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The KC Reads book club is excited to feature Indelible by Laurie Buchanan. She is an award-winning author, and this book is making a b.i.g. splash! We’ll be talking about Laurie’s book, her walking prowess, and her obsession with red licorice. Bio, cover art and link are below. Find Laurie at lauriebuchanan.com Laurie Buchanan writes the Sean McPherson novels--fast-paced thrillers set in the Pacific Northwest that feature a trifecta of malice and the pursuit and cost of justice. A cross between Dr. Dolittle, Nanny McPhee, and a type-A Buddhist, Buchanan is an active listener, observer of details, payer of attention, reader and writer of books, kindness enthusiast, and red licorice aficionado. Laurie's books have won nine awards, including the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Gold Winner and the International Book Award Gold Winner. She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest, where she enjoys long walks, bicycling, camping, and photography--because sometimes the best word choice is a picture.  When a sniper killed his partner, Sean McPherson was injured in the ambush. Now an ex-cop, he takes a job at a writing retreat in the Pacific Northwest. At Pines & Quill, he hopes to heal and put his life back together in the Zen-like capacity of groundskeeper and all-around handyman.
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From his spectacular book cover to his mystery identity, James Wallace Birch has us curious! Next up for the KC Reads book club: If You Find Emory Walden. We’ll be trying to solve the mystery of a missing person and a missing three million dollars! Join us to discuss this debut novel! Cover art, summary and link for purchase below.  Eight years ago, James’ friend Emory disappeared, leaving behind his memoirs and the promise of a hidden cache of $3 million. James published the memoir and became a famous professor. But his obsession with Emory’s disappearance destroyed his personal life. He never went to find the money.
Years later, James’ former student, Melanie, knocks on his door with a clue that Emory might still be alive. Together, they take to the road with a copy of Emory’s memoir and a taunting riddle someone sent them. Is the riddle a hint from Emory? Why is he reaching out? And what happened to the money James never went looking for? If You Find Emory Walden is author James Wallace Birch’s long-anticipated follow up to the reader-acclaimed Discontents: The Disappearance of a Young Radical. Join James and Melanie on a journey through claustrophobic cities, suburban nightmares, and wide-open roads as they chase down the riddle of the disappearance of a notorious fugitive. Follow their van life on the road. Sing along with them to early 2000s pop punk and emo bands. But don’t trust everything you read in this fascinating blend of suspense, mystery, adventure, and nostalgia. Amazon link here. The KC Reads book club is thrilled to feature Pay to Play by retired FBI special agent Jerry Williams! Join us to talk about her accomplished career, podcast, books, and her current shenanigans. Jerri’s bio, cover art for Pay to Play, and link to purchase are below. Jerri Williams-Short Bio: Jerri Williams has always been a storyteller and, after serving 26 years as a special agent in the FBI, she has plenty of stories to tell. During most of her Bureau career she worked major economic fraud investigations and was amazed at the schemes and deceptions con- artist and corrupt corporate and public officials would devise to steal other people’s money. She notes that with a gun, they can steal hundreds. But with a lie, they can steal millions. She is using her prior professional experiences with scams and schemers to write crime fiction about greed and often jokes that she is reliving her glory days by producing and hosting FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime and history podcast where she interviews retired FBI agents about their high-profile cases and careers. Based on her experience as an FBI spokesperson, she also debunks misconceptions about the FBI and is under contract as a technical consultant for major TV networks and production companies wanting to create authentic FBI dramas and characters.  Special Agent Kari Wheeler may have made the worst decision of her life.
The deeper she digs into the new assignment she unwisely accepted, investigating corruption in the Philadelphia strip club industry, the more her work threatens everything she values most--her FBI career, her marriage, even the closely held secrets of her painful past. Her new case has her gathering the evidence to prove that a corrupt city official is accepting bribes and breaking the same adult entertainment laws he's supposed to enforced. But when Kari enters the seductive world of high-end clubs and sleazy strip joints she faces temptations too difficult to resist. Before she becomes the star of a media scandal that could sidetrack the corruption investigation and trial, the married mother-of-three must devise a counter plan to protect all at risk of being destroyed. How far will she go? Amazon link here.  The KC Reads book club has been hijacked! Because Karen will not feature herself, a hostile takeover has occurred. Purchase Housewife for 99 cents and join us on March 25th to meet Karen Crawford and talk about her newest release! This is a stand-alone book that she wrote in between books two and three in her Taryn Winter series. Find out how Erica Forsythe muscled-out Taryn to finish first! Karen’s bio, cover art, and link to purchase are below.  Karen Crawford worked in the community supervision field for 20 years. During her career, she spent countless hours with criminal offenders, delving into the details that make them tick and gaining insight about human behavior. Her passion and drive for helping people and promoting best practices in criminal justice earned her numerous awards during her tenure. She has always valued those who serve, and those who are served, in the criminal justice system. Now, she lets her imagination run wild, writing about the other side of the law. Karen lives in Northern Arizona with her husband, dogs and cat. Her two children have flown the coop.
Click here to head to Amazon. What an honor to have Simon McCleave join the KC Reads book club to discuss The Snowdonia Killings! This is the first book in his DI Ruth Hunter series, and it is a spectacular debut novel! Simon is an International Bestselling Author who lives in South Wales. Here’s his bio: Simon McCleave was born in South London. When leaving University, he worked in television and film development. He was a Script Editor at the BBC, a producer at Channel 4 before working as a Story Analyst in Los Angeles. He worked on films such as ‘The Full Monty’ and television series such as the BBC Crime Drama ‘Between The Lines’. Simon then became a script writer for television and film. He wrote on series such as Silent Witness, Murder In Suburbia, Teachers, Attachments, The Bill, Eastenders and many more. His film, ‘Out of the Game’ for Channel 4 was critically acclaimed – ‘An unflinching portrayal of male friendship.’ (Time Out) Simon is now a best-selling crime novelist. His first book, ‘The Snowdonia Killings’, was released in January 2020 and soon became an Amazon Bestseller, reaching No 18 in the Amazon UK Kindle Chart and selling over 100,000 copies. His five subsequent novels in the DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller Series have all ranked in the Amazon Top 30 and are Amazon Best Sellers. He has sold 300,000 books and downloads in 2020. Simon is currently in negotiations to make the Ruth Hunter books into a television series. Simon lives in North Wales with his wife and two children. Link and cover art below. Join us!  Starting a new life in Snowdonia was always DI Ruth Hunter's dream. Until a twisted killer turned it into her worst nightmare.
Detective Inspector Ruth Hunter lives with the pain of her partner’s mysterious and unsolved disappearance. About to hit fifty, the veteran police officer trades in the crime-ridden streets of London for a more peaceful life in rural North Wales. But Ruth has barely settled into her new position in North Wales Police, when the body of a brutally murdered woman is discovered…with strange symbols carved into her skin. Teaming up with an obstinate deputy, Ruth struggles to eliminate anyone from a long line of suspects. When another slain victim is discovered with the same cryptic markings, she’s forced to re-think the investigation. Has Ruth got what it takes to solve the case before the murderer attacks again? The Snowdonia Killings is the first book in the DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller series and set against the majestic backdrop of Snowdonia, a timeless land of Arthurian legend, folklore and myth. If you like dark police procedurals, psychologically complex characters, and shocking twists, then you’ll love Simon McCleave’s pulse-pounding debut novel. Amazon link here! If you aren’t reading with us, you’re missing out! I started the KC Reads Book Club in March, 2020 because I wanted to create a safe place for people to come together and dish about crime. Books unite us! We lose ourselves in the pages of books and find ourselves in the stories we read!
Here’s what we did in 2020: We read 14 books and met 11 authors! We read over 4,000 pages! We featured and met best-selling authors and read award-winning books! We laughed during every author discussion, and we shed a few tears along the way. We dished about crime and all things bookish. Featured Books and Authors (in the order they appeared): False Impressions by Sandra Nikolai Redhead in a Blue Convertible by Ivan Scott Diamonds, Teak & Murder by AM Ialacci 13 Steps to the Cellar by Teresa Mathews The Power of Conviction by Catrin Russell Winter Takes All by ML Erdahl Grim Secrets by Nannette Kreitzman Lost and Found in Harlem by Delia Pitts In Wisdom’s Mind by Jensen Moock The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza The Mutiny Girl by Karen S. Gordon A Wash of Black by Chris McDonald Dead Perfect by Noelle Holten Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Thank you so much to all the authors who met with us to discuss the featured book! Dark things live in my head, so we featured a few books that were non-mystery to lighten things up now and again. We’ll continue doing this so I don’t lose the members who enjoy romance books and happy endings. Join us in 2021 for more mystery, more suspense, more heart-pounding moments and friendships built on the foundation of books! Stop the presses! Best-selling author in the UK and USA, Noelle Holten, is joining the KC Reads book club to discuss her first book, Dead Inside. Noelle is a former Senior Probation Officer who is now living her best life as a world-famous author and highly-awarded book blogger and reviewer! We’ll be talking crime and asking Noelle questions about Dead Inside, which is the first novel in her DI Maggie Jamieson series. Noelle has a fabulous Instagram page, so follow her at @author_noelleholten. She is a recent fan of Tik Tok, and I highly recommend her fun videos! Don’t forget to check out her award-winning reviews at crimebookjunkie.co.uk. Can’t get enough? Read Dead Wrong and Dead Perfect - the next two books in her series. Cover art, bio, summary, and link for purchase are below.  When three wife beaters are themselves found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she is facing her toughest case yet.
The police suspect that Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood – who is connected to all three victims – is hiding a dark secret. Then a fourth domestic abuser is brutally murdered. And he is Lucy’s husband. Now the police are running out of time, but can Maggie really believe her friend Lucy is a cold-blooded killer? Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of risk cases as well as working in a multi agency setting. She has three Hons BA's - Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice - and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle's hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog. Dead Inside - her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK is an international kindle bestseller and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson. Amazon link here! Pinch me! Chris McDonald said yes! I am beyond thrilled to feature A Wash of Black by this UK sensation! I judged this book by its cover, and it did not disappoint. A Wash of Black is a roller coaster ride without being strapped in! DI Erika Piper grabs ahold of us and takes us on a perilous journey. A special thank you to Chris for taking the time to join us the day after his release of Whispers in the Dark. I’m including that link here, too, because you’ll be hooked on his series! Cover art, links and summaries below his bio. Chris McDonald grew up in Northern Ireland before settling in Manchester via Lancaster and London. He is the author A Wash of Black, the first in the DI Erika Piper series, as well as the forthcoming second - Whispers In The Dark. He has also recently dabbled in writing cosy crimes, as a remedy for the darkness. The first in the Stonebridge Mysteries will be released in early 2021. He is a full time teacher, husband, father to two beautiful girls and a regular voice on The Blood Brothers Podcast. He is a fan of 5-a-side football, heavy metal and dogs.  IT'S NOT LIFE THAT IMITATES ART. IT'S DEATH. Anna Symons. Famous. Talented. Dead. The body of a famous actress is found mutilated on an ice rink in Manchester, recreating a scene from a blockbuster film she starred in years ago. DI Erika Piper, having only recently returned to work after suffering a near-fatal attack herself, finds she must once again prove her worth as the hunt for the media-dubbed 'Blood Ice Killer’ intensifies. But when another body is found and, this time, the killer issues a personal threat, Erika must put aside her demons to crack the case, or suffer the deadly consequences. If you like Ian Rankin, Val McDermid and Cara Hunter, you will love this. Amazon link here!  Small time drug dealer, Marcus Stone and DCI Clive Burston had never met until one night in August. By the end of that night, both had been shot dead in a small bedroom in the heart of gang territory.
DI Erika Piper is called to the scene but is at a loss to explain what’s happened. How did these two even meet, let alone end up dead in what appears to be a strange murder-suicide? As Erika leads the investigation, another two bodies are found, killed in a similar fashion. One murder, one suicide. But who is controlling this macabre puppet show? As Erika delves deeper into the lives of the dead, the pieces begin to fit together and a number of nefarious characters crawl out of the woodwork – one of whom is almost certainly pulling the strings. A catastrophic event and a personal miracle threaten to derail the investigation. Erika must find the strength to continue, before the whispers catch up with her too… Amazon link here! Hello, readers! I am excited to feature The Mutiny Girl by Karen S. Gordon for the KC Reads book club! With all the Karen memes floating around, it’s an important time for Karens to stick together, so we often commiserate about the appropriation of our name (and laugh at the memes, of course). Karen has written and published three books in the Gold and Courage series: The Mutiny Girl, Killer Deal, and Express Intent. She is currently working on her fourth book, Sick Money (but that’s a secret for the time being). Read her bio below and discover the origins of our featured book, The Mutiny Girl, a double finalist in the IAN Book of the Year awards. Cover art, summary and link for purchase are below the bio. Karen S. Gordon was born in Burbank, California, the fourth of five children, and the only girl. Her fascination with the twenty-six black and white symbols began when she embarked on her first major writing project at age three: to copy the entire Los Angeles phone directory into her older brothers' school notebooks. She's led an eclectic life. Karen got her first job at age twelve as a groom for a top polo player in Los Angeles. She was shipped-off to a private boarding school in Scottsdale, and later worked as a dough-roller at a major pizza parlor chain while attending the University of Arizona. Later she moved to Coconut Grove, Florida to be closer to her father, a practicing psychoanalyst. That's where he helped her get a job in 1979 when she unwittingly went to work at the Hotel Mutiny. The Mutiny Girl is inspired by her experiences working inside the hotel's luxury private club while it doubled as the epicenter for Miami’s multi-billion dollar cocaine trade. Since 1982 Karen has made a living in the commercial film/video production business as an award-winning producer, writer and editor. She is the author of an Action/Adventure/Mystery series, Gold & Courage. The first book, The Mutiny Girl, was released early 2019 to critical acclaim and was followed by Killer Deal, in January 2020. The third book, Express Intent published in August 2020. She lives in Texas with her rescue poodle-mashup, Dexter, and is an avid equestrian.  Vance Courage knows all too well the Hotel Mutiny was once the secret enclave for Miami's notorious Cocaine Cowboys. Law enforcement, drug lords, and lots of shady operatives lived it up inside the Mutiny's high security private club.
Outside the hotel, Miami was a war zone. The coroner stored murder victims in rented refrigerated trucks. Witnesses and jurors disappeared. A federal judge was gunned down outside his home. But that was a different era. Or was it? Courage is a lawyer now and his practice is on the skids. When a fugitive sneaks into Miami from Cuba, it unleashes demons from the past. Characters from the Cocaine Cowboy days are cropping up — including an enticing woman he meets on a dating app. With his life going nowhere fast, he wonders what they want with him. And why now? This paradoxical tale of murder, tenderness, corruption, and family will get inside your head and won't let go until you've read the final word. Click here to head to Amazon. I am honored to feature Lost and Found in Harlem by Delia Pitts! She is an incredible and accomplished woman. We see each other around on social media, but when our books were delivered in the same box, I took it as a sign that we should meet for the book club.  Delia has written four books in the Ross Agency Mystery series: Lost and Found in Harlem; Practice the Jealous Arts: Two Ross Agency Mysteries; Black and Blue in Harlem; Pauper and Prince in Harlem. Her cover art is to die for! I’m certain I’ll be diving into book two because Delia has enchanted me! Please read her own bio from Amazon to see what an amazing woman Delia is. Paperback is $6.99 and Kindle version is $2.99. Link to purchase is here. Cover and summary are below the bio. Don’t forget to follow her on Instagram at @deliapitts50 “I've been enchanted with books from my earliest days; one of my first memories is of sitting on the floor in the golden motes of dust flying around the booklined porch my father used as his office. Second grade found me crafting a pastiche on the great Walter Farley novel,"The Black Stallion." I sold that story, with original cover painting, for .02 cents at our school's spring book fair. My writing took a turn from animal lore when I discovered Sherlock Holmes in seventh grade. Agatha Christie, Langston Hughes, Margery Allingham, P.D.James, Walter Mosley, Ralph Ellison,so many fine practitioners of detective and other fiction influenced me over the years. Perhaps the biggest single influence, however, was my long-standing love affair with newspapers. I worked for professional papers in the rough-and-tumble news town of Chicago since my late teen years. Pursuing a doctorate in African history and a career in the United States Foreign Service reinforced my interest in people, places, and writing. Though the settings were not quite so exotic as West Africa, my subsequent career as a university administrator took me to Texas, New Jersey, and right around the world recruiting international students and promoting study abroad programs. I jumped into the world of fiction writing through the stimulating and fun adventure of fan fiction. To date, I've published over sixty fan fiction stories since 2012. My wonderful husband, who's traveled this journey with me, has been a source of insight and common sense for decades. And our twin sons --smart, sensitive, and fun --are the inspiration for everything I do.”  When Shelba Rook’s home burns down, he realizes he has nothing left. What’s a jobless, homeless private detective to do? He’s feeling more than a little lost.
Shelba Rook’s “home” was in fact a room in a Harlem brothel. Not only does the catastrophic fire at Auberge Rouge take the few items he could call his earthly possessions; it ends up killing an innocent woman. As Rook struggles to find a job, his thoughts keep returning to the woman at the Auberge Rouge. Who was she? Did someone set the fire intending to kill her? As Rook ponders these mysteries, he stumbles on one of Harlem’s best-kept secrets—the Ross Agency. The detective agency, run by the magnanimous Norment Ross and his far more practical daughter, Sabrina, takes tiny neighborhood cases the police are too busy to solve. They’re looking for a new agent, and Rook knows a job is a job. Rook may look down on the types of cases Norment and Brina take, but the two will prove to be invaluable allies as he searches for an arsonist and a murderer. From tiny cases to huge investigations, the Ross Agency is ready for anything! |
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