Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss

Thanksgiving Escape

November 20, 2017

You know it’s going to happen. You’re going to need to escape. Because on Thursday afternoon, Uncle Bill will be deep in the eggnog—except he won’t be drinking the same eggnog everyone else will be enjoying. Uncle Bill’s special blend will come from the flask in his pocket, and the more he drinks, the louder his political jokes will get.

If he was the only one you had to worry about this Thanksgiving, you’d survive. Except he isn’t.

Your cousin Lori will be flirting with your brother-in-law, and your sister will be close to murder if he even acknowledges Lori’s presence. Which will exclude your right hand helper from any of the meal preparations—the last thing you need is your sister in vicinity of a kitchen full of knives.

Don’t forget the football games. There are three to contend with this year, so unless you’re having a Thanksgiving Day brunch, you better be prepared for your mother-in-law to be very unhappy when you time the meal to coincide with her team’s kick-off. Not that she has a ‘team’ who she loyally keeps up with. She only watches football on the holidays you’ve drawn the unlucky straw to host the holiday meal.

And then there’s your brother Joe. Despite your ten million warnings ahead of time, your husband is going to fall for Joe’s ploy to make sure they see the half-time reports. Why? Because they’re in the same fantasy football league and they absolutely must hear the stats from across the league—even though the current game has the only changes since Monday night.

Yeah, you’re going to need an escape plan, and I’m here to prepare your get away with three great mysteries. So grab your books, lock the closet door, and enjoy!

ASSAULT AND BUTTERY by Kristi Abbott

A Popcorn Shop Mystery

Assault and Buttery

Murder is on the menu for gourmet popcorn entrepreneur Rebecca Anderson, and it’s up to her to pop the case wide open.

Rebecca Anderson is surprised to discover an old diary in the wall of her popcorn shop. With the shop’s kitchen under repair and production of her gourmet treats on temporary hold, Rebecca hopes that reading the diary will be a welcome distraction. She doesn’t expect that the diary will end in a mystery when the writer seemingly disappears under concerning circumstances.

Unfortunately for Rebecca, that is not the only mystery she is involved in. When local busybody Lloyd McLaughlin is found dead, the police believed he was poisoned by Rebecca’s popcorn. There’s only one batch of popcorn Rebecca has made recently—and it wasn’t intended for Lloyd. Nothing about Lloyd’s death makes sense—until Rebecca discovers a startling connection between the diary writer and the murdered man.

Now, with her reputation on the line, Rebecca must discover who’s been cooking up murder—both in the past and in the present.

Young Adult | Mystery Cozy [Berkley, On Sale: November 7, 2017, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780425280935 / eISBN: 9780698193888]

A LATE FROST by Sheila Connolly

An Orchard Mystery

A Late Frost

The usually quiet town of Granford, Massachusetts, is in for a jolt when Monica Whitman moves in. She’s a dynamo who makes friends easily. One of her first acquaintances is orchard owner Meg Corey Chapman. She’s intrigued by the new arrival, who has already sold the town board on a new, fun way to spice up the cold winter months. WinterFare will feature local foods and crafts as well as entertainment. It’s exactly what the town needs to bring in visitors during the offseason.

But tragedy strikes when Monica falls ill and dies. It looks like a case of food poisoning, but after all the food on the premises has been tested, including Meg’s apples, it becomes clear that there’s a more sinister explanation to the older woman’s demise.

Meg’s investigation of the crime leads to some unlikely suspects, including a rival apple-grower, but the biggest mystery of all may involve the dead woman’s husband.

Mystery Cozy | Young Adult [Berkley, On Sale: November 7, 2017, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780425275832 / eISBN: 9780698165663]

SOMEONE’S MAD AT THE HATTER by Sandra Bretting

Missy DuBois Mystery

Someone's Mad at the Hatter

Missy DuBois’s Louisiana hat studio is the destination for Southern brides who want to make a fashion statement. But designing headpieces isn’t her only talent, she’s also got a head for solving murders . . .

It’s not uncommon for folks to live it up a little too much on New Year’s Eve. But when Missy walks into her parking lot at Crowning Glory on New Year’s Day and discovers professional wedding planner Charlotte Deveraux inside a whiskey barrel, the poor woman isn’t just hung over . . . she’s dead. Since the murder weapon was an old hat stand that belonged to Missy, her customers are cancelling appointments and everyone in town seems to be turning up their noses at her. Despite plenty of intrigue to motivate a hatful of suspects, suspicion keeps falling squarely on Missy. All the more reason to clear her name—or the next veil she designs will come in a shade of black . . .

Mystery Cozy [Lyrical Press, On Sale: October 24, 2017, e-Book, ISBN: 9781601837172 / eISBN: 9781601837172]

Watch for my five cozy mystery giveaway here on Fresh Fiction. Until next time, get cozy and read on!

Kym RobertsKym Roberts is a retired detective sergeant who looks for passion, mystery and suspense in every book she reads and writes. She can be found on the web at kymroberts.com, on Facebook at @KymRoberts911author and on Twitter @kymroberts911. Kym’s third Book Barn Mysteries Perilous Poetry, is available now.

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