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WORK TITLE: Murder of a Good Man
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://teresatrent.com/
CITY: Houston
STATE: TX
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Chattanooga, TN; children: one son.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Teresa Trent is a writer of mystery novels.
A Dash of Murder and Overdue for Murder
In 2011, Trent released her first novel, A Dash of Murder. The book is also the first installment in her “Pecan Bayou” series. Its protagonist is a young woman named Betsy Livingston, who lives in the small Texas town of Pecan Bayou. Betsy is reluctant to join her Aunt Maggie in a ghost hunting expedition at a building that once served as a tuberculosis hospital. However, she ultimately relents. While there, she discovers a dead body and feels a strong determination to find out what happened to the person. Betsy’s father, a police lieutenant, tries to dissuade her, but Betsy will not be stopped. Meanwhile, she writes a column in the local newspaper called “The Happy Hinter.”
Betsy returns in the second book in the “Pecan Bayou” series, Overdue for Murder. She has written a book that features household hints and tips and is looking forward to presenting on it to other local writers at the Pecan Bayou Library. A murder ruins their evening. The authorities begin suspecting that Betsy may have been the perpetrator. She must clear her name before she is put in jail.
Doggone Dead and Buzzkill
Doggone Dead, set in the summertime in Pecan Bayou, finds Betsy looking for her lost puppy. During her search, she encounters a corpse on the land of a famous cowboy movie star. Betsy’s investigation puts her in contact with townspeople who swear to have seen the deceased cowboy’s ghost.
In Buzzkill, Betsy is planning her wedding to Leo, a meteorologist. She claims that she wants the wedding to be simple, but complications continue to arise. Betsy’s disorganization does not help things go smoothly. Finally, her aunt puts her in touch with a wedding planner named Mr. Andre. Mr. Andre urges her to switch from the florist she chose on her own to a different vendor. The original florist unexpectedly dies, and his death may be linking to Betsy’s recipe for homemade calamine lotion, making her a murder suspect once again. She hopes that all will be resolved before her Valentine’s Day nuptials. Writing on the Blackheart Magazine website, Laura Roberts asserted: “All of the characters were fun and well-drawn, even as they played on some typical stereotypes like the rampaging bride, gay wedding planner, and nosey newspaperman. The story itself is engaging (who doesn’t love weddings?), and generally well written, despite a couple of small continuity issues (when did Betsy acquire a dog?).” Highlighting an element of the book that worked particularly well, Roberts called out “the concept of a small-town columnist getting tangled up in mysteries, especially with her father as the head of the town’s police force.”
Burnout and Murder for a Rainy Day
Betsy investigates a fire at the newspaper office and the disappearance of the editor, Rocky, in Burnout. Meanwhile, she worries about the attention her new husband is getting from the administrative assistant at his news station.
In Murder for a Rainy Day, a pregnant Betsy looks into the disappearance of a town landmark. Later, animals disappear, and a person is murdered. Meanwhile, a hurricane approaches.
Till Dirt Do Us Part
Gossip flies in Pecan Bayou in Till Dirt Do Us Part. Betsy fails miserably while taking part in a gardening competition, and rumors circulate about a newly single mother.
In an interview with Terry Ambrose, which appeared on Ambrose’s self-titled website, Trent discussed the inspiration for the following novel in the “Pecan Bayou” series, Till Dirt Do Us Part. She told Ambrose: “I was inspired by Big Love, the HBO series about a polygamist. I can barely handle one marriage let alone multiple relationships. I was fascinated by what kind of mindset would cause a person to commit their time, love and money to a family setup like that. Of course, in a little town like Pecan Bayou, Texas this sort of thing provides fodder for gossip for years to come.”
Color Me Dead and Murder of a Good Man
Trent sets her next series in Henry Park, Colorado. The first novel in the series is Color Me Dead. Its protagonist, Gabby Wolfe, is an artist with clairvoyant abilities. She foresees the murder of a young woman named Gigi and tries to stop it from happening. She also deals with her ne’er-do-well brother, Mitch. Paula Mitchell, reviewer on the Community Bookstop website, praised Trent’s development of “the relationship between Gabby and Gigi and Gabby and Mitch standing up against their mother who still saw them as lost teenagers who needed to be guided instead of adults who need to decide what they want to do in life.” Of the book as a whole, Mitchell asserted: “It draws you in and has you wanting to learn more about the people of Henry Park.”
Murder of a Good Man is the first installation in Trent’s “Piney Woods” series. In it, grieving daughter, Nora, finds mystery and danger when she travels to Piney Woods, Texas to fulfill a promise she made to her late mother. Citing the universality of the story, a contributor to the Long and Short Reviews website remarked: “This small town setting with a nice mix of warm people has a lot in common with many other small towns trying to stay alive in today’s world.” However, the same contributor added: “The story has a few characters that are immediately likeable and each has their own distinct personality.” A Publishers Weekly writer described the book as a “saccharine series launch,” but suggested: “Cozy fans won’t mind the rather unlikely solution.” Judith Reveal, critic on the New York Journal of Books website, commented: “As cozies go, this is not only a fun read, but it moves along quite well. She has a respectable number of characters—not so many as to confuse the reader but enough to have a growing number of possible perpetrators! This is a keeper.” “The first of the “Piney Woods” mystery series is an entertaining read with a feisty heroine and delightful secondary characters,” asserted Keitha Hart on the RT Book Reviews website.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, November 6, 2017, review of Murder of a Good Man, p. 64.
ONLINE
Blackheart, http://blackheartmagazine.com/ (July 27, 2013), Laura Roberts, review of Buzzkill.
Community Bookstop, http://communitybookstop.blogspot.com/ (January 24, 2017), Paula Mitchell, review of Color Me Dead.
Long and Short Reviews, http://www.longandshortreviews.com/ (October 23, 2017), review of Murder of a Good Man.
New York Journal of Books, https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/ (February 27, 2018), Judith Reveal, review of Murder of a Good Man.
RT Book Reviews, https://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (February 27, 2018), Keitha Hart, review of Murder of a Good Man.
Teresa Trent Website, http://teresatrent.com (March 22, 2018).
Teresa Trent writes cozy mysteries that take place in small towns in Texas. She was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee but with her father in the military, didn't stay for long. She's lived all over, but likes to call three states her favorite homes. Colorado, Illinois and of course, Texas. Being a fan of the Andy Griffith Show and Murder She Wrote she loves creating quirky small towns and colorful characters. She decided to feature a character with Down syndrome in the Pecan Bayou series because after giving birth to her own son with DS, she discovered there were very few people like him in the world of cozy mysteries. If you're wondering which book to start with in the Pecan Bayou Series, start with #1 A Dash of Murder. Many of Teresa's mysteries occur before or during a holiday and A Dash of Murder is her Halloween book.
QUOTED: "I was inspired by Big Love, the HBO series about a polygamist. I can barely handle one marriage let alone multiple relationships. I was fascinated by what kind of mindset would cause a person to commit their time, love and money to a family setup like that. Of course, in a little town like Pecan Bayou, Texas this sort of thing provides fodder for gossip for years to come."
JUNE 8, 2017 BY TERRY 5 COMMENTS
Till Dirt Do Us Part by Teresa TrentBehind the story of Till Dirt Do Us Part
The daughter of a man in the military, Teresa Trent grew up moving a lot. Of all the places she’s lived, however, Texas is one of her favorites. It’s one reason she writes cozy mysteries that take place in small Texas towns. Till Dirt Do Us Part is Trent’s latest entry in the Pecan Bayou series. As she put it, “You never know what the nicest people are doing when nobody’s watching. The dead guy in Till Dirt Do Us Part was a lovely man who delivered dirt for neighboring plant stores. He was easy to get along with and loved kids.”
Who would want to kill a guy like that? It may have something to do with polygamy…or maybe not. Here’s the story behind Till Dirt Do Us Part.
Inspiration, polygamy, and gossip
“I was inspired by Big Love, the HBO series about a polygamist. I can barely handle one marriage let alone multiple relationships. I was fascinated by what kind of mindset would cause a person to commit their time, love and money to a family setup like that. Of course, in a little town like Pecan Bayou, Texas this sort of thing provides fodder for gossip for years to come. And, just to be clear, I didn’t marry anybody extra to research polygamy!”
Till Dirt Do Us Part is the seventh book in the Pecan Bayou Series. The heroine, Betsy Livingston starts out in A Dash of Murder as a single mom, but by Till Dirt Do Us Part she has three children. So readers know how Betsy got to where she is, Trent suggests starting with the first book.
“I wrote in a character with Down syndrome in the book because of my own son, Andrew, who has Down syndrome and autism. I noticed there were very few characters with disabilities in cozy mysteries and if I was going to create my own world through writing, I needed to include people who are a part of my everyday life.
“Danny, an adult with Down syndrome is Betsy’s cousin. Aunt Maggie, his mother is a composite of myself, my mother, and so many mother’s I’ve known with special needs children. Danny provides some very touching moments throughout the series, but one of my favorites was the time he gave Betsy his pillow because it was full of sweet dreams.”
Real life intercedes
The completion of Till Dirt Do Us Part and the subsequent promotion of the book came at a difficult time in Trent’s life. In fact, her son was in the hospital with double pneumonia at the time, which nearly delayed publication until summer.
“I had the writing and editing finished, so many of the interviews I did for my blog tour were actually answered from beside my son’s hospital bed. Through the miracle of modern medicine and a lot of prayer from friends and family, I’m now writing the answers to this interview from my home with my son asleep in the next room. I have much to be thankful for, but it was a tough time to be a writer and a parent.”
The holidays, Texas style
Trent likes to feature holidays in her books. While she said she loves all the holidays, Christmas is her favorite. “In Happy Homicides 1, I wrote The Deadliest Christmas Pageant Ever, because I have written and directed many Christmas pageants for church over the years. No matter how many mistakes get made, they always turn out perfect. Here are a couple of things that have happened in my experiences.
Double Trouble Contest Code #OnTheBayou
“1. I was in the back of the church alerting the wise men to enter the program. One of the wise men entered the sanctuary and accidentally passed a giant cloud of gas. I found myself backing up into the lobby area to get away from the smell, but then noticed the facial expressions of the people in the pews as each one got hit by the toxic cloud. It was so funny, I couldn’t breathe, or maybe it was something else?
“2. The church I’m at now has a complete wardrobe of animal costumes for toddlers to be in the nativity procession. One year everyone was lined up to see the baby Jesus when the toddlers bolted. Cows and sheep were on the loose everywhere. Luckily, we dress up the older youth as angels, so we had the first official roundup using angels in Texas.”
Learn more about Teresa Trent at teresatrent.com.
QUOTED: "saccharine series launch."
"Cozy fans won't mind the rather unlikely solution."
Murder of a Good Man: A Piney Woods Mystery
Publishers Weekly.
264.45 (Nov. 6, 2017): p64. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Murder of a Good Man: A Piney Woods Mystery Teresa Trent. Camel, $15.95 trade paper
(256p) ISBN 978-1-60381-635-9
Nora Alexander, the heroine of this saccharine series launch from Trent (the self-published Pecan Bayou series), drives from her home in suburban New Orleans to Piney Woods, Tex., to deliver a sealed letter to wealthy Adam Brockwell at the request of her dying mother, Kay. The evening of her arrival, Nora goes to a restaurant, where she meets a charming police officer, Tuck Watson, who can't resist giving her a chaste kiss on parting. The next day, at Adam's house, she's greeted at the door by his attractive son, Corey. Adam, who doesn't remember Kay, refuses to read the letter aloud after opening it. The day after that, Nora returns to Adam's house, where she and Corey find Adam's bloody body in the study. That Kay's letter condemns Adam for unspecified wrongs makes Nora a murder suspect in the eyes of officer Tuck. Forced to stay in town, Nora gets a job helping run and refurbish an old hotel. In her search for other suspects, Nora unearths secrets about her mother's past that lead her into danger. Cozy fans won't mind the rather unlikely
1 of 2 2/26/18, 7:57 PM
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
solution. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Murder of a Good Man: A Piney Woods Mystery." Publishers Weekly, 6 Nov. 2017, p. 64. Book
Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A514056605/GPS?u=schlager& sid=GPS&xid=060e3dba. Accessed 26 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A514056605
2 of 2 2/26/18, 7:57 PM
QUOTED: "the relationship between Gabby and Gigi and Gabby and Mitch standing up against their mother who still saw them as lost teenagers who needed to be guided instead of adults who need to decide what they want to do in life."
"It draws you in and has you wanting to learn more about the people of Henry Park."
Review: Color Me Dead by: Theresa Trent
Posted by Paula Mitchell with 1 comment
Title: Color Me Dead
Author: Theresa Trent
Publisher: self published
Series: Henry Park #1
Pages: 241
Format: e-book
Source: GEBT
Download free at Amazon Link
Description:
Artist Gabby Wolfe has the ability to see not only the beauty of the living, but the despair of the dead. When she returns to her childhood home in Henry Park Colorado, she is forced to bring along her younger brother Mitch. He is on a “break” from college where he was majoring in wine, women and song. If that isn’t enough they also have Mitch’s rambunctious beagle Luigi along who prefers to spend his days wallowing in junk food. When Gabby draws the death of a young woman before it happens, she knows she must tell someone and risk a new job and her professional credibility. Will she reveal her secret in time to save the woman in the water or will it be too late?
My Thoughts:
This book starts out with Gabby Wolfe and her brother Mitch heading to Henry Park where they use to live so Gabby can work with an author on illustrating his books. Mitch is there to get his head screwed on straight after being in college for 6 years and basically majoring in women, music and beer pong. When they meet Gabby's new boss he invites them to a party where Mitch meets Amelia who has recently gotten over the murder of her husband Billy.
Mitch and Amelia hit it off but when Amelia goes missing and Gabby starts drawing pictures of a murder victim she tries to make sense of it but when it really happens no one except Gigi believes her. Gigi sees the same things the problem there is Gigi has cerebral palsy and her secret ability is kept quiet to keep Gigi living a normal life as much as one can in a wheelchair.
When Amelia winds up dead and the cops are tuning into Mitch it's up to Gabby to rescue her brother even if everyone thinks she's crazy. Was Amelia killed for something she knew? Or someone who was a little too interested in her? There are a few possibilities but will Gabby figure it out in time or find herself being drawn by Gigi in her own death sketch?
This book took a bit to get going but once it took off it really took off I loved watching the relationship between Gabby and Gigi and Gabby and Mitch standing up against their mother who still saw them as lost teenagers who needed to be guided instead of adults who need to decide what they want to do in life. I think just about anyone would love this new series whether you are artistic or not it draws you in and has you wanting to learn more about the people of Henry Park and see where the residents go from here!
Author Bio:
Teresa Trent lives in Houston, Texas and is an award-winning mystery writer. She writes the Pecan
Bayou Mystery Series, is a regular contributor to the Happy Homicides Anthologies. Teresa is happy to add her Henry Park Mystery Series to her publishing credits with Color Me Dead, the first book in the series. Teresa has also won awards for her work in short stories where she loves to dabble in tales that are closer to the Twilight Zone than small town cozies. When Teresa isn’t writing, she is a full-time caregiver for her son and teaches preschoolers music part-time. Her favorite things include spending time with family and friends, waiting for brownies to come out of the oven, and of course, a good mystery.
Author Links
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/teresatrentmysterywriter
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ttrent_cozymys
BLOG: https://teresatrent.wordpress.com/
WEBSITE: http://teresatrent.com
Purchase Link – Pre-Order
QUOTED: "All of the characters were fun and well-drawn, even as they played on some typical stereotypes like the rampaging bride, gay wedding planner, and nosey newspaperman. The story itself is engaging (who doesn’t love weddings?), and generally well written, despite a couple of small continuity issues (when did Betsy acquire a dog?)."
"the concept of a small-town columnist getting tangled up in mysteries, especially with her father as the head of the town’s police force."
REVIEW: Buzzkill (Pecan Bayou Series) by Teresa Trent
Laura Roberts / July 27, 2013 / Comments Off on REVIEW: Buzzkill (Pecan Bayou Series) by Teresa Trent / Book Reviews
Reviewed by Laura Roberts
It may not be cool or fashionable, especially amongst noir aficionados, but I’ll admit it: I love a good cozy mystery. I grew up on copies of Lillian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who… mysteries, passed along to me after my cat-loving aunt read the latest installment. I devoured all the lady heroines I could find at the public library, whether they were sexy redhead PIs or knitting grannies who just happened to solve crimes. And lately I’ve been into the Tattoo Shop mysteries by Karen E. Olson, as well as the Dead-End Job series by Elaine Viets.
In short, I am a fan of crimes solved by armchair detectives and amateurs.
Who knows why this genre particularly appeals, but it’s probably something to do with being the type who likes to kick back and psychoanalyze people and their motives, particularly in relation to all their misdeeds. I may not always be right, but I do love to spin my theories about whodunnit and why.
So when I got the chance to take a look at Buzzkill, the latest in the Pecan Bayou series by Teresa Trent, I snatched it up like a bloodhound on the scent.
Having recently fled the state of Texas in search of balmier climes (i.e. California), I was hesitant to be drawn back into Texan fiction. But since Pecan Bayou doesn’t really exist, I decided to throw caution to the sea breezes and give it a chance.
Even if you haven’t read A Dash of Murder and Overdue for Murder (books one and two in the series), you’ll be able to hop right in. Betsy Livingston, aka “The Happy Hinter,” is about to be married to her meteorologist fiancé, Leo, and nothing is going smoothly. Despite her role as a professional household hints columnist for the local paper, Betsy is totally disorganized about her “simple” wedding – scheduled for February 14 – until a resourceful aunt steps in and hooks her up with a professional wedding planner. The day is saved! Except, not really. Betsy begins to feel even more discombobulated as her wedding planner, Mr. Andre, sends her scurrying from one meeting to another, tasting cakes, selecting reception venues, and even nailing down the minister at the church about a time slot for the big date. She’s scatterbrained, all right, but is she capable of… murder?
DUN-DUN-DUN!
When Betsy’s original wedding florist turns up dead after she rejects him in favor of Mr. Andre’s preferred vendor, townsfolk start to buzz about his death by bee-sting. In fact, the florist was using one of Betsy’s own homemade potions (calamine lotion, to be exact), and all signs point to a happy housewife gone mad. But was it Betsy’s recipe that did him in, or the florist’s wife who made it with a group of fellow church ladies?
Could a church-going woman really resort to murder? Or is something more nefarious afoot in little ol’ Pecan Bayou?
With a large cast of characters for such a small town, Buzzkill pokes gentle fun at bridezillas, small town life, and grumpy old men. Toss in a little family drama (Betsy’s long-estranged mother makes her first appearance a month before the wedding, attempting to shanghai it), dueling weddings (Prissy Olin is set to marry the mayor’s son on the same day), some about-to-be-newlywed strife (will Betsy have to leave her beloved Pecan Bayou for big-city Dallas?), and you’ve got one potboiler of a mystery a-bubbling.
While at first I thought I had spotted the murderer on her original appearance, by the end of the book I realized I had fallen prey to a red herring. Well played, Ms. Trent! All of the characters were fun and well-drawn, even as they played on some typical stereotypes like the rampaging bride, gay wedding planner, and nosey newspaperman. The story itself is engaging (who doesn’t love weddings?), and generally well written, despite a couple of small continuity issues (when did Betsy acquire a dog?). I enjoyed the concept of a small-town columnist getting tangled up in mysteries, especially with her father as the head of the town’s police force, and the possibility that this small-town girl would be uprooted for a bigger city with more chances to solve crimes in another location.
And, I have to admit that while I’m still not the biggest fan of Texas, this book does have that southern charm that reeled me into making my home in Austin in the first place. Wildflowers, German food and drink, and a relaxed pace of life? Check.
So who’s behind the dirty deed, and will Betsy’s wedding day be foiled by the prissy Prissy? You’ll have to read Buzzkill yourself to find out.
QUOTED: "As cozies go, this is not only a fun read, but it moves along quite well. She has a respectable number of characters—not so many as to confuse the reader but enough to have a growing number of possible perpetrators! This is a keeper."
Murder of a Good Man
Image of Murder of a Good Man (Piney Woods Mystery)
Author(s):
Teresa Trent
Release Date:
January 14, 2018
Publisher/Imprint:
Camel Press
Pages:
256
Buy on Amazon
Reviewed by:
Judith Reveal
In Teresa Trent’s novel, Murder of a Good Man (A Piney Woods Mystery), her heroine, Nora Alexander, has a simple task: deliver a letter from her recently deceased mother to a man she’s never met, in the small rural town of Piney Woods, Texas. It’s a heartbreaking promise, but one she knows she must keep.
What Nora expects to be a simple task turns out to be much more. Shortly after delivering the letter to Adam Brockwell, he is found murdered, and Nora is the number one suspect.
Tuck Watson, the attractive police officer, advises her to remain in Piney Woods until everything can be sorted out. Nora is out of money with lots of time on her hands, and she takes up residence at a small bed and breakfast run by Tattie and Ed Tovar. In need of a job, she is hired by Marty, the owner of the old Tunie Hotel, and Tuck Watson’s aunt.
As Tuck’s investigation gains steam, Nora realizes that in order to save herself, she must look for other suspects to shift attention away from her. She is not without characters: Lucy Cooper, a young African-American woman who cheated Adam on investments; Lucy’s mother, Arnett who carried a secret hatred of the man for years; Corey Brockwell, Adam’s son, who is desperately in need of money; and Delmar Dupree, an ex-policeman who partnered with the man that Nora thought was her real father.
Trent brings in a variety of other characters: Max, an acquaintance of Marty’s; the Fredericks sisters Azalea and Violet, local town gossips; and Pastor Chilton, a good friend of Adam’s.
In her search for answers, Nora finds more than she bargained for, learning that her mother was raised in Piney Wood, and that Nora has more family than she ever imagined possible.
To Nora’s surprise, she is called to the Brockwell estate for the reading of the will, only to learn that both she and Lucy were fathered by Adam, leaving both mothers in a state of shock and disrespect, and Corey Brockwell now with two unwanted siblings.
The story ramps up to an exciting conclusion when Nora encounters the true killer and motive for Adam’s death. Of course, the requisite romance begins to bud between Nora and Tuck, laying out a future partnership for crime solving.
This is the first in Trent’s series set in Piney Woods, and it bodes well for the series. As cozies go, this is not only a fun read, but it moves along quite well. She has a respectable number of characters—not so many as to confuse the reader but enough to have a growing number of possible perpetrators!
This is a keeper.
Judith Reveal lives in rural Maryland. She is the author of the Lindsey Gale Mystery series including: Cheating Death, The Music Room, A House to Kill For; historical fiction The Brownstone, and nonfiction The Four Elements of Fiction: Character, Setting, Situation, and Theme; Around Greensboro; and a memoir, Essays on Growing up Middle Class in Post World War II America.
QUOTED: "This small town setting with a nice mix of warm people has a lot in common with many other small towns trying to stay alive in today’s world. The story has a few characters that are immediately likeable and each has their own distinct personality."
Murder of a Good Man by Teresa Trent
October 23, 2017 By completedreviews Leave a Comment
Murder of a Good Man by Teresa Trent
Publisher: Camel Press
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (258 pgs)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop
When Nora Alexander arrives in Piney Woods, Texas, to fulfill her dying mother’s last wish, she has no idea what awaits her. First she is run off the road, then the sealed letter she delivers turns out to be a scathing rebuke to the town’s most beloved citizen and favored candidate for Piney Woods Pioneer: Adam Brockwell. Next thing you know, Adam has been murdered in a nasty knife attack. Suspicion instantly falls on Nora, one of the last people to see him alive. After all, everyone in Piney Woods loved him. Or did they? Nora learns that her mother had a complicated past she never shared with her daughter.
Told not to leave town by Tuck the flirty sheriff, Nora finds a job with Tuck’s Aunt Marty trying to get the rundown Tunie Hotel back in the black. The old hotel was Piney Woods’ heart and soul in its heyday as an oil boomtown. Now the secrets it harbors may be the key to getting Nora off the hook. She’s going to need to solve the mystery quickly to avoid arrest, or worse: becoming the killer’s next victim.
Good books have a rhythm and this one never lost a beat.
Books really do have a rhythm. There are those which seem to stop and start and those which flow as smoothly as a waltz. There is nothing more enjoyable than to read a book with no “hiccups” in the rhythm. Well, this first book in the Piney Woods Mystery Series was a waltz. I enjoyed every moment of it and the author truly never missed a step.
This small town setting with a nice mix of warm people has a lot in common with many other small towns trying to stay alive in today’s world. The story has a few characters that are immediately likeable and each has their own distinct personality. A lawman of course, gossipy old ladies, a sweet old couple nagging at each other lovingly and a smart lady trying to rebuild a life and a business. Well, you know, all the characters that make a good book. Don’t fret though, the story has its own set of dastardly characters too.
I guess this could be defined as a cozy. It did make me curl up and read. It was one of those books you can’t wait to finish but are sad when you actually do because it’s over. I hope there is a follow-up.
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Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: Camel Press, Contemporary, Four Stars, Full Length, Mystery/Suspense, Snowdrop
QUOTED: "The first of the Piney Woods Mystery series is an entertaining read with a feisty heroine and delightful secondary characters."
MURDER OF A GOOD MAN
Author(s):
Teresa Trent
The first of the Piney Woods Mystery series is an entertaining read with a feisty heroine and delightful secondary characters. Trent creates a moderate pace which will help readers distinguish between the different citizens of Piney Woods and follow the developing plot. The storyline can be predictable, but the author creates some twists in the plot to keep readers guessing the murderer’s identity until the confirmation at the finale.
Nora Alexander comes to Piney Woods, Texas, to deliver a letter penned by her recently deceased mother. The recipient is beloved businessman Adam Brockwell, a generous man up for the town’s greatest award, Piney Woods Pioneer. But clearly he’s not as widely beloved, because the day after receiving the letter, Adam is murdered. As the number one suspect, Nora is compelled to stay in town by local law enforcement. Nora finds shelter at a lovely bed and breakfast, along with a job at the town’s historic hotel. Yet if she wants to stay free, she will have to conduct her own investigation to find the killer. Nora’s inquiries lead to some unexpected truths about her mom’s past — but will she discover enough to keep her out of jail … and from becoming the next victim? (CAMEL PRESS, Jan., 256 pp., $15.95)