by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Sleep Like a Baby. We also have a link to order it from Amazon, and from an indie bookstore where a portion goes to help support KRL.

Aurora (Roe) Teagarden is married to Robin, guardian to her half-brother Phillip, and three days past her due date for her own baby. You’d think that would be enough to do without getting involved in solving another crime, but you’d be wrong.

The baby arrives and Roe thinks she and Robin can handle things. She’s on leave from the library and Robin, an author, works from home. Phillip can help in a pinch. Piece of cake, right? The last laugh is on her as she faces the reality of a tiny person who is in charge. Babies control a lot of a mom’s time, between feedings, diaper changes, and general play time. Naps are a welcome break. Unfortunately, Aurora gets sick just as Robin leaves town for Bouchercon, the mystery conference loved by fans and authors alike. He’s even up for the coveted Anthony award. Roe can’t let him miss that excitement just because she’s sick, so she says it’s only a cold. She lied. It’s the flu.

With a two-month-old baby to care for, she rehired Virginia, a young woman who helped when they first came home from the hospital. It’s a good thing because Roe is so sick, she can barely get out of bed, much less hold a squirmy baby.

Roe wakes to the sound of crying, but it can’t be her baby because Virginia would take care of whatever needed done. Dragging herself out of bed, Roe finds Virginia is gone. She wakes Phillip for help, and they search the house in vain. The backyard is next, and it’s there they find a woman’s body.

On Robin’s return from the conference, he’s none too happy to find out his family was in danger, Roe was very ill, and someone died right in the yard. The nosy neighbor tells the police he saw Robin in the yard about the time of the murder. Although Robin has any number of witnesses at the conference, until they can be checked out, he’s under suspicion.

Motherhood is not what Roe expected.

This is the tenth book in the series. Roe has a lot to adjust to since she’s on leave from the library, doesn’t have her mom hovering over the baby, a feeding schedule that never ends, and more. Robin is in about the same place. Working and writing from home requires concentration, hard to come by when the baby monitor is on the desk. Phillip is a good brother, always willing to help but with the squeamishness of a typical teenager.

There’s much more to the book, of course, but to tell it would deprive readers of the suspense and enjoyment of the read. As always, Harris transports us not only into the summer heat of Georgia but plops us down in Roe and Robin’s living room in the middle of everything.

The Teagarden books are now being made into Hallmark movies for further enjoyment. Harris is also the author of the Lily Bard series (5), Harper Connelly mysteries (4), Midnight Texas novels (3), the Cemetery Girl Trilogy with Christopher Golden (2) and the popular Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood vampire/paranormal books (14). Make room in the To Be Read Pile.

To enter to win a copy of Sleep Like a Baby, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “sleep,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 18, 2017. 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:

Sleep Like a Baby: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

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

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She writes about eco-friendly topics, pets and wildlife for magazines and reviews mysteries and thrillers for KRL. A collection of her short stories, published by Untreed Reads, From Hay to Eternity: Ten Tales of Crime and Deception can be found at all the usual outlets. Each one is a little weird and all have a twist you won’t see coming.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases using those links. 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.