Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
I am thrilled to welcome Lizbeth Lipperman back to Escape With Dollycas! Her Dead Sister Talking Mysteries are a little edgier than her Jordan McAllister Mysteries. I call them Cozies with a kick 🙂
GREAT FIRST LINES
Which one of you b–ches is my mother?
Wow! Is that a great line or what? It’s the first line of the Prologue for LACE
Four elegant, successful, and sophisticated women in their forties are called to New York’s Pierre Hotel to meet Lili — a beautiful, young, and notoriously temperamental Hollywood movie star. None of the women knows exactly why she is there; each has a reason to hate Lili and each of them is astonished to see the others. They are old friends who share a guilty secret and who have for years been doing their best to keep that secret quiet. Their lives are changed forever, however, when Lili suddenly confronts them. When the women refuse to answer her, Lili proceeds to travel around the world through the playgrounds of the rich and famous, seeking to answer the question that has obsessed and almost destroyed her.
From Paris to London, from the boardroom to the bedroom, Lace
I remember staying up half the night to find out the answer, but Ms. Conran didn’t make it easy. Chapter One began with the story of one of the women and moved on to each one as I hurried through the pages trying to find out which one had mothered this young woman. I wanted so desperately to cheat and skip ahead to the end, but I didn’t want to spoil it. The answer didn’t come until the last chapter. The book was made into a two-part miniseries in 1984, but it didn’t do it justice. The paperback is going for $29.42 right now on Amazon (Holy moly!) Although Ms. Conran wrote several more good books, none of them even came close to her genius in LACE
Why am I bringing up a thirty year old book, you ask?
Because every time I come up with a first line or a hook for my chapter endings, I think about this line. I ask myself, “Is mine as good as hers?” Sometimes, I surprise myself with a really good one, but most of the time I have to go back to the drawing board and rethink things.
I’m hopelessly stuck. Where is Shirley when you need her? (Probably across the pond since she’s a Brit.)
Two of my better first lines are:
Before the night ends, I’m going to have sex with a total stranger. (Mortal Deception
A pitcher of margaritas, a white sandy beach on the Pacific coast and a bunch of crazy women. Perfect for a killing. (Shattered
So, I need a little inspiration. Tell me some of the great first lines or hooks that have stayed in your mind long after you read the book. Who knows? Maybe I’ll have an ‘ah ha!” moment and can get started on ENCHI-LOTTA BODIES before panic sets in.
“Which one of you b–ches is my mother?” won’t work in my cozy mystery!! Darn!
~Liz
About This Author
Liz Lipperman started writing many years ago, even before she retired from the medical field. Wasting many years thinking she was a romance writer but always having to deal with the pesky villains who kept popping up in all her stories, she finally gave up and decided since she read mysteries and obviously wrote them, why fight it? She’s currently working on two mystery series–the Jordan McAllister Mysteries
She lives north of Dallas with her HS sweetheart hubby. When she’s not writing she spends her time doting on her four wonderful grandchildren.
Mission To Kill
(A Garcia Girls Mystery)
3rd Book in Series
Mystery/Women Sleuths
Setting – Texas
Publisher: The Story Vault (September 11, 2015)
Paperback: 284 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1517289904
E-Book ASIN: B015AOY4XY
Trouble follows the Garcia sisters, and this time a close family friend is in the hot seat. Once again they band together to come to his aid. But even with the trash-talking ghost of their dead sister, Tessa, making another appearance from the “other side,” they have their work cut out for them to keep their friend and sibling from wearing an orange jumpsuit.
After Emily Ruiz Santiago is killed in a shootout with police during a bank robbery in El Paso, Dr. Kate Garcia gets a call from a Houston lawyer. Seems the woman has left her sizable inheritance to Kate and family friend, Benny Yates, who runs the Mission of Hope, a soup kitchen for the down and out citizens of Vineyard. The problem is–the Emily they knew lived on the streets of Vineyard and died of a drug overdose three months before. Suspicion falls on Benny when another homeless person drops dead at the Mission, and he is listed as the beneficiary on the man’s recent life insurance policy.
The Garcia sisters go into sleuth mode once again to keep their friend out of jail, before they discover one of their own is also a suspect.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Lizbeth Lipperman had written yet another fantastic mystery!
I love Tessa and when she returns from “the great beyond” you know one of her sisters is in trouble. She drops in on Kate this time at a very inopportune moment, but Dr. Kate Garcia handles the surprise pretty well. That means Kate is the only one that can see or hear her. At that time they don’t know which of the sisters needs help but when Kate receives a call from a lawyer she knows it is her. A woman has died and left her and her friend Benny an inheritance. Kate and Benny are confused because the woman they knew was homeless, how could she have left the any money? The plot thickens when another homeless person dies and Benny seems to be the beneficiary of his life insurance policy. The Garcia girls have their work cut out for them as they try to sort through all the clues to keep Benny and Kate out of a 10 x 10 jail cell.
This is such a great series. Kate, Lainey, Maddy, and Deena are quite a force to be reckoned with, together and separately. Even Lainey’s husband, the town sheriff, knows no matter what he says or how hard he tries the sisters are going to butt right into the middle of his investigation. This makes for some thrilling moments and some hairy situations. Tessa is hysterical, she adds the comic relief that keeps everything balanced and in the cozier realm. The dialogue between all the characters is fabulous, quick and real.
I have to say the mystery was pretty tricky even after we get the first big clue. It was a twisty, topsy, turvey ride from the start to the finish. There is a subplot too that has the beginnings of a romance. I enjoyed this part immensely.
In Heard It Through The Grapevine
I have read everything Liz/LizBeth Lipperman has published and loved them all. She definitely is one of my favorite authors!
The Author is giving 1 copy of Mission to Kill
Print Copy or E-Book – Winners Choice!
Print Copy – U.S. Only
Contest is open to anyone over 18 years old.
Duplicate entries will be deleted. Void where prohibited.
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Contest Will End October 14, 2015 at 11:59 PM CST
Winner Will Be Chosen By Random.org
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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.”
Natalie’s favorite DVD right now, and then we attended a family housewarming party on Saturday where she continued to laugh and play. Nana and Papa also received many hugs, kisses, and “LOVE YOU”‘s. I see so much of Kris in her and so wish her was still here to hold her hand and take her places both real and imaginary. 
and thrilling suspense like 
Her unique style shines through every one.
