If nothing else, the title of this book is sure to grab your attention! I’m thrilled to host one of my favorite authors, Brenda Whiteside, with a new release today. And she’s teamed up with Joyce Proell to bring a new murder mystery to the bookshelves! I’ll let her tell you about it.
Many thanks to you, Jan, for allowing me and Joyce to take over your blog today. I want to highlight one of our sister characters for your followers.
My name is Nicole Earp, but everyone calls me Nic. And everyone, on first meeting, asks if I’m related to the infamous brothers. Well, I’m not, but my second husband claimed he was a distant cousin of Wyatt Earp. I’ve kept the name and have fun with the connection, especially since I live in Wyatt, Arizona. I’m a freelance travel writer, so my days can be different from month to month, depending on the assignment I’ve picked up. When home, I dabble in candle making. But it’s the relaxing weekend days I spend twice a year at the Dulce Inn in Wyatt that I’m sure you’ll find much more interesting.
My birthday is in the spring, and my sister Em’s is six months later in the fall. What perfect timing for our twice-a-year getaways and at least one celebratory chocolate martini in the Azul Saloon inside the inn. Our tradition has earned us a nickname from the staff—The Chocolate Martini Sisters.
A typical day at the inn finds Em on an early morning run while I sleep in after having stayed up late reading a mystery. I rise, practice a short yoga session, and shower. Em pops in, showers, and we’re off for breakfast in the Azul Restaurant. We might shop in the unique stores downtown or possibly enjoy a massage upstairs at the inn. There are fests in the town square or hotel events to take in during the day.
And then there’s the dead body we are prone to discover.
Em and I do love sharing a good murder mystery. Solving the crime will put us in the faces of two detectives who might deserve some credit for helping us crack the caper. The Chief Homicide Detective Bennett Guthrie is particularly fun…for me, anyway. He really gets under my sister’s skin. She’s analytical and compassionate, which seems to rub him wrong. He’s tenacious, determined, and focused but really hates admitting how much we help him. I operate on gut instincts, coming to conclusions a bit too fast at times. Gah! I have fun anyway. Guthrie takes himself far too seriously, so I enjoy a good jab at him now and then.
I hope you’ll join us on one of our weekends at the inn. You’ll love Wyatt, Arizona, located at the base of the Bradshaw Mountains, two hours north of Phoenix. The town is named for Wyatt Earp, who frequented the historical Dulce Inn and the Azul Restaurant and Saloon located inside the hotel. The town has a slight old-west feel with turn-of-the-century buildings. You’ll enjoy:
A birthday weekend with the gift of murder
Cigarettes, Candy, and Murder (A Chocolate Martini Sisters Mystery, Book 1)
By Joyce Proell and Brenda Whiteside
BLURB:
Recently widowed, Emma Banefield looks forward to a getaway birthday weekend with her free-wheeling sister, Nicole Earp, sipping chocolate martinis at the peaceful, historic Dulce Inn. When a rude stranger, a nasty food critic, and a madhouse of temperamental artists greet them, all hope for a tranquil weekend evaporates faster than dew on a hot desert morning.
Overlooking the riotous atmosphere is doubly hard after Em discovers the body of a hotel guest, and a second murder affects Nic personally. Now, entrenched in a caper that pits them against a surly detective, they cozy up to a hotel staff hiding dangerous secrets to uncover clues to the killer.
Using their smarts and love of all-things mystery, will the Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime ahead of the obstinate Chief Detective or find themselves trapped in the middle of a third murder?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN96RS4G/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71969141-candy-cigarettes-and-murder
Joyce Proell is the award-winning author of Amaryllis, Eliza and the Cady Delafield mysteries: A Deadly Truth, A Burning Truth and A Wicked Truth. Along with her husband and little dog, Nellie, she lives in Minnesota in her very own little house on the prairie. She loves to hear from readers.
Visit her website at www.joyceproell.com or
https://www.facebook.com/JoyceProellAuthor.
Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, romance, and cozy mystery. After living in six states and two countries—so far—she and her husband have settled in Central Arizona. They admit to being gypsies at heart and won’t discount the possibility of another move. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes.
Visit Brenda at https://www.brendawhiteside.com or https://www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor
