by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Éclair and Present Danger, and a link to purchase it from Amazon, as well as a link to purchase it from an indie bookstore where a portion goes to help support KRL.

Bakery owner Winnie Johnson counted on an inheritance from an elderly customer to save her bakery from a huge rent raise. She’s stunned to find out, she didn’t inherit cash but an antique ambulance and a cat who doesn’t like her.

She’s forced to close the bakery and then find a new way to create buzz for the baked goods. Why not deliver them in the ambulance? After all, dessert is known to cure anything that’s wrong. She’s great on coming up with names for the desserts too. Now, if she can just get enough customers.

When she stops by to deliver a weekly peach pie for an older neighbor, she’s shocked to find his body on the kitchen floor. It wasn’t a natural death and that’s really sad for a man who’s loved by all. The town hasn’t recovered from his wife’s death, just six weeks ago.

The neighborhood is mostly older folks with Winnie definitely the youngest around. She likes them better than a lot of people her own age. Now, they’re afraid. First it was Gertrude, who left Winnie the ambulance and cat, then Bert’s wife, and now Bert. Winnie’s able to involve them in her business ideas and that takes their minds off the murder for a bit.

Of course, knowing the people in the neighborhood better than most, she’s in a position to figure out who did it too. One suspect has a young child. Bert yelled at the girl for trampling his flowers. She ran and fell, knocking out a tooth. Not too big a deal except she’s a beauty queen tot and ended up losing out on a commercial and a pageant. Her mother was livid and vindictive.

Bert’s step-son is another suspect. He had a listing made up for the house before Bert was even dead. Now he’s opening his own business—was he counting on selling the house to finance it?

Winnie has to find out just what happened before someone else is killed.

Winnie’s neighbors are Mr. Nelson, a chess player and Bridget who is a news reporter (gossip columnist) for the local paper. With their help, and that of Lovey the cat, she’s sure to solve the case.

This is the first in the new Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery series. Winnie is, for the most part, a sensible person. Mr. Nelson and Bridget are a squabbling pair of friends who delight. Lovey, of course, is the heart of the tale. The ambulance delivery idea is unique and the desserts sound wonderful. Luckily, Winnie included recipes for those readers out of her delivery zone. Look for You’re a Peach pie, Worry No ‘sMores bars, and You Are One Smart Cookie at the back of the book, just before an excerpt of book two, “Silences of the Flans.” Coming soon.

To enter to win a copy of Éclair and Present Danger, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “eclair,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen July 16, 2016. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.

Use this link to purchase the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

Eclair and Present Danger

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Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch, in the land of blues, booze and shoes—St Louis, Missouri. While writing magazine articles to support her mystery book habit, she secretly polishes mystery books of her own, hoping, someday, they will see the light of Barnes and Noble and a Kindle. You can find several of Sandra’s short stories at Untreed Reads including her newest, “Arthur,” included in the anthology titled, Flash and Bang, available now. Look for Denali, in the anthology Dogs and Dragons.