Lori L. Robinett's Blog

I’m so excited to share with you a book from Marla A. White, a sister author from my publisher’s stable of writers. As soon as I saw the cover, I knew I had to read this book! (and don’t forget to read on for info about how to enter the giveaway Marla is hosting to celebrate the launch of the book!)I mean, look at this blurb and I think you’ll see what I mean:Reclaiming her life after a devastating riding accident, equestrian Emily Conners’ world shatters again when she discovers her friend and boss laying in a stall with a smashed skull. Now jobless and with a handsome cop underfoot investigating the case, she’s torn between wanting the killer found and keeping her own secrets safe.Detective Justin Butler always gets his killer, but this victim has a stampede of enemies and few leads to go on. Stonewalled by the tight-knit equestrian world, he looks to Emily for help, but she’s strangely reluctant. Is she hiding something, or is she afraid of their growing attraction?As the search for the murderer heats up, their hearts become entangled and their lives at risk, forcing Emily and Justin to work together to find the killer before they strike again.Are  you as intrigued as I am? Read on for a sneak peek:Sitting around the rickety picnic table and talking over old times, she almost forgot for a moment why the detective—Justin, she reminded herself—was there. He sat there, loose limbed and relaxed, interested in their conversation while most non-riders soon got glassy-eyed with boredom. But he wasn’t just chatting, was he? She had to remind herself he was listening for information to help him catch a killer.“What about you ladies?” he ventured. “Did any of you ever have any problems with Ms. Yates?”After another fit of laughter, Erin howled, “Like we’d ever ride with Pam. Despite what everyone around here may think, we’re not crazy. Well, not that crazy at least.”“Hunters are more our speed,” Samantha chimed in. Emily took in her very un-hunter-like, fringed pink half-chaps and raised her eyebrow. “Okay, we don’t fit in with that crowd either,” Samantha admitted. “Which is why we’re here with Ben.”“Since Pamela had Ben blacklisted, he’s stuck with us ladies who hack.” The three shared another round of titters.They may not have realized they’d supplied Ben with a motive to kill Pamela, but Emily did. “Hang on, rumors have blown that way out of proportion. Pamela wasn’t thrilled after Ben dissolved their partnership and took his clients to Middle Ranch, but—”“Hah! ‘Wasn’t thrilled’ is putting it mildly,” Sandy interrupted. “First chance she got, she had him brought up on abuse charges.”Samantha added her two cents. “They banned Ben from showing for three years, so naturally, his clients who were serious left him and found another trainer.”“Funny, no one told me this before now.” Justin’s voice lost its light tone, and the heat of his glare rolled over Emily’s skin.Want to know a little more about the author? 

Marla White is a story analysis instructor at UCLA and writing coach who lives in Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of Kentucky (go Wildcats!), where she took her first horseback riding lesson. After dabbling in hunters, barrel racing, and weekly trail rides, she fell hopelessly in love with the sport of eventing.  She conquered Novice level before taking a break to pursue novel writing but hopes to return to the saddle someday soon.  Her first novel, “The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder,” was published in 2021 followed by the first two books in her Keeper Chronicles series. When she’s not writing, she’s out in the garden, hiking, or putting together impossibly difficult puzzles.   

Find Marla here:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScriptFixer

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marlaw825/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarlaAWhiteAuthor/

What are you waiting for? Go grab your copy now!

Books2Read  https://books2read.com/u/b6zjM6

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3qk7XCP

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Enter to win a $25 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

I know, I know, it’s Tuesday. Yesterday was the 4th of July and I was off the day job. My parents came out for BBQ, then I re-did our outdoor sectional. I bought it six years ago (with part of the proceeds of my writing!), but the cushions were looking really sad. I picked up some outdoor fabric at JoAnn’s and wrapped the cushions, then secured them with safety pins. H/T to Pinterest for that tip – it makes it super easy to unpin the fabric and wash it when it gets dirty.

Anyway, on to murder!

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had no idea what to expect from this book. I saw the cover a couple of times before I decided to give it a read. It gave me an Agatha Christie feel. In reality, the plot didn’t remind me of Christie, but did feature a cast of characters that felt equally important to the story: Winifred (“Freddie”), Cain, Marigold, and Whitt. The four strangers are bound by a chance encounter at the Boston Public Library when a woman screams and a body is later found. What begins as a curiosity about the death leads the quartet to investigate turns into a twisty bunch of connections between the four and the dead woman.
And there’s a twist. The story is actually a manuscript by a famous author who has a beta reader intimately involved in her writing process. Though he begins as a trusted friend, his communications begin to hint at more.
The mystery is well written and well plotted. The characters are interesting. As a writer myself, I found the story within a story an added bonus. I enjoyed it.

View all my reviews
 

Monday Murders: The Dry by Jane Harper

I’m weird. I know that. I started this post yesterday but couldn’t quite bring myself to finish it because I couldn’t find a good image of the cover of the book I read. Alas, now every cover screams “Now a Motion Picture” as if that’s the greatest accolade available to a writer. Well, it’s not, in my humble opinion. People who read want to experience that movie in their heads. At least, I do. When I go to a movie, I want to have everything laid out in front of me for a couple of hours. When I read a book, I want to live in that world for hours, days.

This book is one of those that I enjoyed thoroughly, though I can’t say that I really want to live in the world the author created. The Dry is more than the title – it’s a character in the book. Everything about this town and the people in the story is controlled by that weather. Everything is dry, brown, dead. It’s as if the very Earth is ready to light a match and let the whole place go up in flames. The heat, the drought, tries to suck the life out of everyone.

Falk returns to his hometown after his childhood best friend appears to have murdered his wife and son, then killed himself. The town remembers him, and what he was suspected of. Falk carries a badge now, but that means very little out here in the middle of nowhere Australia. He finds an unlikely ally in a former (girl) friend and the local principal. Returning brings back a lot of memories, and the twin timelines, back then and now, seem intertwined. The way the story was told was enjoyable, with little bits of information being doled out like bread crumbs on a windy trail. The characters were well-written and layered, as was the plot itself.

The past several popular bestsellers have been disappointing (I’m so sick of unreliable narrators & books that are billed as mysteries that end up aiming to impress literary sorts), so I held off on reading this book. I shouldn’t have. The book didn’t disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend it if you like mysteries.

From Amazon:

Make way for the long paw of the law as police officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner Brigit investigate a baffling new mystery in Bending the Paw, by Diane Kelly.

A MURDER WITHOUT A BODY IS LIKE A DOG WITHOUT A BONE

A bloodbath is a shocking new challenge for Megan and Brigit when Detective Audrey Jackson calls them to the scene of what could only be a brutal murder. But the one thing the nightmarish scene is missing is a victim. The frantic homeowner’s husband is gone, seemingly without a trace—and so is the money he was holding. Has a vicious killer committed what might just be the perfect crime?

Meanwhile, it’s hailing cats and dogs all over Fort Worth, and roofing contractors have descended on the city in droves. With plenty of damage and continuing storms, work delays are building up like so much runoff, but Megan is suspicious that one roofer may be a scam artist. Determined to leash every lawbreaker she and her K-9 partner find, Megan is building a case for prosecution, all while Brigit has her nose to the ground for a murderer…

MY REVIEW:

I flew through this one and absolutely loved it! The mysteries were interesting and well-plotted, though I would’ve liked a couple more suspects to consider more strongly. The best part of the book is the relationship between Officer Megan Luz and her K9 partner Brigit. They work together well, and I love that some chapters are written from the dog’s point of view. It adds a whole new layer of interest to an already good story. The inclusion of Megan’s personal life is also a plus. It makes her seem more real.

BTW, this was the second book I’ve read about Megan and Brigit, but I read this book out of order. That was no problem at all – the story worked well as a standalone, but now I can’t wait to read the others.

If you enjoy mysteries, particularly ones that include dogs and tend toward light procedurals, I highly recommend this book.

Monday Murders: The Fog Ladies by Susan McCormick

The first in the series, introducing the residents of an older apartment building in San Francisco. Most of the residents are elderly, but a few younger folks, including a pilot and a medical intern also live there. The book starts off strong, with one of the older residents balancing atop a bar stool to clean bugs out of a light fixture . . . then someone knocks her down. Just before she goes down, she sees her attacker and comments that Sarah saw him/her. Sarah, the medical intern, is so caught up with her job she scarcely has time to sleep, much less assist the residents in their investigations. Frankly, though, the residents are relatively good at figuring it out themselves. The group of women call themselves the Fog Ladies, and when their numbers begin dwindling, they raise the alarm.

If you like cozy mysteries and have an affinity for San Francisco, you might enjoy this book.

 

EVERYONE WANTED HER DEAD, BUT WHO ACTUALLY KILLED HER?

I just finished a book that I picked up purely because I loved the cover – isn’t it the cutest?! Anyway – I thought I’d share some info in case you want to check it out yourself. Read on for a blurb, some info about the author, and my review.

“The last thing swimwear sales exec Holly Schlivnik expected was to discover ruthless buying office big wig Bunny Frank’s corpse trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey with a bikini stuffed down her throat. When Holly’s colleague is arrested for Bunny’s murder, the wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to find the real killer.  Nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she matches wits with a wily killer hellbent on revenge. Get ready to laugh out loud as Susie Black’s Death by Sample Size takes you on a rollicking adventure ride through the Los Angeles apparel industry.”

 

 

MY TAKE:

Frankly, I chose this book because I loved the cover. I mean, it is so colorful and bright. Was so glad to find the mystery inside was just as fun! Holly is a snarky amateur sleuth who can’t quite mind her own business. She has a friend who is a medical examiner, a group of yentas that gossip over coffee, and a cop who can’t keep her out of his business. The peek into the cut-throat world of swimsuit retailing was a fun extra to the book, and was the perfect setting for more suspects than you could shake a stick at. I loved Holly’s independence and smarts. Look forward to reading more of her adventures (and I hope she and Martinez continue to share info). If you like light, snarky cozies, snatch this one up!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries. 

She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect. 

Looking for more? Website: www.authorsusieblack.com  

or reach her at mysteries_@authorsusieblack.com

 

 

 

MONDAY MURDER!A Dark and Stormy Murder by Julia Buckley

 

Welcome to Monday Murders! This last week, I listened to the audiobook of A DArk and Stormy Murder by Julia Buckley. This is the first in a new series called the Writer’s Apprentice.Lena London found herself living the dream, thanks to serendipity. Her best friend moved to Blue Lake, Indiana and joined a knitting club. Lena’s favorite author, Camilla Graham happened to be a member of that club. Camilla needed an assistant and Lena needed a job. When Lena stumbled upon a dead body, the writing gig took a back seat to real life drama. Camilla’s home seemed to be at the center of the mystery. Everyone Lena met seemed to want to know more about Graham House. Things took a personal turn when the grouchy neighbor turned out to be an attractive, wealthy man, which would’ve been perfect had he not been suspected for the murder of his wife.Lena began sleuthing in an effort to determine who killed the young man she discovered on the beach, and Camilla joined in, enjoying the real life mystery. Together, the two of them put the pieces together and help the handsome cop figure it out.

 

Buy Now

 

An aspiring suspense novelist lands in the middle of a real crime in the first Writer’s Apprentice mystery.

Life is beginning to return to normal, slowly but surely. I’m so excited to return to in-person events! There is nothing that compares to the joy of meeting readers face-to-face.

Lori L. Robinett

 

Upcoming Event Schedule

June 17-19, 2022

Between the Pages Conference

Visit the beautiful Ozarks’ Queen City (Springfield, MO) for the first Between the Pages Writers Conference – June 17-19, 2022. Books will be available for purchase, as will other readers & writers merch (mugs, travel mugs, necklaces, keychains, etc.)

Register

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Lori L. Robinett

I’m a paralegal by day, writer by night. I write cozy mysteries and contemporary western romance. When not reading or writing, I enjoy canine sports with my little Snorkie (barn hunt!) and am far more addicted to television than I’d like to admit.

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Writ of Execution by Perri O’Shaughnessy

When a local indie bookstore (Village Books – man, I still miss that place!!) was going out of business, I was in one of the final days perusing the bookshelves and chatting with Becky Asher, one of the employees. As we talked about what kind of books I like, she asked if I’d ever read any Perri O’Shaughnessy books. She was shocked when I said I hadn’t because of my love of mysteries and the fact that the series genre is legal thrillers – and I’m a paralegal. Seems like a match made in Heaven, right? Anyway, I ended up buying every single Perry O’Shaughnessy book on the shelves. Carried them out in a grocery bag. And have been working my way through them ever since.

So, do I like them?

Yes, I do. But . . . before you read them, you need to know that these books have some age on them. This book is from 2007. That’s not all that long ago, right? Well, it’s not. At least, to me it seems like last year. But there are some things that threw me a bit. For instance, they don’t use their phones as often as we do now. And some of the references are a bit dated – like a joke about something taking longer to count than the Florida votes. Have to admit, I’d forgotten all about hanging chads.

Anyway, this book is about Nina O’Reilly taking on a client who just won a huge jackpot at a casino in Tahoe. The client is a young woman who doesn’t want anyone to know her identity. That’s a bit of a problem when trying to get one of those giant checks. You can’t just have that made out to cash. To complicate matters, there’s a young man, Kenny, present at the casino who steps up to help protect the young woman. He saw it all happen. While he was playing the slots, the man next to him was methodically feeding one particular machine. The man had to pee, and asked our friend to watch his seat. That’s when Jessie came in and fed the machine, and won. Much to the disappointment and frustration of the guy who had to pee.

Nina is tasked with finding a way for her client to collect the winnings without revealing her identity. They hatch a plan to quickly wed the client and the young man, so that they can collect the winnings as Mr. and Mrs. As often happens with Nina’s clients, the plot thickens and bodies start dropping. Paul, the gallant private eye who has a thing for Nina (she hasn’t decided yet if she has a thing for him. She kinda wants to, but it’s just not easy.), joins the group to protect the new Mr. and Mrs. and find out who wants them dead. It could be an inside job, someone who rigged the machine to pay out. It could be Jessie’s father-in-law, who blames her for the death of his son. Heck, it could be the mob – we’re talking about gambling here.

As always, I’m a bit disappointed that Nina doesn’t do more on her own. This time, though, she does take on Riesner, the opposing counsel who is a thorn in her side. When he pushes her too far, she fights back – and leaves him hurting (yea, Nina!).

The characters are interesting and I was rooting for them throughout. The plot was well-written and I didn’t figure out exactly who the killer was until near the end (though I had narrowed it down). All in all, a good legal thriller that was an enjoyable read.

Welcome to a new series – Monday Murders! Pop by every week for MURDER! I’ll either feature a book review of a mystery I enjoyed, or I’ll share my insights into a true crime story that has caught my attention. This week, I’m sharing the review of Joanne Fluke’s Caramel Pecan Roll Murder. Read on for the review . . .

I was initially drawn to this series by the bright covers. I picked this book up, knowing it was not the first book in the series, but confident I could find my way around the story – and I was right! To my delight, the story was set at the Lake Eden Inn during a fishing tournament. The amateur sleuth is Hannah, the owner of the Cookie Jar, who is asked to step in for the pastry chef at the Inn.

The star of the fishing tournament is Sonny, the star of a fishing program who is better with the ladies than the fish. At least in his own mind. When Hannah and her boyfriend (of sorts) discover Sonny has been murdered, Hannah puts on her thinking cap and decides to help the authorities find the killer.

A highlight of this series is the inclusion of recipes that are featured in the story. I am NOT a baker by any means, but a few of these recipes even caught my attention.

The mystery was interesting, and I appreciated the fact that we were right alongside Hannah as she questioned various suspects and began putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

I recommend this book, and will certainly read more in this series. Who knows, I might even try making a pan of Caramel Pecan Rolls!

Putting this book on my TBR list & thought you might like it, too. LLR

 

Preorder now!

Win Place Show: All bets are on!

Start with a perfect spring weekend full of pretty dresses, high heels, fancy hats, horse races, and bourbon.

Combine with a friends-from-childhood couple whose ongoing misunderstandings have led Lucy Granger to swear she’ll never move back home.

Mix in a splash of combined family pressure for Lucy and Nate Hawthorne to be The Golden Couple.

Pour over crushed ice and garnish with plenty of hot, secret hookups.

Win. Place. Show.

A funny sort of romance chock full of dressing up, mint juleps, an axe-throwing bar, and a huge winning bet at the big race.

Read on for a sneak peek!

Lucy dropped the phone to her side, wishing she could sleep another three hours to skip the whole still-a-tad-drunk part of the hangover. She had, indeed, made some poor choices the night before. Beginning with thinking she could slide back into easy, sexy time with Nate. She’d already more or less decided against it before he’d gotten there. But, of course, he’d shown up looking so flipping edible in a pair of dark jeans and a form-fitting purple polo with the Trifecta logo stitched where the little polo guy usually sat. Damn the man. He had no right to go around being so…hot.

He’d always been vain about his hair, something he’d discovered was a featured benefit about the same time he decided she no longer deserved his friendship. It was a wavy strawberry blond, cut just short enough so he didn’t have to use any products while it was full and tempting to female fingers. His eyes were so green, people accused him of wearing contacts to make them that way. Someone had obviously told him the trick about green eyes, that wearing purple made them even more striking.

“Some woman, I’m sure,” she said, lying flat on her back a few more seconds before hauling herself up and limping toward the shower.

Maintaining her anger at Nate was easy. She’d been ready to outright reject him. But when he’d shown up looking like some kind of a male model, turning every damn female head in the place, she’d stumbled. He was such a good dancer, not to mention a top notch kisser. So she’d gone with it, fueled by too much booze, ready to leap back into bed with him as if no time had passed since they last hooked up.

Thankfully, he’d given her an out by going all talkative. That was the last thing she wanted from him. So she’d walked away. And subsequently had a lot more to drink, hence her current condition, ergo she planned to lay blame for her pounding head and queasy stomach at his feet, too.

So there, Mr. Perfect.

The shower transformed her from being a woman with a hangover into a clean woman with a hangover and many regrets. She glared at her bloodshot eyes in the foggy mirror, hating herself for being here, in her stupid bathroom where she’d spent so many hours as a little girl and later a teenager, second guessing herself and her relationship with Nate.

She slapped on some rudimentary makeup, dried and styled her hair enough to pass her mother’s scrutiny, then stood in front of the dresses hanging in her closet. A line of matching shoes were on the floor beneath them. Several hatboxes stacked on the shelves to one side. The floral-patterned one made her headache worse, so she chose a light blue option, with a halter neckline, tight-fitting bodice and skirt. It was a beautiful choice, as they all were. One thing she could never accuse her mother of was shopping poorly.

She slid her feet into a pair of cream-colored high heels, then pondered the hats with a sigh. When they were little, she and Mimi loved this weekend more than any other. The opportunity to put on a pretty new dress, hat, and shoes had been the highlight of their year. The hours spent at the track over the course of Derby weekends were some of her best memories.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville living in South Carolina. She’s spent her time as a three-continent expat trailing spouse, mom of three, real estate agent, brewery owner and bar manager, and is currently a digital marketing and fundraising consultant, in addition to being an award-winning author. With stories set in breweries, on the soccer pitch, inside fictional television stations and successful real estate offices, and even in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are compelling and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.

Follow along with Liz online:

TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/LizCroweAuthor

FACEBOOK:  http://www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lizcroweauthor/

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/Liz-Crowe/e/B00573TC7M

GOODREADS PAGE: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4350864.Liz_Crowe

WEBSITE: http://www.lizcrowe.com

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