A Cozy Christmas at Brooke Blogs is a celebration of wonderful cozy mystery authors and their books. Stop by daily from 12/11/16 through 12/25/16 for special posts and be sure to enter the grand prize giveaway. Curl up and get cozy this holiday season!
Out of the Dying Pan by Linda Reilly
A Deep Fried Mystery #2
Revenge is set to sizzle in the tasty new Deep Fried Mystery from the author of Fillet of Murder.
For Talia Marby, the sweet smell of success is a lot like the pungent aroma of fried fish and vinegar. Her new business, Fry Me a Sliver, is rapidly expanding beyond fish and chips to become one of the best eateries in the Berkshires. But the nasty owner of a neighboring boutique is making a stink, baiting Talia in a very public fight at a community center fundraiser and nursing an inexplicable grudge.
When the boutique owner is found strangled with Talia’s scarf knotted around her neck, our favorite fish fryer finds herself in hot oil. Needing to clear her name, and fast, Talia’s investigation soon yields some shocking surprises as well as a sizzling suspicion: someone had good reason to want the victim dead—and it’s frying Talia’s nerves…
Includes delicious recipes!
Without all the chatter and bustle, the building gave Talia an eerie feeling. When she reached the corridor that led to the gym and to the kitchen, she broke into a near jog. Her Keds made slapping sounds on the linoleum floor. She passed a closed door labeled OFFICE from which the low murmur of a male voice drifted. No doubt it was Andy’s office, since he claimed he had paperwork to do. Talia wondered briefly if he was still trying to contact Ria.
The kitchen was on the side of the hallway opposite the gymnasium. Fortunately, no one had locked it yet. She pushed through the swinging metal door and went to the fridge. Her batter bowl had gotten pushed back, and she had to relocate several cans of soda to retrieve it.
On her way out she took one last wistful peek into the gym. It really could have been fun, if Martha hadn’t gone rogue on her, and if Ria hadn’t been so combative.
All at once she spied a slender figure leaving through the front entrance of the gym. Talia narrowed her gaze and saw that it was Kelsey. Wasn’t it late for her to be hanging around? She was sure she’d seen Kelsey leave the gym around two fifteen, carrying her painting supplies in a carryall.
Talia was turning to retrace her steps to the rear exit when something else caught her eye. In the area where Santa’s village had been, the faux furnishings sat abandoned. The folding divider had been pushed flat against the gymnasium wall. A swatch of blue peeked out from beneath it. From the texture and color, Talia would have sworn it was Nana’s scarf.
How could that be? It didn’t make sense.
She shifted her feet into second gear and hurried over for a closer look. Cornflower blue tassels jutted out from beneath the divider wall. Had Ria tossed the scarf over the divider to get rid of it? Talia bent and set her batter bowl on the floor. She went over to the divider and pushed it to the right. Despite being on wheels, it was not easy to move. After several tries, she managed to shove it far enough over to get a better look at the tassels.
She was surprised to see that behind the divider was a closet of some sort. When she looked down, her heartbeat spiked. That was definitely Nana’s scarf peeking out from under the door of the closet. She couldn’t mistake those tassels—she’d hand-knotted each one herself!
Talia turned the knob and opened the door. The inside of the closet was dark, but enough light dribbled in from the gym to illuminate the form slumped at her feet. She squeaked and jumped backward a step. Her legs wobbled and she stared in horror, not wanting to acknowledge the sight that met her eyes.
A woman lay face up, her face pale and bloated, the blue scarf tied tightly around her neck. Talia could never mistake those lush, ginger-colored curls or those azure eyes.
Talia turned and stumbled over her batter bowl. And then she screamed like a baby.
About Linda Reilly
Armed with a degree in Criminal Justice, Linda Reilly once contemplated a career in law enforcement. But life took a twist, and instead she found her niche in real estate closings and title examinations, where the dusty tomes in the Registry of Deeds enticed her into solving mysteries of a different sort. Linda lives in New Hampshire with her husband, where she currently writes mysteries full time. She is the author of the Deep Fried Mysteries published by Berkley Prime Crime. She also has a new series—the Blue Cat mysteries—debuting in 2017 with Kensington Publishing.
Author Links
http://www.lindasreilly.com
http://www.facebook.com/Lindasreillyauthor
https://www.pinterest.com/lsusanreilly/
A Cozy Christmas Facebook Event
Stop by the Facebook Event for even more fun! Surprise flash giveaways and more ways to earn entries into the grand prize giveaway. Be sure to RSVP by clicking ‘Going’ and follow along on Facebook. 🙂
What’s A Cozy Christmas without a giveaway? Enter the widget below to be entered in the grand prize giveaway! Every awesome cozy mystery author participating (+ your lovely hostess) has donated prizes to the grand prize giveaway. Each day, new author entries will be added, so be sure to stop back every day! Linda Reilly is donating two prizes to our grand prize giveaway: A signed copy of Out of the Dying Pan and a $10 Amazon Gift Card.
Several winners will be randomly selected at the conclusion of the giveaway from all eligible entries. Winners will be contacted via email at the conclusion of the promotion and must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. Void where prohibited. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Mandatory blog comment entry must be completed each day or entries will not count. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me (brooke [at] brookeblogs.com). Please use the contact form on my contact page or e-mail me if you are interested in participating in my next author promotion.
I love the cover of this book a I can’t wait to read it.
I love Linda Reilly’s books.
I can’t wait to read Linda’s book.
Good luck on the new series. I love books like this.
Sounds like a book I’d enjoy reading!
I really enjoy reading mysteries. My love of reading started at a young age. My mother signed me up for a library card when I was 6 years old. She would take me every two weeks to check out more books. I can say I always have a book I’m currently reading. I have at least twenty more in my reading room that I need to read. When I get down to less than ten books, I have to order more books.
Sounds interesting. Thank you
I love this series ! kathambre@yahoo.com
Sounds great. Did you write in high school?
I like anything deep fried! Even books! 🙂
Sounds like a good book to read. Thanks for the giveaway. Merry Christmas.
This sounds like a really good mystery. I’m going to enjoy it. Thank you.
I love your books Linda Reilly. If any of you have not read them, you need to asap. They are wonderfully well written and fun!
You are a new-to-me author, but it sounds like I will enjoy your books.
The Blue Cat mysteries sound absolutely wonderful. Can’t wait for those.