Your Weekend Read: BLOOD IS THICKER THAN MONEY

 

 

Book Title: Blood is Thicker than Money: Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles, book 38

Book buy link: https://bit.ly/4lF8s5a

My Amazon page: https://amzn.to/3AaI8xf

My blog page / Joe Congel Fiction Stories: https://bit.ly/3H60Da2

 

Blurb:

Ronnie Spatch Senior, brutally murdered. An empty safe. What warranted the murder of an old man?

Retired New York City police detective Brandon Turner is just trying to enjoy time with his girlfriend, her sixteen-year-old son, and his dog, Max. They are his priority.

But he has a nagging feeling that something is missing. An itch that needs to be scratched. He misses the action his former job provided. It was an adrenaline rush retirement just can’t fill.

So, when Ronnie Spatch Junior asks for his help with finding the person who killed his father on their family farm, Turner uses it as an opportunity to scratch that itch. Which he does by starting his own private detective agency and launching himself straight into a murder investigation.

While searching the farm for clues, Turner discovers Ronnie Junior lying unconscious on the barn floor with a hunting knife sticking out of his stomach. It quickly became clear to him his client’s father’s death was much more than a simple robbery gone wrong.

Austin PD Sergeant Investigator Palmer Kraus is on loan to the Magnolia Bluff Police Department. When he shows up unannounced at the crime scene, Turner realizes he’ll have to deal with Magnolia Bluff’s finest once again. Only this time, he can do it on his own terms.

Follow the breadcrumbs left behind in Joe Congel’s most compelling mystery to date. Blood is Thicker than Money, book 38 in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series, is a mystery not to be missed as Turner tries to balance everyday life while going all in grappling to solve a crime that doesn’t stop at murder.

 

Bio:

 

Joe Congel grew up in Syracuse, NY, and currently lives in beautiful Charlotte, NC. He got his first break in the world of publishing when he illustrated the humorous book, Housetraining Your VCR, A Help Manual for Humans, published by Grapevine Publications back in the early ’90s.

A few years after Housetraining set the world on fire, Joe decided that he was better suited as a writer rather than as an artist, so he began crafting stories that allowed the reader to use their own imagination to add the visuals to the narrative.

Since he’s enjoyed reading murder mysteries and PI detective stories all his life, he felt he had a pretty good grasp on how to create an engaging character in the world of private detecting. DEAD IS FOREVER is the first book in the Razzman Mystery Crime Files series, featuring Tony Razzolito, PI. The book is set in Syracuse, NY, and Charlotte, NC, with upcoming books in the series concentrated more in and around the Charlotte area. Joe is uniquely qualified to write about both areas of the country since he lived in Syracuse for 36 years and Charlotte for the last 25 plus years.

When he’s not writing, you will most likely find him spoiling his three grandchildren.

 

Three Foodie Facts about Brandon Turner (Main Character):

Even though he’s living in Magnolia Bluff, Texas, Brandon’s favorite foods reflect his New York roots –

Nothing like the taste of biting into a good New York hotdog. Brandon’s favorite place to indulge when he’s in the city is Gray’s Papaya. The crisp snap of the skin when you take that first bite is the hallmark of a flavorful all-beef Sabretts quality dog eating experience.

A pepperoni slice from Joe’s Pizza in Greenwich Village. He loves to grab a couple of slices, a drink and sit in the park and watch the people go by while enjoying one of the best thin crust pizza slices in the city. Always a long line at the door – always worth the wait.

Chicken Riggies. When Brandon was a detective with the NYPD, he spent the holidays at his girlfriend’s (at the time) parent’s home in Utica, NY. They introduced him to this wonderful blend of chicken breast (cut into small bites), mushrooms, green peppers, and onion, mixed with a creamy tomato sauce and poured over rigatoni pasta. Since moving to Texas, he’s been cooking up his own version and enjoying this distinctively northeastern dish in the southwest. 

 

AND

 

I'm over at Cowboy Kisses posting on Judge Roy Bean who held his court cases in his saloon.  He was quite a fascinating character. If interested stop by and say hey.

Your Weekend Read: DEATH BY MOONLIGHT by C.W. Hawes

 

 

Death by Moonlight

Seven full moons. Seven brutal murders. Seven dead from out of town. But will one from Magnolia Bluff be number eight?

Harry Thurgood has it all. A business he loves. A wife he loves. And newborn twins he loves.

 The Reverend Ember Cole, Harry’s wife, loves her work and loves her family.

Life for Harry and Ember couldn’t get any better. But it could get a whole lot worse.

For the past six months, the Full Moon Killer has wooed victims to Burnet County and killed them when the moon is full in a ritual that smacks of vampirism.

Now a body has surfaced in Magnolia Bluff, and Police Investigator Sgt. Reece Sovern joins the ongoing investigation. However, newly hired Capt. Davis Briggs wants to make sure no civilians stick their noses in police business.

But when Ember goes missing, Harry’s not about to sit on the sidelines. Even if it means running afoul of Capt. Briggs and getting tossed in the slammer.

 The problem plaguing Sgt. Sovern, and now Harry, is that Burnet County is a big place. Will Reece and Harry find where the Full Moon Killer hides his victims before the next full moon? And what if the killer decides not to wait?

 CW Hawes’s Death by Moonlight is a classic slow burn murder mystery. It’s a chilling, suspense-filled read — just what you’d expect from CW Hawes, the Underground Authors, and the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles.

Get your copy today! Because the game is definitely afoot.

 

CW Hawes Bio and Contact Info

 

CW Hawes is a multi-genre author because he’s a multi-genre reader. He’s penned The

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries, The Rocheport Saga: A Post-Apocalyptic

Steam Powered Future, the Pierce Mostyn Paranormal Investigations series, and

assorted alternative history and horror offerings.

Currently he’s active with the Underground Authors and is a regular contributor to the

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles, having penned 4 of the 32 novels to date.

He hasn’t met a pizza he doesn’t like (okay, he detests pineapple), is something of a tea

snob, and rocks out to Handel and Vaughan Williams.

Website: www.cwhawes.com

X: https://x.com/cw_hawes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CWHawes1

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/CW-Hawes/author/B00PGAIQ2S

 

  Foods Harry and Ember like to Eat

Harry Thurgood loves doughnuts. Especially with a well-made cup of exotic coffee. His preferred method of making coffee is by the vacuum siphon method. He also enjoys anchovy pizza. And in the evening relaxes with a Corpse Reviver No. 1.

Ember Cole has very simple tastes when it comes to food. An egg sandwich for breakfast, or a bowl of chili with a piece of cornbread for lunch. She enjoys a well-made vegetarian pizza. In the mornings she’ll have what Harry calls a white coffee: a little coffee and a lot of milk. Otherwise she enjoys a cup of tea. Ember doesn’t drink much alcohol, and will usually opt for a French 75 mocktail instead

Buy Link:

Death by Moonlight: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Moonlight-Magnolia-Chronicles-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0DSTBYLJ9/

 

 

Dangerous Sanctuary

With us today is good bud J.Q. Rose.  And she’s got a fun  new release.  Welcome,  J.Q.

Hi Sandra. Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog. Because your stories have so much imagination, I thought I would share a phone conversation I overheard when visiting with my main character, Pastor Christine Hobbs this week.

You know how nearly everyone has a nosey neighbor in the neighborhood. Well, the pastor’s neighbor called her to find out about the murder at Pastor Christine’s church. Realizing the neighbor’s right to be concerned since she lives near the church and parsonage, Christine took time to answer her questions. Perhaps they’re some of the same questions your readers may have about this romantic suspense, Dangerous Sanctuary.

To win a PDF copy of Dangerous Sanctuary, please leave a comment below. A lucky commenter will be drawn on Sunday, January 8, at 10 pm EST. Good luck!

Phone Conversation between Pastor Christine and her Nosey Neighbor

Nosey Neighbor: Oh, Pastor, what in the world happened over at Dayspring Church? Ambulance, fire engines, police were over there on Thursday morning.

Pastor Christine: Oh dear. I bet you were scared when you saw all the emergency units here at the church. I’m sorry I didn’t call you. It’s been pretty crazy around here.

Unfortunately our talented Director of Music, William White, was found dead in our church basement.  We’re trying to deal with it as best we can. We’re having a difficult time imagining anyone would murder this kind young man.

Detective Cole Stephens considers our custodian, Dutch, and myself to be “persons of interest.”  Perhaps you saw something from your window that morning that could help the police with the investigation?

NN: Oh, no Pastor. I didn’t see anything till the emergency vehicles arrived.  I must admit I did see the story on the news and in the newspapers. It’s so ridiculous how the stations play the story over and over 24 hours a day. But what is crazier is to accuse you and that gentle custodian of murder. I’m so sorry this has happened at your church.

PC: Thank you.

NN: Can you tell me how you came to minister to the people at Dayspring Church? I mean they’ve NEVER had a female pastor in all the years I’ve lived next door.

PC:  I love being the spiritual leader of the folks at Dayspring. I’ve been there about a year now, but I’ve been in the pulpit for five years at another church. I was happy to move away from that area, not because I had problems at the other church, but because I could put distance between my ex-husband, Brad, and me.

I’m having a terrific experience getting to know so many wonderful people at Dayspring. We’re becoming a family. Of course, there are always conflicts that arise when dealing with so many personalities. The president of the women’s group, Mrs. Jewell is not exactly happy that I’m caring for a pig and kangaroo in the back yard of the church parsonage and that I’ve taken in Mrs. Whitcomb’s cat after she passed. I’m looking for a family who wants the darling tabby cat. Bitsy is litter trained and I have re-assured the parsonage committee that Bitsy has not had any accidents on the church-owned parsonage floors. Say, you wouldn’t consider taking in this adorable cat, would you?

NN:  Oh no, Pastor. I’m very allergic to cats. I was wondering about the animals in your back yard though.

PC: Well, yes. Now the backyard is another story…you know pigs like to root up the ground and eat everything in sight. I keep telling President Jewell that it’s just temporary, and I’ll replace all the bushes, trees, flowers, and grass when their owner re-claims the animals.

NN: How much longer will they be there for heaven’s sake? Of course, they aren’t bothering me, but Wilda just a few doors down from the parsonage is worried that pig is going to get loose and root up her yard! And, uh, I’m sure she’s also concerned the pig might get in the road and get run over.

PC: Of course, she’s concerned about the pig getting hurt…Please assure her the animals will be gone as soon as their owner is healthy again. She’s in the hospital. And, well it’s a long story how I ended up with Abraham the pig and Katy the kangaroo in the back yard.

NN: I often see the flower shop’s delivery truck at the church and in your driveway. You know, I just notice when I’m outside walking. I’m not watching out the window at your comings and goings, of course.

PC: That would be my friend Lacey, the gal who owns the flower shop.  She’s the petite strawberry blonde. We tease each other about our difference in height because I’m six feet tall.  With the weddings and funerals, she’s always delivering flowers to the church, so we have time to talk and get to know each other.

 NN: You know, I have a very tall nephew who’s divorced. He’s a sweet guy and after awhile, you don’t notice his big ears or his lisp. Can you date being a minister?

PC: Well, yes I can. I’m not a monk. I’m a real person who likes to enjoy a movie, and a beer and pizza with my friends. Thank you so much for wanting to introduce me to your nephew, but I’m just not ready to date anyone yet.

NN: Not even thinking about that cute Detective Stephens? I’ve seen him going into the church and parsonage—a lot!

PC: Strictly for the murder investigation. Why would I be interested in a man who wants to put me in jail for murder?

NN: Why, of course not. I’m sorry I asked, but he IS around a lot and I just thought…

PC: Hey, look at the time. I’m almost late for a meeting at the church. Good talking to you. I’ve got to run. Good-bye.

NN: Okay. Well, I’ll bring my nephew over when he stops in again. Uh, hello….hello. Are you there???

# # # #

TAGLINE: Pastor Christine Hobbs never imagined she would be caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

BLURB:  Dangerous Sanctuary by J.Q. Rose

Pastor Christine Hobbs has been in the pulpit business for over five years. She never imagined herself caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer. 

Detective Cole Stephens doesn't want the pretty pastor to get away with murdering the church music director. His investigative methods infuriate Christine as much as his deep brown eyes attract her.

Can they find the real killer and build a loving relationship based on trust?

BUY LINKS

Available at amazon

Kindle http://amazon.com/dp/B01MQIFQFI

Paperback  http://amazon.com/dp/1772992933 

About J.Q.

After writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years,

J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction. Her published mysteries are Deadly Undertaking  and Dangerous Sanctuary released by Books We Love Publishing. With her non-fiction book for girls, Girls Succeed!, she returns to her first love, writing about real people.  Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games, and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. She spends winters in Florida and summers up north camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her four grandsons and granddaughter.

Connect with J.Q. Rose online at

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J.Q.  Rose Amazon Author Page