Auto inventor Alastair Stubbins and his investment partner are found dead by carbon monoxide poisoning. Vista Hermosa Police Detectives Jonas Maple and Kimberly Collins have far more questions than answers and everybody has an alibi.
Tag: Mysteries To Die For
M2D4 S5E2 Finding Fault by TG Wolff
An accomplished lawyer is dead. The ME calls it an overdose; the lawyer’s wife calls bullshit. Now Detective Jesus De La Cruz has to determine who is at fault.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts
M2D4 S5E1 Party Boat by Ed Teja
Dexter Wilde is a master in the art of the deal. A day on the charter boat Effing Fun Run is an ideal for catching a fish…and not just the kind that swim. But on this three hour tour, mixing business and pleasure leads to murder.
Listen Here or anywhere you get your podcasts.
Mysteries To Die For presents Season 5: MOVE IT OR LOSE IT
This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. This season contains original stories, structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution.
MOVE IT OR LOSE IT pays homage to the vehicles that propel mysteries forward. A train was the setting for Agatha Christie’s famed Murder on the Orient Express. A river boat then took center stage on Death on the Nile. Cars have been prominently featured in American crime stories with the glory of the get-a-way vehicle. Then there are the heists from carriages to trains to armored trucks.
A charter fishing boat. An ambulance. An ultra-tech sports car. A flat-bed tow truck. A shorty bus. An old school locomotive. A horse. An airport shuttle. A Winnebago. A carriage.
Join authors Ed Teja, Chuck Brownman, Colin Conway, KM Rockwood, Craig Faustus Buck, Erica Obey, Ken Harris, Karina Bartow, Kyra Jacobs, Jack Wolff, and TG Wolff for a mystery to die for. Episodes start dropping Friday, Jan 6, at 1:30p Eastern. Listen HERE or anywhere you get your podcasts.
A Word Before Dying: e-book FREE
I need to have a word with you…A Word Before Dying. Reward yourself for your starting the holiday shopping, finishing the holiday shopping, or thinking about starting the holiday shopping by taking a few minutes for yourself and solve a murder. Through the end of the year, Mysteries to Die For: A Word Before Dying, the e-book, is FREE through Smashwords.
In the last moments of life, a single word can be the difference between justice and obscurity. It can also set the stage for an amazing story. For your puzzle solving pleasure, Mysteries to Die For presents: A Word Before Dying.
Nuts. Hiawatha. In Vino Veritas. El Melena. Bad Luck. Sue Her. Best Friend. Ghost. Shadow.
Nine enigmatic phases. Nine stories arranged for you to deduce the truth before the detective takes center stage.
M2D4 Featured on Writers Who Kill
Mysteries to Die For was featured on that fantastic mystery and thriller blog Writers Who Kill. One of the writers who routinely kills is KM Rockwood, who contributed Best Friend to Season 4: A WORD BEFORE DYING. The featured post talks about how our podcast grew from an idea to a media forum tailor made for those who can’t resist a good mystery.
https://writerswhokill.blogspot.com/2022/09/welcome-to-mysteries-to-die-for-by-km.html
Ghostly Deeds
When crossing the Atlantic, few things are worse than have a ghost among the crew. The one above the Paul Henry is looking for men to join its ranks. So far, he’s acquired two souls. Dock in New York, Captain Saverfeld seeks out a pair who solved a deadly mystery on another ship, years before. Mr. Edmund Jessop and Mr. Linus Gordon have turned their time and skills to booking cargo. But they can’t resist a good mystery anymore than we can.
Listen to Mysteries to Die For and solve the mystery of The Ghost of the Paul Henry by Michael Penncavage.
A Word Before Dying: The Book
Mystery lovers, have I got a treat for you.
The nine stories of this season’s Mysteries To Die For podcast are coming to a book distributor near you. What makes this anthology so much fun for us mystery lovers is that, like the podcast, there is a pause before the big reveal to give you a chance to solve the murder. I’ve included the list of suspects and summarized the clues in a page called “Deliberation.” Whet your detective skills on these made to order mysteries.
Nuts! by Judi Lynn. Laurel and Nick’s first anniversary Airbnb getaway is hi-jacked by a woman dying on the kitchen floor. “Nuts!” she tells Laurel before losing consciousness.
Finding Hiawatha by Frank Zafiro. Jameson Burrish’s health had been failing but death came for him sooner than expected. With his daughter and nephew at his bedside, he gasps out his final word “Hiawatha.” Is it the rambling of a sick man or a decree to rewrite his will? The answer falls to private investigator Stefan Kopriva.
In Vino Veritas by Jack Wolff. The rag tag team of treasure hunters is within a day of finding the mythical Domas Dei temple when their guide, Den Deadson, meets a messy end. With his last breath he tells Detective-turned-bodyguard James Delviro “in vino veritas.” Now what the heck could that mean?
The Legend of El Melena by Mark Edward Langley. People are turning up dead around a small, burned down church outside Las Palmas, NM. Paranormal journalist Eddie Manning investigates to determine if the hand behind “El Melena” are human or something other.
No Luck like Bad Luck by TG Wolff. Richard Wedgeworth died in the middle of a party, his final words to his wife were “bad luck.” He ate the same food and drank the same drinks as everyone, yet he was poisoned. Solving the mystery is Diamond’s problem. Too bad she’s not for hire.
Sue Her by Kyra Jacobs. Marissa Steele is implicated in murder when the soon-to-be dead man points to her and says “Jimmy will sue her.” A former cop, Charlie Mullins pulls out all the stops to protect his best friend’s sister and the one woman he can never have.
Best Friend by KM Rockwood. A developmentally delayed young woman is hit by a truck and killed, the case closed as a tragic accident. But her last words “best friend” mean Darlene’s older brother and a volunteer social worker aren’t so quick to close the book.
The Ghost of the Paul Henry by Michael Penncavage. Men are dying aboard the Paul Henry. The only clue to their demise is the last word uttered by one of the damned. “Ghost.” Captain Saverfeld turns to Mr. Edmund Jessop and Mr. Linus Gordon to answer the question of if there is a ghostly hand behind it all.
Fading Shadow by TG Wolff. A day of the zoo becomes work for Detective Jesus De La Cruz when the maintenance manager Warren Taylor is shot. His dying word “shadow” leaves Cruz looking hard at those closest to the man.
Available from the e-retailers below. Available August 31 with pre-order available now. Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble |
Dead in the Alley: Chapter 1 and Review
This is a second-time around, romantic suspense story. Bay Bishop has moved back home to small-town Michigan with her husband Derrick to start an upscale restaurant. It is a success in so many ways. But then Derrick is killed in a hit-and-run right outside the restaurant’s back door. The investigation takes an abrupt turn when a connection to drug trafficking is found. Enter Greg Musgrove, narcotics detective and the high school boyfriend who ghosted on her nearly 20 years ago.
Bottom line: Dead in an Alley is for you if you like second chance, redemption romances, culinary morsels, and rich storylines that immerse you in the lives of the main characters.
Strengths of the story. The novel weaves together storylines: investigation into Derrick’s death; Bay’s grief over the loss of her husband and coming to grips with the sham that was her life; Greg juggling work, a new business venture, and the realization he stilled loved Bay; Bay’s conflicted reaction to being in close quarters with Greg again; and Bay’s issues with her parents and siblings. The lines are influenced by each other, which makes for a compelling, over arching story. The main characters, Bay and Greg, are likable and the main supporting characters add texture. Ms. Michalove culinary knowledge shines through and if she cooks as well as she describes in here, I want to go to her house.
Where the story fell short of ideal: The logic, my #1 test, was reasonable but not strong. I walked away with questions about why characters would do certain things – primarily the culprit and side characters, not Bay and Greg. With so many storylines, it isn’t surprising there are a lot of characters and keeping them all straight was a challenge I failed at a few times.
I haven’t decided where I fall on the start of the romance itself. Being romantic suspense, it is obvious where it is going. But Bay loves her husband. She is truly devastated when he is killed. It is hard for me to buy the quick turn to the one that got away. Yet, this is romantic suspense and that spark has to happen quickly, it’s just part of the game. Likely this is one place where readers will fall into different camps: didn’t notice; noticed but no problem with it; noticed and didn’t love it but got over it; and noticed and didn’t get over it. I enjoyed the book and am glad I finished it.
Listen to the first chapter on my Toe Tag page and everywhere you get your podcasts. Then download Dead in the Alley by Sharon Michalove for the rest of the story. DEAD IN AN ALLEY was released August 10, 2022 from Coffee and Éclair Books and is available from Amazon and other book retailers. From July 18-August 12, 2022 Dead in an Alley is on tour with Partners in Crime. Check out the tour link for more content and information https://www.partnersincrimetours.net/dead-in-the-alley-by-sharon-michalove/
Toe Tag: See You Next Tuesday
Mysteries to Die For’s newest Toe Tag is SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY by Ken Harris. Listen to the first chapter on my website and everywhere you get your podcasts.
From July 11-August 5, See You Next Tuesday is on tour with Partners in Crime. Check out the tour link for more content and information https://www.partnersincrimetours.net/see-you-next-tuesday-by-ken-harris/
TG Wolff Review
This is a Private Investigator and grift story. The dynamic team of Steve Rochfish and Jawnie McGee tackle their first case as full partners. A line from later in the book gives the perfect synopsis. It’s a simple cheating husband case turned into a search and rescue, cult exfiltration and a wild ride that comes back to two old guys getting ripped off.
Rating See You Next Tuesday on a 5-point scale against the “perfect PI story”, I give this 5.00.
Strengths of the story. By now, you all know I’m hell on logic and Harris lives up to the bar. The actions of all the characters made sense for who they were. Rockfish and McGee drive the story, interfering with the bad guys plans, and the bad guys react, changing plans in a way that both creates unexpected twists and is totally reasonable given the change in their circumstances. Harris thoroughly developed his story, giving his detective material to work with. He worked them into a corner a time or two and let them fight their way out.
I liked both lead characters. Rockfish is older and has the mindset and habits that reflect those of us born in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Jawnie is his counterbalance, rooted in modern times in terms of technology, mindset, and vernacular. While either character could have been stereotypical, neither are and what really makes them work is the mutual respect and affection they have for each other.
Where the story fell short of the ideal. The first half of the story alternates between Rockfish’s and Jawnie’s points of view. As the story progresses, we have scenes written from the POV for their new Confidential Informant Lynn and, later, the bad guys. Information the reader gains here could not come from Rockfish or Jawnie. Often, I am not a fan of changing the storytelling style mid-book, but Harris did them very well. These changes in POV were the reason the logic and the story were able to stand up as strongly as they did. There were a few stylistic elements that were not my favorite but those were certainly personal preferences. Some minor editing misses were found, but not enough to detract from the story.
Bottom line: See You Next Tuesday is for you if you like PI’s who like to mix it up with the bad guys and refuse to quit—even after the cops tell them too.
TG Wolff 