When the Clocks Stopped: Legal Mystery Timeslip Thriller

I read a book on Inkitt recently called When the  Clocks Stopped : Legal Mystery Timeslip Thriller spiced with history and a twist of the supernatural (Mysterious Marsh Book 1)  by M.L. Eaton.

It was recommended to me by another author I have been reading, Virginia King of the Selkie Moon series.


I love mysteries. I love historical mysteries. Throwing in a ghostly presence is great. Slip through time is even better. Did I say I really mysteries in English villages? This book has it all.

Description:
"1976. A long hot summer in the mysterious Romney Marsh in the South of England.
Hazel Dawkins, a feisty young lawyer, takes maternity leave anticipating a period of tranquillity.
Instead, the dreams begin.n them she encounters Annie, a passionate young woman whose romantic and tempestuous life was adventurously lived, more than two centuries previously, in the cottage that Hazel now occupies.
As their destinies entwine, Hazel not only confronts a terrifying challenge that parallels history, she finds herself desperately fighting for survival in a cruel and unforgiving age. Even more disturbing is the realisation that her battle will affect the future for those in the past whose fate is, as yet, unwritten.
Her only ally is Annie. Together they face events that echo through the centuries, events that are as violent and compelling as they are unexpected.
And, as the past collides with the present, the time for the birth of Hazel's child draws ever nearer."

All Hazel wants to do is drop her busy modern career as an attorney, and get ready to be a mother. She and her husband move to a small English village and find a great old cottage.

Did she see an old lady in a rocking chair in that room? Must be her imagination. 

Hazel gets roped into writing wills for the people in the village, but a couple of the women seem a bit unhinged. Noises in the  attic? Smuggling people? Got to be someone's imagination. The more Hazel gets involved with these people, the more danger she is in. But she has help from Annie who lived in another time...and vice versa.

The book goes back and forth between present day and late 1700's, set in the same town of Rype. When the clocks stop, some people are able to slip through the veil of time. I love that stuff. :)

Fast paced and very suspenseful. I am happy to see it is Book One. It is available on Amazon also.

About M.L. Eaton: Retired from legal practice and semi-retired from holistic therapy - although she still teaches Reiki and other workshops - Marion lives close to the sea in the beautiful East Sussex countryside with a long-suffering husband, a lazy saluki and an urge to write into the small hours.

Have you ever heard of Inkitt?  Someone sent me a book to read that was on Inkitt. " The Hipster's Digital Library for Writers and Readers... Inkitt is a free platform for writers to cultivate ideas and watch their stories grow. On our site, users collaborate with fellow writers and readers to give each other feedback and improve. their work."

There are stories on this site, by genre, that you can read for free. There are writing contests, a beta read group (someone hold my hands down), other groups, publishing information, and an online store.

Here's the link. https://www.inkitt.com/?ref=v_bbcb1930-1d46-42e0-8101-ff68fac30622

Short Stories

There seems to be a lot of short stories popping up, like in the old days. As a kid, I always liked the short stories in The Reader's Digest. I didn't really hear about any for many years, but maybe I just missed something. I think they are great when, a) you are in between novels, b) only have may 30 minutes and want to read something, but you know if you go back to the current novel you are reading, you won't be able to put it down.

Here are few I read recently:

Tea Time With Mrs. Grammar Person by Barbara Ventkataraman.



"Fear not, Gentle Writer, Mrs. Grammar Person is here and she has the answers to all of the questions you never thought to ask. As a dedicated and serious grammarian, she will do what it takes to be entertaining and enlightening, but never vulgar or coarse. Heavens, no! Where are her smelling salts? Warm and witty, Mrs. G.P. makes grammar interesting with rhyming, wishful thinking, story-telling and a champagne toast. You are cordially invited to join her for a spot of tea!"

This is a whimsical look at grammar in the English language. As we all remember from "grammar" school, this topic is pretty dry and boring. This book is great, going over all kinds of problematic words and their proper usage, told like a story with fun examples, that might even help you remember the rules. It also includes funny (as in both peculiar and amusing) words such as lickety-split, brouhaha, gobbledydook etc. and their meaning, before Mrs. Grammar Person signs off for her dinner date with Mr. Syntax.

Cute cover, don't you think?

If You'd Just Listened To Me in the First Place also by Barbara Ventkataraman.



"Nagging just sounds so negative, and I am not a negative person. Truth is, I’m the kind of person you'd ask for directions if you were lost, or tell your life story to while waiting in line at the grocery store, which has happened on more than one occasion, believe me."  
Sure, Ella Boudreaux is great at nagging--in fact, she’s the best---but where has it gotten her?
Nowhere, that’s where.
She can’t hold onto a job and she can’t find her true calling, but she knows it’s out there. Could a handsome stranger help her find her destiny? Or maybe he was her destiny..."

Cute, fun short story about how Ella and Charlie meet, family and family business and how sometimes you have to go all the way around to get to the same place that you would have "If You'd Just Listened To Me in the First Place."

"Award-winning author, Barbara Venkataraman is an attorney and mediator specializing in family law and debt collection.

She is the author of "Teatime with Mrs. Grammar Person"; "The Fight for Magicallus," a children's fantasy; a humorous short story entitled, "If You'd Just Listened to Me in the First Place"; and two books of humorous essays: "I'm Not Talking about You, Of Course" and "A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities," which are part of the "Quirky Essays for Quirky People" series. Both books of humorous essays won the "Indie Book of the Day" award.

Her popular Jamie Quinn Mystery Series includes: "Death by Didgeridoo," "The Case of the Killer Divorce," "Peril in the Park,"  "Engaged in Danger"."

The fifth in the series is soon to be released:  "Jeopardy in July".

Check out Barbara's blog, A Trip to the Mobius Strip -
http://barbaravenkataraman.blogspot.com/


Dead as a Dodo by Lee Hayton (previously wrote as Katherine Hayton).



"This is the first outing in my new Birdman Series and is short, sharp, and succinct...that leads into a longer novel where the criminal underbelly may or may not triumph."

This very short story, is about Alvin Williams as he lays dying in a hospital, surrounded by his family and what he experiences. I am interested to see how this will tie into the first in the The Birdman Series, "Eating Crow."  I have read several of Katherine Hayton's novels, so I bet it will be good. It's on my TBR list.

Here is her blog: http://kathay1973.blogspot.com/
For all the dark thrillers and mysteries she writes, she is actually pretty funny in her writings in her blog.

The Third Note by Virginia King

Last week, I read The Third Note, Selkie Moon Mystery #3 by Virginia King.



Here's what this book is about:

"After returning from her last strange quest, Selkie Moon is more than ready to settle down. So when she receives a parcel from her great grandmother 35 years after her death, opening it seems like such a bad idea.

But curiosity wins and the objects it contains plunge Selkie into long-buried family secrets. Suddenly an old mystery begins to echo with the present and she's wrapped in a spell that won’t let go: frightening visions, deadly encounters and a pull from the past that she can’t ignore. What happened down by the old stone well in 1896 – and why does it matter to Selkie after more than a hundred years? Armed with only her wits and psychic twinges that are hardly reliable, Selkie is drawn into a web of cryptic clues that delve deep into the folklore of Ireland where superstition still weaves a powerful – and fatal – spell.

If you love mysteries with lightning pace, twists and turns you never see coming, quirky clues and a sprinkling of the supernatural, then you’ll love The Third Note.

Join Selkie Moon on a quest that will threaten not only her sanity, but her life."

The Third Note is truly magical. Full of mystery, Irish folklore, and family history, the story of Selkie Moon continues. This is probably my favorite of the three, as the characters have developed more, we find out more about Selkie's past and her "abilities", and Selkie finds out more about herself. All of the Selkies' fun and quirky friends from the first two books are there; Davina, Derek, Coral and of course her romantic interest, Alister. If you are love mysteries with a paranormal flavor, you will love the Selkie Moon books.

Start with the prequel, Laying Ghosts, by getting your free copy here: https://www.facebook.com/selkiemoonmy...

Laying Ghosts sets up the story of Selkie and how she comes where she is in Book One - The First Lie.

The Third Note was just published this week and is available on Amazon.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and volunteered to write this review

Onyx Webb Book 8

Are you reading the Onyx Webb series? I highly recommend it if you like ghosts, serial killers, lifestyles of the rich and famous, different timelines and suspense.



Book 8 is like a ride on the Italian Bobs (see Book 1).

Here is what the series and Book 8 is about:

"The timelines - the web - is more tightened than ever. Although the connections are clear, suspense reigns as always.

Onyx Webb is a complex multi-genre mash-up that combines elements of supernatural suspense, crime, horror, romance, and more. The Onyx Webb series follows the unusual life of Onyx Webb along with a central group of characters in various locations and times.
The billionaire Mulvaney family, piano prodigy Juniper Cole and her brother Quinn, paranormal show hosts Cryer and Fudge, and a few others make up the core of the series. Written like a book version of your favorite tv series (think: supernatural soap opera like American Horror Story) each character’s story moves forward with most every episode. It may appear that the characters are entirely unrelated and yet episode by episode, the connections will become clearer. Like being an inch away from a spider web, with each book, the web will move further and further away revealing the full story of character and most importantly, the stunning conclusion for Onyx Webb herself.  
Onyx and Alistar's grandson Noah grow close as they create a "life" together with exciting new projects. The Mulvaney mansion is crawling with ghosts as a big event looms. Stan Lee continues to make mistakes without consequences, for now."

Here is my favorite part of Book 8:

One (that's right, one of a few) of the ghosts sharing with Declan, the Mulvaney patriarch;

"You don't know, do you? Her name is Juniper. In fact you have quite a menagerie of the dead hanging around the mansion. Let's see: There's Juniper and the one in the bowler hat (Declan's limo driver no less) and the black man with the blind woman. That makes three right there. Oh and now me - four. It's almost as if you're running a bed and breakfast  for the deceased-a dead and breakfast, if you will."

In Book 8, we have some humor and we are led to believe everything is going to alright. The bad guys are going to get theirs' and the good guys will prevail. All of the sudden the roller coaster takes a big dip and our hearts are in our throats. Oh my. 

I will hate for Book 10 to come around and end the story, really.  I could see HBO or Netflix picking the series up. I like it better than the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series. (I love Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagarden series though).

Book 9 soon....

Poisoned Pen Press

What do you get when you have 15+ mystery book enthusiasts all read different books? You get a long list of great books to read.
 
For our March Mystery Book Club (MBC), we read books featured by the Poisoned Pen Press, an independent publisher of mystery novels. The Poisoned Pen Press was founded by Barbara G. Peters and her husband, Robert Rosenwald. Barbara Peters also owns The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale Arizona.
https://poisonedpenpress.com/
https://poisonedpen.com/

One featured series that I find interesting is The British Library Crime Classics. At a glance, it looks like they are books published anywhere from the mid 1800's thru the early 1900's. Here is the cover of one that one of the MBC members read. I love these vintage pictures.



Following, is the list of the books we all read. I felt like Scarlett O'Hara when Rhett took her on the riverboat in New Orleans and she kept grabbing the pastries as the pastry cart went by, while her mouth was full. (Did I mention we also had a pot luck? This is the scene where he tells her she will get fat, or in my case, I will have too many books.) I heard many authors and titles of books I want to read.



There are a few books at the end of the list that are not from the Poisoned Pen Press list. Some of the MBC members read some other books and shared them, so I am including them.

Deadly Descent – Lottie Albright Mystery #1 by Charlotte Hinger

 

Constable Molly Smith Mysteries by Vicki Delany

In The Shadow of the Glacier – Constable Molly Smith Mystery #1
Negative Image – Constable Molly Smith Mystery #4
Unreasonable Doubt – Constable Molly Smith Mystery #8

Alafair Tucker Mysteries by Donis Casey

The Old Buzzard Had It Coming – Alafair Tucker Mystery #1
All Men Fear Me – Alafair Tucker Mystery #8
The Return of the Raven Mocker – Alafair Tucker Tucker #9 Mystery
 

Brooklyn Bones – Erica Donato Mystery #1 by Triss Stein

The Female Detective by Andrew Forrester ( From the British Library Crimes Classics list, originally published in 1864, first detective novel to feature a professional female detective)
Mary Russell’s War and Other Stories of Suspense by Laurie R. King (Mary Russell is Sherlock Holmes wife in this the series by this other. This book has 10 short stories)
The Dead Hand by Michael Kahn
Liar Liar by K.J. Larsen (debut novel)
 

Phryne Fisher novels and Corinna Chapman Mysteries by Kerry Greenwood

Cocaine Blues – Phryne Fisher novel #1
Queen of the Flowers – Phryne Fisher novel #14
Dead Man’s Chest – Phryne Fisher novel #18
Murder and Mendelssohn – Phryne Fisher novel #20
Earthly Delights Corinna Chapman Mystery #1
Cooking the Books – Corinna Chapman Mystery #6
(Did you know that Phryne Fisher is a television series offered on Netflix? Yep I am going to add that to my watchlist.)

Santorini Caesars – Chief Inspector Kaldis Mystery #8 by Jeffrey Siger

Murder Most Unfortunate – Rick Montoya Italian Mystery #3 by David P. Wagner
Dead Weight – The Posadas County Mysteries #8 by Steven F. Havill
The Coffin Trail - A Lake District Mystery #1 by Martin Edwards
 

Kate Turner, DVM Mysteries by Eileen Brady

Muzzled - A Kate Turner, DVM Mystery #1 (2013 Discover Mystery Award Winner)
Unleashed - A Kate Turner, DVM Mystery #1
 

Caught Dead – Rick Van Lam Mystery #1 by Andrew Lanh

 

Books other than from Poisoned Pen Press

Lilac Girls: A Novel by Martha Hall Kelly (a debut novel)
A Beautiful Place to Die – Martha’s Vineyard Mystery #1 by Phillip Craig
Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
Restless in the Grave by Dana Stabenow (some of her books are featured with Poison Pen Press)

Check out the Poisoned Press' websites. They have lots of really good books featured.

 

The Second Path - Selkie Moon Mystery #2

The Second Path is book #2 in the Selkie Moon Mystery series by Virginia King.



(Book #1 is The First Lie. I read it last year and wrote about it.)

Here's what The Second Path is about:

"A rock ripped from the soil, a message scrawled in lipstick on the floor, a torn photo, a silver spoon… What do they all mean?

Only her subconscious knows.

When we last left Selkie Moon, she was running towards the source of her deepest primal fear: the sea. Now she finds herself naked on the beach, stunned that she has no memory of the past two weeks.

Recovering at a friend’s house, Selkie wakes up to discover a bizarre collection of items scattered across the floor. Items she apparently gathered in her sleep. Finding the ho'ohihi – the interconnectedness – between them will carry her around the globe, from Honolulu to Sydney to Paris. A dark fairy tale journey filled with fear and despair, laughter and hope, The Second Path has Selkie searching for her place in the world, in her relationships, and in herself."

I am drawn to this series because of the mystique surrounding the mystery. The books mix mythology with real life and Selkie's journey to leave her past behind and start a new life.

We follow Selkie from Honolulu to Paris to Tours, France to continue her journey into her struggle to leave her haunting past and begin anew. With the help (?) of her intuitive, sometimes psychic friends, she searches the beach where she disappeared and caves in France to find answers. Meanwhile Selkie tries to make a living with her seminars, Being Sleek. All while having strange dreams, writing messages in her sleep, and trying her hand at art to help her bring her answers. Then there is Alister, who seems to be the perfect person to be in her new life, but she keeps pushing away. The writing of the story is magical; lots of great descriptions of not only the landscapes, and tangible things, but of the quirky people Selkie continues to meet and her own thoughts and the process of making sense of everything. Surprise ending. At least to me.

I always like a book with a little mystique in it.

Here's a little bit about the author Virginia King and how she came to write about Selkie Moon that is also has some mystique to it.

"When a voice wakes you up in the middle of the night and tells you to write a mystery series, what’s a writer to do? That’s how Virginia King came to create Selkie Moon, after a massage from a strange woman with gifted hands was followed by this nocturnal message. Virginia sat down at the keyboard until Selkie Moon turned up. All she had to do was jump, the first sentence said. Soon Virginia was hooked, exploring far-flung places full of secrets where Selkie delves into psychological clues tangled up in the local mythology.

Before Selkie Moon invaded her life, Virginia had been a teacher, an unemployed ex-teacher, the author of over 50 children’s books, an audio-book producer, a workshop presenter and a prize-winning publisher. These days she lives in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney with her husband, where she disappears each day into Selkie Moon’s latest mystery. Bliss.

You can read about how the series evolved here: here: http://www.selkiemoon.com/behind-the-...), taking on a life of its own through several versions, guided by readers and editors and agents and publishers. The First Lie has won a BRAG Medallion and Book Two in the series, The Second Path, has now been published with Book Three well underway."

Mystery Thriller Week February 12-22 2017

Just found out about this event on author Barbara Venkataraman's blog A Trip to the Mobius Strip.
She writes the Jamie Quinn series that I mentioned in a post.



Anyhow it starts today so I am quickly posting this so you can get signed up too. I just did.

https://mysterythrillerweek.com/fans-readers-sign-up-here-for-contests-mystery-thriller-week-updates/

Here is some of what it is about.

"You will receive access to all the events scheduled.  You will be invited to meet some of these award-winning and best-selling writers on various digital platforms. Ask them questions, get tips and see what they are up to now. Find your new favorite author.
You will also have free passes to giveaways, Facebook chats, free books, interview links and more. All these treats will be provided to super fans like yourself. "

Have you tried any of these events? I am currently participating in a Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt hosted by Kathi Daley - author of the Zoe Donovan series.  I have done a couple of these. Lots of fun. You find out about other authors and series they write and you may win a book!
http://cozy-mysteries-unlimited.com/zoe-donovan-mystery-series


I won 5 books in the first one I did about a year and half. That is how I was introduced to Virginia King and her Selkie Moon series. I talked about that in a post also. I am on the second in the series, The Second Path, having read the prequel and the first in the series, The First Lie.

http://www.selkiemoon.com/

Fun fun fun.