by Josh Pachter

KRL readers might perhaps know me as the editor of a recent series of “inspired by” anthologies: The Beat of Black Wings: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Joni Mitchell (Untreed Reads, 2020), Only the Good Die Young: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Billy Joel (Untreed Reads, 2021), and The Great Filling Station Holdup: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Jimmy Buffett (Down and Out Books, 2021).

About a year ago, I was talking with Only the Good Die Young contributor Jeff Cohen, and the conversation turned to the Marx Brothers, whose work I love and Jeff practically worships. One of us—he says it was me, but I’m pretty sure it was him—suggested there ought to be a book of stories inspired by the Marxes’ films, and by the time we hung up the phone, we’d agreed that I would roll up my sleeves and edit one.

The resulting volume—Monkey Business: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Films of the Marx Brothers—will be published by Untreed Reads on September 19, exactly ninety years to the day after the Chicago premiere of Monkey Business, the fourth or fifth film starring Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo Marx.

Fourth or fifth? That depends on whether or not you include Humor Risk, a silent film the brothers shot for the Caravel Comedy Company in 1921. Legend has it that Humor Risk was previewed once for an audience of children, who were so unimpressed by it that Caravel decided not to release it. No print of it is known to exist, and it remains today one of filmdom’s Holy Grails.

The first person I invited to contribute a story to Monkey Business was my friend Barb Goffman, who is well known and much lauded for writing funny. She told me she was happy to be asked, but admitted that she hates the Marx Brothers! I hadn’t known she was a Philistine, but I suggested she use Humor Risk as her inspiration. Since the film doesn’t exist, I reasoned, she could take her story in any direction she liked. Barb took up the challenge, and her story, which opens the book, revolves around the slapstick search for a reported long-lost print of the Marx Brothers’ first-ever film.

A dozen other writers—Donna Andrews, Frankie Y. Bailey, Jeff Cohen, Lesley A. Diehl, Brendan DuBois, Terence Faherty, Joseph Goodrich, Robert Lopresti, Sandra Murphy, Robert J. Randisi, Marilyn Todd, and Joseph S. Walker—contributed stories, and I wrote (as I did for Jimmy, Joni, and Billy) the title story myself. Some of the stories are LOL funny, while in others the humor is more subtle. There are tales of thievery, betrayal, espionage, deceit—and of course plenty of murders…at the opera, at the races, at the circus, and elsewhere. You’ll meet Marxian characters like Sidney P. Sturgeon, private eye, there’ll be pauses now and then for a completely gratuitous piano or harp solo, and even the Marxes themselves make an occasional cameo appearance.

If I say so myself, paraphrasing the great Groucho: outside of a dog, this book will be your best friend. (Inside of a dog, of course, it’s too dark to read.)

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters read by local actors. A new episode just went up this week.

You can use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Josh Pachter is an author, editor, and translator. His short crime fiction has been appearing in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and elsewhere since the late 1960s, and in 2020 he received the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s Golden Derringer Award for Lifetime Achievement. You can find him online at www.joshpachter.com.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

by Michael Van Buren

After almost exactly eighteen months, Mary Poppins is returning to the Golden Chain Theater’s stage. Caroline McDonald and most of the cast of over forty are returning to the roles they only got to play for one weekend out of the five planned for March of 2020 when the show had to be closed because of the burgeoning pandemic.

Director James Mierkey, expressing his feelings about bringing this show back to the stage said, “Musical theater is always about creating a magical relationship between the performers and the audience using the music and the story as the spell allowing all of the participants to be transported to a different world. Once in a while a show just comes together where that magic is very powerful. Golden Chain’s Mary Poppins was just such a show. Caroline (McDonald) was born to play the role of Mary Poppins and the whole cast had poured themselves into their roles. It was such a tragedy when the show had to be closed that we never let go of it. Sets, props, and costumes waited just as the performers for when this enchanting show could be brought back to life. We have spent the last ten weeks sprucing up the Bank’s home, dusting off the rooftop chimneys, and making the show even better than it was the first time. We could not be more excited to bring this experience back to our audiences.”

The Golden Chain Board of Directors and staff have worked hard to make sure that we are in compliance with all Madera County Covid-19 guidelines and will be closely monitoring updates from them to be sure we are adapting to changes in those guidelines. Patrons can find updated information on these measures and requirements for attendance on our website at goldenchaintheatre.org/covid-19.

The GCT family is looking forward to warmly welcoming back our patrons to the theater. We have missed you!

If you love local theatre, be sure to check out Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast, which features mysteries read by local actors. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and also on podbean.

Check out more theatre reviews & other local entertainment articles in our Arts & Entertainment section. You can also find more theatre coming up on KRL’s Local Theatre event page.

by Katie Lattari

In my debut thriller, Dark Things I Adore, an eclectic group of young artists forge deep and impactful connections with each other during the summer of 1988 at the Lupine Valley Arts Collective, a cloistered and prestigious arts camp in King City, a remote (and fictitious) town in Maine. Coral, Moss, Juniper, Mantis, and Zephyr (who all go by their camp nicknames), spend a dream-like summer together before one of them suffers an unspeakable cruelty at the hands of another in the group that transforms their collective dream into a nightmare.

Thirty years later, gifted painting student Audra Colfax lures predatory professor Max Durant to her home in (fictitious) Rockveil, Maine. Though Max believes he’s there to consummate the long-simmering sexual tension he senses between them, Audra has much darker, much more devious plans in mind for their weekend away. Because Audra knows a terrible secret from Max’s past, and now she has engineered every detail of their weekend away together with one aim in mind – to make him pay.

It’s no secret that Maine is a place of great interest and inspiration to authors of thrillers, horror, and mysteries (you may have heard of a certain hometown boy named Stephen King). There’s something about the dramatic landscapes – from rocky coastline to soaring ski mountains to lake-filled valleys to thousands of acres of untouched, unorganized territory that seems to call out to creatives of all types. Then there are also Mainers themselves – known, in broad strokes, for being independent, self-sufficient, and taciturn. A population seemingly hand-crafted for secrets.

I was born and spent the first eight years of my life in Brooklyn, New York. My family moved to Maine the summer before my third-grade year, and I’ve lived here – with just a few brief stints away for school – since then. My maternal grandparents had retired from Brooklyn to the Catskills in upstate New York when I was young, and when I first started writing this book, I had set the action there, feeling intimately familiar with that landscape. But something just wasn’t clicking for whatever reason. So, I changed the location from the Catskills to rural Maine, and that’s when the book really started to take shape. In the original version, the predatory professor was lured from New York City to the Catskills; in the final version of the book, he’s lured from Boston to Moosehead Lake – quite similar tracks. And yet.

I think there are a couple of reasons why rural Maine became the right place for Dark Things I Adore. To begin with, by the time I started writing the book, I had spent much more time in Maine than I had in New York, and so the vibe and landscape in Maine were much more known and available to me. I am inside of it, which, of course, is not necessary to writing a place, but it doesn’t hurt, either.

The second reason I think Maine became the natural place for me to set this book is that though the Catskills were rural and very different from Brooklyn, my grandparents’ house, their land, the town, were all intimately known to me since I was a baby. It was a place of safety, comfort, familiarity.

But darkness and quiet and solitude can take on less peaceful overtones when you’re somewhere totally foreign. When we moved to Maine, we settled for the first several years in Exeter, Maine, a farming town of about 1,000, where the general store sold shirts proclaiming that Exeter was a town where the cows outnumbered the people. The house was new. The people were new. The culture was new. Suddenly the quiet, darkness, and solitude of night felt eerie. Suddenly, every car that drove along our road in the wee hours of the morning, to me, must be a killer come to off us in the middle of the night, every sound that broke from the gaping silence a threat.

Who is that? What was that?

I remember being a very anxious eight-year-old in those first months, particularly at night when I could hear a lone car coming our way from a mile off. The growing noise of it against the silence felt like a countdown to something catastrophic.

In rural Maine, sprawling and separated, you realized how alone you really were. How on your own you would be if something ever went wrong.

Which is exactly the fear Audra wants to instill in Max in Dark Things I Adore.

You are alone. You are separated. You are mine.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters read by local actors. A new episode just went up this week.

You can use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Katie Lattari is a Maine-based writer holding degrees from the University of Maine and the University of Notre Dame. Dark Things I Adore is her debut thriller.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

by staff

Weekend getaways are the quickest way to give yourself a breather, as not all vacations need to be lengthy in duration. A 48-hour getaway is highly underrated- not only does it allow you to destress during a busy work month but it is also budget-friendly.

Got a long weekend coming up, and do you need a plan? Surprise your family with a spontaneous camping trip to the mountains, without having to worry about missing school or your work. Make a quick plan with your friends that you’ve meant to catch up with- a few hours out in the sun on a beachy resort to reminisce old days and make new memories.

We live in a busy world, where time is of essence and money is our pride. Most often, we don’t even have time to spend with ourselves. A two-day vacation allows you to reconnect with yourself and spend quality time with family. No matter how busy you are, it would help with quick getaways to rekindle the enthusiasm to appreciate life and healthy relationships.

And you know what is even more exciting? You can plan multiple getaways according to your schedule since they are neither time nor budget intensive. Weekend getaways are also much easier to plan. Keep on reading for our quick tips to make the most out of every minute of your miniature holiday.

1. Pick out exciting accommodations
Your little vacation does not always need to include hiking, trekking, and scuba diving. Maybe you are looking for serenity to unwind and relax this time. You can explore some fabulous hotels in your city or book a hotel closer to the refreshing beauty of nature. Avail activities your hotel has to offer- book a spa day or massage therapies to loosen that tense energy.

If you plan to opt for a similar adventure, we highly recommend checking out the beautiful cabins in Pigeon Forge, situated in the middle of the Smoky Mountains, for an extraordinary experience.

2. Pick a closer location
Weekend getaways give you an exciting opportunity to discover new and unexpected places. Hop in your truck with a few friends and take a free-spirited ride across the country road. You can choose to explore your city or pick a camping site nearby- smartly avoid airfares and jets in the process.

Choosing a closer destination will also save you from wasting away your limited vacation time on a bus, train, and aerial rides.

3. Give yourself a digital detox
Nothing life shattering will happen in the 48 hours you decide to take a holiday, so disconnect from social media. Turn down the notifications on your phone, leave your laptop and work stuff behind for two days. Take your time to relax and live in the beauty of the moment.

4. Grab a good deal
Be on the lookout for good flight deals, accommodation deals, excursion packages, and save up on money as well. Tourism around the world has seen a boom in growth. Noticing the increased interest in local and international tours has resulted in various travel agencies coming up with budget-friendly packages to make your traveling feasible.

Subscribe to their newsletters or follow them on social media to find exciting deals. Facebook and Instagram also manage to throw in some sponsored ads your way. Save them up for a suitable time when you can avail.

5. Ideas for quick getaways
If you have a destination in mind, then book it away. However, if you just spontaneously decided to leave your life for this weekend and scour the internet for ideas, we might be able to help.

• City Vacation- since it can get hectic and stressful to plan and enjoy an international trip in two days. However, if you can also squeeze in a Friday, you can go for a city tour! According to multiple surveys, the most popular cities for touring are Paris, Rome, and New York. Lose yourself to the exotic culture that they have to offer.
You can always explore your city, go to national parks, beaches, cinemas, and restaurants.
• Beach Parties– This is perhaps the most popular travel destination- be it your local beach or gaudy blue international waters. Ask anyone where they want to go for a short holiday, and they’ll mention the beach in some capacity.
In many instances, the beach is quite possibly the only natural tourist attraction in big metropolitan cities. You can enjoy it at the Hawaiian beaches or the city shores. Indulge in some water sports like jet skiing or sailing.
• Cruise trips– if you are in search of luxurious accommodations, entertainment activities, sightseeing, sailing, surfing, scuba diving, and fine dining all in one, in two days? Then we highly recommend you book yourself a cruise trip.
They are often pricey but worth all your money and time. Cruises have casinos, indoor pools, musical performances, sports activities, good food, and a plethora of activities to choose from.
• Camping– Second only to beach vacations in its popularity. It is the most beloved form of vacation amongst families. Kids enjoy the experience of setting up tents and sleep on air mattresses out the wilderness.
Camping is also popular among friends who love barbeque in the open, sing around bonfires, and stargaze at night. This proximity to nature refreshes the mind.
• Sporty Vacation– Are you into sports? Cricket, soccer, football, baseball, golf, horse racing, or any kind? You can book tickets to a game and support your favorite team! Most sports are adrenaline-filled, high-intensity power games that are always exciting to watch with your friend and family.
You can also plan a laid-back and cozy home watch with good snacks and drinks with your game buddies.
• Solo vacation– Looking for an opportunity to get out of your comfort zone? Solo traveling is getting trendy. Discover yourself anew by doing it your way. Meet new people and experience random things.

Get Set Go!
Short spontaneous plans are always the best type of holiday. They give you just the right amount of energy boost and also leave you wanting for a bit more fun. It keeps you focused and interested in planning out another getaway soon. Long vacations may turn exhausting or difficult to plan (financially or otherwise), but secret, random getaways can be the highlight of your year. You’ve got to plan, pack smartly, budget efficiently to make the most of your getaway.

Paid post

by Paula Hunsaker

Feral Paws Rescue Group in Fresno shares with us some of their animal rescue adventures every month. Check out KRL’s article about Feral Paws to learn more about them and check out their website.

Mathew is a very sweet loving seven-month-old Tabby kitty. Mathew found himself at CCSPCA, a high-kill shelter on August 27, 2021. He was in the shelter clinic just waiting out his holding time as a stray before being euthanized. Mathew’s time was going to run out at 4 p.m. on September 2, 2021.

You know the saying of being in the right place at the right time? That is the story of Mathew. I was at the shelter to pick up some cats that were tagged for our rescue, when a staff person told me about Mathew, that he was in the shelter clinic and was out of time, and was going to be euthanized at 4 p.m. Staff told me that he is very sweet, but he has what looks like a broken back leg. I was asked if I wanted to pull him since he is out of time and will be put down. I told her let me call my vet and see if I pull him can I get him into the vet today. So, I called and it just so happens that they had planned to do paperwork in the afternoon, so they didn’t set any appointments. I was told, if I pull him, to immediately bring him over to the office and the vet will look at him.

Matthew

I told the staff yes, I was going to pull Mathew. I asked if there was any medical information to take to my vet to look at, and I was told he wasn’t treated at the shelter clinic during those several days he was there. While driving to the vet office, Mathew was crying a lot like he was in terrible pain. After getting to the vet, and upon taking him out of the carrier, we couldn’t even touch his leg without him crying, because he was in so much pain. When Mathew would stand up his back leg would swing freely across his good back leg. I told my vet that there was no medical treatment given to him at the shelter, and that he was just in a kennel at the shelter clinic waiting for his time to run out and to be put down. My vet looked at Mathew and he told me, “That is no reason to put this animal down. He is otherwise healthy and a very young good-looking cat.”

Every time the vet touched his leg, Mathew’s cries were just heartbreaking; he was clearly in so much pain. So, we took Mathew back to do x-rays. Trying to take his x-ray and moving his leg around for the photo was just heartbreaking because of the pain. It was clear from the x-rays that his leg was broken. My vet was glad to see that the break wasn’t at a joint. After my vet studied the break, he said he was upset that this cat had been in a kennel since August 27 in this much pain without any medical attention. My vet then said since his afternoon was open, he would do the surgery right now.

Mathew was prepped for surgery that would take two hours to do. During surgery he was going to neutered him as well. The vet was going to go into the leg and pin the bones together. He assured me that Mathew should recover without any issues with his back leg. I got to go back and visit with Mathew after surgery in the vet’s recovery room. It’s horrible that he had to go through so many days of pain, and looking at him, I was glad I could help him move on to a much better life. Mathew will have a recovery time once he is back at the rescue, but the pain will be gone for this special kitty.

While he was in surgery, I looked at the time. It was a little after 4 p.m., and I thought to myself, if I wasn’t at the shelter at the right time and the staff didn’t tell me about Mathew, he would have been euthanized at 4 p.m. Instead, he is in surgery getting to begin a new life, and he’ll be looking for a forever home once he is healed.

Everything was meant to be for Mathew today. What were the odds that my vet had the afternoon open with no appointments? But other plans for the afternoon were perfect for Mathew and he truly is one lucky young kitty. Mathew had to stay at the vet overnight. I can’t wait to go pick him up and not hear the horrible cries from when he was in such bad pain. It’s rescue pulls like this that makes being in rescue so rewarding…to go that extra mile to save a life. I am very thankful that the staff at CCSPCA took the time to tell me about Mathew. Now he’ll get all the love and care he needs.

Check out more animal rescue stories in our Pet Perspective section & watch for more stories from Feral Paws every other month, and we would love to have you join our KRL Pets Facebook group. Advertise in KRL and 10% of your advertising fees can go to Feral Paws.

by Sandra Murphy
& Cynthia Chow

This week we have more mysteries for your September reading fun-A Time to Swill: Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mystery by Sherry Harris, A Few Drops of Bitter: A Savannah Reid Mystery by GA McKevett, and Claws for Alarm: A Cat Café Mystery by Cate Conte. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of all 3 books and links to purchase them at the end of each review–you may not be able to see the Amazon links if you have ad blocker on.

A Time to Swill: Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mystery by Sherry Harris
Review by Sandra Murphy

Chloe Jackson thought her life was in Chicago. A trip to Florida to check on her best friend’s grandma proved her wrong. Now she’s living in a beachfront property, working at a bar, and most surprising of all, involved in murders.

It starts out innocently enough. Like this time, it was a baby’s cry that led her to board a stranded boat which the outgoing tide pulled into the gulf before she could get back to shore. To make things worse, there was a huge storm and then…well, everything was a lot more complicated after that.

Chloe’s friend, Boone, left her part ownership in the bar which didn’t please his grandmother, Vivi. She’s by no means the ‘grandma’ type but a feisty woman with a number of loyal friends. When a murder happens, good and loyal friends stand together.

If that weren’t enough, Boone’s disreputable father makes an appearance. He’s the kind of guy who enjoys making trouble, for everyone else. He’s met his match in Vivi and Chloe.

This is the second book in the series. Chloe has adapted to life in the sunshine vs. snow, feels at home in the beach house, and comfortable at work now that she and Vivi are getting along better. Life as she knew it is gone, but she’s found her place in Florida. She doesn’t take unnecessary risks although sometimes danger finds her. Her friendship with Rhett aka ‘Rip’, shows promise, if they can both stay in one place long enough to find out if romance is in the air or if it’s just sea spray.

For summer fun without the hassle, grab a lawn chair, slather on sun block, stick your feet in the kiddie pool, and join Chloe at the Sea Glass Saloon in the Florida panhandle town of Emerald Cove. Be sure to have an adult beverage of your choice at hand.

Harris also writes the Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mysteries (nine). With both series, start anywhere but be prepared to want them all. You’ll often find these on my Best of List at the end of the year. This year will be no exception.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

A Few Drops of Bitter: A Savannah Reid Mystery by GA McKevett
Review by Cynthia Chow

At this point in her mature-ish life, Savannah Reid finds herself happily settled in with her marriage, career as a private investigator, and taking on an eight-year-old foster son. It didn’t take long for Buddy Greyson to enmesh himself into the hearts of Savannah and her family, even if the boy’s prankster nature has him mischievously swapping out cereal and cat food to provoke his loving and tolerating father. Their love for Buddy explains why San Carmelita Detective Sergeant Dirk Coulter and his wife find themselves attending an exclusive birthday party, one which Buddy adamantly declares they’ve been invited as guests. As it turns out, veterinarian Dr. Carolyn Erling was too polite to shatter her most enthusiastic volunteer’s expectations, meaning that they are rather out-of-place among the Lamborghinis and luxury cars parked in the exclusive Joya del Mar enclave. It quickly becomes apparent that the birthday boy in question has few friends and many enemies among the neighbors and guests, with the neurosurgeon’s arrogance having caused an abundance of confrontations. So when the guest of honor is found unconscious and not even the surplus of doctors in attendance can save him, there should be a bounty of suspects to choose from.

As it turns out, Stephen Erling’s long list of girlfriends and their furious partners take second seating to Carolyn as being the prime suspect. Unable to reject Buddy’s pleas to help, though, Savannah not only takes Carolyn into her home but accepts the vet as a client. Professional private investigator Savannah and her very capable staff are soon utilizing their skills to hack into and uncover the lurid secrets hidden by the victim with a God Complex. Of course Savannah already had her hands full planning her little sister’s wedding to a hunky movie star, although their beloved Granny Reid will ensure that they are all well-fed and Buddy never misbehaves too much.

After twenty-six entries into this series and three starring Granny Reid, these characters will be well known and familiar to loyal readers. New readers can still jump into this latest, though, which focuses on Savannah’s closest and newest family members. Super-smart assistant Tammy has her own new family with Savannah’s brother Waycross, while neighbors John and Ryan continue to run their in-demand high-end restaurant. With fewer of her assorted siblings in town to disrupt and cause chaos as they seek help from the big sister who raised them, Savannah is able to concentrate on completing her very loving and satisfying own new family. This series always brings a Southern flavor to the California setting, with the Reids serving up tasty comfort food along with delightful Southern wisdom. Animals, family, and, of course, a compelling mystery are the reliable traits of this rewarding and very entertaining series.

Claws for Alarm: A Cat Café Mystery by Cate Conte
Review by Cynthia Chow

Maddie James is living her dream, running a cat café and shelter out of her grandfather’s home on Massachusetts’s Daybreak Island. Co-owning JJ House of Purrs with her Grandpa Leo and chef Ethan Birdsong allows Maddie to offer customers tasty treats while also helping foster cats looking for their forever home. Her animal control officer friend has nudged Maddie into accepting a new litter that bumps up the feline residency to fifteen, pushing the limit of their ability to serve treats out of the adjacent café while also selling famous furry companion JJ’s line of JJ-branded merchandise. That helps to explain why Maddie is quickly swayed by celebrity philanthropist Jillian Allen, whose Shoreline Animal Rescue League attracts an enviable list of celebrity endorsers. Jillian proves to be an unstoppable force as she lures Maddie into throwing a mega fundraiser on Daybreak Island, one that will attract high-paying donors willing to pay the $1000 ticket prices. The two-week deadline has Maddie more than a little concerned, but by enlisting her event-planning sister as well as an assortment of other family members, Maddie and Jillian are certain they will have a feline-beneficial party of the year.

Less enthusiastic is Maddie’s childhood friend and volunteer Mish Warner, who is seen loudly arguing with Jillian and then ducking out of future meetings. That means that when they discover Jillian’s body strangled to death at the event’s pricey hotel, Mish becomes a top suspect due to circumstantial evidence and a lack of an alibi. Unable to leave the investigation alone, Maddie follows up on the unsettling interactions she witnessed between year-round residents and the wealthy seasonal visitors. Now that her retired Chief of Police grandfather has started his own private investigation business to fill up his free time, Maddie has an occasional ally although he also proves to be frustratingly discreet with his client list. A movie star who most recently – and appropriately for the theme – has taken on the role of the latest cinematic Catwoman, her equally attractive actor boyfriend, and the accompanying entourage set up conflicts and motives as clashes increase between the year-rounders and summerers.

This fifth in the series excels at building up a fully realized island community that is filled with Maddie’s expansive but very supportive family. Her being the oldest has her in full Big Sister mode, feeling responsible for all parties and trying to please everyone. A love of cats is, of course, the revealing trait that determines these characters’ moralities, which makes the fundraiser all the more complicated. The question of whether the money used to throw lavish fundraising parties could better be spent simply donating to the cause is handled realistically and thoughtfully, especially considering human nature and egos. While some people simply do good for good, others prefer to be rewarded and recognized for their goodwill. A heartwarming finale delivers not just a satisfying conclusion to the murder, but promises an optimistic future for these very likable characters. Hopefully, there will be another installment in the adventures of Maddie, Grandpa Leo, Leopard Man, and the rest of her furry and human family.

To enter to win a copy of all 3 books, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “september” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 18, 2021. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE THAT IT MAY TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. A new episode goes up next week.

You can use this link to purchase any of these books from indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, and KRL gets a portion of the sale:

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

by Lorie Lewis Ham

One of the wonderful things that the San Joaquin Valley has to offer is fresh fruit and vegetables–the City of Reedley is actually known as The World’s Fruit Basket. One way to obtain some of that delicious produce is from fruit stands in the area. Recently, we chatted with Reedley farmer and the operator of one of these stands, Liset Garcia, from Sweet Girl Farms. Sweet Girl Farms is a family business.

KRL: What is your background in farming?

Liset: Experience in farming vegetables and flowers for 2.5 years, but I have been in the Ag industry since I was a little girl. I would help my parents in the fields. My parents have been farming for roughly 15 years.

Liset Garcia

KRL: How and when did Sweet Girl Farms come to be?

Liset: Two years ago, Sweet Girl Farms surged after life-changing circumstances brought me back to the farm. Coincidently, my family was building a farm stand, which is now known as “Sweet Girl Farms” and is how the adventure started. There was no intention for me to follow my parent’s footsteps and become a farmer. It simply happened accidentally and has been a fulfilling career.

KRL: Do you grow what you sell?

Liset: Yes, and we also source from neighboring farmers when they have different commodities that seem neat to offer to the public.

KRL: What all do you sell?

Liset: Fruit, veggies, herbs, flowers, eggs, honey, jams & jellies, seasonal citrus juice, homemade salsas, handmade Thanksgiving flower centerpieces, handcrafted and fresh Christmas wreaths & garlands.

KRL: Wow that’s a lot! What is the mission of Sweet Girl Farms?

Liset: To provide local communities and visitors with direct farm fresh fruit and veggies.

KRL: What makes Sweet Girl Farms different from the other farms/stands?

Liset: Open year-round, videos/ tutorials on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, occasional night markets at the farm stand, custom flower centerpieces, bridal bouquets with farm fresh flowers, seasonal artisan holiday décor, and honey shipments.

KRL: Can you give us an idea of your prices?

Liset: Prices depend on commodity. You can check Sweetgirlfarms.com to see what is available and for purchase and pricing.

KRL: What do you like best about what you do?

Liset: Everything, but mostly growing and doing all the arduous work in the fields to ensure we have delicious crops. I enjoy seeing the changes that occur as seasons progress, and I continue to dial in on growing great vegetables, flowers and herbs.

KRL: What has been the most challenging?

Liset: The most challenging is dealing with the unexpected. Late spring, we didn’t anticipate one of our wells to go dry. Obviously, without water we can’t grow crops, so this year many vegetables were not grown or simply were roasted with the summer sun.

KRL: What are your future goals?

Liset: To continue being of service and benefit to the community by providing fresh produce.

Sweet Girl Farms
8358 S. Alta Ave.
Reedley, CA
sweetgirlfarms@gmail[dot]com
sweetgirlfarms.com (you can now also order online)
Instagram: instagram.com/sweetgirlfarms
TikTok: tiktok.com/@sweetgirlfarms
YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCbRLWl7XliBP2byAdjesnNg
Clubhouse: @sweetgirlfarms
Facebook: facebook.com/sweetgirlfarms

Check out more Reedley articles in our Reedley News section.

Lorie Lewis Ham is our Editor-in-Chief and a contributor to various sections, coupling her journalism experience with her connection to the literary and entertainment worlds. Explore Lorie’s mystery writing at Mysteryrat’s Closet. Lorie’s brand new mystery novel, One of Us, is set in the Tower District of Fresno and the world of community theatre!

by Kathleen Costa

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of One of Us, and a link to purchase it from Amazon, and other places.

One of Us Earns 5/5 Excaliburs…Engaging Mystery & Rich Characters!

When it rains, it pours: roommate moves, mortgage too expensive, animal rescue defunct, podcast not lucrative, and publisher says goodbye. This forces Roxi Carlucci to take cover and pack up her belongings along with her Excalibur replica sword, her well-worn copy of The Once and Future King, and her blue dumbo rat named Merlin and move to Fresno, California. She at least has an open invitation from her cousin and private investigator Stephen Carlucci along with a job if she wants, but to her this is ten steps backwards with an uncertain future and heat that would literally fry an egg in the shell. “Life sucked.” However, things are looking up since Stephen’s house is within a nice walk to the art center of Fresno, christened the Tower District, and she meets some friendly business owners and residents of the area; her cousin has even suggested she accompany him to the local theater and seriously consider getting involved with their new production. She isn’t new to the theater, but “involved” takes on criminal overtones when she discovers the dead body of one of the crew in a locked-room style mystery, and due to the preliminary evidence pointing to the handsome playwright, she joins her cousin in the official investigation…business cards and all. This valley town has a big city dark side.

Thumbs Up! Lorie Lewis Ham has rejoined the world of authors with the first book in her Tower District Mystery series using the common advice given to authors to “write what you know.” This does not necessarily mean criminal behavior, but setting, characters, and sidekicks are all areas one should have some familiarity. Lorie has set her edgy cozy in the Central Valley city of Fresno, near where she herself lives, with its diverse culture, its big city vibe and small town surprises, and in the summer, its extreme temperatures. All of this she describes well giving the reader an intriguing place in which to explore small businesses, family dynamics, mental health issues, social media, and murder. Roxi Carlucci is a delight with a clever perspective and an inspiring background of reinventing or relocating herself, but maintaining her true sense. She has endearing relationships with her cousin, her quirky friend Lucas Shum, and her new theater friends, and her passion with all things King Arthur is unique and sent me off to google the lore of Camelot. However, she has some issues that make her realistic from a family with criminal connections she wishes to avoid to the death of her parents at an early age and the suicide of her brother still raw even with years since his passing. She’s quirky in her own right with a pet rat Merlin, something else Lorie has familiarity, and the fascinating details about the domesticated blue dumbo rat also sent me to explore more about the breed and, although Merlin doesn’t hold true “sidekick” status, he is definitely fun! Lorie’s first book is a well-written, first-person narrative with entertaining twist and turns and a nail biting conclusion to keep readers engaged in the drama. Complex characters. Rich environment. Well-worth reading.

One of Us can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and for local readers you can find signed copies at the Book Barn in Clovis.

You can follow Lorie on Twitter @mysteryrat and learn more on her website. Lorie has done several recent guest posts where you can learn more about her writing and about One of Us. Sign up for her newsletter and keep up with upcoming books in the series and events.

Here are some of the places she has been in the past month if you would like to check out her guest posts:

Learn more about the setting of One of Us on Kaye George’s blog

Learn more about the pet rat in the book on Clea Simon’s blog

Read the first chapter of One of Us on Kevin Tipple’s blog

Find out the inspiration for some of the characters in the book on Miss Demeanors!

On In Reference to Murder, Lorie talks about writing and research

Lorie will be doing a blog tour starting September 15-we hope you will check it out!

You can listen to an excerpt from One of Us on a recent episode of Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast by clicking here or listening on the player below:

To enter to win an ebook copy of One of Us, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “one,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 18, 2021. US only, and must be 18 or older to enter. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters read by local actors. A new episode goes up next week

You can use this link to purchase this book from Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying year 2 of retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband of 26+ years.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

by Cynthia Chow

This week we have a review of Fatal Family Ties by S.C. Perkins, along with an interesting interview with S.C. Details at the end of the post on how to enter to win a copy of the book, and a link to order it from Amazon.

Fatal Family Ties: An Ancestry Detective Mystery by S.C. Perkins
Review by Cynthia Chow

While dining at Austin, Texas’s Big Flacos, professional genealogist Lucy Lancaster is descended upon by the unappetizing appearance of her former coworker Camilla Braithwaite. At least Camilla was only her third least-favorite research librarian from Howland University Library, where Lucy previously worked as their staff genealogist.

Camilla has come to ask her to research into the life of Charles Edward Braithwaite, Camilla’s fourth great-grandparent known as the America’s Last Civil War Soldier. Although Corporal Charles Braithwaite was renowned for supporting Black Rights candidates and opposing racial segregation laws, a journalist is publishing an exposé accusing him of being a lying deserter who profited off of speaking engagements. In addition to threats to rename the Park and the Elementary School named after Braithwaite, a Howland University PhD candidate intends to sue Camilla’s family for lost monies paid to Charles in 1925. Knowing how important family reputations and lineages are to heirs – especially for those tied to “the Late Unpleasantness” – not to mention appreciating the fees for a self-employed businesswoman, Lucy takes on the assignment for what she believes should be quickly resolved through military records and documentation.

The easy researching task soon becomes more complicated when Lucy and Camila discover the body of her Uncle Charlie – actually Camilla’s third cousin, twice removed – dead in his home. Unraveling the matter further is the valuable triptych of a battle scene painted by the first Charles Braithwaite, which while missing a panel makes it sentimental for the family. Secrets under the painting, a break-and-entering by Camilla’s ex-husband, fake texts, and loads of genealogical details make this a complicated and fascinating mystery.

Fans of genealogy and ancestral research will adore this third in the mystery series, as the procedures of tracking down family trees are made both compelling and comprehendible. That it covers the time of the Civil War only makes it more intriguing, especially as Southerners have very long memories tied to racial and family divides. Lucy’s family and friends reveal as much about Lucy’s personality as her witty narrative, not to mention her satisfying confrontation with the former library coworkers who made her feel like such an outsider. FBI agent Ben Turner continues to be the perfect boyfriend, providing advice and much-needed backup while still respecting her judgment and researching skills. Neil Patrick Housecat makes a delightful appearance as well, ensuring that this is very much a cozy mystery filled with suspense and a plethora of suspects. Now that Civil War allegiances are being re-examined and re-considered through more diverse and modern viewpoints, this mystery tackles a very timely issue in a thoughtful and still very entertaining manner.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Interview with S.C. Perkins:

KRL: How long have you been writing?

SCP: Like a lot of writers, I started young, with my first effort being an original poem that seemed very erudite to my six-year-old self. It was about my kitty cat. Then from high school onward, I really started to learn about writing. I took journalism classes, and majored in journalism in college. Most of my jobs have had a journalistic writing component, and I started writing my first novel in 2005—a thriller set in the world of show jumping. It’s still unpublished and needs lots of revising, but I’d love for it to hit shelves one day. After that I self-published a romance novel, choosing self-publishing because I wanted to stick with mysteries, and soon started on the book I couldn’t wait to write: the first book in my cozy mystery series.

KRL: When did your first novel come out, what was it called, and would you tell us a little about it?

SCP: My first novel is Murder Once Removed, which is a cozy mystery set in Austin, Texas, and featuring professional genealogist Lucy Lancaster. It was published in 2019 from Minotaur Books and is the first book in my Ancestry Detective series, where Lucy solves murders in the past and the present. There’s three books in the series so far and I have a blast writing them!

KRL: Have you always written mysteries/suspense and if not, what else have you written?

S.C. Perkins

KRL: What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?

SCP: I grew up hearing about my ancestry, and have several amateur genealogists in my family, reaching back to my late grandmother and great-grandfather. So, when I was thinking about writing a cozy mystery and wanted my main character to have a fun and interesting job, a genealogist immediately came to mind.

As for the setting of Austin, most cozies are set in small towns (and I love that aspect about them), but it wouldn’t make as much sense for my main character of Lucy to be too far away from physical research facilities. In Texas, Austin has some of the best. But what is even better about Austin is that it’s a very big small town. It’s quirky and interesting and is full of interesting people. Austin is a character in and of itself, and it also has great history to boot with being the capital of Texas, so it was a perfect setting for my series with a genealogist sleuth.

KRL: Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to experience from your work?

SCP: Growing up, my favorite books were all entertaining, but they also taught me something I didn’t know, whether it was about a profession, or a new country, or just an interesting fact or two. If I can entertain people when they read my books, and they come away learning something, too, that will make me the happiest writer in the world. It’s been so wonderful to write about genealogy and offer up a few facts about the process of researching a family tree along the way. I always say that if a reader comes away understanding what the term “once removed” means after reading my books, I’ll be thrilled!

KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing or just work whenever you can?

SCP: I try to write almost every day, even if it’s just a bit of editing or writing a couple hundred words, and I write wherever and whenever I can. That being said, I generally take Saturdays off unless I’m on deadline.

KRL: What is your ideal time to write?

SCP: While I’m a morning person in general, I tend to write best in the afternoons.

KRL: Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

SCP: I do write a synopsis for my agents and editor, and I will refer back to it on occasion as I write, but mostly I write the book from the beginning to the end, creating the story as I go and keeping the details all in my head. Once I’m significantly into the story, however, I’ll write out a basic timeline of events. Regardless, the farther along I go, both as an author in general and in my series, the more I will need to keep track, so I may have a different answer to this question in the future!

KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?

SCP: While I worked at the craft of novel writing for thirteen years before I learned I was to be published, my path to actually becoming published is a bit different than others. I was just beginning to query for my first cozy mystery, Murder Once Removed, when I submitted my manuscript to the 2017 Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Novel Contest. It was a long-running contest, and it came with a publishing contract from Minotaur Books. And I ended up winning! I’m still over the moon about it, too, and feel incredibly grateful and lucky!

KRL: How cool! Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you’d like to share?

SCP: Winning the Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Novel contest was a truly amazing acceptance story!

KRL: Most interesting book signing story-in a bookstore or other venue?

SCP: I’ve only had two in-store signings before the pandemic hit. But at my second one—at a wonderful independent bookstore in Austin called BookPeople—I met a woman who came to my signing as a curiosity when she heard my series was about genealogy, but it turned out we were distantly related!

Even if it’s through venues like my Instagram page or Facebook author page, the reader interaction I’ve had has been absolutely wonderful. They love telling me about their family trees, and I love hearing (or reading about) their genealogy discoveries.

KRL: What are your future writing goals?

SCP: My goal is to keep writing books that are fun, entertaining, and interesting. I would love for readers to see my name on a book cover and know that the book will be a good, comforting read with, hopefully, a surprise or two to make the read all the more engrossing!

KRL: Who are your writing heroes?

SCP: There are so many I could list! But two of my early writing heroes are James Herriot and Dick Francis. Their writing is as solid and inspiring to me today as it was when I was first being awed by their books.

KRL: What kind of research do you do?

SCP: I love research and sometimes it’s hard for me to stop! These days I mostly research off the internet like most of us do, but I’ll also hunt down some interesting books in the library when I need to. I tend to do a fair bit of research up front so that I can write a solid first draft with good details. However, I tend not to research too much while I’m actually writing because of said confession about it being hard to stop…Then, in subsequent drafts, I do more researching and further expand on the facts and information I already have. I also conduct interviews with experts whenever I can, and those are great fun as well.

KRL: What do you like to read?

SCP: My favorites are, in no particular order: historical mysteries, romance, thrillers, historical fiction, spy fiction, and, of course, cozy mysteries. As I have a love for history, anything where I learn about events of the past fascinates me, whether in fiction or non-fiction.

KRL: What are your favorite TV shows or movies?

SCP: In TV and movies both, I’m a lover of comedies and period dramas and/or period romances, with the occasional police procedural (TV) or action movie/superhero movie thrown in the mix. Some of my favorite TV shows have included Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Big Bang Theory, Schitt’s Creek, and Downton Abbey. I’ve also gotten into the Marvel movies as of late, and of course, I love the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, and any Jane Austen or Agatha Christie adaptation. And most of what PBS Masterpiece airs is a favorite, too. Whatever it is, I love watching good characters with smart dialogue—and I’m a sucker for a happy ending!

KRL: Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

SCP: My main advice has been the same for years: Learn how to be edited, and be willing to revise. Until you have a publisher, be willing to pay to have your work professionally edited by a freelance book editor who specializes in your genre. And keep revising until your book is the best it can be. Also, when the world returns to normal, consider going to writers’ conferences like Bouchercon, Malice Domestic, Left Coast Crime, Killer Nashville, and others. Go to the panels, listen to what other authors and industry professionals are saying, and ask thoughtful questions. Also, there are tons of amazing classes being taught online that are so helpful to aspiring writers. But most of all, be willing to be edited, and be willing to revise.

KRL: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

SCP: I am deaf in my left ear. I lost my eardrum as a child due to an incident with an insect (eww, I know), and despite two operations, my hearing and my eardrum never recovered. So, if you meet me in person and my response to a question you ask doesn’t quite line up with the subject, it’s very possible I accidentally misheard you!

KRL: Pets?

SCP: At the moment, I am sadly without any pets, but I’m a huge animal lover and have had dogs, cats, and horses my whole life. I hope to have another pet soon, but until I do, I’ll enjoy writing pets into my books.

KRL: Is there anything you would like to add?

SCP: Just that this was a very fun interview, and thank you so much!

KRL: You are very welcome! Thanks for joining us today. Website? Twitter? Facebook?

SCP: My website is www.scperkins.com.
@SCPerkinsWriter is my handle on all social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, and BookBub.

To enter to win a copy of Fatal Family Ties, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “family,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 18, 2021. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE THAT IT WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters read by local actors. A new episode goes up next week.

You can use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

by Sarah A. Peterson-Camacho

Becoming a band in the middle of a pandemic might seem like a long shot to some, but to the members of Fresno band LaVida, it’s been more of a sure shot instead. Weaving together a variety of musical styles and beats, vocalist/bassist Jared Cato, guitarist Christian Viscarra, and drummer Miguel Padilla have crafted a genre of their very own.

KRL: How long have you all been performing? How did each of you get your start?

Jared Cato: I’ve been performing on and off for twelve years; I got my start in Clovis High’s Marimba band, but have largely played live the last five years, on and off, with the band members I play with now.

Christian Viscarra: I’ve performed with the same group of guys, on and off, for the past 4-5 years. We got our start by looking for people with the same musical interest, but wanting to play different genres of music.

Miguel Padilla: I’d performed with a previous band called The Media; our singer at the time was looking for bandmates to play in Fresno at a small event. We only had one day before the gig to learn the songs.

LaVida-From left to right is Miguel Padilla, Jared Cato, Christian Macedo

KRL: When was LaVida founded, and how long have you been with the band?

Miguel: As LaVida, we became a band at the beginning of this year, in February.

KRL: What is each of your musical specialties (instruments, vocals)?

JC: I play bass and vocals—my musical specialty is actually percussion. Although I happen to know how to sing very well, it isn’t my forte onstage, and only recently have I begun to sing live in front on a crowd.

CV: I play guitar.

MP: My musical speciality would definitely be the drums; I like to play guitar and piano, and I sing a little bit, though not a great singer…I’m also an audio engineer.

KRL: What music genres does LaVida specialize in?

CV: LaVida is a fusion of different genres like rock, funk, and with a heavy Latin influence.

JC: Personally, I would classify LaVida as pop/funk rock, with Latin inspirations, as well as Latin pop, in some cases.

MP: In the band, we really try to be diverse in different genres; we like to experiment with rock and funk, or alternative with funk; we are really open to trying different styles.

KRL: Whose music has influenced the band the most?

MP: We like to listen to Santana, War, and other funk bands, and make something of ours that sounds very unique.

CV: My personal influence is Carlos Santana.

KRL: Did each of you always want to be a musician?

JC: I have always wanted to be a musician, but haven’t really believed in the ability to be able to make a living as one. If I can sort my bills and household welfare as a musician, my goals, as a musician, would be halfway complete.

CV: I didn’t have a passion for music until I started playing the guitar in high school.

MP: I had always wanted to be a musician when I was younger—I’d really wanted to play guitar, but instead I taught myself how to play the drums by listening to music and drumming along with the songs; I kept practicing until learned to play more complicated music.

KRL: Who did each of you listen to while growing up? Whose music has inspired you the most?

CV: Growing up, I listened to a lot of hip hop; Lil Wayne, Drake, and Weezer were always dope to me. But, it wasn’t until high school that I started to listen to artists like Jimi Hendrix, RHCP, and Sublime.

MP: The bands I listened to growing up were Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mike Stern, The Dave Matthews Band, and Alice in Chains…The Dave Matthews Band has been a really big inspiration; I love how they can be really diverse.

JC: Growing up, I listened to a lot of hard rock and metal. As an adult, I would grow to lean on jazz and Latin music, heavily Brazillian, and African world music as my inspiration, as well as hard blues/funk/rock, as you can hear in some tracks.

KRL: Where has LaVida performed locally?

JC: We’ve performed under a few different names over the years, and that has led to almost the entire Central Valley, but under LaVida, we’ve played from Fresno to Tulare, with our biggest gig being over a thousand people in Reedley.

CV: LaVida has performed at Barmageddon in Tulare, and at the Wakehouse, during a Valley Fight Series event.

KRL: How has the pandemic affected LaVida? What challenges has the band faced?

CV: The pandemic actually gave us an opportunity to get our group together, and use the time we had during quarantine to work on our music and image.

MP: The pandemic hasn’t affected the band a whole lot; we have spent most of the time recording new songs. The challenge we face is playing live because not too many places are able to have an event, or have bands play.

JC: So far, the ensuing pandemic hasn’t affected LaVida much because we were not active beforehand. We have recently gotten back together, and the call for live shows is very great now—in large difference to what we thought was possible at the time of planning, considering the second mutation/wave of the virus.

KRL: What projects/performances are you each most proud of?

JC: So far, personally, my most exciting project is the song “Give it to You” (however, “Start Living” is our greatest band effort). “Give It to You” was written by myself, with the guitar part mostly written entirely by Christian. The song was made without a guitar part, so the song as a whole was made possible by the band at large. At the same time, “Start Living” was an older project that was heavily rearranged by the entire band, remade to what it is you hear by LaVida.

CV: “Start Living” is my favorite project that we worked on.

MP: “Give It to You” is the project I’m most proud of because it’s a song that is sweet and simple…when we performed it, people really liked the song, and we just hammered that show…

KRL: What is the best thing about making and performing music?

CV: Being able to show who I am through my music is the best thing about making and performing music.

MP: The best thing about making and performing music is having fun: to feel the music and to be inspired.

JC: As a person of passion and a musician, the best thing about making and performing music is MAKING, and then PERFORMING music. To be able to share your passion with the world as we know it, and the chance of one’s music being able to reach the far sides of the globe, and enjoyed by such—it’s a feeling that cannot be put into words.

Keep up with LaVida on their Facebook page and check them out on YouTube.

Sarah A. Peterson-Camachois a library assistant with Fresno County Library, with a Bachelor’s in English and a Bachelor’s in Journalism from California State University, Fresno. In her free time, she makes soap and jewelry that she sells at Fresno-area craft fairs. She has written for The Clovis Roundup and the Central California Paranormal Investigators (CCPI) Newsletter.

by V.S. Kemanis

Boots firmly planted, Lucy Pitts gazes east from the summit and declares to the newly risen sun, “There is no better place than this.” Below the hilltop of dry grass, her two-point-five acres abound with California natives: manzanita, thimbleberry, madrone, bay laurel, and live oak. Rooted like another wild native, the century-old redwood structure unashamedly shows off its mossy shingled roof.

West of the house, oaks partially obscure Lucy’s view of the chicken coops and organic garden. “The Stretch,” as she calls the leveled area, is about half the size of a soccer field cut lengthwise, buttressed by a retaining wall. Now, starting her second summer at Three Bounty Lane, the garden is thriving, richer for her infusions of organic waste and mulch. Furthest west, around the curve of the hill, a trio of non-native eucalyptus trees borders the top of the driveway. Despite her naturalist leanings, Lucy resists the movement to clear cut these “invasives.” They’ve been here forever, and their aroma is divine.

“Thank you, Daddy. Thank you, Mamma,” she whispers to the heavens. “Thanks also to Grandpa, maybe.” She met her Texas grandparents only once, when she was four. A few vivid images remain. An interminable car trip from cool, foggy Berkeley into endless heat and emptiness. Along the way, curious strangers stared, their eyes ablaze with hostility. Grandpa’s eyes, the same, Grandma’s a bit softer. Lucy clinging to Mamma, confused and scared. Daddy, on the car trip home: “We can’t live anywhere but Berkeley.”

Ten years ago, they were astonished to learn, against all expectations, that Grandpa forgot to disinherit Daddy. Long after Grandma died, the Texas oilman lingered to the age of 99, leaving astronomical worldly wealth to his only living son. Retired and leading a quiet life, Daddy and Mamma, then 76 and 81, respectively, weren’t inclined to change their lifestyle or manage all that money. Mamma died a year later, and Daddy stayed on in their little stucco house in the Berkeley flats, growing despondent and frail. His health paid the price of hard living in the hippie years, the activism, the dabbling in drugs, the packs of Kools when smoking was cool. Lucy changed her life to care for him, giving up her career as a high school biology teacher. Meanwhile, they entrusted the family wealth to a financial manager.

When Daddy passed, Lucy knew how to spend her inheritance: Charities. Children, Animals, the Environment—and plenty left over to indulge her passion for growing things. The Berkeley damp and fog stunted her garden in Daddy’s backyard. Sunlight was needed. She moved here, to the other side of the Berkeley hills where the fog doesn’t roll over from the Bay.

“Are you crazy?” Lucy’s cousin, Jerome, wasn’t impressed when he first visited, the week after she moved in. “At your age, you want to live on this hill?”

“For gosh sakes! I’m a healthy 52, not 92!”

Jerome was still out of breath from hiking up the twisting pathway through the oaks. He’d parked his car in the notch next to the mailbox, not daring to drive up the precipitous, narrow driveway. Lucy had warned him. One false move and the car would go over the cliff. The single narrow space at the top is taken by her own car, a petite, preowned Toyota Tacoma pickup. It’s still a trek to the house, west end to east, but it’s level through The Stretch.

“You’re strong,” Jerome agreed. “But, I’m wondering,” he glanced around, “what’s the attraction in all…this?” They’d just entered the kitchen through the “backdoor.” Lucy usually left it open with the rusty screen door in place to keep out bugs. The odd layout placed the kitchen closest to the top of the footpath and the real front door on the far side of the house. Jerome’s roaming eye dropped to the cracked and chipped linoleum squares, which may have been a do-it-yourself home improvement, circa 1980. “I think you can afford something in better condition.”

This is what two million will get you nowadays, she could have said, or about five thousand in 1920. The acreage is the attraction. Any other buyer would raze the structure and build anew. Three Bounty Lane was originally a summer cabin for wealthy San Franciscans in the Roaring Twenties, not meant for year-round living. Rays of sunshine slice the interstices in the exterior, and the house can get mighty chilly in the winter. But the large hearth in the living room keeps Lucy cozy enough. She doesn’t want to change a thing. Charm and challenge.

Despite her cousin’s skepticism, he thoughtfully refrained from taunting, “I told you so,” during their recent phone call. “It’s not so bad,” she reassured him—and herself. So far, she’s been spared most of California’s Triple Threat: earthquakes, fires, and mudslides. But a rare heavy rain in late spring caused a tiny mudslide from the slope near the top of the driveway. She shoveled the mud herself.

“You think we need a retaining wall for that slope?” she asks her Golden Retriever. Tilting her head down, she meets Golden Lady’s warm brown eyes. “‘No,’ you say? This place only needs our love.” An appropriate thought for Loving Day.

She gazes out to the horizon another minute and says, “C’mon, Lady. Time to get back.” They’ve honored this occasion with a brisk walk to the summit, to commune with her parents’ spirits in the glory of the rising sun. June 12 is a special day to pause, remember, and send a prayer of change to those who still can’t see beyond the surface. Lucy’s parents, besides the immediate superficial contrasts, defied every societal expectation. Mamma was five years older than Daddy, four inches taller, and had a Ph.D. to his B.A.

Lucy is nearly six feet tall, like Mamma. Sturdy, long legs take her swiftly down the hill, Lady heeling gayly. The day promises to be beautiful and temperate, perfect for her morning workshop. Three ladies are coming today, Delia, Lois, and Carmen. A few men have taken her organic gardening classes, but most are women with school age children. Carmen defines her own category: single, a public servant who works graveyard shifts. Lucy’s morning classes are an after-work activity before her bedtime.

Near the front door, Lucy stops at the large patch of native lupines, wild rose, and monkey flower. “They’ve spread so nicely.” She stoops to pick a few, but Lady is impatient, whimpering plaintively. “I know! Breakfast time. I bet Dylan and Dusty are waiting.”

In the kitchen, the Siamese-mix sisters each take a leg, rubbing and meowing in anticipation. Lucy puts three bowls down and delights in their pleasure, heads bobbing, jaws working. She turns to the window ledge, pours a cup of sun tea from the glass jar, and toasts a piece of wheatberry bread, adding butter and homemade elderberry jam. This recipe is the best, perfect for her jam-making workshop in the fall.

#

Carmen lingers after the others have gone. They stand on the garden path between the nascent red leaf lettuce bed and the fenced chickens. A sudden squawk erupts from a smattering of gentle clucks, spurring them toward the house, away from the unpleasant odor of the coops.

“I wanted to ask you something, Lucy.” They stop in the edge of sunshine before entering the shade of trees. A hot gleam glances off the crown of Carmen’s head, her thick black hair slicked into a ponytail. Lucy tips her head down to find her eyes, but Carmen is distracted, unbuttoning the left breast pocket of her plaid shirt. She pulls out a small plastic sandwich bag. “Do you know this species of plant?”

Lucy holds the bag by its closure and examines the contents. “A hillside gooseberry. Ribes californicum.”
“It’s very pretty, but so many spines! On the branches and berries.”

Lucy hands it back. “Scary looking berries, aren’t they? They’re edible, but I would leave them for the hummingbirds. Other varieties of gooseberry make wonderful jams.”

They walk under the oaks, and near the kitchen door; Lucy asks, “Would you like to come in for tea?”

“That…would be nice.” Carmen hesitates. “But I have errands to run.” She places a hand on Lucy’s bare upper arm and says, “Thank you.” Turning away, she flies down the footpath, ponytail bobbing.

Touching the imprint of Carmen’s hand, Lucy watches the zigzagging figure as she darts through the trees, gaining distance, becoming ever more elusive.

#

Twenty minutes later, preparing lunch at the kitchen counter, Lucy falls into a daydream, seeing the women’s faces, Carmen’s foremost, hearing the echo of their chatter. She pivots to the fridge, and “Oh!” Her hand flies to her throat. A man is on the other side of the screen door, looking in.

“I’m sorry,” he says.

“You startled me! I didn’t hear you come up.” Belatedly, Golden Lady trots into the kitchen, ears pricked. Lucy strokes the dog’s head down to the collar and grabs it, a gesture of reassurance and restraint.

“Very sorry, Ms. Pitts. I should have called, but I didn’t have your number.” His voice is stilted, almost robotic.

He knows my name. But of course, it’s on the mailbox. “How may I help you?” His face is pixelated by the tiny squares of the screen.

“Maybe you don’t remember me? Clay Mortenson.”

She takes a moment. “Yes! Mr. Mortenson.” Still, she can’t picture him in that conference room, almost two years ago. Maybe if she opens the door…

Now inside, he offers a thin-lipped smile, more of a grimace, an application of nervous pressure, top lip to bottom. The expression is familiar, but not the thinning hair, grown to collar length with spikey strands stuck variously across a high forehead. Maybe she wasn’t paying attention to him that day. Six people attended the closing: Lucy and her attorney Stella Ackers, Mr. Mortenson, his attorney, a representative from his bank, and a real estate broker.

Papers and signatures galore, checks flying, a mortgage payout to Mortenson’s bank, the balance to him. An exciting day for Lucy, who, even on the most ordinary occasion, will glean the substance of a person’s character before noticing the physical details. This man, a little older than her and about her height, exudes a recognizable essence. His shoulders curl forward, shrinking him an inch, a posture of self-protection or concealment.

He glances around the kitchen and along the floor. “Looks just the same.”

“Yes. I haven’t done much.” An awkward silence. Lady is calmer, sitting on her haunches, tongue hanging, tail sweeping the floor.

“Your dog…?”

“Meet Golden Lady. Not much of a watchdog, is she? Never barks at strangers. Would you like some sun tea?”

He looks where she indicates and says, “No, thank you. I just came to…”

“Take a trip down memory lane?”

“Kind of. It’s an anniversary of sorts.” He falters and stumbles on a word.

Lucy’s guard softens. The man seems out of sorts. “Why don’t you come in for a minute?” She motions toward the living room.

He nods and precedes her outstretched hand. “I always loved this room,” he says as they enter.

The living room is the most impressive room of the house, with its broad stone hearth and redwood rafters running horizontally under a high, peaked ceiling. The visitor’s eyes dart warily to every surface and corner. They sit in easy chairs, opposite each other. The couch is already occupied by the cats. Dylan lifts her sleepy head for a half-lidded glare at the intruder. Lady, the straight-spined sentry, dutifully sits at Lucy’s feet.

“Quite a few animals,” Mortenson says.

“Got to have mousers, as you must know. This place attracts field mice.”

He emits a snort, possibly meant as a chuckle. “I imagine the animals are good company too, for a woman living alone.” His pitch rises, making it a question.

No need to confirm the obvious. He was the sole title holder who sold the house to the current, sole title holder. To be polite, she sweeps a glance at her animals and says, “Just me and my girls. So, you were saying it’s an anniversary?”

“Yes.” He clears his throat. “You might remember the disclosure statement at the closing?”

“All five hundred pages of it!” She laughs. Lady’s tail sweeps the carpet. Dusty stretches her front legs and opens her jaws in a cavernous yawn.

“That’s California law for you.” He looks down at his feet. “One of the disclosures was about a substance on the land.” His head bobs up, and he levels a stare. “Human remains.” She pulls back, involuntarily. Quickly, he adds,
“Ashes, from a cremation,” and looks down again.

Lucy relaxes. This is no surprise. At the time, the disclosure added to her affinity for the property. Only months before, with Jerome and his family, she sailed out on the San Francisco Bay and scattered her father’s ashes. If she’d known she would buy this place, she might have saved his ashes for the garden. Dust to dust, life from death.

“A family member?” she asks now.

“My mother. It was this week, five years ago, that she died.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. So, this is a pilgrimage, in remembrance.”

He seems relieved that she understands. “Yes. I don’t want to be a nuisance, but may I…?”

“Visit the site?”

He nods. “I brought something of hers to bury there. A small pendant.”

An interesting ritual. Lucy feels no similar urge with respect to her father, but maybe that’s because she has a freedom Mortenson lacks. She can sail on the bay whenever she wants, but his mother is part of a property he no longer owns. What’s the harm, letting him push a trinket into the ground? Her ground. “By all means, go right ahead.” She stands, prompting him to do the same. She’s anxious to end this.

“Actually, it’s a locket.” He pulls the item out of a pants pocket. “With a family photograph inside.” He opens it and exclaims, “Oh!”

“Something wrong?”

“I-I meant to—I was sure I put the photo inside.” He looks up and into the distance. “I suppose I could just…”

Is this really so important to him? “Come back, then, another time.”

“Really? You’d allow that? I’d be grateful.”

“Certainly. My pleasure.”

They go outside, Lucy and Lady following him to the top of the footpath. He stops abruptly, turns to her, and stutters, “M-may I have just a brief moment today?”

“Oh, my goodness, of course. You’d like a private moment. Go right ahead.”

“Thank you.”

“Nice to meet you. Again. Go right ahead. No need to say goodbye afterward.” She looks down the hill, searching the gaps between the trees, trying to glimpse a car parked near the mailbox. Nothing. Could he have driven up and squeezed in next to her pickup? She can’t see the west end from here.

He notices and says, “I parked on the main road. Didn’t want to take your spaces.”

“All right. Very good.”

“Don’t want to bother you. Maybe I should come back on a day you’re out?”

“It’s no bother. I’m always here, except to go shopping. Either way, just walk up and have your ceremony.”

“I appreciate it.” He gives a quick wave goodbye, heads toward the chickens and the garden. She follows at a distance, but he disappears around the curve of the hill. So, the ashes aren’t in the garden? The west border, under the eucalyptus, might be a logical spot. Wherever he’s headed, she can’t discreetly follow. Rude.

Mildly unsettled, she turns and goes back inside.

#

Home from shopping, Lucy pulls the Toyota Tacoma into the notch for a mail stop. The bed of the pickup holds a few gifts she bought for herself and Lady: a hammock swing and a doghouse, assembly required.

Standing at the mailbox, Lucy hears, “Hello, there!” Her neighbor Magda is walking up the lane, headed home.

Magda stops and says, with a sunny smile, “Beautiful day.”

“Certainly is. Great day for gardening.”

“Doing some landscaping too? Your contractor just left. Let me know if you like him.”

“Hmm. I haven’t hired anyone.”

“A man walked down your driveway, not twenty minutes ago, when I was starting out.”

A thought connects. “Clay Mortenson. Yesterday I said he could come visit his mother.” She laughs. “I mean, his mother’s cremated ashes. But you probably know about that. You were neighbors for, what, twenty years?”

Magda nods. “I rarely saw them. Middle-aged man and his mother. They always paid their dues but never came to the meetings.” Magda hosts the Homeowners’ Association meetings for their private cul-de-sac. “I knew the mother died but didn’t know about the ashes. So, that was Clay Mortenson today?”

“Must’ve been.”

“Now that you mention it, I could’ve been fooled by the long hair. He’s skinnier too. And his clothes were dirty, like he’d been working. Probably just got down on his knees to pray, right?” She smiles hopefully.

“I said he could bury a small memento. A locket.”

“How sweet of you. Strange, though, to bring such a large duffle bag. I thought he was carrying tools, you know, like a contractor or landscaper.”

“Did he park here?” Lucy motions to her pickup.

“Nope. He just walked down the lane. Probably parked on the main road.”

“That’s what he did yesterday.” But how odd.

Magda focuses on Lucy’s face and says, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to raise a red flag. Makes perfect sense he’d want to visit.”

“Right,” Lucy agrees, thinking she’ll give him a call, just to be sure.

They chat a while longer, ending on a high note, an invitation to Magda’s Independence Day barbeque. But Lucy’s mind is stuck on images of Mortenson—or a stranger—lugging a large duffle bag.

She drives up top, parks, and without unloading the pickup, rushes to the house. She used to lock the doors but gradually started to forget, and now she always leaves them unlocked. For one thing, the push buttons in the wobbling doorhandles are easy enough to jimmy. She’d need to upgrade them, but what’s the point? She feels secluded and safe, untouchable. Anyone wishing to do her harm would have to tackle an exhausting climb by foot or a treacherous drive bordering a precipitous drop. She doubts she’s worth it.

Feeling slightly silly, Lucy rushes through the house. Everything is in order. Her material possessions are few. No jewelry or silver or fancy electronics. Nothing a burglar would want except…There is one thing that would bring a good price, if a thief realized its value. She goes to the tiny room that serves as her office. On the wall, the glass display case is untouched, the prize within: Grandpa’s antique rifle with ornate flintlock, reportedly almost two hundred years old. Every time Lucy considers selling it, she hesitates. She doesn’t need the money, and Daddy was emotionally attached to it. Despite estrangement from his parents, he derived comfort from boyhood memories of his father’s booming voice, relating tall tales of pioneer survival, Great-Granddaddy Pitts slaying wild animals and felling big game for the family.

While in the office, Lucy pulls out the closing file. Surely Mortenson’s phone number is recorded here, but she finds only the lawyers’ contact information. Who to call? Mortenson’s attorney wouldn’t likely divulge his client’s whereabouts. Lucy’s lawyer, Stella, is the one to call, but it’s awkward. Lucy resolved to resist any urge to try again. At her age, she should know. People come and go, intentions are transparent or misread, relationships gel or dissolve before taking hold. Lucy’s dream of a partner, here on the hill…How embarrassing. Why did she say those things?

But this is business. She taps in the number of Stella’s law firm. A receptionist answers and forwards the call.

“Lucy. How are you?”

“Good, great, really. I love the house.”

“Excellent.” Stella’s favorite word. “How can I help you?” So formal.

Lucy details the encounters with Clay Mortenson. “I’m thinking of calling him but don’t have his number. Do you have it? Do you think it’s wise to call?”

“You have every right to tell him to get lost! Hold on. I know where to find his number. Hopefully he hasn’t changed it.”

The line goes silent for a minute, allowing Lucy’s doubts to rise. She’s not sure she mentioned every strange detail, the ritual with the locket, the duffle bag, the uncertainty, even, that Clay Mortenson is the person Magda saw.

Back on the line, Stella says, “Success! No email, but a home address and number.”

Lucy writes it down and thanks her, but Stella can detect the underlying anxiety. “Shall I call for you? I’d be happy to do it. Sometimes it’s best, coming from a lawyer.”

“Oh, thank you for offering, Stella, but no. I can handle it.”

“Okay, then.” A heartbeat. “It’s nice to hear your voice. I’m glad you like the house.”

“I’m glad too.”

#
Lucy delays, thinking it’s best to wait until after dinner. Mortenson could be at work, whatever his work might be, and she doesn’t want to leave a message.

She busies herself with chores. At six, she tosses organic scraps to the chickens, returns to the kitchen, and spoons out dinner for Dusty, Dylan, and Lady. The cats do their usual dance, the rubbing on Lucy’s calves, meowing, and little pounces before she sets their bowls on the floor. Lady is nowhere to be seen. In a distracted moment this afternoon, Lucy opened the door for Lady and failed to leash her. Now, she’s worried. She goes out the kitchen door and calls from the patio.

“Lady! Golden Lady! Dinnertime! Come on, girl!”

She’s all but given up when Lady trots gleefully toward the house from the garden path. “Where have you been, my Lady? And what’s that?” Wagging her tail in glee, the dog drops an object at Lucy’s feet. She picks it up and gives a little shudder. “Digging for bones when I have a good dinner waiting for you?” This one is about ten inches long with a slight curve to it, probably from the deer skeleton they found, high on the hill. On the way inside, Lucy deposits the bone in the flowerbed.

The cats are gone, leaving their empty bowls behind. Lucy enjoys a minute, watching Lady as she wolfs her food. Then it’s time to think about her own dinner.

She cooks, eats, cleans up.

Goes to the living room. Picks up a novel. Puts it down.

Going on nine o’clock, she calls.

“Hello,” he says.

“Mr. Mortenson?”

“Yes.”

“This is Lucy Pitts.”

A pause. “Sorry, I didn’t catch the name?”

“Lucy Pitts, at Three Bounty Lane.”

“At three…oh yes. How are you?”

“Fine, thank you. I’m calling, just to make sure it was you this afternoon, on my property.” She’d rehearsed that part. My property.

“Me? At the house?”

“On the property, near the top of the driveway.”

“I don’t understand. You’re not sure it was me you saw?”

“I wasn’t here at the time. My neighbor saw someone on the driveway. I’m assuming it was you, coming to pay homage to your mother.”

He makes a sound, not quite an answer.

Abandoning the failed euphemism, she says more bluntly, “You wanted to visit the site of your mother’s ashes.”

Silence, then a sharp, snorting laugh under his breath, not unlike the sound he made during his first visit to the house. “Your neighbor must have seen someone else. I didn’t visit my mother’s ashes. When—?” He stops short, as if taken, mid-sentence, by a reconnecting synapse. In a softer tone, he says, “I take it you aren’t pleased that someone was up there.”

“Well, frankly, no, not pleased. I can understand the need for a tribute or a ceremony, but I’d prefer not to have
any more visits like this, especially when I’m not home.”

“Yes. Yes, well, I assure you, that wasn’t me today. Unfortunately, this may be a recurring problem for you. People who aren’t familiar with the lane occasionally wander up the driveway by mistake. When you approach from the south, it looks like a continuation of Three Bounty Lane.”

“I can see that.”

“We even had to call a tow truck once, when a car nearly went over the edge. You might want to consider putting up a gate.”

“That’s an idea.”

“Sorry you had this problem.”

“Yes, well, as long as you don’t plan to—”

“Enjoy the house. Very nice talking to you, Ms. Pitts.”

“Thank you.”

“Goodbye, then.”

“Bye-bye.”

Click.

In a state of dissociation, Lucy wonders if the man is a liar or a con artist, pretending not to know what she meant. Perhaps he’s mentally ill. She should have noted the signs, the first time. On the phone, that same laugh, but his voice projected a different personality. Self-assured, haughty, then inexplicably apologetic. She was about to ask what had changed his mind about the locket when he all but hung up on her. Now, she will never know.

#

Two in the morning, eyes wide open, moonlight in the window. Lucy swings her legs over the side of the bed. On her floor cushion, Golden Lady lifts her head. “Want to go out?” Lady is game. Lucy wraps herself in a robe and steps into her espadrilles. “Come on.”

Outside, the night is warm, artificial light unnecessary. A gentle breeze carries a heady mix of fragrances risen from the earth, primrose, sage, and eucalyptus. On the patio, Lucy sits on the bench of the rickety picnic table. She should replace this relic, a Mortenson holdover.

“Sit. Atta girl.” Lucy strokes and scratches Lady as random thoughts tumble and flow. “We forgot to unload the pickup, didn’t we? Later today…” They’ll assemble the new swing and doghouse, the two of them, alone together on this hill.

Lucy is stronger than this. Why should that man concern her? Life and death, ashes in the soil, in the sea. The slow stretch of Lucy’s life unfolds in jumbled images, the students, friends, and lovers who have come and gone, the pain and joy she has felt. Stroking Lady with one hand, she drops her head into the other and runs it over the spongy cushion, cranium to nape. Mamma gave her this tight steel wool. For years, Lucy wrestled with her hair before settling on the easiest way to deal with it, an even half inch. Growing up in Berkeley, although there were others like her, she stood out, tall, awkward, different. Subconsciously, she realizes now, she closed herself to
relationships that would set her even farther apart.

“What am I doing up here?” Her cheeks are wet as she gazes into the opening between the oaks. The sky displays a bright miracle of moon and stars. “We’re stardust, Lady. Did you know that? You and I, just bits of stardust.”
Under Lucy’s hand, Lady’s spine stiffens and her ears prick. Lucy follows the line of her attention. Far below, through the trees.…“You’ve got to be kidding,” Lucy whispers. Starting in the notch, climbing slowly up the driveway, a light bobs and flickers. Someone is walking up, flashlight in hand. The light disappears behind trees blocking Lucy’s view of the upper drive and the west end.

Heart beating in her throat, Lucy whispers, “Come on, girl.” Inside, she heads for the phone in her office. This has gone too far. As she dials 911, her eyes go to the glass display case. In a steady voice, she reports a trespasser, gives her address, and hangs up. She has no idea how long it will take the County Sheriff to get here. Will the deputies be confused by the lay of her land? Will they walk or drive up? She can’t stand the thought of Mortenson out there, poking around. It has to be him. Who else could it be?

“We’ll just go see if he’s still there.” Again, Lady is game.

She’ll take a large flashlight to blind him, and…yes, why not? She opens the display case and removes the antique, surprised at its weight. A useless weapon, but he won’t know. Give him a good scare.

Out on the patio, Lucy juggles her awkward load and considers how to take him by surprise. Keep the light off until the last minute, but how? She threads her left hand through the hole of the flashlight’s handgrip to hang it on her wrist. This way, the barrel of the rifle rests in her left palm. Pressing the butt of the stock into her right shoulder, she can quickly turn on the flashlight with her right hand and return that hand to the stock.

Tiptoeing, Lady heeling, Lucy passes the chickens, rousing a few clucks, and traverses The Stretch to the curve of the hill where a glow emanates. His flashlight.

She hears footsteps and something else. Shoveling? “Here,” a male voice.

At Lucy’s side, Lady growls.

“Shh!” the man rasps and turns off his light.

Quick! She takes five long strides, presses the button, directs the beam, aims the rifle.

Amazingly, Lady rediscovers her territorial instincts and dashes forward, barking wildly.
“Clay Mortenson! Get off my property!”

Trapped in the beam, he shields his eyes. But where is Lady going? Her instincts are out of whack. She ignores Mortenson, halts behind him, and sounds off in a frenzy.

A man steps out of the shadow. Lucy redirects her flashlight and rifle. He raises one hand. With the other, he gently sets a shovel on the ground. “We mean you no harm,” he calls out. Lady’s bark lowers to a growl.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Clay Mortenson.”

Lucy is dumbfounded. She turns her flashlight and rifle on the man who sat in her living room, two days ago. “Then who is this?” He doesn’t answer.

Clay speaks for him. “My brother Larry.”

“Clay and Larry. How dare you come here like this!”

Red lights flash in the trees, and headlights illuminate the hill as a police cruiser comes up the driveway. Behind the Mortenson brothers, partway up the slope, lies a large duffle bag next to a mound of dirt.

“What’s in that bag?”

The sheriff’s car stops in a wedge of space in front of Lucy’s pickup. They’ll have to back it down later. No way to turn it around up here.

“What is that?” Lucy demands. She has to know, even if…“Are you digging up your mother?”

“No,” says Clay.

Two officers step out of the cruiser, guns drawn. “Freeze!” Deputy Sheriff Carmen Anaya bellows the command.

“Not our mother,” Clay says. “It’s our father.”

Lucy lowers her rifle.

“You okay, Lucy?” Carmen yells, keeping her eyes on the men.

“I’m fine. I’m glad you’re here. But,” she directs her next thought to the brothers, “I may have one of your daddy’s ribs, up at the house.”

#

Lucy and Lady return home after spending three days with Jerome and his family. Dusty and Dylan give her the cold shoulder for leaving them alone with kibble and water. “I’m sorry, girls. I couldn’t face the upheaval.”

In the kitchen, investigators have loosely replaced the cracked linoleum squares, without gluing them down. She steels herself and lifts one to find…confirmation of the brothers’ story?

They told authorities a gruesome tale of their physically abusive father and battered mother, who’d finally had enough. The senior Mortenson, sluggish and hungover, didn’t see it coming. Leaning on the kitchen counter, he got the butcher knife in the back, between the shoulder blades.

The Mortenson boys, then teenagers, cleaned up after mom. Get him away from the house, as far as you can! The west end. They couldn’t dig into the roots under the eucalyptus trees, so they went halfway up the slope at the top of the drive. The kitchen was another problem, buckets of blood soaked into the poorly finished wood floor. The boys glued the linoleum squares on top.

If anyone asked, they said that Dad left them, whereabouts unknown. There weren’t many questions. Mortenson was a perpetually unemployed ne’er-do-well. The mother had inherited the house and later transferred title to Clay, the son who lived with her. The younger son, Larry, moved to Oakland where he lived a haunted life, plagued by guilt. Fears of erosion and mudslides obsessed him and came to a head after the recent deluge. Banking on his resemblance to Clay, he posed as the former owner. The locket ruse was his cover story in case he needed to come back, to fix up the site. Clay didn’t know of his brother’s visit, but quickly figured it out when Lucy called. He tried to warn his brother off, but instead, became alarmed about the exposed skeleton. Larry had managed to get only part of it into the duffle bag, the day Magda saw him.

Lucy anticipates an update momentarily. Carmen is on her way over.

On the patio, Lucy greets the deputy sheriff when she emerges from the footpath, strong and fit. The climb doesn’t wind her. She wears jeans and one of her signature plaid shirts for this afterhours official visit. They sit at the picnic table.

“I don’t know how you do it,” Lucy says, “working graveyard shifts.” It dawns on her. “No pun intended!”

“I could change my hours. I have the seniority. But the interesting stuff happens in the middle of the night.” Her eyes twinkle mischievously. “Like the Mortenson brothers.”

“Everything makes sense now, but I’m kicking myself for being fooled.”

“Don’t go hard on yourself. The family resemblance is striking, even their voices and mannerisms. They’re only fourteen months apart in age.”

“Do you think one of them did the deed?”

“So far, their story checks out, but it’s been more than forty years. We can’t prove who murdered him, and the brothers have no criminal record.”

“Good mamma’s boys?”

“Right! They were only 15 and 16 when it happened. Their confessions alone prove criminal facilitation or tampering, but they were juveniles. The D.A. might let it go. But you could press charges.”

“What, trespassing? Grave robbing?” Lucy chuckles. “I want this over with, and I don’t think they’re coming back.”

Lady pushes out the screen door and comes to sit at Lucy’s feet. “One more thing,” she remembers. “That paperwork, disclosing human remains on the property. I don’t think Clay meant his father’s skeleton! Where did they sprinkle their mom?”

“I can show you.” Carmen turns, points, and gets up. “They told us where.” Lucy follows her to the flowerbed near the front door.

They stand over the flowers and look down. “The mom didn’t want to be anywhere near her husband,” Carmen says.

“No wonder my blooms are so vibrant! But…oops. This is where I dropped daddy’s rib. I don’t think she’d appreciate that!” They laugh, and Lucy turns to the door. “Would you like to come in for a glass of sun tea?”

“Yes, I would.” Today she has the time.

“Maybe you can give me your opinion on my idea for a new kitchen floor.”

Carmen smiles and follows Lucy and Lady inside.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters read by local actors.

California native, New York transplant, V.S. Kemanis writes the Dana Hargrove legal mysteries and award-winning short fiction, widely published in magazines and anthologies. Look for her newest story this fall in the forthcoming anthology Autumn Noir. Visit www.vskemanis.com.

by Marilyn Meredith

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Over and over I read comments from readers saying they didn’t want to read a book with the pandemic in it. When it was time to write the next Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery, I wasn’t sure what to do.

My Rocky Bluff P.D. series is written about real people in real time. How could I ignore something that was affecting all of our lives?

I had a great conversation with my police officer grandson about what was going on and how it affected him on the job. After listening to him, I knew I had to include what was happening in our world, to the much smaller world of the beach town of Rocky Bluff.

Of course, I wasn’t sure how people would accept Not as We Knew It and if it would be a complete disaster. As I do with every book I write, I began to see what was happening through the eyes of the characters who are experiencing what is going on.

And as far as the virus was concerned, how varied the on-going characters would view the threat of the sickness. This was an easy task as I knew the different reactions of those in my family as well as friends.

What I tried to do was show how my main characters are affected as they go about their jobs and everyday lives, and at the same time create an ongoing and intriguing mystery plot.

As the official blurb states:

The challenges come one after another for the Rocky Bluff P.D. to handle?from a missing woman to a fatal house fire.

Detective Doug Milligan is faced with new and unusual problems to solve, some on the job and others related to his family.

Gordon Butler isn’t too happy that his wife was chosen to train the latest new-hire.

And I’d like to add, that Chief Taylor must make a major decision to keep Rocky Bluff safe.

All of the reviews have been positive, and I’d like to share this one with you:

“…Rocky Bluff P.D. was challenged in ways it never had been before. Yes, they have dealt with earthquakes, dense fog, wildfires, being perpetually understaffed due to tight budgets, and crimes big and small, but the pandemic created issues and strong emotions no one could imagine that impacted every person in some way or another. I applaud Meredith for having the guts to take this on.”
—Review by Cheryl Malandrinos

So, I think I made the right decision to include what was and is still going on in the world today in Not as We Knew It.

To buy: Amazon: Not As We Knew It (Rocky Bluff P.D. Mysteries Book 16)

One last comment: When asking my grandson all my questions about how the police department he works for is handling all that is going on today, he finally said, “Grandma, it’s your department, do it any way you want.” And I did.

Marilyn Meredith writes this series as F. M. Meredith

To enter to win a copy of Not as We Knew It, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “knew,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 18, 2021. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters read by local actors. A new episode just went up last week.

You can use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Marilyn Meredith, who also writes under the name F. M. Meredith, is the author of over forty published books, most are mysteries. She lives in the foothills of the Southern Sierra, and once lived in a small beach town like Rocky Bluff. She belongs to two chapters of Sisters in Crime and the Public Safety Writers Association.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

by staff

It can feel like an overwhelming task to sell your home quickly when you are faced with nerve-wracking financial problems that you need to sort out. The longer your property stays on the market, the worse your anxiety grows. Thanks to the services of house cash buyers, such as Home Flippers, it’s now easier to sell your Canadian home faster than ever before.

Here are some easy ways to sell your house fast for cash

1. Work with a local realtor or broker
It is usually a smart idea to connect with an experienced local real estate agent. The best brokers will get you better offers for your property, and you won’t have to do any of the hard work by yourself. Seasoned real agents will find you a buyer in a matter of a few months.

How to work with a real estate agent

Look around for contact details of local realtors and ask them to determine the best asking price for your home.
Consider signing a listing agreement with the broker or agent, making it clear that they have the right to represent your home and help sell it faster.
Your agent will list your home on several online listing websites. They will advertise the property to potential buyers while you wait for the right real.
When the agent finds an interested buyer and reaches an agreement with them, you finalize the paperwork and pay the agent their commission on the house sale.

2. Sell your house to a wholesaler or real estate investor
This is probably the fastest way to sell your home for cash. Homeowners who are looking forward to selling their properties in 30 days or less without doing any repairs should consider wholesalers.
Home Flippers is a popular house cash buyer in Canada that purchases houses in any condition at fair prices. Sell your house fast for cash with Home Flippers now.

How to sell your home to wholesalers or real estate investors.
• Search online for the contact details of the nearest wholesalers in your area. All major cities have real estate investors who are searching for new properties to purchase.
• A typical wholesaler will evaluate your property and give you an offer that they deem fit. It’s up to you to negotiate with them for a better price.
• Once you reach a mutual agreement, you can prepare the required documents to close the deal and get paid in cash ASAP.

Costs involved

The good thing about selling your home directly to cash investors is that you won’t have to pay agents fees or commission. That said, wholesalers might not offer you the full retail value of the house as they usually factor in the costs of renovating and remodeling the property before reselling it.
For the most part, real estate investors pay you cash instantly after closing the purchase, which will be just a few days after reaching an agreement.

3. List your house by yourself
Finally, another way to sell your house faster is to sell it yourself. You can take pictures of the house yourself and list it for sale on platforms such as Zillow. This is a good idea when you have the time and experience to handle all the paperwork and negotiation. However, selling your house by yourself can prove to be slower than you thought, especially when the demand for houses is low.

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by Lorie Lewis Ham

We are on vacation this week to do some much needed maintenance. But don’t worry we will be back September 11 with another full issue. We will still be posting some midweek articles next week.

However, we do have a mini issue this weekend over on KRL News and Reviews so I hope you will hop over there and check it out! We also have some great giveaways and the latest podcast episode. You can also use this time to catch up on past issues.

Lastly, if you still haven’t checked out our mystery podcast I hope you head over there now! You can find them of the episodes on podbean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and most places where you listen to podcasts if you search for Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast! You also might want to consider signing up for our podcast newsletter. A full newsletter goes out at the beginning of the month and includes extra content, and some giveaways, a you will get just a brief reminder when the second podcast of the month goes up. You can sign up for the newsletter at TinyLetter.

So enjoy catching up on everything you might have missed and have a great weekend!

For those who prefer to listen to Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast directly here on KRL here is the player of the new episode. This episode features the mystery short story Water Fall written by Merrilee Robson. It is read by local actor Teya Juarez. If you get this in your email you can click here to find the podcast.

by staff

Weddings are often a once-in-a-lifetime event in a couple’s life. They are the beginning of a new and joyful life. So, it’s only natural that no couple wants this memorable day to end so quickly. It’s crucial to enjoy this precious moment of your life and remember your wedding for years to come. Perhaps the best way to make your wedding memorable and enjoyable is by holding a wedding after-party.

Photo by Emma Bauso from Pexels

So, to help you with this purpose, here are five fascinating party ideas for a fun wedding after-party.

Musical Party-Hire a DJ
If there’s one thing about parties we all know for a fact, it’s that everyone loves musical events. It helps bring people together while allowing for exhilarating activities such as dancing. Besides, no one would enjoy a silent wedding after-party, as the atmosphere would be too dull. So, you can always rely on hiring a DJ to pump up the fun at your wedding after-party. Setting up a playlist on the speaker may come up in your mind as an alternative. However, that isn’t quite thrilling. DJs have tons of songs that fit the crowd’s preferences while being experts at creating an energizing and active environment for everyone to enjoy.

However, it’s essential to choose the right DJ for your party. Many DJs can’t be trusted as they lack professional experience and cost high amounts of money. You can’t afford to put your party at risk while emptying your wallet on a mediocre DJ. So, we advise you to approach a renowned Wedding DJ and enjoy a memorable and electrifying after-party.

Poolside Party
Hosting a pool party is another excellent idea for a wedding after-party, especially to beat the summer heat. Plan to host a poolside after-party for more fun, and your guests will stay for a longer time for extended entertainment. Besides, poolside reception is more relaxing and intimate than formal events. And, it’s an exceptional choice for couples who want to enjoy relaxed and low-key events.

With this idea, every group of people will have the chance to enjoy with family and friends. You can also complete the poolside reception with a lovely grill feast. Get various fun floats, coolers, snacks, and drinks, and try out stellar pool decorations to make things more exciting.

However, when at a poolside get-together, it’s important to remind your guests to slather on some SPF and keep sunburn at bay.

BBQ Party
If you want to take your wedding after-party to the next level, you have to try a BBQ night. There’s nothing quite like taking in that smokey char wood aroma while gulping down drinks after drinks with your loved ones. And no, you won’t have to stand beside the grills and make the barbeques yourself. You can hire caterers to manage the entire event, from preparing the food to entertaining the guests and everything in between.

Witnessing live barbeque after your big day with friends and family members will turn out therapeutic and refreshing. You can even hire a local music band to play some soft music in the back while you enjoy munching those spicy, char-grilled drumsticks and hotdogs. Or, you can take over a grill or two all by yourself and put your culinary skills to the test. If you want to nail the perfect BBQ party, you have to include some seafood as well, so don’t just indulge in red meat. Get some lobsters, crab legs, fish, prawns, and mussels to leave the guests in awe.

House Party
The best way to bask in the afterglow of your wedding is by throwing a fun, intimate house party. Although bigger parties are fun, they can also become somewhat impersonal and detached and don’t give you a chance to spend time with all your guests. Hosting a smaller get-together can be a much more intimate plan and one that lets you stick to social distancing protocols.

You can cook meals yourself for a highly personalized effect or book some catering for a stress-free experience. If your guest list is more on the longer side, you can plan your party in the backyard. House parties also minimize any chances of your neighbors being annoyed, as you won’t make too much noise. Arranging for a cozy little setup in your backyard can be the perfect place for all your loved ones to connect on this beautiful occasion. House parties are also pocket-friendly and incredibly practical in the days of the pandemic.

Sunday Brunch
If you’re too tired on your wedding day to plan anything for the night, we get you. Planning a wedding can be incredibly tiring and stressful. Once the event is over, it’s understandable to want some rest and tranquility. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t plan anything for the day after. A Sunday brunch is the perfect plan to carry on the celebrations without everything getting too overwhelming.

It allows everyone to catch some much-needed breath before getting together and partying again. You can arrange this brunch at your house or a fancy restaurant where you can connect with your close ones in a relaxing atmosphere. The whole idea of this brunch is getting together and enjoying delicious food and everyone’s company.

Conclusion
A wedding is the one big event that connects family and friends. Every couple wishes to make their wedding and after-wedding party memorable. Therefore, plan everything from deciding the venue, theme, décor, food, and other activities. However, while the wedding day is undeniably the highlight, the after-party is just as crucial. There are numerous ideas you can pursue, apart from the traditional ones. Brunches, spa days, poolside gatherings, and house parties can all help you add a personalized touch to each aspect of your wedding. In the end, everything about the wedding is all about the happy couple.

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by Neil S. Plakcy

The pandemic changed things for people around the world in large and small ways. For me the change was small, and yet meaningful. It broke me of my Starbucks habit.

Back in the late 1990s, I was working as a web developer for a company in what I’d call a restaurant desert. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on lunch, or eat too much, so I began driving three miles up US 1 a couple of times a week at lunchtime. I’d get a big Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino, settle myself in a comfy chair, and read through my lunch hour.

After that company shut down, I changed careers and became a college professor. Occasionally, when all my classes were finished, my papers graded, and any meetings completed, I’d be able to leave work an hour or so early and I’d stop at a Starbucks on my way home. A Strawberry Crème Frappuccino became a reward for a long day, and once again, I had the chance to sit comfortably and read for a while.

Then I began to focus more on my career as a novelist. It’s hard work to sit at a computer every day and hope the words flow, push when they don’t. I discovered that if I left for school an hour early, I could stop at the Starbucks near my house, get a grande raspberry mocha to fortify myself for the day, and set up my laptop and write for an hour.

I can get a lot done in a dedicated hour a day. Over forty mystery and romance novels came out of that time. I became increasingly addicted to that writing time—on weekends and during summer vacations I upped my time to two to three hours. The baristas came to know my name and my order. My Starbucks rewards had turned into a habit, an expensive one I justified because I was making money on those books I was writing.

Then the pandemic hit, and almost overnight my routine was destroyed. My local Starbucks shut down for a while, and when it reopened it was for drive-through only. So I had to make a meaningful change—I became my own barista.

I had a small, cheap cappuccino maker, which broke down quickly after regular use. So I had to shop for, and find a new one. I went online to experiment with different kinds of ground coffee, finally settling on two different flavors. I alternate between Raspberry Chocolate, my old favorite, and Coconut Rum, a particularly Floridian flavor. When I measure the ground beans every morning, I am rewarded with those rich aromas.

Neil Plakcy

When my husband put the plastic foaming arm in the dishwasher and it melted, I chose to buy a separate machine for foaming. I experimented with the proper ratio of heated milk to coffee to foam. Then I realized that when I was spooning the froth out, I was scraping the bottom with my spoon, so I hunted until I found a tiny rubber spatula to use.

I successfully converted my writing process to working at my kitchen table, with my golden retrievers sprawled around behind my chair. Now that my local Starbucks is back in full operation, I’ve come full circle, using one of their drinks as a special treat. A reward, perhaps, for surviving the pandemic, and a reminder how lucky I am that all Covid-19 brought me was some inconvenience.

For a free copy of The Next One Will Kill You, the first of Neil’s Miami-based FBI investigations, click here. Neil’s website, chock full of information about mystery, romance, and adventure novels, is at www.mahubooks.com.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters read by local actors. A new episode just went up this week.

You can use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Neil S. Plakcy is the award-winning and Amazon #1 best-selling author of over fifty mystery, romance and adventure novels. He lives in South Florida with his husband and two English Cream golden retrievers, who shed white angel wings everywhere.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon and an indie bookstore.

Andy Carpenter is a lawyer who hates taking cases. Thanks to an inheritance and an obnoxious winning streak his clients appreciate, he no longer has to go to court. Somehow, he ends up there anyway.

This time, it’s an out-of-town case. On the weekends, Andy, his wife Laurie, son Ricky, golden Tara, and basset Sebastian take an evening walk together. The walks are at a glacial pace because Sebastian sees no reason to exert any amount of energy. During their walk, they hear shouts and see a man abusing his pug. Before Andy, or more likely former cop Laurie, can reach the pair, another man comes running and punches the abuser. The police are called. Both men are arrested—the original man for animal cruelty and throwing the first punch, the rescuer for murder.

In Maine, two people were shot and killed execution style. DNA evidence says Matt, the rescuer, was the killer. He doesn’t remember where he was, the murders having taken place two years before, and he didn’t know the people who died. Still, juries either believe DNA is some kind of voodoo or unassailable evidence, a slam dunk case. It doesn’t look good for Matt.

Andy takes the case, just to represent Matt in his first court appearance. Of course, if he quits, then, it will look like he, too, thinks Matt is guilty. By the time Matt’s trial rolls around, the whole team is in Maine, hunting for clues. The whole team, minus Sam, who is the computer genius who wants to carry a gun. No way.

The plot has more twists than Sebastian has naps. There are more murders to deal with, friends who helpfully betray Matt, and a lot of confusion. Will Andy be able to maintain his winning streak and prove Matt isn’t a murderer? How could he be? Matt loves dogs, all the proof any dog lover needs.

This is book twenty-three in the delightful series. Who wouldn’t love a smart mouthed attorney, his sensible wife, a bodyguard-ish Marcus whose only speaking parts are grunts, Corey and Simon his K9 partner, and Sam the nerd. Just like Andy wins his cases, Rosenfelt writes a winner every time.

Look for book twenty-four, Best in Snow, in October 2021, just in time to read before the holidays.

To enter to win a copy of Dog Eat Dog, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “eat,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 4, 2021. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE THAT IT WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. A new episode goes up next week.

You can use this link to purchase this book from indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, and KRL gets a portion of the sale:

Dog Eat Dog: An Andy Carpenter Mystery (An Andy Carpenter Novel #23)

You can use this link to purchase these book from Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

by Jackie Dale

Shortly after last month’s column, I had my foot surgery. I tried to empty out my kittens rooms beforehand, but alas, that didn’t happen. So I had to hobble around starting the day after surgery, and it wasn’t easy. I am not going to sugar coat it. It was really hard caring for thirteen kittens, and the new mom and her three babies while literally hopping around on one foot. I used crutches for the first week, but it was cumbersome. I would prepare the food bowls for each room and then carry them in on a large tray. The kittens would be transferred into a “feeding” cage while I cleaned their primary quarters. By the time the kittens finished eating, their cage was clean and bowls were filled with kitten chow and fresh water. Then I would transfer them back and onto the next group.

Mom cat

Then, about two weeks into August, I was offered an opportunity to ship out almost all my kittens! Eleven healthy kittens went to rescue, and I was ecstatic. This is the first break I‘d had in months. I still had three, but all too tiny to go out yet, and the mom and babies, but with eleven gone, it was literally like being on vacation.

One of mama’s kittens

However, that very same day, I received a message from a friend in the next town over. While in Fresno, her son found a tiny kitten in the gutter of a busy street. He said that he saw the street sweeper go by, it missed the kitten with the brushes but doused the tiny little girl with water. I accepted the kitten with the hope that my nursing mom cat would take her. I took one of her kittens and rubbed it all over the newcomer. I place her in with the rest and mom began to clean, and then nursing commenced shortly thereafter.

Kitten found in gutter

I got a message from Lynea at The Cat House on the Kings asking me to go pick up some cats in Reedley. I thought “okay, no big deal.” Lynea said it was two mom cats and some kittens, so I arrived with three large carriers. It was an apartment complex, and I had to park outside the gates and walk/hobble in with the carriers. I was surprised when one of the two elderly ladies met me outside her door with one of the kittens. I said we should go inside to get the rest. She didn’t really want to let me in, claiming “the place was a mess.” Well, that was one gigantic understatement. First of all, it was hard to even get inside because so much stuff was blocking the entryway. The stench hit me in the face like a brick wall. The odor of poop was pervasive. It took every ounce of my acting ability to pretend that nothing was wrong. Despite all, I knew that the ladies had their hearts in the right place in trying to help these apartment complex cats. You could tell by looking around that the cats were not the only problem. They simply made the problem about a 100 times worse. The bedroom doors were closed but looking around, I didn’t see any litter boxes. There was cat poop everywhere. I loaded up the one mom and her four smaller kittens. The other batch of kittens were a bit older. We finally rounded those kittens up, but the mom was not at all friendly; so Lynea said we would just fix her for them. The complex manager told them they were allowed to keep two of the cats. Then the ladies said that there were actually five of the smaller kittens, not just four. So, this is when it really got icky. I pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight to try and spot the kitten. Along the baseboards was at least an inch thick layer of poop that stretched along the wall in the dining area. At that point I said they could find it and call me when did so. They never called so I assume they elected to keep that one also. I hope they get some help cleaning that apartment up. Altogether, nine cats were removed and they now will have the opportunity to find nice families one day!

Family removed from hoarding situation

Another Transport!
Another transport opportunity arose and I was happy because I did have a waiting list of kittens in foster. I had to say “No” to many people due to my surgery, but I told them that if they fostered them, I would do my best to send them to rescue. In addition, the rescue was willing to take my friendly mom and her four little fur babies. Both of my foster moms did seriously excellent jobs. The kittens were clean, healthy, and well-socialized. Everything the rescue hopes for in kittens.

Found on busy street

One of the friendly brothers abandoned at a feral colony

Dumped at my house

If you would care to make a donation, I have a PayPal account steamodale@gmail[dot]com.

You can also send donations via good old snail mail to Jackie Dale, P O Box 1859, Reedley, CA 93654. Questions? jackiejoy@hotmail[dot]com.

You can check out more animal rescue articles in KRL’s animal rescue section! Join our Pets Facebook group to help keep up with our pet articles.

Jackie Dale is a freelance writer who lives in Reedley with her husband of 27 years, Frank, and their 2 children. A former ballerina, Jackie now teaches yoga and fitness classes privately and at local area gyms in addition to her cat related duties.

by Sandra Murphy
& Cynthia Chow

This week we have even more mysteries for your end of summer reading-A Glimmer of a Clue: A Fairy Garden Mystery by Daryl Wood Gerber, Deadly Delights: A Bookish Baker Mystery by Laura Jensen Walker, Death of an Italian Chef: A Hayley Powell Mystery by Lee Hollis, and Reserved for Murder: A Booklover’s B&B Mystery by Victoria Gilbert. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of all 4 books and links to purchase them at the end of each review–you may not be able to see the Amazon links if you have ad blocker on.

A Glimmer of a Clue: A Fairy Garden Mystery by Daryl Wood Gerber
Review by Sandra Murphy

Courtney lives in Carmel-by-the-Sea. The name is so delightful, you’d expect it to be an idyllic place to live. Not the case, as the residents are only human—at least most of them are. Some are fairies.

Open Your Imagination is Courtney’s fairy garden shop, a dream come true. As with most craft shops, she holds classes, and there are customers who attend every one plus make projects on their own or commission them for gifts. Fiona, a fairy in training, is often present although few can see her.

Lana Lamar is the woman everyone loves to hate, Didi and Wanda in particular. Lana likes to discover secrets and use them to her advantage. She’s also the resident pickleball champion and thinks that grants her all kinds of privileges. Lana’s an antique and art critic, emphasis on critic. She seems to relish the fact that no one likes her.

When Lana and Wanda are involved in an actual hair-pulling fight right out on the street, no one is really surprised since they seem to go out of their way to torment each other. Courtney’s had enough—this is tourist season and shoppers are stopping to stare. To cool the pair off, she turns a hose on them, letting the sudden spray of water get their attention.

At a long-awaited fundraiser, Lana makes a scene involving several people, one after another. It’s really no surprise when she’s found dead. The question on everyone’s mind is, what took so long?

The main suspect is a friend of Courtney’s. The evidence looks bad and the alibi is flimsy so Courtney agrees to ask questions. After all, the suspect list is a long one. With Fiona’s help, surely she can figure out who was behind Lana’s sudden demise.

This is book two in the series. Fiona, the fairy, fits in seamlessly with the other characters. There’s information about the different types of fairies and their duties, why Fiona is in training and what she must do to advance, and tips on building a fairy garden of your own. Courtney is becoming more confident as a business owner and is nearing a relationship. To keep the characters straight, a handy list is in the front of the book. This is a series I enjoy and look forward to the next installment.

Recipes are shown as standard and gluten-free: adult lemonade, baked fried chicken, blueberry lemon muffins, cheddar artichoke appetizer, cinnamon swirl scones, double chocolate cookies, lemon thyme biscuits, mint chocolate brownies, mushroom cheese puffs, and sugar cookies,

Gerber also writes the Cookbook Nook series, the French Bistro mysteries, the Aspen Adams suspense books, the Cheese Shop series, and several standalone books. The next Fairy Garden book, A Hint of Mischief, will be available in the summer of 2022.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Deadly Delights: A Bookish Baker Mystery by Laura Jensen Walker
Review by Cynthia Chow

It’s August, that time of the year for the cooking competition that determines Wisconsin’s Best Baker of Lake Potawatomi. Despite the fact that Patsy Morris, the wife of Head Judge and chamber of commerce president Lester Morris, has won the title for the past nine years, Teddie St. John is optimistic about her chances of winning at least a prized ribbon. After surviving breast cancer, a double mastectomy, and leaving a safe government job to pursue her love of writing mysteries, Teddie is not averse to challenges or new adventures. The skills that led her to becoming a bestselling mystery author will be helpful when she discovers Lester’s body, face down in a coconut pie with his head bashed in by Teddie’s grandmother’s rolling pin.

With her beloved rolling pin and young Sophie Miller’s pie at the scene of the crime, it doesn’t take only Patsy’s hysterical accusations to have them both placed high on the suspect list. Lester’s groping hands and attitude earned him the name Lester-the-Molester and made ripe for the #MeToo movement, and both Teddie and Sophie experienced “first hand” his demands for favorable judgement. Fortunately for both, there is a growing list of those also with motives from wanting the CPA dead, so Teddie eagerly takes up the mantle as an aspiring Jane Tennison with neighbor Astrid Nilsen the Jessica Fletcher at her side. Along with Teddie’s best friends who make up their since-grade school Three Musketeers, the women track down financial shenanigans, illicit affairs, and even hilariously go undercover in a strip bar.

This second in the series focuses more on Teddie’s baking skills than on her background as a bestselling cozy mystery writer, placing it firmly in that comfort reading genre. Hopefully future installments will examine more of her life as a relatively new author, especially in light of the competitive publishing market. That’s not to say that the baking completion details aren’t a “delight,” especially since they include recipes and detailed descriptions of her baking process. Teddie’s romantic life with British suspense author Tavish Bentley is ongoing mostly through Skype until he can return for a visit, and she could use his advice when she suspects that her widowed mother may be keeping secrets. Teddie stands out as a unique and fascinating character, one who has survived so much and created an entirely new life. Details of how she wears scarves to hide her chest not for her own embarrassment but to save that of others highlights her compassion as well as her strength. A touching note from the author Laura Jensen Walker shares the struggles of writing during the terrifying times of the pandemic, yet one never senses that in the witty exchanges and lighthearted tone of the novel. The heartwarming conclusion and happy resolutions is a soothing balm for readers looking for a mouthwatering mystery that combines baking competitions, false confessions, and strippers.

Death of an Italian Chef: A Hayley Powell Mystery by Lee Hollis
Review by Cynthia Chow

For her husband’s going away dinner before he leaves Bar Harbor to report on a trial in New York City, Hayley Powell, Bruce, and her brother Randy are dining at the town’s hottest new Italian Restaurant Romeo. No one praises Chef Romeo Russo’s cooking more than himself, but upon seeing Hayley he immediately demands her honest, critical opinion of his spaghetti carbonara. Although she tries to wiggle out of it, the Island Times’ office manager and food columnist reluctantly admits that her own recipe is much better. With an ego as big as his personality, Romeo orders Hayley to return to cook her own version in his kitchen the following Monday. As much as Hayley adores sharing family stories and recipes in her Island Food & Spirits columns, the drudgery of managing the Island Times office has her feeling a little bored and unchallenged. That explains how she decides to agree and presents her dish to the chef, and its success and his approval get it placed at the top of his menu.

Less explicable is how she again somehow finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. After Randy suffers an attack of gallstones that requires surgery, he becomes the roommate of Romeo who is annoyed to have just had his own mild heart attack. So Romeo’s unexpected death in the hospital is certainly a shock, especially after Randy is certain that he saw someone tamper with the chef’s IV line. Randy’s husband, Police Chief Sergio Alvares, is away visiting family in South America, meaning that the investigation is in the hands of the newly hired, but very intimidating, Sergeant Vanessa Herrold. Both she and hospital administrators are inclined to view Randy’s observation as being delusional due to anesthesia, but he begs Hayley to investigate and prove that he was right. Weighing even more on Hayley’s shoulders is Romeo’s last plea to take over the restaurant while he was out, a responsibility his staff hopes she will continue as business surges and demand for her dishes increase. So, Hayley will be juggling the duties of managing a restaurant, writing her entertaining food and cocktails columns, and tracking down who ensured that Romeo served his last dish.

The authors keep this fourteenth of the series fresh by taking Hayley out of her normal environment and placing her in the drama-filled position of running a restaurant. When her cooking skills are combined with her abilities to manage an office, Hayley proves to be a surprisingly successful new restaurateur. It helps that she is being assisted by her usual cohorts in crime, besties Liddy and Mona. Both are at loose ends right now, with real estate agent Liddy frustrated at the dried up real estate marker while Mona is being pushed into retirement from Lobstering by her children. When it turns out that Liddy is a deft hostess and customers love Mona’s rude service, they prove to be as helpful as restaurant staff as they do investigating enablers.

Fans of Hayley’s exuberant Island Times columns will be thrilled by those included here, as the Italian dishes and inspired drinks are tantalizing and the stories that inspired them hilarious. This latest in the series is an entertaining blend of Hell’s Kitchen and Grey’s Anatomy, and Haley finds herself delving deep into the equally cutthroat and competitive worlds of restaurants and hospitals. Fun food columns, mouth-watering recipes, and the antics of the extremely likable Hayley and her friends make this yet another winner. Whether this is a starting point for an entire new series or simply veers into a different direction entirely, readers will hopefully be able to follow Hayley’s Bar Harbor family as they go onto their next adventure.

Reserved for Murder: A Booklover’s B&B Mystery by Victoria Gilbert
Review by Cynthia Chow

After the death of her rather mysterious great-aunt Isabella Harrington, Charlotte Reed gave up her career as a teacher to accept and run her inheritance of Chapters, a book-themed bed-and-breakfast in Beaufort, North Carolina. While famous romance writer Amanda Nobel plans to keep her stay at Chapters on the downlow, Charlotte hopes that the B&B will later benefit from the positive reviews and publicity Amanda promises to deliver later. Also in on the secret of Amanda’s presence are three uberfans who won a contest to spend an all-expense-paid vacation with their idol, not to mention the publisher’s representative who seems determined to control the author as much as possible. While Amanda admirably holds her own during a bookstore Q&A with an academic criticizing her lack of research and accurate historical details, further strife seems to be developing among the aforementioned fans. Surprisingly, accusations of plagiarism are thrown not at Amanda, but at the fan club president’s fan-fiction.

When the possible plagiarist is found murdered, there is a surplus of suspects all hovering in Beaufort. The late Lisette Bradford’s stalker ex-husband was reportedly seen at the author event, and an even more mysterious man has arrived next door to Chapters. Gavin Howard claims to be a relative of her neighbor Ellen Montgomery, but the former Intelligence Agent never mentioned that she would be having family arrive for a visit. Ellen’s past is closely tied with that of Isabella, as the two were ambitious Cold War agents willing to live double lives and manipulate others in order to track a Russian spy. Ellen and Charlotte had recently proved to be an impressive team when recently tracking down a murderer, so it’s not a huge surprise when Beaufort Police Detective Amber Johnson asks Charlotte to use her teacher-and-mystery-reading-honed skills to observe her guests and funnel information to the authorities.

The latter half of the book really kicks into gear as its explores the repercussions of Ellen and Isabella’s lives in espionage. The regrets and acceptance of their deceptions are as fascinating as Charlotte’s management of Chapters, which includes literary-themed rooms and an entertainingly diverse staff. This second in the series can easily be read without knowing anything of the previous, but it expands on the secrets that were introduced in the debut.

Charlotte has seen the downside of being “famous,” as her husband died a hero and had to continually be reminded of his loss. Talking to his portrait helps her to work through her thoughts and her complicated feelings towards the newcomers, including that of the mysterious “cousin.” Charlotte’s bookstore-owning friend is but one of her affectionate and supportive friends, and the banter between them all is envious and quippy. Bibliophiles and espionage fans will love this mix of cozy and suspense, and the finale delivers a surprising and hopeful conclusion.

To enter to win a copy of all 4 books, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “food fairies” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 4, 2021. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE THAT IT MAY TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. A new episode goes up next week.

You can use this link to purchase any of these books from indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, and KRL gets a portion of the sale:

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

by Sunny Frazier

This month we have a giveaway of One for the Hooks by Betty Hechman and Murphy’s Slaw by Elizabeth Logan featured in past Coming Attractions columns. Details on how to enter below.

The heat has got us all down and fall can’t come soon enough. It seems publishers are impatient too as these witch mysteries can’t wait for Halloween. Plus, Kings River Life’s own Lorie Lewis Ham has started a new series as well!

Lorie Lewis Ham has set her first book of the Tower District Mysteries in a landmark area of Fresno. After her publisher drops her children’s book series, thirty-five-year-old Roxi Carlucci is forced to leave the California coast and move in with her cousin in the Central Valley. She becomes involved with a community theatre fundraiser for animal rescue. When a murder occurs during rehearsal, she looks at the players and wonders if it’s One of Us. Now Roxi and her cousin must ferret out the killer before there is more drama.

Vicki Delany takes us back to 1953 in her new Catskill Summer Resort Mystery. Elizabeth Grady’s mom is trying her hand at running Haggerman’s Catskills Resort and Elizabeth is there to help. When a guest is found dead in a lake, a copy of The Communist Manifesto is found in his cabin. The police think the man was a Russian spy but Elizabeth’s not sure. With the Red Scare running rampant, it’s Deadly Summer Nights.

Don’t Judge a Book by Its Hover when you read the first book in the Witchy Expo Services Mystery by Amy McNulty. When her famous grandmother retires, Nimue Toothhaker is her successor at Expo Services set in Cauldron Cove. Need storage for your floating items, illusions or teleportation for an event? Nimue can supply it. The only caveat grandma makes is that the job is shared with a warlock Nimue hates. At the Bookshop Con, a famous author drops dead in the convention lobby. This could spell disaster for the business and the town.

Welcome to the paranormal town of Fairy Falls. In book five, things are going great with Mina Tiller’s love life and friend Samantha’s acting career. When a body drops in the middle of one of Mina’s dates, her boyfriend knows the victim and feels compelled to find the killer. Meanwhile, Mina and Samantha infiltrate a group intent on turning the town where only witches and wizards reside. Love Will Find a Witch in the Fairy Falls series by Samantha Silver.

We’re all Hooked on a Feline in Sofie Kelly’s lucky thirteenth Magical Cats mystery. It’s summer in Mayville Heights and librarian Kathleen Paulson and her detective boyfriend are hyped to attend the local music festival’s last concert. When a band member is found dead, Kathleen remembers he was researching his genealogy. Looking closer at his family tree, she and her boyfriend find something suspicious. Can she and cats, Owen and Hercules, solve the murder?

Murder Can Frost Your Doughnut as Celeste Cabot discovers in the fourth Haunted Craft Fair Mystery by Rose Pressey. She’s at a county fair in Tennessee to sell her paintings. The highlight is the celebrity impersonation contest. But Elvis hasn’t left his trailer because he’s found dead clutching a doughnut. To solve the crime, Celeste paints an Elvis portrait and the ghost of the impersonator appears. With his “spirited” help, she and Chihuahua Van (Gogh) set out to find the killer.

Ready to do a little time-traveling? Because twenty-first century journalist Olivia Watson thinks attending a Halloween party in 1934 with a detective friend will be fun—that is, until a Five & Dime mogul is murdered and the killer saw Olivia’s face. The smart thing to do would be to go back to their own century, but the twosome stay. They need to navigate unreliable clues, misdirection, dark secrets, and ghosts before time runs out. Death Rang the Bell is the third Blackwell & Watson Time-Travel by Carol Pouliot.

To enter to win a copy of One For the Hooks and Murphy’s Slaw, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “tired of summer” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 4, 2021. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please also include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters read by local actors. A new episode goes up next week.

Or click on this link to take you to Mysterious Galaxy’s website where you can purchase any of these books & a portion will go to help support KRL:

Sunny Frazier worked with an undercover narcotics team in Fresno County for 17 years before turning her energies to writing the Christy Bristol Astrology Mysteries. Based in the San Joaquin Valley of California, the novels are inspired by real cases and 35 years of casting horoscopes.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases.