by Cynthia Chow & Maddie Day
Up this week we’ve got a evaluate and giveaway of the newest Cozy Capers E-book Group Thriller by Maddie Day aka Edith Maxwell, and we’ve got a enjoyable visitor publish by Maddie about biking–an ideal subject for some finish of summer time enjoyable. Particulars on the finish of this publish on the best way to enter to win a replica of the guide and a hyperlink to buy the guide from Amazon.
Homicide on the Rusty Anchor: A Cozy Capers E-book Group Thriller By Maddie Day
Evaluation by Cynthia Chow
Summer time is the busy season for the city of Westham, Massachusetts, however a bout of rain has Mackenzie Almeida lulled right into a sluggish interval for her Mac’s Bikes store that sells, repairs, and rents out bicycles. The neighboring Rusty Anchor Pub is just not sharing the identical slowdown, nevertheless it’s sure that their chef doesn’t respect discovering the primary buyer of the day useless behind the bar. Bruce Byrne was an notorious highschool instructor in Westham for many years, not solely giving Mac a poor grade 20 years in the past, however being infamous for discriminating in opposition to college students and even stealing “inappropriate” books from the library. It’s the latter act – caught on safety cameras – that leads to Westham’s head librarian Florence Wolanski on the police’s suspect checklist, with State Police Detective Sergeant Lincoln Haskins ultimately calling her in for questioning.
Lincoln additionally warns Mac and her cozy guide membership group away from his investigation, regardless of their having had appreciable success with earlier homicide circumstances. Mac and her guide clubbers aren’t about to permit Flo or one among their different pals be railroaded for killing a fairly detestable man. They quickly uncover that the late instructor was answerable for getting one other fired, whereas a number of former college students have by no means forgotten Mr. Byrne’s traumatizing remedy. Mac’s amazingly supportive husband Tim, the proprietor and baker of Greta’s Bakery, has his personal troubles regarding his sister and her rising household, and it’s coming at a very unhealthy level of their lives. That in fact doesn’t imply that he nonetheless gained’t put together his superb dinners and pastries for Mac, regardless that she does try no less than as soon as to prepare dinner a dinner consisting of far too many elements and steps. Additionally on Mac’s plate is the fortieth wedding ceremony anniversary of her cute mother and father, who’re planning a spontaneous celebration for many of the city earlier than they traverse off on a second honeymoon.
This sixth within the collection incorporates against the law that enmeshes a lot of Westham’s locals, however it’s at its most fascinating when it sympathetically explores Mac’s fears over infertility. Studying that her mother and father themselves struggled with this concern has Mac frightened that she and Tim will face the identical problem when having kids. This in fact involves the forefront when it appears that evidently everybody round her is turning into pregnant, particularly when a kind of is an individual least able to being a mom. Readers will respect the lambasting of Mr. Byrne’s censorship actions of eradicating LGBTQ+ books that he felt have been inappropriate for youngsters, regardless that it maybe wasn’t worthy of his being murdered.
At all times entertaining, this newest within the Cozy Capers E-book Group collection excels at exploring this very cozy group whose lives have turn out to be much more sophisticated and compelling than the central thriller. Because the circle of suspects narrows down to a couple central characters, Mac and her pals turn out to be the the explanation why followers will proceed to return to this extremely participating collection.
Bikes I Have Recognized and Beloved
By Maddie Day
I’m delighted to be right here celebrating the discharge of Homicide on the Rusty Anchor, my sixth Cozy Capers E-book Group thriller and my thirty fourth printed novel.
My protagonist within the collection is Mac Almeida, who owns Mac’s Bikes, a retail, restore, and rental store within the fictional city of Westham on Cape Cod in southeastern Massachusetts. I’ve had enjoyable doing analysis at bike outlets and in addition selecting the brains of my grownup sons, each of whom are severe cyclists.
Whereas I now not experience a bicycle (extra on that later), I do have a protracted historical past with the contraption. Like many people, I suppose, I grew up with a motorbike. In contrast to many people, I used to be a local of the Pasadena, California space and will experience all 12 months lengthy, apart from the uncommon winter wet day. I don’t keep in mind particulars of my childhood or teenage bicycles. They have been in all probability a regular Schwinn-type woman’s bike and really probably a hand-me-down from one among my older sisters.
The primary bicycle I purchased with my very own cash was after I was 18 and going to group faculty seven miles away for a semester earlier than I left for college. Within the newspaper advertisements, I discovered a purple used boy’s bike with coaster brakes for less than 5 {dollars} (this was a long time earlier than the web and issues like Craigslist). I cherished that bike and rode it for months. After I took it to UC Irvine with me, I used to be exploring philosophies of dwelling. I parked it exterior my dorm, saying, “If somebody wants it greater than me, they need to have it.” Positive sufficient, the bike was gone the subsequent morning. Doh.
I didn’t have a automobile and wanted transportation to my part-time job, so off I went to the newspaper once more. I discovered a white pre-owned three-speed woman’s Peugeot. It got here with a headlight that ran off the entrance wheel and a rack over the again wheel. Just one individual had owned the bike and it was in fabulous form. (Mine had upright handlebars, not like the one on this image.)
Picture credit score: Rwendland, CC BY-SA 3.0
Some years later I took it with me to graduate college in southern Indiana. (That space was the inspiration for my long-running Nation Retailer Mysteries collection, by which protagonist Robbie Jordan is a severe bike owner.) I rode the Peugeot throughout there, together with dwelling from nights consuming and dancing with pals (observe: using whereas inebriated is NOT beneficial), after I was grateful for the headlight. I introduced it with me on my transfer to the Boston space, too.
However the cycle was getting fairly drained 20 years later. To my delight, my husband on the time and my younger sons introduced me with a brand new bicycle for Mom’s Day one 12 months within the late Nineteen Nineties. It was a grey 12-speed with a large comfortable seat, and I cherished it.
Quick-forward one other chunk of years to after I moved to my present city and left my day job in 2013 to write down thriller fiction full time from dwelling. I believed I might experience my bike throughout city. Uh, no. The factor is, I don’t take pleasure in using uphill, particularly not now in my extra senior years, and my city is nothing if not hilly. With my more and more stiffening joints, the previous few occasions I rode the bike I didn’t really feel protected sufficient to proceed. However with the appearance of group FREE boards, I discovered somebody who had a real want for a bicycle. I fortunately gave the bike, helmet, and lock to her, and now my shed has extra room in it.
And I can nonetheless fortunately write about others who love using. Mac’s mother and grandmother have gotten into grownup tricycles within the final couple of Cozy Capers E-book Group mysteries. Who know, possibly I’ll, too!
Readers: What’s your bicycle historical past? Do you continue to experience?
There’s deadweight behind the bar on the Rusty Anchor and it’s as much as Cape Cod bike store proprietor Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida to resolve the homicide in Agatha Award–winner Maddie Day’s newest Cozy Capers E-book Group Thriller . . .
A wet July weekend in Westham means the seashores are empty and enterprise is useless at Mac’s Bikes however couldn’t be livelier contained in the Rusty Anchor Pub. However come Monday morning one patron is just not so energetic when the chef opens up and finds a physique behind the bar. It’s final name for Bruce Byrne, an aged highschool instructor who’s been round so lengthy it looks as if he taught all people.
When Mac’s pal Flo, the librarian, makes the checklist of suspects, Mac gathers the Cozy Capers E-book Group to clear her title. For ever and ever to the rain, the group has loads of time to check the clues and kind by way of a roll name of suspects to find out who determined to show Mr. Bryne a lesson. However with a killer determined to cowl their tracks, Mac and the group will likely be examined as by no means earlier than . . .
You possibly can click on right here to buy this guide from Amazon.
To enter to win a replica of Homicide on the Rusty Anchor, merely e-mail KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by changing the [dot] with a interval, and with the topic line “anchor” or touch upon this text. A winner will likely be chosen August 24, 2024. U.S. residents solely, and also you have to be 18 or older to enter. If getting into by way of e-mail please embody your mailing deal with in case you win. You possibly can learn our privateness assertion right here in case you like.
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Maddie Day aka Edith Maxwell
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