by Kathleen Costa

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Good Intentions and Bad Guys!
Merry Wrath has continued in her efforts to shield friends, family, and a group of pre-teens from her previous life, but without much success. She was a highly-trained CIA operative whose identity was exposed in a political “tit for tat.” She escaped from a band of Chechens with her life, and fled to the Midwest town in which she grew up…Who’s There, Iowa. There, using a newish name, she applies her various skills to wrangle ten “precocious” Girl Scouts who seem more enthusiastic to learn about a high-powered rocket launcher than a high-powered sales technique for selling cookies. But, as back-up, they, husband/detective Rex Ferguson, and BFF/co-leader Kelly Albers have been invaluable when arms dealers, terrorists, and general bad guys set up lawn chairs in her suburban neighborhood. She also has twin sisters-in-law taxidermists with polar polar opposite personalities, her former CIA handler now PI Riley, friend and medical examiner Dr. Soo Jin Body and her state trooper boyfriend, and Philby the cat, with a questionable appearance, as her additional support. The CIA could definitely take some lessons from Merry and her budding operatives.

Macho Man Murder earns 5/5 Comic Books…Totally Engaging Page-Turner!
Wally, the Chechen terrorist whose reputation took a massive hit when Merry’s spy identity was made known, has set himself up on the front lawn of Merry’s second house, the one she uses as her Troop’s clubhouse and the place she hides all her spy weapons and gadgets. The troop was forced to return early from their pool trip due to a few misunderstandings about frogs and sharks, and seeing the stranger, the Girl Scouts have him surrounded. Rescuing him from certain mayhem, she takes him inside, fearful about how he found her and stray bullets, and learns he has a job for her. The last meeting they had was when CNN spilled the beans; he reminds her of that betrayal…”You owe me…” The job? Kill Riley, Merry’s former CIA handler, or his thugs will take out Rex, her husband. But, as she attempts to skirt the threat, she discovers issues with her past work with the CIA, a dead body, and a false report making her once again question in whom she puts her trust.

Brilliant! Leslie Langtry has once again penned a delightful romp with Merry, her girls, and few gang members she’d prefer were thrown in prison. The drama is unique, spy turned Scout leader, and compelling as it isn’t just keeping friends and family safe without causing the Chechens to go ballistic, literally; Merry becomes aware of the depth of the politics within the intelligence community and surprised to learn how deep their involvement. Maybe getting rid of a few wouldn’t be bad…a little house cleaning! The twist, however, is that Merry may need to rely on those who may not have her back like the ten Girl Scouts. Ok, the girls. One needs to suspend disbelief that pre-teens are actually going to go up against angry Chechens, but the girls are delightful “kiss ass” girls who just make me giggle! Descriptive from Merry’s perspective, I love her snarky thoughts and wit of the dialogue, twist and turns of the drama, and all that Merry goes through to save others. It’s a great series, and with this fifteenth book many newbies will be quickly engaged, but the series evolves, so going back to the rest of the series will undoubtedly be a must!

Alert! The sixteenth book, Mad Money Murder, is set to be released September 29, 2020. Merry inherits an urn of cremains and a note, “If you’ve received this, it means that I need you to find out who murdered me.” PREORDER on Amazon.

Be a Big Leslie Langtry Fan!
USA Today bestselling author Leslie Langtry pens one of my favorite series, the now fifteen-book Merry Wrath series. She also writes the very entertaining ten-book Bombay Assassins Greatest Hits Mystery and is one of the contributing authors in GHP’s Aloha Lagoon Mystery with two marvelous books: Ukulele Murder and Ukulele Deadly. Something for every cozy taste!

Facebook – Leslie Langtry
Website – Leslie Langtry

Be a GHP Fan!
Facebook – GHPublishing
Website – Gemma Halliday Publishing

To enter to win an ebook copy of Macho Man Murder, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “macho,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 15, 2020. US only, and must be 18 or older to enter. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying year 2 of retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband of 26+ years.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.