Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Death of a Toy Soldier
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S): Allen, Beverly
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.barbaraearly.com/
CITY:
STATE: NY
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7769795.Beverly_Allen * http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1671291.Barbara_Early * http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2016/10/review-death-of-a-toy-soldier-by-barbara-early
RESEARCHER NOTES:
*** Also writes as “Beverly Allen” ***
LC control no.: no2016146870
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2016146870
HEADING: Early, Barbara
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035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca10621101
040 __ |a ICrlF |b eng |e rda |c ICrlF
100 1_ |a Early, Barbara
370 __ |a North Tonawanda (N.Y.) |e New York (State) |f Buffalo (N.Y.) |2 naf
372 __ |a Mystery fiction |2 lcsh
374 __ |a Authors |2 lcsh
375 __ |a Women |2 lcsh
377 __ |a eng
500 1_ |w r |i Alternative identity: |a Allen, Beverly |c (Novelist)
670 __ |a Early, Barbara. Death of a toy soldier, 2016: |b title page (Barbara Early) dust jacket (Barbara Early, writes murder mysteries, lives in Western New York state; education: engineering degree)
670 __ |a Her website, Nov. 1, 2016 |b (Barbara Early (A.K.A. Beverly Allen) grew up in Buffalo, NY. She holds a degree in Electrical Engineering. She taught secondary English and science.)
670 __ |a Beverly Allen GoodReads page, Nov. 1, 2016 |b (Beverly Allen ; Born: in North Tonawanda, New York, The United States ; Genre: Mystery)
LC control no.: n 2014039979
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2014039979
HEADING: Allen, Beverly (Novelist)
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053 _0 |a PS3601.L4159
100 1_ |a Allen, Beverly |c (Novelist)
368 __ |c Anonyms and pseudonyms |2 lcsh
370 __ |a North Tonawanda (N.Y.) |e New York (State) |f Buffalo (N.Y.) |2 naf
372 __ |a Mystery fiction |2 lcsh
374 __ |a Authors |2 lcsh
375 __ |a Women |2 lcsh
377 __ |a eng
500 1_ |w r |i Real identity: |a Early, Barbara
670 __ |a Bloom and doom, 2014: |b ECIP t.p. (Beverly Allen)
670 __ |a Early, Barbara. Death of a toy soldier, 2016: |b title page (Barbara Early) dust jacket (Barbara Early, writes murder mysteries, lives in Western New York state; education: engineering degree)
670 __ |a Her website, Nov. 1, 2016 |b (Barbara Early (A.K.A. Beverly Allen) grew up in Buffalo, NY. She holds a degree in Electrical Engineering. She taught secondary English and science.)
670 __ |a Beverly Allen GoodReads page, Nov. 1, 2016 |b (Beverly Allen ; Born: in North Tonawanda, New York, The United States ; Genre: Mystery)
PERSONAL
Born in North Tonawanda, NY; married; children: a daughter.
EDUCATION:College graduate.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and mystery novelist. Taught secondary English and science for several years. Also was a secretary, a pastor’s wife, and an amateur puppeteer.
AVOCATIONS:Cooking, crafts, and home-improvement projects.
WRITINGS
Also author of the “Bridal Bouquet Shop Mysteries” writing as Beverly Allen.
SIDELIGHTS
Barbara Early grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, enjoying classic movies, reading, and writing. She earned a degree in engineering but four years after graduation decided to pursue another career. Early worked as a school teacher and in other jobs but eventually stayed home to home school her daughter all the way trough high school. Early eventually turned to writing mysteries. In addition to writing as Early, she is the author of the “Bridal Bouquet Shop Mysteries,” written as Beverly Allen.
Early is the author of Death of Toy Soldier: A Vintage Toyshop Mystery, a cozy mystery and the first book in a proposed series. The mystery introduces readers to Liz McCall, who has come back to her hometown of East Aurora, New York. She returned to help her father, Hank, manage a vintage toyshop he owns. Hank retired as chief of police after getting injured on the job. He needs Liz’s help because he has spent everything he has to establish the store. McCall has remarked that the history of East Aurora as Toy Town inspired the vintage toyshop theme, noting that she tried to capture the charm of the town while changing many aspects of it for her novel.
Despite retiring, Hank cannot get law enforcement out of his system, often making citizen’s arrests, much to Liz’s consternation. Liz tries her best to act as a buffer between her dad and the new police chief, who may have taken a liking to her. It is not long, however, before Hank draws Liz into a mystery, turning her into an amateur detective. Meanwhile, Hank is a lover of puns, which a Publishers Weekly contributor noted “may make the reader wince.”
One day Sully O’Grady is found dead in the toy shop, with Hank nearby, confused and without any memory of what happened. As a result, Hank becomes the prime suspect in Sully’s death because the store’s alarm never sounded. Sully had come to the shop to get some old toys evaluated. Liz is convinced her dad is innocent even though his memory gap does raise some important questions. Liz eventually discovers that Sully formerly worked for Sy DuPone, a wealthy recluse who died. The deeper Liz delves into the mystery, the more she becomes concerned that Sy’s death may also have been murder. She also begins to suspect that Sy’s death is somehow connected to the murder in the toy store. Before long, Sy’s nephew, Jack, has joined Liz in her investigation along with two elderly, eccentric spinster neighbors of the late Sy.
As the mystery unfolds, readers learn that Sully was a home health aid who had eight children but was separated from his wife. Sully had a good reputation as being trustworthy and was also known to be religious. However, the toys he brought in to Hank’s shop actually had belonged to Sy. Liz also learns that Sy’s family was fighting over his wealth long before he died. Meanwhile, Sy had married a younger woman who, much to the surprise of Sy’s surviving relatives, only seems to be interested in having the house because she thinks it is haunted. As the investigation continues, Liz soon finds that she has to deal with two admirers as well, the new police chief and her old boyfriend, Jack Wallace. Liz narrates the tale.
“Details about the antique and vintage toy businesses frame this cozy mystery,” wrote Sue O’Brien in Booklist, who also noted the “satisfying portrait” of the relationship between Liz and her father. A Kirkus Reviews Online contributor remarked: “This well-turned mystery, first in a new cozy series, is filled with interesting characters, old-fashioned gaming lore, and a million puns.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 15, 2016, Sue O’Brien, review of Booklist, p. 25.
Publishers Weekly, August 1, 2016, review of Death of a Toy Soldier.
ONLINE
Barbara Early Home Page, http://www.barbaraearly.com (April 30, 2017).
Goodreads, http://www.goodreads.com/ (April 30, 2017), brief author bio.
Kirkus Review Online, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/ (October 11, 2016), review of Death of a Toy Soldier.*
Barbara Early (A.K.A. Beverly Allen) grew up buried in the snowy suburbs of Buffalo, NY, where she developed a love for all things sedentary: reading, writing, classic movies, and Facebook Scrabble. She holds a degree in Electrical Engineering, but her penchant for the creative caused her to run away screaming from the pocket-protector set.
She taught secondary English and science for several years before home schooling her daughter successfully through high school. Barbara cooks up cozy mysteries with a healthy dose of comedy and sometimes a splash of romance.
When not reading or writing, she enjoys cooking, crafts, home-improvement projects, and spending time with her husband and daughter.
Beverly Allen Goodreads Author
Born in North Tonawanda, New York, The United States
Websitehttp://www.beverlyallenmysteries.com/
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/BarbEarly
GenreMystery
Member SinceJanuary 2014
edit data
Beverly Allen is the author of Bloom and Doom, For Whom the Bluebell Tolls, and Floral Depravity, three books in the Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime. Beverly is a pseudonym of Barbara Early, chosen because when she says “Barb Early” too quickly or in a noisy room, people hear “Beverly” anyway. She resides in Western New York state with her ever-patient husband and four naughty but adorable cats.
Barbara Early Goodreads Author
Born in The United States
Websitehttp://www.barbaraearly.com
Twitterbarbearly
GenreMystery, Fiction
Member SinceJuly 2011
URL http://www.goodreads.com/BarbaraEarly
edit data
Barbara Early earned an engineering degree, but after four years of doing nothing but math, developed a sudden allergy to the subject and decided to choose another occupation. Before she settled on murdering fictional people, she was a secretary, a school teacher, a pastor’s wife, and an amateur puppeteer. After several years living elsewhere, she and her husband moved back to her native Western New York State, where she enjoys cooking, crafts, classic movies and campy seventies television, board games, and posting pictures of her four cats on Facebook. She writes the Vintage Toyshop series and the Bridal Bouquet Shop Mysteries (as Beverly Allen).
Print Marked Items
Death of a Toy Soldier
Sue O'Brien
Booklist.
113.2 (Sept. 15, 2016): p25. From Literature Resource Center.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Death of a Toy Soldier. By Barbara Early. Oct. 2016.304p. Crooked Lane, $25.99 (9781629538389); e-book
(9781629538396).
Liz McCall has returned to East Aurora, New York, to help her father, Hank, make a success of his vintage toy shop,
called Well Played. Hank, once the town's police chief, retired after being injured in the line of duty and sank his life
savings into the shop. To Liz's consternation, Hank still fights crime by making citizen's arrests. When Sully O'Grady is
found dead in the shop, Hank becomes a suspect after he is found with the victim, dazed and unable to remember what
happened. Liz soon learns that Sully was once a caregiver to the reclusive Sy DuPont, who recently died. Did Sy die a
natural death, and could his death be connected to Sully's murder? With the help of Sy's nephew, Jack, and a couple of
Sy's eccentric, elderly neighbors, Liz attempts to find the killer and clear her father. Details about the antique and
vintage toy businesses frame this cozy mystery, which is narrated by the charming Liz and offers a satisfying portrait of
a close father-daughter relationship. --Sue O'Brien
O'Brien, Sue
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
O'Brien, Sue. "Death of a Toy Soldier." Booklist, 15 Sept. 2016, p. 25. Literature Resource Center,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=LitRC&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA464980826&it=r&asid=ccec10963bf18aa04483b4e24aa9e38d.
Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A464980826
Death of a Toy Soldier: A Vintage Toy Shop
Death of a Toy Soldier: A Vintage Toy Shop
Mystery
Publishers Weekly.
263.31 (Aug. 1, 2016): p49. From Literature Resource Center.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Death of a Toy Soldier: A Vintage Toy Shop Mystery
Barbara Early. Crooked Lane, $25.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-62953-838-9
Just in time for the holiday season comes this heartwarming series launch from Early (Bloom and Doom and two other
Bridal Bouquet Shop mysteries written as Beverly Allen). In a village in western New York, retired police chief Hank
McCall and his 30-something daughter, Liz, run a vintage toy shop. But their efforts are hampered by Hank's insistence
on checking out local crime scenes and his joy in making dreadful puns. The former leaves his daughter fretting about
his safety--and the latter may make the reader wince. Liz runs interference for Hank, putting her in conflict with the
new chief of police, who appears to have taken a shine to her. Meanwhile, a man who brings in some old toys to be
valued ends up dead in the shop, the toys missing. Since the store alarm never sounded, Hank becomes a suspect in the
man's murder. Naturally, the McCalls stir the pot by investigating. The characters can be whiny at times, but cozy fans
should be satisfied. (Oct.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Death of a Toy Soldier: A Vintage Toy Shop Mystery." Publishers Weekly, 1 Aug. 2016, p. 49. Literature Resource
Center, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=LitRC&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA460285674&it=r&asid=1a7244e3f66a956fa4ef19c4de0d9ff6.
Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A460285674
DEATH OF A TOY SOLDIER
by Barbara Early
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KIRKUS REVIEW
A retired police chief still has a nose for crime.
When an injury forced Hank McCall to retire, he sank his savings into Well Played, a vintage toy and game shop in East Aurora, New York. His daughter, Liz, who lives with him over the shop, helps run it along with other family members. Soon after a nameless man brings in some antique toys to be appraised, his body is found in the shop, killed by a lawn dart. Unfortunately, a blow to the head has left Hank, who was present at the time, with no recollection of what happened, so new police chief Ken Young has to consider him a suspect. Hank and Liz start sleuthing in an attempt to find the real killer even though Hank can’t be certain that he’s innocent. The dead man, a home health aid separated from his wife and eight children, was very religious and apparently trustworthy, but the vintage toys he wanted appraised seem to have been stolen from one of his clients, Sy DuPont, a grouchy old man whose family was squabbling over his possessions even before his recent death. It’s a major shock to them to find that the very young woman he recently married is interested in his house only because she thinks it’s haunted. Both the new chief and Liz’s old boyfriend Jack Wallace take a romantic interest in Liz—but Jack, a nephew of Sy DuPont, is interested in the case as well. Armed with gossip and inside information from Hank’s old friends and years of information collected by Sy’s next-door neighbors, a pair of snoopy spinsters, Liz begins to build a list of suspects in the hope of clearing her dad’s name.
This well-turned mystery, first in a new cozy series, is filled with interesting characters, old-fashioned gaming lore, and a million puns.
Pub Date: Oct. 11th, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62953-838-9
Page count: 304pp
Publisher: Crooked Lane
Review Posted Online: July 20th, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1st, 2016