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Advent Day 1 - Barbara Early

Today we welcome PBG author Barbara Early. Her book releases today


Blurb:
High school geometry teacher, Donna Russell likes her life well-ordered and logical, even if it is a tad solitary at times. But when a charming co-worker at the local food bank disappears just before Christmas, Donna is left with more questions than solutions.
After the missing man's neighbor, muscle-bound EMT Sam Holton, volunteers as Donna's crime-fighting sidekick, sparks fly between them. Donna wonders if Sam can be trusted, or if he's trying to throw an unknown into her calculations—and her life.
And when police recover a body from the icy Niagara River, Donna is faced with the most frustrating equation of all: can murder plus mayhem ever equal romance?

Links:




Excerpt:
Food pantries are lousy places to meet men.
I slammed another dusty can of sauerkraut into the rough wood shelving to punctuate that thought, enjoying the reverberation through the brick storefront. Don’t get me wrong. That’s not why I volunteered. My days of pining after some testosterone-charged he-god passed a decade or so ago when all my friends married and started having kids. I’d officially become “Aunt Donna,” and I was pretty okay with that.
Most of the time.
I had my friends, my students, and my cat. Only my friends were all busy chauffeuring their kids to basketball practice and dance recitals, my students at the high school drove me up the wall, and my black cat was one of those independent sorts, content stalking birds from the window. He rubbed against my leg twice a day when I filled his food dish, and that was pretty much the extent of my physical contact with other living things.

Review:
Wonderfully written with a nice mix of thrills, chills and laughs, Gold, Frankinsense and Murder is a lovely short story to curl up with on a winter's night. I loved the scene with the cat attacking the tree - something my cat did reguarly - and the sleuthing Donna reminded me of Miss Marple. It's 83 pages are jam packed with vivid descriptions and action that keep you turning pages.

Comments

Dora Hiers said…
Great title! Love the excerpt. Gold, Frankinsense and Murder sounds like an awesome read. Congrats, Barbara, and best wishes!
Barbara Early said…
Thank you, Clare for hosting the advent calendar--and for the kind review!

And thanks, Dora. I'm fond of the title too. It beats the original title, which was "Canned Pears in Heavy Syrup." LOL.
Donna B said…
I love it! And what a great sense of humor comes through the writing!
Debra E. Marvin said…
Hooray! Barb's book is great. Thrills, chills (that's Buffalo for you...) and laughter.

Loved this book!
Barbara Early said…
Thanks, Donna and Deb--

I'm ecstatic and flattered that you liked it. :)

And after having an unseasonably warm November, it finally snowed here. So we're getting those chills.
Mary Manners said…
Barbara,

I'm so glad to see you here and to get to know you better. I love the title of your holiday book! Can't wait to read it.

God bless you this holiday season.
Barbara Early said…
Thanks, Mary. I hope you enjoy it! And a very Merry Christmas to you.
Marianne Evans said…
What a tantalizing excerpt!!! Can't wait to read it!! Congrats, Barb!
Barbara Early said…
Thanks, Marianne! I'm glad you liked the excerpt. I love writing in first person because I can really get into the character's head. Hope you enjoy it!
Tanya Stowe said…
Barbara, love the title! I've been looking forward to reading this! Sounds great!
Clare Revell said…
Thanks for all the comments ladies :) And as for the original title "Canned pears in heavy syrup" ... could always make it the sequel lol
Robin Bayne said…
Sounds so great!!
Barbara Early said…
Tanya and Robin--

Thanks so much!

And Clare, you're the second person to mention a sequel today. Hmmm.
Laura Briggs said…
Love the sound of this one--and the title and cover are adorable! There's nothing like curling up with a good mystery by a cozy fire :)
Barbara Early said…
Thanks, Laura--

Nicola did the cover, and I cried when I first saw it. I loved it. The cat, Soot, in the story was a cat of ours who is no longer with us. Now he's memorialized forever. And yes, he could easily dismantle a Christmas tree. :)
LoRee Peery said…
Sweet review, and I want to read it.
I enjoyed reading all about it.

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