by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides, and a link to order it from Amazon, as well as a link to purchase it from an indie bookstore where a portion goes to help support KRL.

Five friends are tap dancers turning pro. They call themselves the Happy Hoofers. Dancing is a way to exercise, meet new people, and travel with the added complication of solving murders. This time they’re dancing on stage with the Rockettes for the Christmas program.

It will take a lot of practice to look anywhere near as good as the Rockettes, but Mary Louise, Gini, Tina, Pat, and Janice are up for the challenge. Mary Louise is married to an attorney but is giving some thought to whether or not she should continue the marriage. George is grumpy, expects her to fix gourmet meals every evening, and wants her to stop dancing. Gini is single but in a committed relationship and hoping to adopt a child. Janice is an actress, recently reunited with a long ago love. Pat is in a relationship with Denise. Tina, a widow, is planning her wedding to Peter.

Glenna is their liaison with the Rockettes. She’ll teach them to dance a routine while wearing forty pounds of costuming—the Santas are chubby! They get a brief rundown of the practices and are free for the afternoon. When they get a call that Glenna is dead from a fall under the stage, they’re shocked, of course. She’s the one who knew the equipment so well. The police determine her death might not have been an accident.

When there’s a second death, it’s pretty plain that it’s a murder designed to look like suicide. In the midst of Tina’s wedding plans, Mary Louise’s lunches with Mike and worry about George, Pat’s visits with Denise’s son David, Janice’s romance, and Gini’s adoption plans the women do manage to find clues as to what really happened.

This is the fifth book in the Happy Hoofers Mystery series. They are a fun group of women who are in the prime of their lives and making the most of it. Each book is told in the viewpoint of a different character. Mary Louise is a great cook, so there are recipes scattered throughout the books as she collects them wherever they eat. The mysteries are good, but it’s the sense of friendship among the women that will keep readers coming back to find out what happens next. They may even inspire you to put on your own dancing shoes!

To enter to win a copy of High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “high kicks,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 12, 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:

High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides

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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.

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.