Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Wednesdday Murder and Tainted Tea #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #Cozy Mystery #Santa Fe

Murder and Tainted Tea (Mrs. Miller Mysteries Book 3)

Join the authors at #MFRWHooks here  http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com   for some great excerpts. Mine is another adventure for Katherine Miller as she visits her friend, Lars in Santa Fe

BLURB:
Katherine heads to Santa Fe, New Mexico along with a Maine Coon Cat kitten to spend New Year’s Eve with Lars. Her guilty feelings over the organist’s death have her needing an escape. When she reaches Santa Fe, she discovers Lars is missing. She seeks and finds him and steps into another mystery. Lars’ daughter dislikes Katherine but when the young woman is kidnapped, they are puzzled. The murder of Lars’ daughter and one of his employees makes solving the mysteries necessary. Can she learn before Lars becomes a victim.

Reviews:
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase



Top international reviews


Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

2019 Book Hooks



EXCERPT:


As the candles were lit at midnight, I prayed my role in Roger Brandon’s death would fade and I
 could forgive myself. I also knew my decision to welcome the New Year in Santa Fe, New Mexico 
with my dear friend, Lars Claybourne, was mete and right. Thoughts of the trip had become my
 golden dream.

* * *

The evening before my departure, I carried a half dozen tins of dried mint to the bedroom. These 
were the last items for the suitcase on the antique sleigh bed. As I paused in the doorway, the 
urge to laugh was almost impossible to contain, but a stern approach was needed.
     “Robespierre, an open suitcase is not a bed.” I glared at the Maine Coon cat who had curled 
among my neatly folded clothes. “You aren’t being abandoned. Maria and the baby are excited
 about your visit.”
     The look of disdain on his face brought my laughter bubbling forth. I dumped the tea on
 the bed, scratched his head, then lifted twenty-five pounds of cat from the case. “Be gone.” As
 he stalked from the room, his tail twitched to signal his displeasure at being banished.
     After tucking my stash among my clothes, I closed the case. With a supply of teas for every
 occasion, I felt prepared to face my flight to an unfamiliar destination. I wheeled the suitcase 
and carried a hanging bag to the kitchen where they would be on hand for my early morning 
departure. My son had grumbled about the hour, but he’d promised to get me to the plane on time.
     Robespierre now lay on the kitchen floor and stared at the case containing my belated
 Christmas present for Lars’ granddaughter. I plugged in the electric kettle, this year’s gift from 
one of my neighbors, selected an assortment of mints and stuffed a tea ball.
     Once the tea had steeped, I poured a mug and headed to the living room where I settled on 
the window seat. The lights from the Tappan Zee Bridge vied with the moonlight dancing 
on the dark waters of the Hudson River. Stars formed patterns in the sky. I’m never tired of 
watching the river and my early morning walks often end at the river’s edge.
     The shrill ring of the phone startled me. I grabbed the receiver. “Hello.”
     “Kate.”
     “Lars, is something wrong?” Why was he calling when he’d see me tomorrow? Had
 something happened to make it necessary for me to postpone my visit?
     “Jitters. Afraid you’ve changed your mind. You’ve never come before. And...there is 
something...” His voice drifted into silence.
     Something was bothering him, but extracting a story long distance is hard. Face to face is
 better. “My bags are packed and the tickets are in my purse.”

     “Good. I’m looking forward to having you here.” He paused. “What are you doing with the cat?”


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7 comments:

Daryl Devoré said...

Hmmm - why so nervous???

Tena Stetler said...

Interesting blurb and excerpt. Enjoyed them. Good luck!

Reet Singh said...

Whoa! Somethings going on for sure...great hook!

McKenna Dean said...

Great teaser!

Anonymous said...

I like Robespierre. Also the hint of trouble you added at the very end.

Carmen Webster Buxton said...

I like the cover but I had trouble reading the excerpt because the text was cut off on the right hand side.

I loved the cat's name!

Unknown said...

Sounds so intriguing, but I also had trouble reading because text was cut off. ;(