Tag: JDP Press

Deadly Gamble: A World War II Mystery
by Kate Parker

I am delighted to welcome Kate Parker
back to Escape With Dollycas!

The Deadly Series

Anyone who reads my books knows that children and pets will not be seriously harmed, murder is off-screen, and sex is even more off-screen. While that doesn’t change, there is a danger that a long-running series (the Deadly Series is now eleven books and three short stories long) could become stale if the main character doesn’t change and evolve.

Livvy and Adam met in the first book, Deadly Scandal, after, and due to, the murder of Livvy’s first husband. They were married in book six, Deadly Darkness, and since then, they haven’t spent much time together due to World War II.

While Livvy is still determined to help the war effort, spending time with Anna awakens her maternal instincts. This marks our heroine closing in on her thirtieth birthday and her third wedding anniversary. In normal circumstances, she would have expected to be a mother by this time. She grew up in the interwar years, when the goal of nearly every woman was to be a married mother and homemaker. She was raised by her father, who grew up in the last years of Queen Victoria’s reign when they thought the old queen would never die and life would never change.

Livvy has grown up in a different time, marked by the slaughter of the Great War and the Great Influenza Epidemic. British society has changed. More women were single and needed to work to support themselves. Skirts were shorter; labor saving devices were entering the home. But the fundamentals, church on Sunday and children if the good Lord provided them, hadn’t changed.

What does that mean for Livvy in the rest of the series? The simplest solution would be for her to give birth soon after the end of the war when Adam, even if he remains in the army or the government, would be located in a place where they could establish a home. This would be the Princess Elizabeth model, who was a young Navy wife living with her husband on Malta with their two young children before she became queen.

Another would be for Livvy to have a child on an infrequent visit from Adam who is still off training troops away from civilization. This would require her to hire a nanny or get help from her best friend Esther Powell or her cousin Lady Abby Summersby in raising the child while she continues to work. Or Livvy would have to resign from work on the newspaper and from helping Sir Malcolm on his spying missions.

A third path would be for Livvy to postpone having children for a few more books, until she could be reunited with Adam in the latter part of the war when they could be reunited and living in Egypt, Palestine, or the Shetland Islands. Despite his injuries that keep him out of combat, Adam could be a desk officer in all of these places and probably more I haven’t thought of yet.

No matter which path the Deadly Series takes after Deadly Gamble, as the fortunes of war change for Britain, a desire for children will change Livvy’s path and should keep the Deadly Series from becoming stale. Who knows? A mixture of a couple of these paths could create more difficulties for Livvy and more fun for the reader. Would this allow the Deadly Series to grow boring? Never.

There’s four more years of war for Livvy to fight through and plenty of adventures ahead set in real locales and in real circumstances, sprinkled with imaginary murders.

Deadly Gamble by Kate Parker is the eleventh story in the Deadly Series of historical mysteries. It can be found in e-book and print at all your favorite online retailers.

Thank you, Kate, so much for visiting today!

Keep reading for more info about Kate’s new book, Deadly Gamble. 

About Deadly Gamble

Deadly Gamble: A World War II Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery
11th in Series
Setting – Lisbon, Portugal in 1941
Publisher ‏ : ‎ JDP Press (April 16, 2024)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 255 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CPW8GHT3

In 1940s Portugal, everyone is willing to trade secrets if the price is right.

Britain stands alone against the forces of Nazi Germany. Livvy Redmond is a young newspaperwoman determined to serve Britain’s spymaster in the face of danger. When she arrives in neutral Lisbon, she discovers a city full of spies, refugees, and the secret police.

At an elegant party to meet a double agent, Livvy witnesses him fall to his death from a balcony and must now determine what secrets he wanted to pass her. Further complicating matters, she must guard the man’s young daughter from sinister people trying to kidnap the girl.

Gambling on the assistance of British embassy staff, Livvy commits to uncovering the truth while keeping the orphan safe. With spies and traitors lurking around every corner, Livvy must race against time to learn the secret someone has already killed to keep hidden – and is willing to murder again to protect.

Deadly Gamble is the exciting eleventh book in the World War II mystery Deadly Series. If you like intrepid heroines, research-based history and clean reads, then you’ll love USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Parker’s page-turning mystery.

Great Escapes Praise for Deadly Gamble: A World War II Mystery
by Kate Parker

I loved Deadly Gamble! If you love historical cozy mystery books, I highly recommend that you read the book! The exciting plot, well-written characters, and beautifully detailed descriptions make this a must-read!
~CHRISTY’S COZY CORNERS

DEADLY GAMBLE is a riveting story of spies and intrigue in a city trying to hold on to its luster.
~Cozy Up With Kathy

Deadly Gamble is an enjoyable story with great characters, a well-plotted mystery, and realistic actions.
~Carla Loves To Read

Historical fiction, murder, and lovely characters. Parker provides the backdrop and her characters are well-developed. For anyone who likes cozy mysteries or WW II fiction, will enjoy this book.
~Christa Reads and Writes

About Kate Parker

Kate Parker grew up inside the Beltway, when DC was a sleepy southern city and you could walk along the sidewalk directly in front of the White House. Now you can’t get within a block of the White House, and it takes Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon to house even part of what the Old State, War and Navy building held. All this fed Kate’s love of history. With retirement, Kate moved to North Carolina and took up writing historical mysteries. Now with a career spanning over a decade, Kate is a USA Today bestselling author and the Deadly Series is her longest-running series. She lives with her daughter and a 110-pound puppy.

Author Links
Website    Facebook

Purchase Links
Amazon – B&N  – Kobo – Apple 

The Rest of the Series

Find all of Kate Parker’s books here.

TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops. 
April 16 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
April 16 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
April 17 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT  
April 17 – Teatime and Books – SPOTLIGHT
April 18 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 19 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
April 20 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
April 20 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
April 21 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 22 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
April 23 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT
April 24 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 24 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 25 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
April 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST

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