Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Spring Book Giveaway!

Sandra Parshall

It’s spring, and a whole new crop of terrific mysteries is popping up. Want to try a book by an author you haven’t read before? Take a look at these story summaries and post a comment to enter a drawing for a free copy of a new novel. List your top three preferences to increase your chance of getting one you’ll like. Please don’t ask for a book that you intended to purchase. Ask for something by a new-to-you author. The whole point of this giveaway is to make new fans for the writers.

Flowerbed of State by Dorothy St. James, a White House Gardener Mystery

Cassandra “Casey” Calhoun has a dream job for an organic gardener – creating a new garden for the First Lady on the White House grounds. But just as she’s readying her creation for inspection, she gets a nasty blow on the head. When she comes to, she and the Secret Service follow a trail of damaged foliage to a dead woman in a trash can. Now both Casey’s livelihood and her life are in danger. First in a new series.



Spider Web by Earlene Fowler, a Benni Harper Mystery




If you read this outstanding entry in Fowler’s series, you won’t be able to resist going back to find all the previous Benni Harper novels. Benni, a folk art museum director, rancher, and occasional sleuth, is in charge of a Memory Festival where a mysterious sniper decides to launch a vendetta against police officers. The festival shooting triggers post-traumatic stress in Benni’s husband Gabe, the local police chief. When yet another threat to Gabe’s well-being surfaces, Benni is determined to make her husband and her hometown safe again.


Lost and Fondue by Avery Aames, a Cheese Shop Mystery 

Written by an Agatha Award nominee, this is one of the most charming new cozy series to come along in quite a while. Charlotte Bessette, owner of a cheese shop, is catering a fundraiser at an old winery when a dead body is discovered in the cellar. Her best friend’s niece is the prime suspect and Charlotte sets out to prove her innocence. Charlotte is a delightful protagonist – and the recipes in the book will send you off to the nearest cheese merchant in search of ingredients.

 
Infamous by Ace Atkins

This noir thriller by a Pulitzer Prize nominee is based on the true story of gangster George “Machine Gun” Kelly’s kidnapping-for-ransom of oil tycoon Charles Erschel. Kelly’s unfortunate choice of partners in crime turned what could have been a routine kidnapping into a dangerous affair for everyone involved. Set during the earliest days of the FBI and filled with period detail. (Trade paperback edition of a 2010 hardcover.)


Classified as Murder by Miranda James, a Cat in the Stacks Mystery 

Librarian Charlie Harris and his rescued Maine coon cat Diesel are back in a mystery that revolves around the murder of a rare book collector and the disappearance of a valuable copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s Tamerlane. The Mississippi setting adds Southern charm to this series.





Death Along the Spirit Road by C.M. Wendelboe



First in a new series featuring Native American FBI agent Manny Tanno. After many years away from home, Tanno returns to the Pine Ridge Reservation to investigate the murder of developer Jason Red Cloud on the site of his latest commercial project. The case brings Tanno into conflict with a way of life, and personal enemies, he thought he had left behind forever. The author is a deputy sheriff in Wyoming. First in a new series.


List the books that appeal to you most and you may win a free copy of one of them. If you don’t win a book, I hope you’ll look for some of these new books in your local bookstore.

35 comments:

paula said...

an attractive and informative website. Tough decision to make in order of preference as they all sound intriquing. But here goes-in order-Lost & Fondue, Spider Web,Classified as Murder.

Julie Godfrey Miller said...

I would be delighted to win any of these books. They all sound interesting. I guess my top three are: Spider Web by Earlene Fowler, Infamous by Ace Atkins, and Death Along the Spirit Road by C.M. Wendelboe
Thanks for having the giveaway

Anonymous said...

Wow, they all sound wonderful, thanks for offering them to us!
Lynn/MI lynn@tangledyarn.com

caryn said...

Well as you know I'm a book buyer, so the Fondue book and Classifyed for Murder are already on preorder (or possibly on their way?) from Amazon.
So, my three picks would be:
Flower Bed of State
Death Along the Spirit Road
Spider Web

Sarita Leone said...

They all look interesting but if I had to list the top three I'd say Spider Web, Lost and Fondue and Flower Bed of State. Thanks!

Sandra Parshall said...

Caryn -- thank you, thank you for being a book buyer! We need more like you!

Kaye said...

OOh, so many choices. Lost and Fondue, Classified as Murder and Spider Web would be my order of preference. Thanks for hosting such a fantastic giveaway.

Janet C said...

I already have the Ace Atkins (and all his other books) and I picked Death Along the Spirit Road yesterday, so I'd go with Spider Web, Classified as Murder (love Diesel) and Lost & Fondue. I'll end up with all of the them anyway since they're on my buy list.

Kay said...

These books all look wonderful but have been absolutely dying to read Death Along the Spirit Road! Also would enjoy reading Classified As Murder.

Katreader said...

Everything sounds great! I already read the Benni Harper series (although I admit, I am behind) and I love the new cheese shop series...so to books I haven't read, because they're first in the series (and I need to read in order) I'd pick Flowerbed of State (love gardening mysteries), Death Along the Spirit Road, and because I love cats: Classified as Murder. I've been wanting to read the first in this series, but haven't yet.Thanks for the opportunity!

Kaye Wilkinson Barley - Meanderings and Muses said...

What a terrific idea this is!

They all look super.

The books I'm most interested in are:

Lost and Fondue
and
Classified as Murder

Thanks, guys - Hugs!
Kaye

PoCoKat said...

Death Along Spirit Road...had not heard of that one yet...thanks for the info.

Would love to win any of the books!

pocokat AT gmail DOT com

Sislyn Stewart said...

Will also chime in that they all sound like great reads! Top Three: Lost and Fondue, Flower Bed of State, and Classified as Murder.
Thanks!
Jean

lil Gluckstern said...

They all sound interesting, and such fun. I'd love Death Along the Spirit, Lost and Fondue, Classfied as Murder-any would be fine. I like reading new authors, but I do admit that I buy them sooner or later. What a nice idea for all.

Dru said...

Since I love discovering new-to-me authors, I would love to read Flowerbed of State by Dorothy St. James.

Carol-Lynn Rossel said...

I'd like to put these titles into the hat for the drawing: Spider Web by Earlene Fowler,
Flowerbed of State by Dorothy St. James and Lost and Fondue by Avery Aames

Kellie MaRee Fickel said...

What a great spring line-up! Here is my list - Lost and Fondue, Spider Web, Flowerbed of State, and Classified as Murder. Thank you, Sandra!

Norma Huss said...

They all sound great! I know I've read Avery's first, so I'd love her second, Lost and Fondue, then maybe Flowerbed of State, and another first of series, Classified as Murder are my leading three - not to suggest I wouldn't love the others as well!

Anonymous said...

All of them look great. Thank you for sponsoring this book giveaway.

My three choices are
Classified As Murder
Lost and Fondue
Flowerbed of State

Helen Kiker
hdkiker@comcast.net

Anonymous said...

I would be excited to read:
Lost & Fondue
Classified as Murder
Death Along the Spirit Road

Thanks for this opportunity!

Larry W. Chavis said...

Looks like a good crop. For my preferences, Spider Web, Infamous, and Death Along the Spirit Road will do nicely.

Anonymous said...

Any of these books sound good to me if I am lucky enough to win one. If I win the one in which the author shares one one of my favorite cousin's unusual first names I'll have to give that one away to her.--BrendaW.

Anonymous said...

Please excuse my apostrophe location typo error! -- BrendaW.

Anonymous said...

Oooo! Great opportunity to learn! I'd want:
Lost and Fondue
Classified as Murder
Death Along the Spirit Road

Good luck to all!

Freddie Oakley
oakley@dcn.org

Carol M said...

These are all authors I haven't read. My first three picks are Spider Web, Death Along the Spirit Road and Lost and Fondue. Thank you for the giveaway!
mittens0831 at aol dot com

Beth Anderson said...

Spider Web by Earlene Fowler and Infamous by Ace Atkins are two authors new to me. I would love to have any of them, actually.

Lynn in Texas said...

These all sound great!
I'm already familiar with Avery Aames and Earlene Fowler, so the 3 new-to-me titles would be: Flowerbed of State, Classified as Murder,and Death Along the Spirit Road.

Jonz V. Stoneroad said...

All of these choices look like a lot of fun to read but my three choices would have to be: "Classified as Murder" to make its readers purr with delight; the sexy and intriguing "Infamous" and finally, the tangled mystery of "Spider Web".

Thanks !

Unknown said...

They do all sound amazing. Since I had Dean James do a program at my library, I'd love a copy of Classified as Murder. I would also really appreciate Earlene Fowler's Spider Web and Lost and Fondue.

Mahalo!

pennyt said...

What a great contest. I'd love to win any of these books, but my top three are Classified as Murder, Lost & Fondue and Death Along the Spirit Road. Thank you.

Pat R. said...

Great contest. I would love to win Death Along the Spirit Road as first choice and any of the others as they all sound good. I buy a lot of books too and I will put some of these authors on my list of ones to watch.

cttiger said...

Tough choice. They all sound great - perfect for beach reading - if warm weather ever makes it to the Northeast... My top picks would be Lost & Fondue, Classified as Murder and Flower Bed of State. I'll put them all on my Amazon wishlist, anyway!
Tiger

Linda Brue said...

An intriguing list of new books. I don't buy many books any more, I just bug my wonderful library staff until they buy copies! So I'm going to ask for all the ones that appeal to me to be bought by my library system whether or not I may win one! In order of preference: Spider Web by Earlene Fowler, Classified as Murder by Miranda James, Death Along the Spirit Road by C.M.Wendelboe

Unknown said...

What a great bunch of books! Any would be welcome, but especially looking good ...
Flower Bed of State
Lost and Fondue
Death Along the Spirit Road

Linda Kish said...

They all look terrific. The ones I think I'd like best are:
Lost and Fondue
Classified as Murder
Flowerbed of State

lkish77123 at gmail dot com