by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this review on how to win a copy of Toured To Death, along with a link to purchase the book. Note this book will not be released until the end of the month. And check out a review & giveaway of Hy’s final Monk book and an interview with Hy in this issue as well.

Sure, a mystery tour through Europe seems like a good idea, but what if you’re the travel agent who organized it, and it’s as much a mystery to you as to the participants? Amy finds out the hard way when her first mystery tour is derailed. She has only a packet of information, the actors, participants, and an unknown assistant along to help. Who gets murdered? Who is the killer? Only the game’s creator knows for sure.

Unfortunately, the game is barely underway when its creator is killed back in New York. Amy has to learn to think on her feet and improvise as there seems to be a second person doling out clues. Who can you trust in a situation like that? The answer is, pretty much no one.

In the meantime, the participants and readers alike can enjoy the scenery, decipher clues (they are not easy!), and come to the conclusion. The game is based on a true crime. The question becomes: is that what’s behind the sabotage, misdirection, and mayhem?

Amy’s Mom, Fanny, is back in New York, doing her best to uncover clues too. She’s just trying to help, of course. What’s a little B&E, with a dash of deception? She and Amy manage to live in the same house, although on different floors, without resorting to mayhem of their own, but some days are more difficult than others, since Fanny works at the travel agency too. No wonder Amy so looked forward to the mystery tour. Amy has a few personal issues to work out, and the trip is helpful in that regard. There’s also the potential for romance.

This is the first of a new series. Written by the co-executive producer of the television show Monk, readers can expect, and will receive, a quirky, well-written, heck of a book. I’m looking forward to the next tour already.

In this issue you will also find a review of Hy’s final Monk book & an interview with him.

To enter to win a copy of Toured To Death, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Toured,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen January 17, 2015. 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 a copy of the book:

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 two mystery books of her own, hoping, someday, they will see the light of Barnes and Noble. You can also find several of Sandra’s short stories on UnTreed Reads including her new one Bananas Foster. Sandy’s latest short story “The Tater Tot Caper” is one of eleven stories in The Killer Wore Cranberry: Fourths of Mayhem. The annual Thanksgiving anthology has eleven stories and this year, includes recipes. And it’s on sale! Available in all e-versions and in print.