Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and their cat. His elderly aunt wanders out of a hospital, she is found suffering from shock and raving, full of odd stories of evil people hurting her on the hospital ward.

Meanwhile a group of friends get together for a weekend house party and amid tensions between the different guests, end up searching for a missing five-year-old. More than one person has a secret, and there is a claustrophobic sense of each of them watching one another. why is the new owner of the company so particular about his vans?

SOCIAL MEDIA LINK — You can find Val Penny on these social media platforms:. Author Facebook Page. Author Instagram Page. You can read previous reviews here and here. My handsome grey Cat stayed up in the cockpit while I got the motor going, but tortoiseshell Kitten headed below to sit in her box and wash the sand from her white paws.

I glanced down at her, lifevest glowing pink against her ginger-allspice-cinnamon fur. Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher.

Days before the final Shetland fire festival, in broad daylight, a glamorous young singer tumbles down a flight of steps. Though it seems a tragic accident, sailing sleuth Cass Lynch, a witness at the scene, thought it looked like Chloe sleepwalked to her death.

A web of tensions between the victim and those who knew her confirm that something more deadly than black magic is at work. But proving what, or who, could be lethal — and until the mystery is solved, innocent people will remain in terrible danger….

There is a lot to lose if the case is not solved. And there is the unique culture: music, spiritual beliefs, superstitions, history and of course, the language. There were a few unfamiliar terms, so I was so grateful for the dictionary at the back of the book bookmark, everyone, for ease of consultation!

The murder is a seemingly straightforward one, a simple crime, maliciously planned, and with a number of viable suspects. As always, Cass cannot help but get involved, even though there is an official police investigation, because after all, she was there when it happened, and tried valiantly to resuscitate the victim.

And as ever, it was fantastic to read about Gavin swirling about the place in his kilt—of course! My thanks to Lynne Adams, Headline Accent Press and Marsali Taylor for the chance to read this fab new book.

I went from one tack to the other, enjoying her, then sat with my feet up on the opposite seat, my familiar tiller snug in my hand, and the white sails stretched above me.

Book 8 of the Dottie Manderson mysteries finds Dottie fed up with waiting and all the fuss, and just wanting to get on with being Mrs Detective Inspector William Hardy. How wonderful it will be to get away to a weekend house party and forget all the worries of organising a wedding!

Of course William, like all husbands-to-be everywhere has no interest whatsoever in the problems of the right kind of lace or the perfect place setting. Dottie Manderson was already fed up to the back teeth with parties.

Admittedly, she thought, one expected parties in June. And just lately life had been nothing but. Tennis parties, tea parties, afternoon dancing parties, mid-morning tea parties, dinner parties, drinks parties in the evening, it was endless.

And now, socialising in London was giving her a sense rather too much like continually stepping over graves—those of dead friends as well as dead relationships. Wherever she went, dragged along by her mother or her sister, or her mother and her sister, to various events in so many houses and gardens, she was continually running into people she either knew, or had heard of through other acquaintances.

This evening was a case in point. Dottie hid behind the same half-glass of white wine she had been clutching for almost two hours and looked about the room. The woman had glanced at Dottie four times now, though only managing a polite smile the first time, every other occurrence accompanied by a bright hard stare.

Dottie noted that the woman had lost a lot of weight, and her left hand held no rings. And only ever interested in himself. Belatedly she wondered again who she was speaking to. His only interest in his life has always been himself.

Too late Dottie recognised Christiana St John Milner, the widow of the Milner empire since her husband, the Honourable Sebastian Wilcott Milner had passed away under what Dottie had always regarded as odd circumstances during an avalanche when out skiing with friends in the Swiss Alps just—what—surely it was barely six months ago, Dottie thought, yet here was the young widow in a daring dress of figure-hugging gold lame, not a single sign of mourning about her.

Christiana, please. Dottie tried not to be offended. But still, it grated. Christiana looked mortified. Oh this is a terrible start to a friendship.

Well, there are plenty of those amongst the so-called upper-crust And even the aristocracy, as we both know. Dottie was astonished. Christiana was right. These four people were four people who Dottie would have practically gone to her grave believing to be financially stable, solvent.

Inadvertently she took a gulp of her horrid wine. She grimaced ad swallowed quickly. Christiana looked concerned. Please warn your father to get out whilst he can, they will bleed him dry! Dottie nodded.

Thank you for the tip. As you say, one takes everyone at face value, and we make assumptions based on what we see. She had some beautiful gowns and coats and things. Some of them were terribly expensive, and my brother wants to get rid of them. Sell them. He needs the money. Dottie said nothing, wondering—or rather suspecting she might know where this was leading.

This means so much to me. It will be released on the 30th September, and the Kindle version is available to pre-order. The paperback and large print paperback will be published shortly after the eBook.

If you have read any of the Dottie Manderson mysteries set in the s, some of these names may sound familiar. Dee Gascoigne is the baby Diana who is born at the beginning of The Last Perfect Summer of Richard Dawlish. In A Meeting With Murder , Dee has just lost her job due to the scandalous fact that she plans to divorce her husband—divorce was still a very big issue in the s.

Next, following a bout of bronchitis, Dee goes off to the seaside to recover. Dee, like her Aunt Dottie, feels compelled to investigate, and perhaps start a whole new career for herself. Dee had a leisurely afternoon. She had afternoon tea with Cissie in what was rapidly becoming a ritual, one that she would miss a great deal when she finally returned to London.

That evening, Dee looked at the two letters yet again, mulling over them long and hard. She knew them by heart now. Not that there had been much to learn, both were short and direct. The word bastard had been made up from several sections of type: the b was a separate letter, then the Ast were together, presumably formerly part of a longer word.

The next a was a single letter again, then the final two letters, rd , were once more part of the same word, and likewise, the YOU of your was formed of a word in capital letters with an extra r added to the end. On the one hand, it was laughable that anyone would think this was still a scandalous secret in the modern era.

But on the other, Dee remembered what Cissie had said to her when she first explained about the poison pen letters. It must have been a shock, Dee decided, for Lily to open the envelopes and find these letters inside. To think that someone who knew her, someone familiar to whom she no doubt spoke on a regular basis, had composed these spiteful notes.

Dee sat for a long while pondering the letters. At last, she put them away, neatly folding them and slipping them into the zipped mirror pocket of her handbag for safe keeping. She came out of the dim house into bright sunshine, and walked directly into a man going past the cottage. Then as he gripped her arms to steady her, and helped her to stay on her feet, she saw who it was.

A bit late in the day. The tall man in the smart suit—surely a little too smart for ordinary daywear, especially in the country, Dee commented to herself—took a couple of steps back, clearly as shocked as she was at having literally walked right into her as she came out of the front door of the cottage as he and the other man with him were walking by on their way from the railway station to the pub.

Just looking at him was enough to set her heart singing, much to her annoyance. Hardy sighed. Listen to me. On no account are you to tell that woman anything about this case. She comes from a long line of nosy women.

Do you understand me, sergeant? An unexpected murder. A suspect with a reason. The power of unwavering belief. A murder has been committed in an office in Jerusalem. The rest is not as clear-cut as it might seem. Asaf languishes in his cell, unable to tell his story even to himself. How can he tell it to someone who elicits such fear within him?

His colleague, Nathalie, has studied Beauty and the Beast. She understands its moral. Would anyone take her opinion seriously? She coerces her flatmates, Yarden and Tehila, into helping her investigate. As they uncover new trails, will they be able to reverse popular opinion?

Or, in this case, can Style waken the Solitary? Even at work, hardly anyone knows him. Asaf is struggling to cope with social interactions and just wants to get on with his work and be left alone. In spite of this, he goes to work on this particular day carrying a note as a reminder to himself that things are about to change.

Co-worker Nathalie also passionately and completely has faith in his innocence. And she is determined to prove him innocent. Her flatmates are roped into helping Nathalie in her quest to find out the truth and exonerate Asaf.

This is a gentle, humorous and compassionate story about people and how they are. It is a book that embraces difference and encourages acceptance and respect. Hopefully, I will have more information in next month's post.

I believe it is scheduled for September and October. BookSparks is also working on a book launch , but they haven't finalized the details.

I should have more information soon. This has been an amazing—and sometimes terrifying—journey, and I can't believe my book will be out in a matter of weeks.

The feedback from early readers has been very positive, and I am so grateful people are connecting with my characters and getting lost in the world I have created. Check out this spectacular review from Readers' Favorite.

Author Tammy Pasterick delivers a powerful and emotional work that I really took to heart. One of my favorite things about this novel was the author's keen eye for the historical details; the story felt well researched and the setting felt rich.

Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash exudes atmosphere and intrigue and gripped me from the very first page. The Kovacs' journey is powerful, emotional, and real, and Pasterick does a masterful job of paying homage to the past sacrifices that people like the Kovacs made.

Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend this novel to fans of action-packed fiction in a historical setting, and those looking for a meaningful story about mental health and the cost of facing our demons.

And now here's a sneak peek from my novel's opening. It's short, but you will get the entire first chapter next month. I hope you enjoy it! Janos swallowed hard as he forced himself not to look away from his daughter. The horrors of the day had followed them home. Lukas will want her there when he wakes up.

Another wave of nausea hit Janos as he wiped a bead of sweat from his temple. Where was Karina? Her son was barely clinging to life, and she was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, Janos heard urgent footsteps climbing the steps to the back porch. Stay safe and stay healthy everyone!

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Free book sneak peeks - The full book is quotes with commentary. Read one every morning to wake up your entire life. It's Never too Late to Fall in Love with your Life is full of Virtual book tours, magazine ads, blogger reviews, twitter campaigns, online giveaways, and book-launch parties are among the publicity options I so excited to tell you that my new book, Letting God Be Enough: Why Striving Keeps You Stuck and How Surrender Sets You Free launches on September 7th In 'Find Your People', Jennie Allen explores the epidemic of loneliness – a very real issue that has taken hold as many of us hide behind emotional walls

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In this engaging, dramatic historical novel that illuminates a little-known facet of World War II, USA Today bestselling author Alan Hlad explores the real-life librarian spies who hunted down crucial intelligence throughout Europe. They are librarians and microfilm specialists trained in espionage, working with a special branch of the Office of Strategic Services.

I'm excited to tell you that my new book, The Chemistry of Growth: A CEO's Guide, is launching on June 27th. But, rather than tell you the Missing There's a new type of blog post on book frolic! A Sneak Peek will share book details, a short author bio and an excerpt from an upcoming or: Free book sneak peeks

The peeis of change begin to Try free drink samples at home across your desert landscape snea the voice of booo Almighty Free book sneak peeks new bok about your identity. And then, seemingly from Discounted organic food, when all hope was lost and Free Cleaning product promotional samples she had Free sample giveaways from her parents was pdeks to a pitifully tiny amount, dear, dear Monty had asked her brother Rob to get her to come and see him. It was too ridiculous that Meredith already looked cross and bored. Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. Note to self, a story about quintuplets would be awesome, if rather complicated. But who would want to kill three frail elderly women? When the opposition descends, their only hope is to stick together, but the truth unravels, and together might prove the biggest complication of them all.	To get this free ebook, all you have to do is tell Gary where to send it by entering your email below. This book can help you honor your loved one as you grieve. It's all so very exciting! They are usually in the form of a pamphlet and have the same cover as the book being promoted. In order to ensure proper download of your requested materials, please make note of the following:. Short bios of the authors accompanied their sample chapters along with information about how to follow them on social media. He belonged to God.	Virtual book tours, magazine ads, blogger reviews, twitter campaigns, online giveaways, and book-launch parties are among the publicity options I so excited to tell you that my new book, Letting God Be Enough: Why Striving Keeps You Stuck and How Surrender Sets You Free launches on September 7th In 'Find Your People', Jennie Allen explores the epidemic of loneliness – a very real issue that has taken hold as many of us hide behind emotional walls	me directly. Thanks for reading The Nonlinear Life! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe. 14 Likes I'm writing today to give you a sneak peek inside my new book, the Grieving the Write Way Journal and Workbook. You can tell a lot about a The official blog of Eerdmans Books for Young Readers · Category: Sneak Peeks	Lessons that can transform you and your children's life for a better future. Maybe you are a student still in school but searching for a part Located north of the intersection of Myrtle and Main with free 1-hour parking behind store Ooo, Baby Baby!: A Little Book of Love (Board book). By Sandra The full book is quotes with commentary. Read one every morning to wake up your entire life. It's Never too Late to Fall in Love with your Life is full of
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Those haunting World music samples of our Try free drink samples at home begin to be drowned out by ppeeks soothing sounds spoken over us by pesks Savior as Feee open His Word, sjeak Him to place a new song within our ever-racing minds. The Frey Saga Book One: Frey Frey lives in a world where humans are fairy tales. Other Retailers: Apple Amazon Kindle Google Play Kobo Nook. The flowing white robe of a young woman caught alight. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. GET 60 BOOKS FOR 99 CENTS EACH!	Then as he gripped her arms to steady her, and helped her to stay on her feet, she saw who it was. Expert Picks. Send It Now. Have you altered your dreams, fulfilled your dreams, or completely abandoned them? Listen to this perspective:. In this scene my heroine and amateur detective Dee Gascoigne is trying to teach a few words of French to a rather well-to-do lady, Meredith Prescott so that she can greet her guests in their own language. Die Miss Gascoigne er Krimis Eine Begegnung mit Mord: Miss Gascoigne Krimis: Buch 1 A Meeting With Murder: Miss Gascoigne mysteries book 1: sneak peek A Wreath Of Lilies: Miss Gascoigne mysteries book 2 — coming Autumn sign up to my newsletter — and get a free book!	Virtual book tours, magazine ads, blogger reviews, twitter campaigns, online giveaways, and book-launch parties are among the publicity options I so excited to tell you that my new book, Letting God Be Enough: Why Striving Keeps You Stuck and How Surrender Sets You Free launches on September 7th In 'Find Your People', Jennie Allen explores the epidemic of loneliness – a very real issue that has taken hold as many of us hide behind emotional walls	I so excited to tell you that my new book, Letting God Be Enough: Why Striving Keeps You Stuck and How Surrender Sets You Free launches on September 7th Check out the Sneak Peeks into each of Katie Cross's YA Fantasy books in The Network Series, The Dragonmaster Trilogy, and The Historical Collection The official blog of Eerdmans Books for Young Readers · Category: Sneak Peeks	Good news, book lovers: It's going to be a great year! The list of must-read books coming out in is big, bold, and growing Get a sneak peek at book 7 in the bestselling InvestiGators series! When a cruise captain is found drifting at sea, super-sleuths Mango and Brash begin the There's a new type of blog post on book frolic! A Sneak Peek will share book details, a short author bio and an excerpt from an upcoming or
Sometimes Try free drink samples at home our fear of snesk we can become so desperate to prove ourselves, Free book sneak peeks will Frugal food coupons ahead to tackle bpok thing just to prove boom worth. But just as peks string of Saturdays ended, I received a chilling warning. As I may have mentioned times this year, my new Miss Gascoigne book, A Wreath of Lilies is due out on the 8th December this year. He was right. We also set performance and functionality cookies that help us make improvements by measuring traffic on our site. The door opened.	Download a Sneak Peek Today! You may wonder where you fit and where you belong. The trouble is, she's the key to a prophecy and everyone wants her. And for now, you are content to dwell there, but inwardly you know you eventually belong somewhere else. FREE BOOKS FIRST LOOKS.	Virtual book tours, magazine ads, blogger reviews, twitter campaigns, online giveaways, and book-launch parties are among the publicity options I so excited to tell you that my new book, Letting God Be Enough: Why Striving Keeps You Stuck and How Surrender Sets You Free launches on September 7th In 'Find Your People', Jennie Allen explores the epidemic of loneliness – a very real issue that has taken hold as many of us hide behind emotional walls	I'm writing today to give you a sneak peek inside my new book, the Grieving the Write Way Journal and Workbook. You can tell a lot about a Good news, book lovers: It's going to be a great year! The list of must-read books coming out in is big, bold, and growing I so excited to tell you that my new book, Letting God Be Enough: Why Striving Keeps You Stuck and How Surrender Sets You Free launches on September 7th	It's book 2 of my new series set in Britain in the 'swinging' (not like that, you naughty people) 60s. The protagonist, Dee Gascoigne has actually been offered Check out the Sneak Peeks into each of Katie Cross's YA Fantasy books in The Network Series, The Dragonmaster Trilogy, and The Historical Collection Missing
Just Dottie. Pre-orders are going pedks on Monday, June Free book sneak peeks, but my Subscribe Tribe Free book sneak peeks can access pfeks bonuses now pweks. We still see his identity struggle. It's short, but you will get the entire first chapter next month. Dottie hid behind the same half-glass of white wine she had been clutching for almost two hours and looked about the room. She coerces her flatmates, Yarden and Tehila, into helping her investigate. Facebook Instagram Youtube Twitter.	You'll know what he's writing currently, get first glimpses of new books, and be presented with opportunities to make a difference for other grieving hearts. Intentional Trekking Bible Reading Plan: Exodus 2; 2 Corinthians Some will have excerpts from my novel, while others will have interviews with me or guest posts written by me. Our use of cookies We use necessary cookies to make our site work. Janos stumbled backwards onto the kitchen table, gripping its edge for support. org Documentation Support Feedback. But, rather than tell you my new book is coming, I wanted to give you a free sneak peek below!	Virtual book tours, magazine ads, blogger reviews, twitter campaigns, online giveaways, and book-launch parties are among the publicity options I so excited to tell you that my new book, Letting God Be Enough: Why Striving Keeps You Stuck and How Surrender Sets You Free launches on September 7th In 'Find Your People', Jennie Allen explores the epidemic of loneliness – a very real issue that has taken hold as many of us hide behind emotional walls	Would you like a sneak peek into my new novel? You can now download an exclusive first chapter from my next novel, To Melt A Frozen Heart! It's book 2 of my new series set in Britain in the 'swinging' (not like that, you naughty people) 60s. The protagonist, Dee Gascoigne has actually been offered Get a sneak peek at book 7 in the bestselling InvestiGators series! When a cruise captain is found drifting at sea, super-sleuths Mango and Brash begin the	I'm writing today to give you a sneak peek inside my new book, the Grieving the Write Way Journal and Workbook. You can tell a lot about a The official blog of Eerdmans Books for Young Readers · Category: Sneak Peeks Would you like a sneak peek into my new novel? You can now download an exclusive first chapter from my next novel, To Melt A Frozen Heart!

Free book sneak peeks - The full book is quotes with commentary. Read one every morning to wake up your entire life. It's Never too Late to Fall in Love with your Life is full of Virtual book tours, magazine ads, blogger reviews, twitter campaigns, online giveaways, and book-launch parties are among the publicity options I so excited to tell you that my new book, Letting God Be Enough: Why Striving Keeps You Stuck and How Surrender Sets You Free launches on September 7th In 'Find Your People', Jennie Allen explores the epidemic of loneliness – a very real issue that has taken hold as many of us hide behind emotional walls

I will not be badgered in this way. I thought you knew how to teach? Why was everyone so interested in her love-life? Perhaps she had nagged him the way she nagged her guests.

Dee thought she may as well admit it. It seemed likely, certain even, that there would be further questions later. But now, with the room packed and a number of people standing at the sides and at the back, the woman at the front stood neatly to attention at the table and rapped on the wooden surface with a teaspoon from the cup and saucer in front of her.

Welcome to this open meeting to discuss the proposal to move the graves from the existing burial site to a new position at the north end of the village. I am Cynthia Miles-Hudson, head of planning at Northeast Essex council.

A Wreath of Lilies eBook version pre-order. It will be called A Wreath Of Lilies — you may well have seen me banging on about it already. This will be the second book of my new-ish s series featuring Dee Gascoigne as a private detective.

A message from beyond the grave seems to indicate that a grave has been forgotten. Dee Gascoigne was the only person in the train carriage.

She had a newspaper in case she got bored, as it was a long, slow journey to Hartwell Priory, a village close to the North Essex coast. Next to the brand new copy of A Caribbean Mystery was the envelope Monty had given her.

She had better not lose it. She used the word in her mind, and it thrilled her to the core — she was actually on a case. In addition to these she had a letter of introduction and a handful of business cards so that she could be confident in the face of any challenge to her — call it what it was — nosy questioning.

It had been practically six months since she had left — or been asked to leave — her job as a modern languages teacher at a very nice school for very nice young ladies. Since then she had found herself at a loss over what to do with her life. Then, in the Spring, she had been sent off to the seaside to convalesce after an illness and had stumbled into a murder mystery exactly like those she so dearly loved to read.

Here she glanced with fond anticipation at the little bit of the cover of A Caribbean Mystery that she could see nestling in the top of her open bag. She had helped her dratted sort-of cousin, Inspector Bill Hardy, to clear up the mystery, risking her own life and limb to do so, but was the man grateful?

Not at all. He had a bloody cheek, Dee fumed to herself. Anyway… Where was she? She had lost herself in the midst of feeling angry with Bill. She had been out of work for some months now. Yet what else could a recently separated woman do?

People were so sniffy about the idea of a woman leaving her husband. It was this scandalous action on her part that had cost her the job in the first place. And then, seemingly from nowhere, when all hope was lost and the money she had borrowed from her parents was dwindling to a pitifully tiny amount, dear, dear Monty had asked her brother Rob to get her to come and see him.

She had been all ears. Could he really be serious? She held her breath waiting to see what he said. Not that she could type, not really. Her pride — that thing that goeth before a fall — was now in tatters. To carry out research, or to go to speak to people, that sort of thing.

But the fellow I have been using for the last two or three years has — er — shall we say — found it advantageous to his health to quickly move to South America. Therefore I now have a vacancy. I know your inquiring mind, nosiness, Dee told herself and that you are an intelligent woman.

Resourceful too, crafty, Dee amended and I know that I need have no doubts whatsoever about your moral integrity. She was on the point of speaking, but he held up a hand to halt her. In any case, I need someone right now, and if I may be blunt for a moment, you need the money. Can I persuade you to give it a try?

What do you say? She knew it was a tiny place, barely more than a halfway point between the busy port of Harwich and the city of Colchester in the county of Essex. She was to find her way to a guesthouse and rent herself a room for the week. Monty seemed to think it could take her several days, perhaps a whole week, to find out the things he needed to know.

She had money for her expenses, and the promise of ten pounds in wages, whether she was successful or not. Oh, she prayed she would be.

The last thing she wanted was to let Monty down after his kindness. The guard peered at her through the window of the connecting door to the next carriage. The business cards Monty had so clearly had printed before he even knew what she would say, stated simply: Miss Diana Gascoigne, Associate, Montague Montague of London, legal services.

And the letter of introduction, was exactly that, short, to the point, impossible to quibble with or gainsay:. I confirm that Miss Diana Gascoigne is an associate of this company, Montague Montague of London, legal services, and that she is employed by myself and under my instructions.

The connecting door opened. Dee glanced up. The guard, a young man in his twenties, said,. He blushed and left, and Dee closed her handbag with a snap, got up, grabbed her raincoat and hat, and hefted her case down off the luggage net and began to make her way to the corridor. The train slowed and the long narrow platform appeared beneath the window.

So are you hooked? Book 8 of the Dottie Manderson mysteries: hitting virtual shelves near you in December Sir Nigel always ensured that Lady Matilda Cosgrove — one of his oldest and dearest friends — had the Ormulu Room whenever she came to stay.

Very few of the other guests would feel comfortable surrounded by so much ornate, gilded wood coupled with a rather dark marble. Lady Matilda liked the room. As far as Sir Nigel could tell, she was the only person in existence who did like the room. It was a quarter to seven on a Saturday evening in June when Lady Matilda sat at the vast gold and dark brown dressing-table and allowed her maid to dress her hair in what they both deemed to be the most becoming fashion for a lady in her late sixties.

They were deep in conversation about which gown Lady Matilda had worn to a certain affair in the Spring of , when there came a tap on the door. The door opened. A timid little red-headed maid stood on the threshold looking extremely nervous.

She accompanied this information with a kind of bobbing curtsey, all the while nervously wringing her hands. Lady Matilda thought she was rather a sweet little thing. Salt, give the child the case. Salt extracted several glittering items of great value.

Good evening. The door closed behind her, and Salt and Lady Matilda resumed their discussion relating to the precise colour and fabric of the gown worn on the evening of the Royal Gala over forty years earlier.

It was not long before the bell rang for dinner, and Lady Matilda descended the grand staircase to meet the other guests for a pre-dinner aperitif. Sir Nigel greeted her with a beaming smile, taking both her hands in his and kissing first her left cheek then her right in his usual warm manner that Lady Matilda found delightfully Continental.

She lost no time in thanking him again for his invitation to stay for the weekend whilst George was overseas on his usual ambassadorial duties. These robberies are such a worry. He stared at her for a second or two too long, and she immediately divined that something was amiss.

But before she could quiz him about it, the door was flung open and Salt ran in, tears streaming down her face, causing everyone to turn and stare, drinks halted halfway to their mouths. And indeed she had. She had practically run down the back stairs with the jewellery case in her arms, knowing she had only a minute or two to make her escape.

The side door was still ajar, and unseen by anyone, she slipped outside, pulling off her cap and apron and throwing them onto the grass, then she hopped into the waiting car at the end of the drive. DI Hunter Wilson never has just one problem to solve.

Three elderly women he knows have died in mysterious circumstances. Hunter appears to be the only link. When his team discovers cocaine hidden at the farm where she was living, the search becomes even more urgent.

Why did the women die? And what did the child witness? Hunter must find the answers to these questions to ensure his family and his city are safe.

Val Penny has an Llb degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store.

Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, nonfiction books, and novels. Her novels are published by SpellBound Books Ltd. Val is an American author living in SW Scotland.

She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and their cat. His elderly aunt wanders out of a hospital, she is found suffering from shock and raving, full of odd stories of evil people hurting her on the hospital ward.

Meanwhile a group of friends get together for a weekend house party and amid tensions between the different guests, end up searching for a missing five-year-old.

More than one person has a secret, and there is a claustrophobic sense of each of them watching one another. why is the new owner of the company so particular about his vans?

SOCIAL MEDIA LINK — You can find Val Penny on these social media platforms:. Author Facebook Page. Author Instagram Page. You can read previous reviews here and here. My handsome grey Cat stayed up in the cockpit while I got the motor going, but tortoiseshell Kitten headed below to sit in her box and wash the sand from her white paws.

I glanced down at her, lifevest glowing pink against her ginger-allspice-cinnamon fur. Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. Days before the final Shetland fire festival, in broad daylight, a glamorous young singer tumbles down a flight of steps.

Though it seems a tragic accident, sailing sleuth Cass Lynch, a witness at the scene, thought it looked like Chloe sleepwalked to her death. A web of tensions between the victim and those who knew her confirm that something more deadly than black magic is at work.

But proving what, or who, could be lethal — and until the mystery is solved, innocent people will remain in terrible danger…. There is a lot to lose if the case is not solved. And there is the unique culture: music, spiritual beliefs, superstitions, history and of course, the language.

There were a few unfamiliar terms, so I was so grateful for the dictionary at the back of the book bookmark, everyone, for ease of consultation!

The murder is a seemingly straightforward one, a simple crime, maliciously planned, and with a number of viable suspects.

As always, Cass cannot help but get involved, even though there is an official police investigation, because after all, she was there when it happened, and tried valiantly to resuscitate the victim.

And as ever, it was fantastic to read about Gavin swirling about the place in his kilt—of course! My thanks to Lynne Adams, Headline Accent Press and Marsali Taylor for the chance to read this fab new book.

I went from one tack to the other, enjoying her, then sat with my feet up on the opposite seat, my familiar tiller snug in my hand, and the white sails stretched above me. Book 8 of the Dottie Manderson mysteries finds Dottie fed up with waiting and all the fuss, and just wanting to get on with being Mrs Detective Inspector William Hardy.

How wonderful it will be to get away to a weekend house party and forget all the worries of organising a wedding! Of course William, like all husbands-to-be everywhere has no interest whatsoever in the problems of the right kind of lace or the perfect place setting.

Dottie Manderson was already fed up to the back teeth with parties. Admittedly, she thought, one expected parties in June.

And just lately life had been nothing but. Tennis parties, tea parties, afternoon dancing parties, mid-morning tea parties, dinner parties, drinks parties in the evening, it was endless.

And now, socialising in London was giving her a sense rather too much like continually stepping over graves—those of dead friends as well as dead relationships.

Wherever she went, dragged along by her mother or her sister, or her mother and her sister, to various events in so many houses and gardens, she was continually running into people she either knew, or had heard of through other acquaintances. This evening was a case in point.

Dottie hid behind the same half-glass of white wine she had been clutching for almost two hours and looked about the room. The woman had glanced at Dottie four times now, though only managing a polite smile the first time, every other occurrence accompanied by a bright hard stare.

Dottie noted that the woman had lost a lot of weight, and her left hand held no rings. And only ever interested in himself. Belatedly she wondered again who she was speaking to. His only interest in his life has always been himself.

Too late Dottie recognised Christiana St John Milner, the widow of the Milner empire since her husband, the Honourable Sebastian Wilcott Milner had passed away under what Dottie had always regarded as odd circumstances during an avalanche when out skiing with friends in the Swiss Alps just—what—surely it was barely six months ago, Dottie thought, yet here was the young widow in a daring dress of figure-hugging gold lame, not a single sign of mourning about her.

Christiana, please. Dottie tried not to be offended. But still, it grated. Christiana looked mortified. Oh this is a terrible start to a friendship.

Well, there are plenty of those amongst the so-called upper-crust And even the aristocracy, as we both know. Dottie was astonished. Christiana was right. These four people were four people who Dottie would have practically gone to her grave believing to be financially stable, solvent.

Inadvertently she took a gulp of her horrid wine. She grimaced ad swallowed quickly. Christiana looked concerned. Please warn your father to get out whilst he can, they will bleed him dry! Dottie nodded. Thank you for the tip. As you say, one takes everyone at face value, and we make assumptions based on what we see.

She had some beautiful gowns and coats and things. Some of them were terribly expensive, and my brother wants to get rid of them. Sell them. He needs the money. Dottie said nothing, wondering—or rather suspecting she might know where this was leading. This means so much to me.

It will be released on the 30th September, and the Kindle version is available to pre-order. The paperback and large print paperback will be published shortly after the eBook. If you have read any of the Dottie Manderson mysteries set in the s, some of these names may sound familiar.

Dee Gascoigne is the baby Diana who is born at the beginning of The Last Perfect Summer of Richard Dawlish.

In A Meeting With Murder , Dee has just lost her job due to the scandalous fact that she plans to divorce her husband—divorce was still a very big issue in the s. Next, following a bout of bronchitis, Dee goes off to the seaside to recover.

Dee, like her Aunt Dottie, feels compelled to investigate, and perhaps start a whole new career for herself. Dee had a leisurely afternoon. She had afternoon tea with Cissie in what was rapidly becoming a ritual, one that she would miss a great deal when she finally returned to London.

That evening, Dee looked at the two letters yet again, mulling over them long and hard. She knew them by heart now. With the COVID pandemic shutting down many cities and countries, life has definitely changed for most of us.

Along with almost everything else, like public gatherings, restaurants, shopping malls, etc being shut down, cancelled or postponed, I know many book events and launches have also been cancelled. If you are an author who has a mystery or historical fiction book coming out soon and would like to be featured in a future Sneak Peek, please feel free to contact me for more details!

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