Sergeant Windflower is back with a new adventure in All That Glittersby Mike Martin.
Now retired from the force, Windflower is a Community Service Officer in Grand Bank. But when a dead body is discovered at the bed & breakfast he co-owns, he is pulled into the investigation. Working alongside his friend, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Corporal Eddie Tizzard, Windflower must bring ruthless diamond smugglers to justice before anyone else gets hurt.
All That Glitters is a novel featuring changes for Windflower and Tizzard. Windflower is focusing on family, the bed & breakfast, and his new role as Community Service Officer. Tizzard finds himself promoted as a result of changes at the RCMP, and not all of those changes are good.
Like F. M. Meredith's Rocky Bluff P.D. series based in California, the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series blends professional and personal lives to create an engaging read. While I'm not sure what's next for Windflower and Tizzard in this plot-driven series, I'll be sure to check out the next installment when its ready. This novel easily stands alone, but it's always great to get the bigger picture by starting at the beginning.
If you like engaging mysteries that offer a glimpse into its character personal and professional lives along with a dose of mysticism, check out All That Glitters by Mike Martin and the rest of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series.
I won a copy of this Outer Banks murder mystery from a Goodreads giveaway.
BLURB: After twenty years, Pippin Lane Hawthorne and her twin brother, Grey, return to their birth place—the Outer Banks island of Devil’s Cove. But what was supposed to be a chance at a new life turns sinister when their father’s old fishing boat reveals a dark secret.
Now Pippin must embrace her fate as a bibliomancer and learn how to ‘read’ the books she’s always shied away from. Only then will she be able to discover the truth about what really happened to her parents and continue their efforts to break the curse that has haunted the Lane family for two thousand years.
COVER: What an awesome cover! It speaks to the genre, plot, and setting. I like the font color for the title and author name.
FIRST CHAPTER: Twins Pippin and Grey return to their family's Outer Banks home after two decades away. Hesitant at first, Grey agrees with his sister that they can restore their childhood home.
KEEP READING: Let me just say: if I didn't have review book commitments, I would stop everything I am reading to continue with this book. The author knows her setting and easily blends it into the storyline as the reader dives into a riveting prologue followed by a fabulous opening chapter. It is in that prologue readers learn of the Lane curse and get insight into Pippin and Grey's mother. The first chapter opens twenty years later, with Pippin and Grey back at their childhood home. The author brings forth all the emotions a return to your childhood home would conjure up. This looks like it will be an amazing story.
ASIN : B088J48JY8
Publisher : Lake House Press (September 22, 2020)
Publication date : September 22, 2020
Language : English
File size : 2378 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
Print length : 316 pages
This First Chapter Review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
A missing woman, a fatal fire, and a pandemic... oh, my! Not As We Knew Itby F. M. Meredith is the latest book in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. Set in current times, this series follows the lives of the Rocky Bluff P.D. and their families.
Doug Milligan investigates the disappearance of Geneva Portman, Lizette Butler is responsible for training the new hire, and Abel Navarro looks into a fatal fire. When Chief Taylor hears rumblings of protests nearby, she must put together a plan to keep the residents of Rocky Bluff safe.
I had wondered if the recent pandemic would play a role in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. I'm glad the author decided to "go there." Though possibly risky, I'm not sure she could ignore it and keep the current timeline.
One definite advantage is that the Rocky Bluff P.D. was challenged in ways it never had been before. Yes, they have dealt with earthquakes, dense fog, wildfires, being perpetually understaffed due to tight budgets, and crimes big and small, but the pandemic created issues and strong emotions no one could imagine that impacted every person in some way or another. I applaud Meredith for having the guts to take this on.
Not As We Knew It stands alone, but these books are all short reads, so you could easily start at the beginning. I would really love to see this book series picked up as a TV series. Having followed it for years, the recurring characters have become some of my favorites, and I would love to see this community transition to the small screen.
What other challenges might the Rocky Bluff P.D. face? I guess we will have to wait and see.
ASIN : B08NDT3FW5
Publisher : Independently published (November 14, 2020)
Language : English
Paperback : 183 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8564552684
This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Halloween is coming to Rocky Bluff. Beth Milligan and other students are turning a city-owned property into a haunted house to benefit their art class. That is until one of the students finds a skeleton in a trunk in the attic. Now, all their plans might be ruined. Meanwhile, Officers Butler and Ayala are performing a wellness check on a resident whose neighbors say he hasn't been seen in a while.
Welcome back to Rocky Bluff, where the understaffed police department stays busy investigating crimes big and small in their beach community.
Bones in the Atticby F. M. Meredith is another great installment in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. Continuing to follow favorite characters and new residents that play a role in individual stories, this police procedural reflects the day-to-day actions of law enforcement where personal lives and professional lives intersect. Some characters introduced in earlier books become recurring characters like Beth Milligan, Kayla Duvall, and Devon Duvall. It is interesting to watch them and their relationships develop in future books.
Like in previous books, various subplots happen alongside the main plots. Some carry over book to book, with the author providing small bits of backstory so the reader is not lost if they pick up a book in the middle of the series. As with all the books in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, Bones in the Attic stands alone, but I bet you will want to start with the first book and follow along.
I can't wait to see what comes next for the Rocky Bluff P.D. and their families.
Publisher : Aakenbaaken & Kent (August 28, 2019)
Language : English
Paperback : 192 pages
ISBN-10 : 1938436970
ISBN-13 : 978-1938436970
This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Return to Rocky Bluff where the local police department is busy solving a murder with numerous suspects, a new officer puts the moves on a colleague's wife, and Doug's teenage daughter becomes secretive and moody.
Tangled Websby F. M. Meredithstarts with a neighbor discovering the body of local daycare teacher, Melody White. People knew someone had been stalking the woman, but the investigation shows her ex-husband and one of her co-workers might also have a motive.
Officer Gordon Butler--one of my favorites--is training the latest new hire, but he can't understand why his wife doesn't like him. He brushes Dakota Ayala's actions off as being overly eager, just like he was when he first started. Could there be something more?
Beth has made great strides since moving in with the Milligans. So, when she starts acting strangely, Doug and Stacey are worried. They hope they can discover what's going on with her.
Meredith's trademark style of blending personal and professional lives of law enforcement is fully evident in the fourteenth installment of the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. I've so enjoyed watching these characters develop book after book. Ryan and Barbara Strickland, Abel and Maria Navarro, Felix and Wendy Zachary, Doug and Stacey Milligan, Gordan Butler and more have gone through numerous professional and personal changes over the years. The introduction of a new police chief several books back also brought some changes for everyone as well. Because the author has stayed true to exploring how the job affects personal lives and vice versa, the reader truly gets to feel like these characters are friends they get to know.
As with other books in the series, there are subplots that play out alongside the other main plots. This helps the reader keep up to date with the goings on of minor characters, too.
A police procedural that makes you feel like you are part of this community is what you find in Tangled Webs.
ASIN : B08C475W13
Publisher : Independently published (June 30, 2020)
Language : English
Paperback : 202 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8660060618
This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Two murders stretch the resources of the Rocky Bluff P.D. to its limits in Unresolvedby F. M. Meredith.
In the 13th book in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, the body of Mayor Leland Asher is found at a construction site, and an elderly resident of the town dies under mysterious circumstances. The investigation is slow going while the list of suspects keep growing.
Frustrations abound within the Rocky Bluff P.D. community as they attempt to solve two murders. Award-winning author Marilyn Meredith, writing as F. M. Meredith, weaves a story where there are tons of questions and not enough answers.
In Unresolved, we meet several new characters alongside many fan favorites. I wonder which ones will play roles in future books. Even though I had some idea how this one would end, the conclusion wound up satisfactory and the last page drops a hint of what the reader may see in the future for some characters.
If you like police procedurals without gory details or sex, then Unresolved is an excellent choice.
ASIN : B08C4G8D9Q
Publisher : Independently published (June 30, 2020)
Language : English
Paperback : 250 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8657624595
This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Julienne is snow bound in the middle of the Rocky Mountains with a killer striking at will.
Julienne LaMere gets to attend a Resort Management conference at a prestigious ski resort in the Colorado Mountains. What should be an enjoyable getaway attending workshops by day and shopping and enjoying the resort by night comes to a screeching halt when a loud-mouthed guest is murdered plus the roads and town shut down for an epic blizzard.
In addition to attending the conference, dodging a smitten teen boy, and seeking clues among the gossiping - and increasingly tense - guests, her best friend’s heart has warmed to an unlikely man and may get broken. As if her mind isn’t already fully occupied, Julienne and her new boyfriend Mason are skiing down troubled slopes in their relationship. Will Julienne put the scant clues together and unveil the culprit before a murderer gets away?
EXCERPT
Alpine Sun Resort had touches of the classic white exterior with alpine timber framing and balconies fitted with window boxes for flowers in spring and summer. Aspens and evergreens surrounded the sides and back where a stream meandered past. The research I’d compiled hadn’t done it justice. I felt like I’d been transported to a luxury version of a Brothers Grimm fairytale.
To the right of the entrance driveway stood a large snowman around six feet tall sporting a top hat, with a tree branch speared through its head, and a bright blood red scarf around its neck greeted me. It seemed gruesome to me and a feeling of dread washed over me.
“A slice of Germany. Feels quaint and cozy, don’t you think? Hope they have a German hunk available.” Porsche smiled.
“If there’s one on this entire mountain, I’m sure you’ll find him.” Porsche attracted men with her sense of assurance and she changed boyfriends as often as her nail polish.
“With any luck.” She winked. “You know me, I’ll find a diversion. Don’t worry about me entertaining myself.”
A uniformed valet was opening my car door before I could register his presence. At the entrance, I turned and drank in the view with a deep breath tinged with the scent of pine. The snow-draped ski slopes to the one side and the quaint town on the other were idyllic.
The ominous sky, roiling gunmetal and smoky gray clouds choking out the sun, was the only blemish in the lovely tableau stretched before me. This storm system was setting up to give us a good dump of powder and the skiers would be thrilled. I wasn’t too concerned. The roads were usually the main issue. Colorado is fortunate to only occasionally experience road closures.
Avery Daniels was born and raised in Colorado, graduated from college with a degree in business administration and has worked in fortune 500 companies and Department of Defense her entire life. Her most eventful job was apartment management for 352 units. She still resides in Colorado with two brother black cats as her spirited companions. She volunteers for a cat shelter, enjoys scrapbooking and card making, photography, and painting in watercolor and acrylic. She inherited a love for reading from her mother and grandmother and grew up talking about books at the dinner table.
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