new murder in the present, can she run as fast as she can in pursuit of a killer who’s harder to crack than a stale gingerbread man?
This one is up for preorder, too, of course, and will be out September 29. And, as our friend Hank Phillippi Ryan likes to say (with an only half-joking tone), “It’s only my career.”
I’d love to send a commenter any one of books two through six (sorry, I’m out of the first one). And since I just got in a box of ARCs, I’ll send one of those to another FOW (Friend of the Wickeds). Let me know if you’ve already read all the Country Store Mysteries.
Readers: What’s your favorite season for a book to be set in? What places off the beaten track have you learned about from a mystery?