Congratulations to the winners of the last contest. Beyond Summerland goes to Tracy G. from Nampa, ID. Johannah B. from Clifton, VA won The Backtrack. The books are going out in the mail today.
This week, I have two mysteries that are very different to give away.
Between a Flock and a Hard Place is Donna Andrews’ latest Meg Langslow mystery. Meg’s neighbors, the Smetkamps’, have won a makeover for their old home from Marvelous Mansions, a flashy, yet dubious company, focused on making historic homes more “modern.” The company already several days into its makeover of the Smetkamps’ house, and tensions are running high–not only between the officious, demanding Mrs. Smetkamp and her neighbors, but also between her and the renovation crew. Meg, who is trying to keep the peace and prevent the makeover crew from trampling on every clause of the county’s building code, arrives at the Smetkamps to find that Caerphilly’s resident flock of feral turkeys has moved into their yard–or been relocated there by someone who wanted to cause them trouble. The turkeys are huge, territorial, cranky and aggressive – and impossible to move! Meg does what she can to calm down the irate neighbors and help the makeover crew make progress in spite of the turkeys. She comes up with a plan to gather a group of turkey wranglers to snatch them early in the morning. But when they arrive, they find the body of Mrs. Smetkamp in her backyard.
Heather Redmond’s Death and the Visitors is the second Mary Shelley mystery. Stepsisters Mary and Jane find themselves caught up in a mystery involving a drowned Russian and missing diamonds, while falling for the charms of poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. 1814: Foreign diplomats are descending on London in advance of the Congress of Vienna meetings to formulate a new peace plan for Europe following Napoleon’s downfall. Mary and Jane’s father, political philosopher William Godwin, is hosting a gathering with an advance party of Russian royal staff. The Russians are enthusiastic followers of Mary’s late mother, philosopher and women’s rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft, which leads to a lively dinner discussion. Following their visit, Jane overhears her father reassuring his pushiest creditor that the Russians have pledged diamonds to support his publishing venture, the Juvenile Library, relieving his financial burden. But when Godwin is told the man who promised the diamonds was pulled from the River Thames, his dire financial problems are further complicated by the suspicion that the family may have been involved in the murder. Stepsisters Mary and Jane resolve to find the real killer to clear the family name.
Which mystery would you like to win? You can enter to win both, but I need separate entries. Email me at Lesa.Holstine@gmail.com. Your subject line should read either “Win Between a Flock and a Hard Place” or “Win Death and the Visitors.” And, a reminder. You must include you name and mailing address, or I won’t be able to send you a book if you win. The giveaway will end Wed., Sept. 4 at 5 PM ET. Entries from the U.S. only, please.
