Tag: Kate Carlisle

Review/Giveaway – This Old Homicide by Kate Carlisle

Posted on By Dollycas 30 Comments on Review/Giveaway – This Old Homicide by Kate Carlisle

this old homicideThis Old Homicide:
A Fixer-Upper Mystery
2nd in Series
Cozy Mystery
Setting: California
An Obsidian Mystery (January 27, 2015)
An Imprint of New American Library
Published by The Penguin Group
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0451469205
E-Book ASIN: B00LMGLY0Q
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Contractor and part-time sleuth Shannon Hammer specializes in improving the quirks and flaws of the Victorian homes in Lighthouse Cove, California. The quirks and flaws of their residents are another story….

Valentine’s Day is approaching, and while Shannon is delighted to be friends with not one but two handsome men, not everyone in town is feeling the love. After her elderly neighbor Jesse Hennessey fails to make his daily appearance at the local diner, Shannon swings by his place to check on him. Not only does she find Jesse dead—of an apparent heart attack—but she also realizes that his home has been ransacked.

Someone suggests that a thief was searching for a priceless necklace Jesse claimed to have retrieved from a capsized sailing ship, but Shannon doesn’t believe it. Everyone knows Jesse had a penchant for constructing tall tales—like the one about him having a hot new girlfriend. But his death is soon ruled a homicide, and shady suspects begin popping out of the woodwork. When another victim turns up dead, Shannon is convinced she must find the killer before someone else gets nailed….

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Kate Carlisle has constructed another awesome mystery in the second installment of the Fixer Upper Mysteries.

Shannon Hammer is a very strong protagonist with job that keeps her on her toes managing several different construction work sites all at the same time. The life of a General Contractor means a lot of time traveling between sites, a heck of a lot of paperwork and a slew of phone calls but Shannon also has her own set of pink tools and she is not afraid to use them.   Mystery writer, Mac, has moved into one of the suites above Shannon’s garage and they are becoming a little more than chummy. Police Chief, Eric, is getting to know Shannon better too and doesn’t accuse her of murder this time, but he does try to tell her to keep her nose out of his investigation. This is a cozy mystery so you know that is not going to happen. Neighbor Jesse must have been quite a character with his tall and not so tall tales. Jesse was her best friend’s Uncle and she had known him much of her life and he has a special place in her heart and that just drives her to find out who killed him and why.

The author does any excellent job of storytelling. She drops a clue here and a clue there, hammers in a twist or two or three, and an extra little ghostly element along the way too, all to keep the reader guessing and fitting things together to solve the mystery right along with Shannon.

We also get vivid descriptions of the house being renovated and having worked in home construction and remodels I love those parts.

I guess it would be fair to say Kate Carlisle has nailed this story right on the head. I am looking forward to see what she has planned for the next Shannon Hammer project. I am sure she is already checking over the blueprints and getting the permits to bring us another wonderful mystery.

a perfect escape5 STARFISH

Dollycas
Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

Read more about Kate and the Fixer-Upper Mysteries at www.KateCarlisle.com!


GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the people at Penguin I have 2 copies to give away!
Contest is open to anyone over 18 years old
with a US or Canadian mailing address.

Duplicate entries will be deleted. Void where prohibited.

You do not have to be a follower to enter but I hope you will find
something you like here and become a follower.

Followers Will Receive 2 Bonus Entries For Each Way They Follow.
Plus 2 Bonus Entries For Liking My Facebook Fan Page.

Following the new Google+ Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book Fan Page
will earn you 3 Bonus Entries.

Pin this giveaway to Pinterest for 3 Bonus Entries.

If you publicize the giveaway on Twitter or Facebook or anywhere you will receive
5 Bonus Entries For Each Link.

Contest Will End February 27, 2015 at 11:59 PM CST
Winners Will Be Chosen By Random.org
Winners Will Be Notified By Email
and Will Be Posted Here In The Sidebar.

CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY FORM

Disclosure 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.”

Cruisin Thru Cozies, Giveaways, Reviews 2015, You Read How Many Books Challenge

Special Guest – Kate Carlisle – Author of A High End Finish (Review & Giveaway too!)

Posted on By Dollycas 76 Comments on Special Guest – Kate Carlisle – Author of A High End Finish (Review & Giveaway too!)

 

special guest blueI have been so excited about Kate Carlisle’s new Fixer Upper Mystery Series
and I am so glad to have her visit today!

kate-carlisle-bookshelf-web

Kate Carlisle’s Writing What She Doesn’t Know

From the time I was a little girl, I’ve loved books. More than just the content—the stories, the language, the knowledge—I loved the book itself as an object. I always volunteered to hang Dad’s dry cleaning so I could lay claim to the thin, white cardboard sheets tucked inside his dress shirts. I used them to make my own little books, beautifully decorated but blank inside.

9780451469199_large_A_High-End_FinishI moved on to take book arts classes at the local library and then at book arts centers. Writing the Bibliophile Mysteries with bookbinder protagonist Brooklyn Wainwright was a natural extension of a hobby I’ve enjoyed all my life.

The Fixer-Upper Mysteries? Not so much.

Shannon Hammer, heroine of A High-End Finish (November 4) and This Old Homicide (January 27), lovingly restores Victorian homes in the quaint town of Lighthouse Cove, California. While my father was a contractor and my brother painted Victorian buildings in San Francisco, I personally have no hands-on experience in that field. No, I have never restored a Victorian home. Or any home, for that matter. I had my kitchen remodeled a couple years ago, but I didn’t do the work; I just complained about how long it took.

queen anneWith the Fixer-Upper Mysteries, I’m writing about something I don’t know—for the sheer pleasure of doing the research. And I’m having so much fun, I almost feel guilty!

Through Shannon, we get to explore every nook and cranny of the fascinating Victorian homes of Lighthouse Cove, from the grande dames to the crackerboxes. When most people think Victorian, they think of Queen Anne style, but there are many styles of Victorian architecture. In the books, readers will have the pleasure of traipsing through strangers’ homes and through the history in each, all wrapped up in a quirky whodunit.

It’s unfortunate for Shannon that in A High-End Finish, she literally stumbles upon a dead body in the basement of one of her projects. And even more unfortunate that the victim turns out to be a creep she went on a blind date with the night before, a date that ended badly… and publicly.

I grabbed my purse and jacket and started to dash off—until I felt cold air hit my skin. I looked down to see my teal blouse rippling in the breeze. Jerry had torn it off my shoulder!

I turned back and yelled, “You big jerk!” I was so angry. He’d ripped my clothing! What a Neanderthal! I knew it was wrong, knew I had to shake off this negative energy, but I wanted to give him a swift smack across his big stupid head. Just walk away, I thought.

I started to move, but stopped when I heard another sound.

Applause?

Looking up at the pier, I saw two men rushing down the stairs toward me. The rest of the people standing at the railing were clapping and laughing and whistling. I even recognized a few of them when they waved at me. What did they think was going on here?

Jerry raised his head and glared at me. “You’ll be sorry for that.”

“Oh yeah?” I felt safer now that we were about to have company, so instead of slapping at him like I wanted to, I reached inside my purse and pulled out the only weapon I had on me. My pink needle-nose pliers. I leaned over and snipped them in front of his face a few times.

He recoiled. “Get that thing away from me!”

“Just a warning,” I said with deadly calm, furious with myself for ever believing that he might’ve been a nice guy.

So who do you think is the prime suspect when Jerry is found murdered the very next day? Especially when he’this old homicides murdered on one of Shannon’s job sites… and the likely murder weapon is one of the pink tools for which she’s known.

A High-End Finish is available now, so you have the chance to get in on the Fixer-Upper Mystery series right from the very beginning. I hope you’ll enjoy the stories and that you’ll love learning fascinating little tidbits about restoring beautiful Victorian homes.

Read more about the Fixer-Upper Mysteries at www.KateCarlisle.com!

~Kate

9780451469199_large_A_High-End_FinishA High-End Finish:
 A Fixer-Upper Mystery
Brand New Cozy Series
An Obsidian Mystery (November 4, 2014)
Published by The Penguin Group
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0451469199
E-Book File Size: 2220 KB
ASIN: B00JJXV8DC
goodreads-badge-add-plus

 

In the seaside town of Lighthouse Cove in northern California, everyone knows the best man for the job is actually a woman—contractor Shannon Hammer. But while Shannon can do wonders with a power drill and a little elbow grease, she’s about to discover that some problems aren’t so easily fixed….

Shannon’s home-renovation and repair business is booming, but her love life needs work. On a blind date with real estate agent Jerry Saxton, she has to whip out a pair of pliers to keep Jerry from getting too hands on. Shannon is happy to put her rotten date behind her, but when Jerry’s found dead in a run-down Victorian home that she’s been hired to restore, the town’s attractive new police chief suspects that her threats may have laid the foundation for murder.

Determined to clear her name, Shannon conducts her own investigation—with the help of her four best friends, her eccentric father, a nosy neighbor or two, and a handsome crime writer who’s just moved to town. But as they get closer to prying out the murderer’s identity, Shannon is viciously attacked. Now she’ll have to nail down the truth—or end up in permanent foreclosure.…

Dollycas’s Thoughts

An awesome debut!

With a bit of home construction work in my past and a person who has renovated a house or two I loved this story. Shannon’s dad had built up a very successful business and Shannon has stepped to fill his shoes nicely. Her love life is a bit of a mess and she has a friend whose main mission seems to be to find Shannon and any of her other single friends a man. You would think Shannon’s last date and the man ending up dead would get her to stop but it barely slows her down. Shannon does meet some very interesting men, the new police chief who is thinks she may have committed murder and a crime writer who first met her when she was looking her absolute worst. If she survives and the murderer is caught there may be some developments in the romance department but first things first. She needs to stay safe and the police chief needs to do his job.

These characters are absolutely wonderful. Shannon, her friends, neighbors and co-workers all look out for each other. That what small town life means. Sometimes it means a lot of gossip but most of the time it means helping in any way they can. Her dad and uncle can’t always be around because when the fish are calling it is time to go fishing. The chief just needs to get to know everyone better and the writer seems to be settling in just fine. She also gives us some very interesting unsavory characters, the creepy Jerry and a man who comes to Lighthouse Cove for 2 weeks every year and no one in town wants him as their guest. Sadly Shannon drew the short straw this year and he is staying in one of the suites above her garage. He is one who believes the customer is always right but he is so very wrong.

I especially enjoyed all the descriptive details of the houses, the lighthouse and the town of Lighthouse Cove. It is so important to have the foundation of the setting as the series continues.

As for the plot, there was a lot of action, plenty of suspects and a few surprises. It was a captivating cozy and thankfully we don’t have long to wait for the next installment. This Old Homicide: A Fixer-Upper Mystery comes out January 27. This girl, who had her own set of pink tools, gives this story 5 starfish!

a perfect escape5 STARFISH

Dollycas
Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

 

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the people at Penguin I have 2 copies to give away!
Contest is open to anyone over 18 years old
with a US or Canadian mailing address.

Duplicate entries will be deleted. Void where prohibited.

You do not have to be a follower to enter but I hope you will find
something you like here and become a follower.

Followers Will Receive 2 Bonus Entries For Each Way They Follow.
Plus 2 Bonus Entries For Liking My Facebook Fan Page.

Leave a comment for Kate  for 5 Bonus Entries.

Pin this giveaway to Pinterest for 3 Bonus Entries.

If you publicize the giveaway on Twitter or Facebook or anywhere you will receive
5 Bonus Entries For Each Link.

Contest Will End December 4, 2014 at 11:59 PM CST
Winners Will Be Chosen By Random.org
Winners Will Be Notified By Email
and Will Be Posted Here In The Sidebar.

CLICK HERE FROM ENTRY FORM

Disclosure 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.”

Giveaways, Guest Posts, Reviews 2014

Special Guest – Kate Carlisle – Author of The Bibliophile Mysteries – (Giveaway Too!)

Posted on By Dollycas 117 Comments on Special Guest – Kate Carlisle – Author of The Bibliophile Mysteries – (Giveaway Too!)

special guest blue

 

Tropical Hibiscus – a Rum Drink from Mystery Author Kate Carlisle

Author of A COOKBOOK CONSPIRACY

kate-carlisle-bookshelf-webAward winning author Kate Carlisle spent over twenty years working in television production as an Associate Director for game and variety shows, including The Midnight Special, Solid Gold and The Gong Show. She traveled the world as a Dating Game chaperone and performed strange acts of silliness on The Gong Show. She also studied acting and singing, toiled in vineyards, collected books, joined a commune, sold fried chicken, modeled spring fashions and worked for a cruise ship line, but it was the year she spent in law school that finally drove her to begin writing fiction. It seemed the safest way to kill off her professors. Those professors are breathing easier now that Kate spends most of her time writing near the beach in Southern California where she lives with her perfect husband.

 A lifelong love of old books and an appreciation of the art of bookbinding led Kate to create the Bibliophile Mysteries, featuring rare book expert Brooklyn Wainwright, whose bookbinding and restoration skills invariably uncover old secrets, treachery and murder. Find Kate online at www.katecarlisle.com.

It was a long, hard winter through much of the United States. I’m from southern California, where “winter” is just a word, but I had readers complaining on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/katecarlislebooks) of snow in the middle of April! One reader in Wisconsin even said that school was canceled in her town on April 19 because sixteen inches of sleet and snow had fallen overnight.

Sixteen inches! In April! Where were the gentle April showers?

But summer is finally here, and with it, the release of my latest Bibliophile Mystery, A Cookbook Conspiracy. To celebrate both events, I’ve come up with a delicious and refreshing summer drink. I’m calling it the Tropical Hibiscus because just after you pour the cranberry on top of the pineapple juice, the drink has the same beautiful bi-color look as a hibiscus flower in my neighborhood. (In this picture, my husband had stirred the drink, ruining the bi-color effect. What was I to do? Complain? The man was bringing me a drink!)

Before I give you the recipe, here’s a snippet about A Cookbook Conspiracy:

cookbook conspiracyIt’s a recipe for disaster when bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright is asked to restore an antique cookbook….

Brooklyn has always been a little obsessed with food, but it was her sister Savannah who became a chef, graduating from the prestigious Cordon Bleu school in Paris. She and her classmates all went on to successful careers, but none of them achieved culinary superstardom like Savannah’s ex-boyfriend Baxter Cromwell.

When Baxter invites the old gang to participate in his new restaurant’s gala opening in San Francisco, Savannah looks forward to seeing her friends, and even asks Brooklyn to restore a tattered cookbook—an old gift from Baxter—as a present for him. But Brooklyn immediately recognizes that the book, which has strange notes and symbols scrawled in the margins, is at least two hundred years old. She thinks that it probably belongs in a museum, but Savannah insists on returning it to Baxter.

Shortly after receiving the gift, Baxter is found dead, with Savannah kneeling over him, bloody knife in hand, and the rare cookbook has disappeared. Brooklyn knows her sister didn’t kill him, and she suspects the missing cookbook might lead to the real villain. Now Brooklyn will have to turn up the heat on the investigation before Chef Savannah finds herself slinging hash in a prison cafeteria.

 

tropical-hibiscusTropical Hibiscus, a Rum Drink Recipe

1 part coconut rum

2 parts pineapple juice

1 part cranberry juice

Pour the coconut rum and pineapple juice over ice. Stir, then add the cranberry juice for that beautiful bi-color effect. Enjoy!

~Kate

 

cookbook conspiracy

A Cookbook Conspiracy:
A Bibliophile Mystery
7th in Series
Cozy Mystery
An Obsidian Mystery (June 4, 2013)
Published by The Penguin Group
Jacket Illustration by Dan Craig
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0451415967
E-Book File Size: 589 KB
ASIN: B00CC126O8
goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47

 

 

It’s a recipe for disaster when bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright is asked to restore an antique cookbook….

Brooklyn is quite a foodie and having a sister who graduated from the prestigious Cordon Bleu school in Paris is fantastic as she isn’t much of a cook herself.

One of Savannah’s classmates, Baxter Cromwell, is opening a new restaurant in San Francisco and he has invited the old gang from Paris to participate in the Grand Opening. Savannah asks Brooklyn to restore an old cookbook that Baxter had given her years ago so she can give it back to him as a gift. Brooklyn realizes the book must be at least 200 hundred years old and it has some strange notes in the margins. This is a book that belongs in a museum but Savannah is determined to give it back to Baxter.

Derek and Brooklyn attend the grand opening and the food is delicious, each and every course. It was a wonderful evening until shortly after the restaurant closes and all the guests have gone. It is then Baxter is found dead, the cookbook is missing, and Savannah is found next to the body with the murder weapon in her hand.

Dollycas’s Thoughts
After reading Peril in Paperback a couple of weeks ago I couldn’t wait to start this book and I devoured it in just a couple of hours.

Savannah has brought Brooklyn a very special cookbook, steeped in history and full of interesting recipes and intriguing information. Information that brings Dexter’s brother, Dalton, to town. Can there really be two hunky handsome guys in this family? Oh my YES! He definitely needs to be in upcoming installments.

The girls “hippy” parents along with the rest of the Wainwright family return. Guru Bob also makes an appearance. I just love their mom with her spells and incantations. Now she is planning to study Exorcism! 🙂  

The authors creates a capricious group of supporting characters as well. Quite a blend of chefs that are so totally different and all of them seem to have secrets.

Kate Carlisle continues to deliver us marvelous mysteries and this is the best one yet. I highly recommend you add this one to your shopping cart today!

a perfect escape

5 STARFISH

Dollycas
Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

 

Would you like to win a copy of this wonderful book?

Thanks to the people at Penguin
I have 2 copies to giveaway!!

U.S. and CANADIAN RESIDENTS
You do not have to be a follower to enter but I hope you will find
something you like here and become a follower.

Followers Will Receive 2 Bonus Entries For Each Way They Follow.
Plus 2 Bonus Entries For Liking My Facebook Fan Page.

Leave a comment for Kate for 5 Bonus Entries !

If you publicize the giveaway on Twitter or Facebook or anywhere you will receive
5 Bonus Entries For Each Link.

Contest Will End June 20, 2013 at 11:59 PM CST
Winners Will Be Chosen By Random.org
Winners Will Be Notified By Email
and Will Be Posted Here In The Sidebar.

 CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY FORM

Giveaways, Guest Posts, Reviews 2013

Peril in Paperback by Kate Carlisle – My May Just For Fun Book!

Posted on By Dollycas 4 Comments on Peril in Paperback by Kate Carlisle – My May Just For Fun Book!

peril in paperback

Peril in Paperback:
A Bibliophile Mystery
6th in Series
Cozy Mystery
Obsidian (August 7, 2012)
Published by New American Library
A Division of The Penguin Group
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0451237620
E-Book File Size: 683 KB
ASIN: B007HU7M70

How to become the life of the party? First, survive the celebration…

Rare books and antiquities expert Brooklyn Wainwright is thrilled to be invited to the fiftieth birthday party of her neighbor Suzie’s aunt Grace. A retired founder of a major video game corporation, Grace is a larger-than-life character who’s turned her Lake Tahoe mansion into a fun house, full of everything from pinball machines and giant props to secret passageways and trap doors. Brooklyn is most excited to catalog Grace’s extensive collection of rare paperback pulp fiction.

Part of the fun involves a séance, but after the lights flicker, one guest is dead, poisoned by a cocktail intended for Grace. It seems someone is determined to turn Grace’s playful palatial estate into a house of horrors. Brooklyn suspects the key to the killer’s identity may lie in the roman á clef Grace has written about her life. With Grace in great peril, “must-read” takes on a whole new meaning, as Brooklyn tries to stop a murderer who’s through playing around…

Dollycas’s Thoughts
Grace’s house is amazing! If I had a room like the one Brooklyn stayed in I would never leave!! My kids are all gamers so they would love the entire house and my sports nut hubby would make himself right at home in front of the huge television. Oh if it were only real it would be a fantastic place to visit!!

In addition to our cast of favorites we meet Grace’s “friends” and family. They take quirky or eccentric to a whole new level. A couple are downright mean. Derek is off an assignment and only appears in the last few pages but he makes quite an impact. It also turns out Gabriel knows Grace so he shows up just in time to help Brooklyn deal with another dead body. 

This killer wasn’t an easy one to catch, so many suspects and a few secrets too. Add a snowstorm to the mix which keeps the police from responding and you have real mystery on your hands. 

I have enjoyed every book in this series and am mad at myself for taking to long to read this one. A Cookbook Conspiracy,the next book in the series hits bookstores a week from today. In fact Kate Carlisle will be my guest on June 6 to tell us all about it!

just you and a friend

4 STARFISH

Dollycas
Your Escape With A Good Book Travel Agent

*This book was from my personal collection.

just for fun 2013

Just For Fun Challenge, Reviews 2013
Eat, Drink, and Get Buried (A Coffeehouse Mystery) by Cleo CoyleBuy Now
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