A
case of murder with sweet complications
Rosella
Rivers enjoys the perfect life, loving her new ice cream food truck
business featuring exotic flavors. But her beach view parking space
is not so lovable when she finds an acquaintance stabbed to death in
the boardwalk bathroom.
Detective
Mark Pruitt knows murder is bad for small-town Olympus Bay. He must
find the suspect before he strikes again. When he first sets eyes on
Rosella, the only witness, he is smitten. However, there's no time
for romance when danger lurks.
Together
he and the lovely ice cream maker must discover the killer before he
turns his sight on Rosella.
Excerpt:
The
echo of a drip-drip-drip resonated from within. Rosella glanced
around, wishing a man would pass by, someone she could send inside on
her behalf. On this side of the structure, though, the beachfront was
hidden from view and the building backed by sand dunes. Unless
someone needed to use the facilities, they wouldn’t approach.
“Mick?”
A
distant chime from the town clock made her heart sink. Ten a.m.
Opening time. She had to get back to her truck. A fresh round of
anxious yips sounded. She
scooted
to the corner of the building and peeked toward
her
truck. Aphrodite stood at attention, straining at the
leash.
The dog barked twice at spotting her and renewed efforts to break
free of the tether.
She
returned to the doorway. “Mick, I’m just going
to
step inside since I’m a little bit worried, just to make sure
you’re okay. Let me know if I shouldn’t come in.” No response
sounded. “All right, coming in.”
The
odor hit her first. Heavy, sweet, sickening. Then her eyes registered
the scene. Mick lay face down in the middle of the tile floor, a
steady stream of deep red blood winding its way toward a drain.
A
Bit About our Focus Author:
Julie
Howard is the author of the best-selling Wild Crime and Spirited
Quest series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered
topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. Now she edits an online
anthology, Potato Soup Journal, and spends many delightful hours
writing her books.
Author
Links:
Website:
http://juliemhoward.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/_JulieMHoward
Buy
Links:
Amazon:
https://amzn.to/2xdqkl3
Good luck with your book!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the excerpt! I am buying this right now!
ReplyDeleteI love the opening. I need to stop doing everything else and read for the next month or two. I'm adding this to my queue.
ReplyDeleteRoxanne Dunn
This looks like a really fun cozy mystery!
ReplyDelete