Rain Dogs Review

Detective Sean Duffy was angry because he was called out on a Sunday, his day off, for a theft of 20 quid taken from a wallet in a room at the Coast Road Hotel.

The next afternoon he was called out again. A young woman died at Carrickfergus Castle went she went over the roof, and Detective Duffy was called to find out whether it was an accident, a suicide, or murder.

Rain Dogs: A Detective Sean Duffy Novel by Adrian McKinty reveals a slice of life in Northern Ireland in the 1980’s, and the struggles that have affected the area for many years. Dark, gritty humor adds strength to an already powerful page-turner.

Strong sense of place allows readers to feel as if they walked into the story line as it plays out.

Rain Dog is the fifth book in this series, and we are hoping for many more.

You can pick up a copy by clicking this link - Rain Dogs: A Detective Sean Duffy Novel

Dying for a Taste Review

Former lawyer Sally Solari currently worked with her father in his Italian restaurant on the pier in Santa Cruz, California.

In the midst of a busy day at work, Sally received the bad news that Aunt Letta, her dad’s sister and the owner of a Polynesian-French restaurant in the area, was stabbed to death while at work.

After the death of her aunt, Sally took over her restaurant while also continuing to help out her dad. She was also determined to find out who the killer was and why her aunt was targeted. She soon found that she was also a target.

Dying for a Taste, A Sally Solari Mystery, is the first novel by Leslie Karst. The strong debut mystery will quickly engage readers. A fast-paced solid plot with numerous twists and turns will keep readers turning pages long into the night.

The beautiful setting of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf over looking the sea adds to the engaging  atmosphere as Sally amps up her mystery skills before more people die.

A likeable heroine, strong family ties, and a cast of characters we would like to hang with – both family and employees – has us looking forward to the next culinary mystery from this refreshing newcomer.

Dying for a Taste is available at Amazon.com.

Isolation Review

Archaeologist Faye Longchamp-Mantooth and her husband Joe Wolf Mantooth live in an old plantation home on Joyeuse off the Gulf coast of Florida. After a shattering personal loss, Faye has spent much of her time while Joe cares for their toddler son, Michael.

To add to the mix, Joe’s father was just let out of prison without telling Joe why he was incarcerated and for how long. A short time later a shocking murder at the Marina’s boat ramp across the way from the Mantooth home rattled the close-nit members in the area, the first of crimes against women in the area.

The Mantooth family and their friends are stunned at the seriousness of the problems, both on their island and on the mainland. Joe try to work with local law enforcements and environment officials although they feel like they are being invaded and their way of living threatened.

Isolation, A Faye Longchamp Mystery by Mary Ann Evans is a powerful look at a family under siege. It seems like no one is unaffected and the strongest of the people among them must hang on in order to help those who are struggling.

This is a story of strong love and long-held values that are bumping up against the current actions that are turning their life up-side-down. Not an easy read at times, Isolation leads readers on a harsh ride where love and hate war against one another as we hope for the best for the family.
The characters are well-formed and play an important part in carrying the plot.

Isolation is the ninth Fay Longchamp Mysteries and those who enjoy this story will want to begin at the first novel, Artifacts, to catch up with the history of how Faye and her family came to this point in life.

Isolation, is available at Amazon.com.

Changing Times

Times they are a-changing. I've closed all my websites and am returning to Blogger. Keeping life simple is my main agenda at the moment.

I am also leaving BellaOnline Mystery Books after eight years. I've enjoyed every minute and every book I've reviewed.

I'm still reviewing mystery books, but the main written reviews will be placed on this site and a couple of other sites as well.

I learned how to read at a very young age according to my mother. She said I was six-weeks old when I visited a library for the first time, although it took me longer to learn how to read. The library was across the street from our home, and my mother couldn't wait any longer to grab a few new books.

As many of you know, I am contacting the wonderful book publishers and promoters to let them know of the change, and that we always welcome a good story.

I'm also in the midst of changing the look of this site and hope we can get settled in as soon as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Take care.

Caregiver Burnout Published

This is so exciting! My latest Kindle book - Caregiver Burnout - is live on Amazon. This book is the second in the Caring for Aging Parents series and is the most indepth book I've written yet. A third book will follow, although possibly after I finish up and publish a couple of fiction stories that are waiting in the wings.

I've been online since 1997, and I have never been this excited about anything. In fact, I was getting rather burned out with all the sameness of the work I was doing. Now I feel invigorated!

It's going to be interesting to see how this book does as it is a more popular topic than Sundown Syndrome, but will also lead into the next one as well. I've thought about combining all three into a print version, and may do that sometime in the future.

If you are interested in checking out Caregiver Burnout, click on the link and it will take you to the Amazon sales page. If you do purchase and read the book, I would very much appreciate a "Like" located just under the title. An honest review would also be appreciated.

After the book has been out for a while and I get a couple of reviews, I will have a couple of free days for those who want to pick it up then - I will let you  know when those dates are. Here is the link to Sundown Syndrome if you are interested in that topic.

Sundown Syndrome Published

I'm so excited to announce that I am finally a published author. While I have numerous fictional short stories on various sites around the web, Sundown Syndrome is my first book on Amazon.com. Sundown Syndrome was written as a result of my stint as a caregiver to my elderly father and my sister's eight years as a caregiver to our mother.

We noticed for a period of time that Mom would get agitated late in the day and several times left the house as if she were searching for something or someone. Both of these behaviors are associated with Sundown Syndrome that is closely tied to dementia. Mom had TIA dementia and Dad has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

This book was written so that others who are caring for their family aging parents or are at least seeing these symptoms will understand what is happening. As of this post, Sundown Syndrome is only available on Amazon.com. There are further books in the Caring for Aging Parents series coming very soon.

You can also join us at my website Elder Care Cafe for further information about caring for the elderly. We welcome your comments and questions regarding our book(s) and caring for aging parents. Hope to hear from you soon.

Agatha Christie - September 15th is 120th Anniversary of her Birth

September 15th was the 120th anniversary of the birth of Agatha Christie, and there were celebrations literally around the world. Decades later, and her popularity has not waned. If anything, she is more popular now than ever. There are a number of websites that highlight her writings and her life, as well as numerous blogs and sites that celebrate her birthday each year.

One such site is here on Blogger, and has a Google Doodle banner that someone from Google created and placed on their search engine in the United Kingdom in honor of Mrs. Christie. Here is a link to the site where you can see the Agatha Christie Google Doodle.

I have found that mystery fans are very loyal to the authors that they love. Years later, there are still celebrations going on, new fan-based websites being created, and numerous visits to her home/museum in the United Kingdom.

That Agatha Christie left readers a wonderful legacy through her numerous stories and books is without a doubt. Many have been translated into movies and TV shows as well. 

I hope this week that you will take a few moments and watch your favorite movie or read your favorite mystery story written by this prolific and endearing author.