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.

Post It…Murdered!
Bernadette Butler, Bernie to her friends, lost her husband over a decade ago, raised her son Grady to a successful adult, and now is enjoying “Mawmaw” time with her granddaughter Clara whose set to celebrate her first birthday. She’s also the mail carrier delivering mail and packages and joining in on all of the gossip with the four Front Porch Ladies, residents of the local senior living facility, and her long-time BFF Iris Peabody, whose occasional “I’ve got a feeling” premonitions raise issues best not to ignore. After years as a widow and a few bumps on their relationship road, Bernie finally plans to marry Mac Tabor, once her husband’s best friend, mentor for her son, and always been in love with her. However, no matter what’s happening good or bad, the ugly of murder seems to interfere with life in the tiny mountain town of Sugar Creek Gap, Kentucky.

Red Letter Slay Earns 5/5 Letter Openers…Clever Cozy Gem!
Vince Campbell, retired FBI agent and one of Bernie’s close friends and occasional back-up in her covert investigations, is lucky to be alive after a terrible fall oddly impaling his skull with a letter opener. Just an unfortunate accident it seems, but Vince isn’t convinced. He doesn’t own a letter opener, and being adamant someone intended to kill him, he asks Bernie to help him find out who. Accompanying him to Bingo Night at the senior living residence is a logical place to start. But, Bernie as well as a room of people witness an uncomfortable squabble between WSCG’s newest radio personality Horace LeLand and his wife Melissa. Money seems to be a contentious topic, and as with many contentious topics, it may be a motive for murder. Horace is found dead, seemingly predicted by one of Iris’s “feelings,” and oddly in the same manner as the attack on Vince…a letter opener!

Mac worries Bernie’s “nosy” nature, like in the past, will ensnare her complete focus as well as put her in harms’ way. He warns her not to be so engrossed in another mystery, another puzzle, that she misses the opening football game, her granddaughter’s first birthday, or their wedding. She promises to not miss any of it, but he knows her, and so do we…can she wrap this all up in time to sing Happy Birthday, root for her Grady’s and Mac’s football team, and finally say “I do!”?

Stamp of Approval! Tonya Kappes has delivered an exciting eighth mystery in her Mail Carrier Cozy Mystery series with milestone celebrations, an intriguing mystery, and suspicious deaths. Bernie can’t help but get involved, especially when friends are targeted, causing engaging issues again. The crime occurred early, my favorite scheme, and the investigation took center stage giving me plenty of time to stew over my own suspect/motive list which ended up a karmic surprise! With the theory about an unintended victim, family dysfunction, secret connections, a DJ diva, and disgruntled employees and business owners, this was one of the best stories to date.

Tonya’s work is always more than a clever crime with all the engaging misdirection, multiple suspects, and small town involvement. She creates a fascinating, multi-generational cast of characters with which readers, like myself, can identify and enjoy some strong females with or without a badge. Bernie is in her fifties offering insights into her grown family, granny persona, a more mature love life, and a wide range of friendships, but it’s the flaws that do well to make the story realistic. The Front Porch quartet and the residents at the Senior Living place are a hoot, the “gluten-free” debate has viewpoints at odds, including mine, and post-wedding decisions needing to be made remind me of conversations I had thirty-two years ago. My favorite words…Recipes Included! Enjoy Tonya’s cozy mystery with some of Iris’s Coffee Cake or a dozen or so Pumpkin Sugar Cookies.

Be a Big Fan of Tonya Kappes!
USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes has something for every cozy taste. With this Mail Carrier Cozy Mystery, she has the delightful Camper & Criminals Cozy series along with exciting ghostly-, magical-, and caffeinated-themed series. For ghosts, she has the Ghostly Southern Mystery and Kenni Lowry series. Add some magic with the Magical Cures Mystery and Spies and Spells series. And finally, get a little caffeinated with her Killer Coffee Mystery. Something for every taste along with an enjoyable online presence and various events enticing fans to gather to talk and share in the fun!

Facebook – Author Tonya Kappes
Join the “Cozy Krew”
Become a Member at the Website – Tonya Kappes
YouTube — Tonya Kappes

To enter to win an ebook copy of Red Letter Slay, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “slay,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 27, 2022. US only, and must be 18 or older to enter. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters read by local actors. A new episode goes up next week.

You can use this link to purchase the book from Amazon or click here. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

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.