READER REVIEW:  "Valerie and Kit are witty and entertaining characters constantly on the move. This is a well-written mystery that reads along at a bright and cheerful pace with a surprisingly dark twist at the end."  --Alle Wells



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Genre: Mystery



                   THE BOOK


This first book in The Val & Kit Mystery Series introduces Realtor Valerie Pankowski and her best friend since childhood, Kit James. Val, who has just signed her divorce papers and a lease on a new apartment, receives a call from a prospective client, Mavis Woodstock (a vaguely familiar name). Mavis insists she has to sell her house as quickly as possible, but then doesn't keep her scheduled appointment. Kit, whose glamour belies her bold and often brash ways, remembers Mavis from their school days, an unattractive girl who was ignored when she was lucky, ridiculed when she was not. She also remembers Mavis being the only daughter in a large family that was as frugal as it was wealthy. When Val and Kit cannot locate Mavis, they begin an investigation, encountering along the way a little romance, a lot of deception, and more than one unsavory character. Val & Kit and their shenanigans can also be found in No. 2 and No. 3 of The Val & Kit Mystery Series, THE MURDER OF SUSAN REED and DEATH IN DOOR COUNTY.

Rosalind Burgess and Patricia Obermeier Neuman, aka Roz and Patty, met in Minneapolis through mutual friend Lee (a REAL character, in the best sense of the word).

Now a proud and patriotic U.S. citizen and Texan, Roz grew up in London and currently calls Houston home. She has also lived in Germany, Iowa, and Minnesota. When not writing, she works in the airline industry.

Patty spent her childhood and early adulthood moving around the Midwest (Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana), first as a trailing child and then as a trailing spouse (inspiring her first published book, MOVING: THE WHAT, WHEN, WHERE & HOW OF IT). A former reporter and editor, Patty lives with her husband in Door County, Wisconsin. They have three children and twelve grandchildren.


With three books in The Val & Kit Mystery Series, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MAVIS WOODSTOCK, THE MURDER OF SUSAN REED, and DEATH IN DOOR COUNTY now published, Roz and Patty -- along with characters Val and Kit -- have another mystery up their sleeves (and on their computers). All four women agree that friendship, humor and love are as compelling as solving murders.

"[F]eed the kids before you settle in with journalist Sarah Jio's engrossing first novel, The Violets of March. This mystery-slash-love-story will have you racing to the end--cries of 'Mom, I'm hungry!' be damned."  -- Redbook


SPECIAL PRICE on the ebook: $2.99
Paperback: $13.12


Genre: Women's Fiction



                THE BOOK


A heartbroken woman stumbled upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author. 

In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after. 

Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily's good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life. 

A mesmerizing debut with an idyllic setting and intriguing dual story line, The Violets of March announces Sarah Jio as a writer to watch.

REVIEW: "Reichs always delivers a pulse-pounding story." (Publishers Weekly )


Price: ebook is $2.99 & hardback is $14.66
Rating: 4 stars      




                     THE BOOK 


A woman calling herself Amy Roberts checks into a Montreal hospital complaining of uncontrolled bleeding. Doctors see evidence of a recent birth, but before they can act, Roberts disappears. Dispatched to the address she gave at the hospital, police discover bloody towels outside in a Dumpster. Fearing the worst, they call Temperance Brennan to investigate.

In a run-down apartment Tempe makes a ghastly discovery: the decomposing bodies of three infants. According to the landlord, a woman named Alma Rogers lives there. Then a man shows up looking for Alva Rodriguez. Are Amy Roberts, Alma Rogers, and Alva Rodriguez the same person? Did she kill her own babies? And where is she now?

Heading up the investigation is Tempe’s old flame, homicide detective Andrew Ryan. His counterpart from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is sergeant Ollie Hasty, who happens to have a little history with Tempe himself, which she regrets. This unlikely trio follows the woman’s trail, first to Edmonton and then to Yellowknife, a remote diamond-mining city deep in the Northwest Territories. What they find in Yellowknife is more sinister than they ever could have imagined.

Crackling with sexual tension, whip-smart dialogue, and the startling plot twists Reichs delivers so well, Bones Are Forever is the fifteenth thrilling novel in Reichs’s “cleverly plotted and expertly maintained series” (The New York Times Book Review). With the FOX series Bones in its eighth season and her popularity at its broadest ever, Kathy Reichs has reached new heights in suspenseful storytelling.                     

Reader Review:  "Excellent book. Love the characters, especially Kennedy, and hope they will return. Love it when there are several choices for the villain and its not just someone out of the blue at the end."  -- Beanie, Amazon



                                THE BOOK


The Las Vegas Mayoral race is heating up, and the incumbent doesn’t have a prayer. Wealthy real estate speculator Nick Campenelli, who wants to legalize prostitution in Clark County, and former pastor Louis St. Louis, running on a 'clean-up-Vegas-by-getting-rid-of-the-whores' platform, are the front runners.

They’re also front runners on the suspect list for a string of murders. Kennedy O’Brien, four-year detective with cop blood running in her veins, and her partner Wilder “Wild Thing” James, a veteran, are determined to find the man who’s murdering prostitutes who work the wrong side of the street, and they don’t care how important or politically active he is.

The killer is a man with a mission. He stalks the women before he kills them, leaving a “BEFORE” photo on their bodies, and sending an “AFTER” shot to the local news hound. Ed Hershey, an aging newscaster with just the right amount of grey in his hair, is determined to turn this story into a network gig, and his interference, along with the LVTVS legal team, are making Kennedy and Wilder look bad. Campenelli’s good looks and charm, and St. Louis’ vitriolic hatred of prostitutes are muddying the waters too, and now the killer seems to have taken a liking to Kennedy. 

So the big question remains. Can she get him before he gets her?

-- Laurence Donaghy

Jimmy McTavish walked into the Glasgow pub. The air was deep fat fried. The beer was vintage; it had probably been fermenting about the same time the creator of the Suffragette movement had first taken a long, hard look at a set of railings and the fluffy novelty sex handcuffs she’d been bought for Christmas and had a wonderful idea.


The Cro-Magnon barman growled at him by way of greeting, and motioned his head slightly to the right, indicating two hulking great brutes slowly unconcertina-ing themselves from their barstools. Another one sidled behind Jimmy, blocking off the exit. As if he was gonna run; what would be the point? He felt the comforting weight of the handgun in the inside pocket of his bomber jacket in the same moment his bladder threatened to let go of its own comforting weight.


The left mountain range landslid toward him. It was Wee “Ironically Nicknamed” Doddie. His nose had been broken more times than the hearts of those watching the first ten minutes of Up. He was Govan born and bred, same as Jimmy himself, saltier than a bag of KP and as greasy as a jar of KY.


“All right Jimmy?” Doddie said. “I think we need to have a little talk with each other, don’t we?”


“Oh absolutely we do Doddie,” Jimmy replied. “I rather think that this dispute of ours has gone on long enough, don’t you?”


...wait a minute. 



What’s wrong with the above? Doesn’t take a genius to figure it out, does it? And no, I’m not pretending that a lot of authors don’t try and be authentic with their dialogue. No, I’m not pretending it’s an easy job, either. Take me for instance. When I decided to write a trilogy of books about a young man who finds himself caught up in an ancient world of mythology even while struggling to cope with the supposedly more mundane world of young parenthood and being permaskint, I knew I wanted to set the books in Belfast.


It wasn’t out of some lofty goal to promote Belfast, nor primarily anyway; it was simple pragmatism. I’m from Belfast. I live there. I know the place. If I was going to set my books in Coventry or Brussels or Conneticut, my head was gonna be done in checking the Internet every two minutes getting place names, trying to get a feel for the place, its culture, its people. By setting the books in Belfast I avoided all that.


Then came my problem. For you see, we Belfastians (well we working-class ones anyways, I can’t speak for the snobby ones) we like a wee curse or sixteen now and again. We don’t mean any harm by it, we really don’t. When my girlfriend (who’s English) came to live with me over here she had a complete moratorium on the dreaded “C” word. She loathed it. When I dropped a C bomb she would widen her eyes and genuinely fall out with me, she was so raging.


Fast-forward ten years, and my girlfriend has been Belfastised. She drops more C-words than a clumsy factory worker carrying a pallet of Crunchies. Lo! Behold! The world does not end! Statues of angels do not weep blood! Somehow the human race soldiered on.


I had a decision to make about my books. Would I write the dialogue sanitised, or would I try to make it authentic. I’ve always been quite proud of myself for being able to sound out dialogue in my head and make sure it doesn’t sound fake. I did that with every single line of my books. Let’s illustrate with an example.


Quoth Belfast man 1 to Belfast man 2:


“Are you gonna go out the night or is that missus of yours gonna make ye stay in again? When was the last time you were out? When Liberace was still in?”


Now, this may seem like a perfectly valid piece of dialogue. To a non-Belfastian. To someone from here, though, in the context the words are spoken, it rings horribly hollow. An authentic version of the passage would run thusly:


“{{bleep}} me. Are you gonna go the {{bleep}} out tonight or {{bleeping}} what for {{bleeps}} sake or is that pain in the {{bleeping}} hole missus of yours gonna make ye stay in like a silly {{C-BOMB!!!!}}? When was the last {{bleeping}} time you were {{bleeping}} out anyway? When Liberace was {{bleeping}} in?”


I had a problem. When I wrote dialogue like this, some people assumed I was writing some sort of unholy soup of Roddy Doyle, Quentin Tarantino, The Sopranos andShameless. They thought my books were something they weren’t. They thought I was trying to be controversial for the sake of it.


Frustratingly, I thought my books had a lot to offer to a younger audience; not children, but perhaps those 15 and over, especially fellas. With the peppery lingo squatting all over my words and taking a 4-letter dump on them from a great height, however, I was never going to be able to court that particular market without stirring up outrage. ‘Cos you know, kids…swear? Never. Pshaw.


Do I swear in front of my parents? No. Why? Because my Dad once told me he didn’t want to hear me do it, and I respected that. Do they swear in front of me? Christ, yes. Do I swear in front of my kids? Christ, yes. Why? Because if I didn’t, I’d be making me a bit less me in front of my kids, and I want to be me. I don’t know if I’ll insist (when they’re adults, of course, not before) that they don’t swear in front of me, for the same reason. I want my kids to be themselves.  


Wilfred Owen, who was a poet (generally I don’t have a lot of time for poetry but bear with me) once said: “the true artist must be truthful.” Now, I’m not going to get all poncey and start going on about being a true artist, but I think there’s a hugely important kernel of truth in that. If you’re gonna set a book in Belfast about working-class fellas and have them talk to one another, and you sanitise it to hell and back so it doesn’t offend your audience, you’ve lost that truth at the centre of your work.


Can a book with sanitised language still be a good book? Of course it can. Most of them are probably miles better than anything I’ll ever write.  


But are they truthful?


I think part of the reason we swear in Belfast is that we speak quickly. When you speak quickly, generally you say more, and your communication improves. I think with that, might – just might – come a realisation that making words taboo gives them a pointless power. Words are the most powerful tools on Earth, the most vital. Swearwords are just there for when you bang your thumb with a hammer, or let’s face it, when you want to make a joke funnier.


In fact they’re {{bleeping}} immaterial.


So get the {{bleep}} over it.

READER REVIEW: "Laurie King's Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes series was one of my favorites, especially the early books but I have to say this interpretation is smashing. Anna Kronberg is a kick-butt heroine and a clear match for the "tall thin man with piercing gray eyes". The Reader finds all of the usual Holmesean suspects in "The Devils Grin" but a sinister new cast is so skillfully inserted into the late 19th century classic I would have sworn that they must have been in the original stories. I could almost smell the stench of London. Wendeberg's seamless addition of a completely new character, Anna, enhances Conan Doyle's work.

Once or twice the writer got in the way of the story, a few very short scenes/visions or dreams (not sure which) that were confusing but the writer was so well informed about the medical and historic details the plot was built around, it was a thrill to feel that "the game was afoot". Suspenseful, authentic yet innovative and faithful to the original Sherlock Holmes character--can't wish for a better combination.

This is a skillful writer and a thinking one, no easy outs and no lazy solutions."  --Merik Berghs

Kindle: 99 cents
Paperback: $10.00
Smashwords (all e-formats): $3.99


                                                    THE BOOK


In Victorian London's cesspool of crime and disease, a series of murders remains undiscovered until a cholera victim is found floating in the city's drinking water supply. Dr Anton Kronberg, England's best bacteriologist, is called upon to investigate and finds evidence of abduction and medical maltreatment. While Scotland Yard has little interest in pursuing the case, Kronberg pushes on and crosses paths with Sherlock Holmes. The detective immediately discovers Kronberg's secret - a woman masquerading as a man in order to practice medicine - a criminal deed that could land her in prison for years to come. But both must join forces to stop a crime so monstrous, it outshines Jack the Ripper's deeds in brutality and cold-bloodedness.

Annelie Wendeberg holds an adjunct professorship at the Uppsala University in Sweden while working at the UFZ in Germany. Her job as a scientist has washed her onto many shores, such as the famous Caltech or the middle of the North Atlanic during rough autumn storms.
She lives in a small village near Leipzig, together with her husband, two small kids, several ferocious chickens, a border collie, and a calico cat from the dump. Their greatest adventure thus far (besides giving birth at home) was to buy a 500-year old school and restore its historic charm (work in progress).
Occasionally, she works as a science adivsor for authors and film makers. She runs two science blogs: An English one (www.sciencezest.com) and one for a large German newspaper (http://blog.lvz-online.de/microblog/).

READER REVIEW: "With his cast of well-realized, diverse characters and a plot that moves along at a frantic clip, Kirkus MacGowan has burst onto the scene as explosively as the many action sequences that feature in this story -- a debut that has come together with as much success as any writer would strive for in a first novel."  --Jeff Jaques


Price: FREE ebook!
Rating: 4.5 stars



                           THE BOOK

The John Reeves Creed: "Kill them with kindness. Unless you have a gun."

John Reeves, an ex-Marine, drives to Myrtle Beach hoping to repair a damaged relationship with his fiancée. Instead, he finds her unconscious in the hospital, the victim of an unexplained explosion at a local restaurant.

Reeves meets Billy Hitchings, a teenager who knows more about the explosion than he should. Their questions lead to an ancient legacy best left alone.

Pulled into yet another crossfire, John Reeves fights to protect his friends and keep a primeval power from falling into the wrong hands.                      

                 
                                   THE AUTHOR


Amazon bestselling author Kirkus MacGowan wrote his first book at age eight about traveling to Mars to find the cure for cancer. He put his writing dreams on hold for twenty-five years and focused his energies on playing baseball. He moved on when he found playing softball with his friends more enjoyable than his pipe dream.

Since then, he graduated with a B.S. in Psychology, married a woman too good to be true, and moved back to his hometown. He gave up an amazing career waiting tables and now stays at home with his two crazy children. He spends his time writing thrillers and fantasy, playing softball with friends, enjoying the occasional computer game, and wrestling with his kids.


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READER REVIEW:  "I'm a sucker for this type of mystery: a smart, wounded, tough-as-nails yet emotionally vulnerable protagonist, dead-on dialogue, terrific sexual tension, and a man-I-never-saw-that-one-coming ending that leaves me thinking about the book for days...In All the Blue-Eyed Angels, Blood has given us a powerful, emotionally complex story peopled with fully-realized characters and terrific, well-honed prose. Thankfully, this is but the first in the Erin Solomon mystery series. I'm very much looking forward to the others."  --D. Scott



Price: ebook for $1.99 or
paperback for $14.99

Rating: 4.6 stars




    THE BOOK


The truth will set her free... But is freedom worth the price? 

Investigative journalist Erin Solomon sets out to solve a mystery that's haunted her since childhood: a fatal fire at the Payson Church of Tomorrow, the isolated fundamentalist community where Erin lived with her father for the first ten years of her life. When what was presumed to be cult suicide turns out to be anything but, Erin returns to her hometown to find the truth behind the tragedy. Now, isolated on the Maine coast with an old flame and a handsome newcomer with his own dark past, Erin will risk everything to uncover the secrets of Payson Isle - secrets someone will kill to keep buried.