Dumpster Dying

Lesley A. Diehl's Dumpster Dying is a cozy/traditional mystery set in Florida's interior where cattle and cowboys are the treat of the day. No beach bikini bimbos or sand fleas, instead a fun mystery where the older generation must face their past to stop a killer and stay out of jail.
Emily Rhodes was all set to live out her golden years with Fred Costa, her long time companion when Fred went for a run from which he didn't return. Fred "the rat" never managed to write a new will and his ex-wife inherits their assets including a portion of Emily's down payment on their home.
To keep a roof over her head and pay the bills Emily acquires the skill of mixing drinks and takes a job at the local country club. She is taking out the trash when she discovers the body of Marcus Davey in the dumpster.
Snow bunnies are not welcome in rural Florida, their only value to the natives is what money they can be induced to part with before leaving.
Characters may be slightly stereotyped but they read like real people you'd meet in the grocery store or at the local watering hole.
Did I mention no psychics, no recovering drunks , no vampires, etc? Plain fun for a great read without of the quirks, but a well paced whodunit with a surprising twist. Maybe just a touch of romance, no bed of roses, but then no matter how sweet they smell roses have thorns.
Delight with Emily and her friends as they hunt for a killer before he finds them.
Nash Black, Sandprints of Death

The Dangerous Edge of Things

Tina Whittle's debut novel, The Dangerous Edge of Things will keep you on the edge of your chair enthralled by her precise yet vivid descriptions of Atlanta, GA. Ms. Whittle's characters do not depend on their southerness for their uniqueness, but evolve with the modern city.

Teresa Ann "Tai" Randolph inherited half of a Confederate gun shop and moved from Savannah to explore the possibilities of her inheritance. One week in town, crashing at her brother Eric's home she discovers the gunshot body of a young woman.
The belated welcoming party gets worse as Eric is in the Bahamas and doesn't answer her frantic messages when subsequent events prove he is acquainted with the victim. Eric is employed by the security firm Phoenix and in typical older-brother fashion provides his impetuous baby-sister with a body guard and employment she does not want.

Enter the body guard, Trey Seaver is one of the most original characters in modern mystery fiction. Ms. Whittle builds Trey with adroit descriptions that fascinate and create empathy with Tai's frustration while she attempts to communicate with "the Iceman."

Tai and Trey must work as a team to keep her alive and unmask a killer. Her approach to anyone in authority is to argue and ignore while he is subservient to unreasonable demands. Tai has yet to find a box and Trey can not function without one. The tug-of-war between them is explosive until the very last word. The action's pace is faster than his Ferrari; it will drive you into the midnight hours.

Visit Tina at http://www.tinawhittle.com.

Tina Whittle's The Dangerous Edge of Things is soon to be released by Poisoned Pen Press to book stores and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com.

Nash Black, author of Indie finalists Writing as a Small Business and Haints.

The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree

Susan Wittig Albert's The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree transports the reader directly to the 1930s and a woman's gardening group.
The country is in the midst of the Great Depression, but the ladies of Darling, Alabama have their hands deep in the soil and the lives of each inhabitant of this southern community.
Life isn't easy as their pennies are tight, but they are determined to restore Mrs. Blackstone's family home and the gardens that she left in their care. The work is hard because the old place was sadly neglected during Mrs. Blackstone's declining years.
Everyone is talking about the escaped convict and it isn't a surprise when reports of a ghost digging the gardens near the cucumber trees are reported. Nothing is ever what it seems in a good cozy mystery and the ladies are not about to put up with any nonsense from a ghost.

Mrs. Albert is an established writer with two successful cosy mystery series under her belt, but The Darling Dahlias may be her best yet. Her work reminds me of another great cozy writer Charlotte MacLeod. Mrs. MacLeod wrote an exceptional funny gardening series as Alisa Craig, an example is The Grub and Stakers House a Haunt.

If you enjoy a break from horrific murder and mayhem with a yen for gardening either of these two authors will give you hours of pleasure.

Susan Wittig Albert's books are available at bookstores everywhere and on Amazon.com

Nash Black, author of Indie finalists Writing as a Small Business and Haints.

Merry, Merry Ghost

Carolyn Hart brings back the most delightful ghost in mystery land, Bailey Ruth Raeburn in Merry, Merry Ghost to decorate the season with fun and fantasy.

Bailey Ruth has a new assignment from the Department of Good Intentions: "to protect a little boy" from his greedy faux relatives.

A return trip from Heaven to Adelaide, OK during the holiday season is just the ticket Bailey Ruth has been anticipating. A short side trip to check on her children and she's off to do her duty to little Keith Flynn who has lost both his mother and father.

Keith is left on the doorstep of his grandmother's home; she was not aware of his existence, yet his papers prove he is the son of her estranged son, Michael.

His arrival is not greeted with joy from all the members of his grandmother's extended family and someone is willing to kill to prevent her from signing a new will in Keith's favor. It is up to Bailey Ruth to enlighten the authorities there has been a murder, bring the culprit to justice, and protect Keith's inheritance.

Merry, Merry Ghost is just the book to enjoy for yourself after all your holiday chores are finished and give to friends that deserve a bit of cheer on cold winter days.

Merry, Merry Ghost is available on line and at bookstores everywhere. Visit with numerous award winning author Carolyn Hart at http://www.carolynhart.com/.

Nash Black, author Indie finalists Writing as a Small Business and Haints.

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The Drowning Pool

I won a copy of Jacqueline Seewald's The Drowning Pool; it was the first contest prize I've ever won.

Kim Reynolds and Mike Gardner are a couple in the early stages of their relationship who have a unique bond. Kim is a research librarian and Mike is a police detective, both have an insight into people and crime scenes. The psychic element is very subtle and adds to detailed police-work, which takes the reader into the story.

Mike has a new partner in Bert St. Croix. Bert has so many issues it is difficult for her to trust anyone. Her past has followed her from New York, but is she really ready to leave her old life and move on into a new phase?

The victim, Rick Bradshaw is a man about bedrooms who uses, discards, manipulates, taunts, and humiliates people to feed his feed his devouring ego. The story follows the classic style of a cozy where the character of the victim provides the clues to his demise with all the twists and turns of a New Jersey back-road.

But Ms. Seewald has some surprises in-store for the reader who thinks they have it all figured out. You will keep turning the pages late into the night with this strong sequel to The Inferno Collection.

The Drowning Pool is the perfect pool for a cool summer dip. Another review of this excellent addition to the cozy mystery field is by Marlene Pyle at The Genre Review, http://thegenrereview.com/?p=72. Jacqueline Seewald"s books are available in bookstores and on Amazon, B&N and other online outlets.

You can contact Jacqueline at jacquelinesw@optonline.net.

Nash Black, author of Indie finalists Writing as a Small Business and Haints.