by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of The Darling Dahlias and the Poinsettia Puzzle, a link to purchase it from Amazon, and an indie bookstore where a portion of the sale goes to help support KRL.

It’s 1934, and the folks in Darling, Alabama, still need a bit of help now and again to keep food on the table. It’s hard to recover from the Great Depression. Liz has had her hours cut at Mr. Mosely’s law office. She’s got a book to write, but that’s no guarantee of money. Her former boyfriend, well, he got another girl in trouble and married her, but she’s passed away, leaving a motherless baby. He thinks Liz should marry him, quit her job, and take over the house and mothering instead.

Mildred and Earlynne are opening a new bakery, a daring venture in this economy. Earlynne, she makes the best pastries a body’s ever tasted. Mildred is money person, figuring out the pricing and all. The thing is, neither one of the them can bake a loaf of bread that’s edible, and bread is a staple of a bakery’s business.

Charlie Dickens, over at the newspaper, has got a lead on a hot story. He used to be an investigative reporter but then inherited a small-town paper and because of the economy, couldn’t find a buyer for it. Now he’s stuck—unless this story gets the attention of bigger papers. His hot lead also introduces him to an informant with a story that could turn things upside down.

Violet and Myra May’s little girl, Cupcake, is about as cute as that Shirley Temple and just as talented. That little girl is the apple of everyone’s eye when she sings and dances. When Liz finds out there’s a plot to take Cupcake away from Violet and Myra, and well, the whole town, she can barely breathe at the thought of it.

Early on, Liz had a crush on Mr. Mosely, but that’s all past now. When a stranger comes to town looking for writers for a nationwide project, he zeros in on Liz as his first choice. Will she say yes? On top of the job, he’s a good looking man and attentive too.

Susan Wittig Albert tells the story of a small town, down on its luck but full of hope for the future. Her characters become friends as readers stroll down the street, hear the old printing press clang, smell the pastries and cookies warm from the oven, stop at the hat shop to see the latest style, and pause to smell the flowers the Darling Dahlias plant in their community garden. Take a step back in time to meet them—the mystery is good, the company better.

Enjoy “The Garden Gate by Elizabeth Lacy” (President of the Darling Dahlias Club) which provides fascinating insights into poinsettias including Aunt Hetty’s Favorite Fertilizer. And a Lagniappe, a little something extra, recipes include Pecan Tassies, Holiday Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce, Forgotten Cookies, Ambrosia, and Eggnog that doesn’t come out of a cardboard container (and it has rum in it!).

Albert also writes the China Bayles mysteries set in Texas, the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, the Robin Paige Victorian-Edwardian series, and historical standalones that include A Wilder Rose, Loving Eleanor, and The General’s Woman.

To enter to win a copy of The Darling Dahlias and the Poinsettia Puzzle, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “poinsettia,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 15, 2018. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address (so if you win we can get the book sent right out to you), and if via comment please include your email address. 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. Our latest episode is set at Christmas time.

Use this link to purchase the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

The Darling Dahlias and the Poinsettia Puzzle

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.