It’s my turn today on this wonderful
Great Escapes Book Tour!
Cancans, Croissants and Caskets
by Mary McHugh
Cancans, Croissants, and Caskets
(A Happy Hoofers Mystery)
3rd in Series
Cozy Mystery
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Kensington (August 25, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1617733635
E-Book ASIN: B00QDYYJR2
Synopsis:
You can’t tiptoe when murder’s afoot…
It’s Bastille Day in Paris. The Happy Hoofers—Tina, Janice, Pat, Mary Louise, and Gini—are all set to kick off the fete by dancing the cancan on a beautiful sightseeing cruise down the Seine. As the leggy ladies soak in the magic of the city of lights, everything is magnifique…until a very important patron goes belly-up on the top deck.
On the heels of their French debut, murder takes center stage. The five daring dancers will need to step lively to stop the crafty killer fast…or their grand finale will turn out far more explosive than the fireworks over the Eiffel Tower…
Includes Fashion Tips And Tasty Recipes
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I want to be a Happy Hoofer! They travel to awesome places and dance. Sometimes they tap their way right into a bunch of trouble but they always seem to shuffle their way out!
If you haven’t met the Happy Hoofers they are a group of friends that love to dance.
- Tina is leader of the group. She keeps everything organized. She is the Travel Editor at Perfect Bride magazine.
- Janice is an actress and director in community theater. She is divorced with a daughter in college.
- Pat is a family therapist and the mother hen of the group.
- Mary Louise and Tina have been friends for over 30 years. She has 3 children and a very trying husband named George.
- Gini is a redhead with a temper to match. She is a documentary filmmaker and while making a film in India fell in love with a little girl she hopes to adopt.
Janice narrates the story this time. The girls are in Paris and are booked to perform for a week on the Bateau Mouche, a touristy sightseeing boat that travels down the Seine. At the end of their first night passengers are guided to the top deck of the ship to see the Bastille Day fireworks but what they find is a dead body. This is not the first murder the Hoofers have found. They have become pretty well versed in police investigations and they can’t stop themselves from doing a bit of investigating on their own. They are going to have to kick up more than their heels to catch this killer.
This is the second book I have read recently that takes place in Paris. Mary McHugh does an excellent job or describing the “City of Light”. The dancers are staying in a rented apartment and their schedule leaves them plenty of time to see the famous landmarks and partake in some of the culinary delights from places around the city. They even take a trip to Versailles castle and gardens. I would really love to actually visit Paris someday. For now I have to settle for these virtual trips.
The mystery is fun too. Following the clues right along with the ladies. I figured it out a bit before them and I wish I could have let them know because one of them gets themselves into quite a pickle. The story wraps up almost too quickly for me though. I liked the way it played out but a few more pages of danger would have really added to the suspense level.
A very entertaining read with some tempting recipes and some amusing travel tips are included throughout the book.
About This Author
Mary McHugh graduated from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, with a B.A. in English literature and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. She is the author of the first two books in the Happy Hoofers series, Chorus Lines, Caviar, and Corpses and Flamenco, Flan, and Fatalities; 19 nonfiction books; and two other novels. She was a contributing editor for Cosmopolitan, an articles editor at Woman’s World, Travel Holiday, and Bridal Guide, and has written articles for The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, and Family Circle. She loves to tap dance and to travel—two passions that inspired her to write the Happy Hoofers series. She lives in the New York area.
Author Links:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22891459-cancans-croissants-and-caskets
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mary.mchugh.77
Check out the whole tour!
Tour Participants
September 1 – Brooke Blogs – Spotlight
September 2 – Booklady’s Booknotes – Spotlight
September 3 – readalot – Review
September 4 – Melina’s Book Blog – Review
September 5 – Frankie Bow – Interview
September 6 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too ! – Spotlight
September 7 – Laura’s Interests – Review
September 8 – Nadaness In Motion – Spotlight
September 9 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – Spotlight
September 10 – View from the Birdhouse – Interview
September 11 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review
September 12- Book Babble – Review
September 13 – LibriAmoriMiei – Review
September 14 – Deal Sharing Aunt – SpotlightDisclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
You had me at cancans. Love the dance.
Sign me up
I am so excited to read this book. I have just discovered cozy mysteries and am intrigued by everyone of them
I just discovered this series and have the first one ready to read. Looking forward to checking this series out. Thank you for the giveaway.
Cancans, Croissants and Caskets sounds like a fun read, and they get to travel! 🙂 I am looking forward to reading the books in this series. Thank you for the review and giveaway.
This is a fun series – thank you for sharing
Thanks for the giveaway! My mom loves this series and I’d love to win it for her!
I’m not sure if my previous comment went through. Paris is a great setting. Can;t wait to read it.
ann
I LOVE the Happy Hoofers!! What fun to travel and dance your way around the world!
A delightful concept for a series
Cancans, Croissants and Caskets sounds like a fun read. Mary McHugh is a new author for me … I’m looking forward to reading the books in this series. Thank you for the review and the this awesome giveaway
I enjoy series. Thanks for a chance to win.
This book sounds interesting.
I loved “Flamenco, Flan and Fatalities” and am really looking forward to reading this book as well!
I haven’t read any of her books but this sounds like fun. I’d love the chance to read it.
I am a sucker for anything French, so this book is very exciting to me! I am so in!
This sounds like a really fun cozy. Thanks for the opportunity.
I’d like to meet The Happy Hoofers and visit Paris. Sounds fun!
interesting characters
What a great title, oh how I remember the days of can-cans, I loved wearing them!
wfnren at aol dot com