by Cynthia Chow
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Blown Away. We also have a link to order it from Amazon, and from an indie bookstore where a portion goes to help support KRL.
Despite the dire warnings of her protective parents, Emmy Adler is thrilled for the Grand Opening of her own kite shop in Rock Point, Oregon. Combining her art schooling and store management experience, Emmy is fulfilling her dream of owning a store of customized, hand crafted kites designed for a more artistic crowd. The first cloud over her dream appears when Emmy discovers a body washed up on the beach, one later identified as being Miles Logan, a local celebrity chef and the ex-boyfriend of her best friend and new roommate, Avery Cook. When police find a note in Miles’s calendar indicating a meeting with Avery at the time he was murdered, not to mention Avery’s own discovery of the murder weapon, Sheriff Nick Koppen appears to have little choice but to suspect her. Small-town gossip had already condemned Avery, who resorts to the accusations by surrendering and retreating to her bed. 
Knowing that Avery would never commit such an act, and unable to trust that justice will take care of itself, Emmy throws herself into an investigation to learn who stabbed Tidal Basin’s chef to death. Another ex-girlfriend, territorial mushroom hunters, and conflicts at his restaurant provide Emmy with alternate avenues of investigation. Stella Hart, a retired schoolteacher and Miles’s former coworker at Tidal Basin, also proves to be a talented painter ally both in detecting and in Emmy’s Strings Attached kite store. Stella has her own secrets though, and with the owner of the only other kite shop in Rock Point often wavering between supportiveness and wariness, Emmy impulsively follows her instincts to track down a killer.
This first in a Kite Shop Mystery series explores the unique coastal and forest setting, as well as the insular Rock Point lifestyle. Just as integral to the plot is Emmy’s relationship with her parents, vegan hippies who continue to hover even as Emmy struggles to establish her independence. Empty nest syndrome, as well as her own identity issues, make Emmy’s mother more than just a cardboard cliché character. The author takes a unique approach with Emmy as well, forcing her to realize that her amateur detecting has very real and unintended consequences. The author of the Vintage Clothing Mystery series under her name Angela M. Sanders, it shouldn’t be too surprising then that kites are viewed as being similar to couture clothing. For Emmy, kites are works of art more than they are a competitive sport. The mystery investigation itself proves to be realistic and satisfying, with the Emmy who emerges at the conclusion more mature than when she began. Her growth and development, along with that of her fellow Rock Point neighbors, promise for even more entertaining mysteries in the future.
To enter to win a copy of Blown Away, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “blown,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 25, 2017. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.
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Thanks so much for a chance to win a copy of Blown Away.
bah195@yahoo.com
Not only does it sound like a book I would enjoy, I love the cover! Thank you for the giveaway.
debprice60@gmail.com
I’ve heard so many good reviews of the debut of the Kite Shop series Blown Away. Thanks so much for a chance to win in the give-a-way! sxygrndma48{at}yahoo{dot}com
Sounds like a good read – thanks for offering to us!
This sounds like a great beginning to a new series. I’ve seen some good reviews, too. jmvarner50@hotmail.com
I love the unique setting of a kite shop. I would love to read this first in a new series!
I have been eager to read this book! Thank you for the chance to win!
Thanks for sharing a new series with us. It sounds like an entertaining read & I would love to win it.
Kites are always a sign of spring here in WA State. Right now I still have 2ft of snow in my yard 🙁
raineybird at yahoo.com
Thanks so much for reviewing this book it sounds so good would love to read and post reviews on goodreads and amazon once i finish. ptclayton2@aol.com
Sounds like a great book to read.
jhdwayne(at)peoplepc(dot)com
Deana
I like the idea of a kite shop! Thank you donamaekutska7@gmail.com
I like the idea of a kite shop! Thank you donamaekutska7@gmail.com its a neat new idea.
A kite shop sounds so fun!
I would love to read this book. Thank you for the chance. Zeta(at)iwon(dot)com
Thank-you for introducing me to another author.
Kckendler at gmail dot com
This book sounds delightful. I have added it to my TBR pile (it just keeps getting longer). Thank you for your review Blown Away. Doodlesink@hotmail.com
I’d love to win this giveaway! Thanks for offering it!!
lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com
When my kids were small we bought the boys a kite for each of them. We took them to Marine Park which was near our home and let them run in the field to get them aloft. By the time they were teens they’d progressed to large box kites and six foot fabric kites which they fly along the walkway along the Belt Parkway hear the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. I’d love to win a copy of this book to share with them and to build my home library.
NoraAdrienne (at) gmail (dot) com
Sounds like a great start to a new series. Would like to read “Blown Away”.
diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
I love Kites and this is a great idea for a book. Thank you for the review and please enter me.
Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com
Another book for my TBR list. Thanks for the giveaway.
marlene(dot)ezell(at)gmail(dot)com
We have a winner!
This is a very interesting book! I especially liked it because I always wanted to open a kite shop myself. Do you know if Sybil Johnson plans to continue the series? P.S. The cover picture is gorgeous. Who made it? I want to make a poster out of it!