by Sandra Murphy

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

Mary Turner Catlin has asked the Ducote sisters, An’gel and Dickce, to visit her family home, now a B&B. This is their downtime when no guests are on hand. Mary Turner believes her house, like many Southern homes, is haunted, and she wants the sister’s advice. Unusual things happen now and again at the Ducote house. An’gel is sure there’s a good reason for them while Dickce is more inclined to believe in an invisible presence. On hand are Marty Turner, her husband Henry Howard, a frustrated writer and Marcelline, the housekeeper. Benjy, ward of the sisters plus their dog Peanut and cat Endora, accompany the sisters.

Although this is to be a visit of old family friends with a little ghost hunting mixed in, things don’t go according to plan when Nathan, a distant (very distant) cousin shows up and expects to spend some time at the house. He’s of a mind that his ancestor left a will stating his side of the family should have the treasures from what is called the French Room. Even though it means An’gel has to move, he insists on sleeping there.

To add more disruption, Nathan’s sister, Serenity, and her lawyer, Truss Wilbanks, a close friend of Nathan’s, arrive to demand Nathan release funds from a trust so Serenity can provide a stable home for her children. Stable is not a word that comes immediately to mind where Serenity is concerned. She’s rude, obnoxious, and disrespectful to all.

Mrs. Primrose Pace is the next to invade the house. She says she’s a psychic and the spirits told her to come. Mary Turner is welcoming, Henry Howard thinks she’s a fraud. Considering the cold spots, mysterious shadows, moved objects and more, they let her stay, just in case she’s for real.

When Nathan is found dead in his bed the next morning, everyone hopes it was murder. An’gel and Dickce have experience with murder investigations so they try to find out more about the others. The burning question is not who would want Nathan dead, but who could have gotten into his locked room? Motives are abundant since Nathan withheld funds from Serenity, shared a secret with Truss, and threatened Mary Turner’s home. The sisters realize someone in the house is a killer.

An’gel and Dickce sometimes squabble but never for long. Benji is a welcome addition to help them with research on the computer, to care for the pets they rescued, and to drive them around (Miss Dickce drives eighty miles an hour everywhere she goes). Southern charm oozes onto every page, from the names of the characters, the food Marcelline serves, and descriptions of stately homes.

This is the fourth book in the series, a spinoff of the Cat in the Stack series featuring Charlie and Diesel, his Maine Coon cat. There are eight books in that series. Looking for a gift for an avid reader for the holidays? A dozen chances to visit the South would make a great stocking stuffer.

To enter to win a copy of Fixing to Die, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “fixing,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 25, 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:

Fixing to Die

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.