A California Online Magazine with Local Focus and Global Appeal
Ok…what do you say when your grandmother-in-law says Elvis died in the bed she shared with him? What?! Slow down start from the beginning… Though she warns “things are blurry after a certain point,” Zoe hopes it’s all a bad dream.
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With two days to go until her oldest son gets married, the last thing Kay Driscoll needs is yet another burden stressing her out. That doesn’t stop her husband Phil from announcing that his cousin Loren is in the hospital, and by the way, Loren’s twelve year-old daughter is coming to stay with them in Sudbury Falls, Wisconsin. Apparently Janey’s mother is too busy on a vacation with her own boyfriend to rush over and pick up the rebellious girl, who acts out through dyed hair, vampire teeth, and kleptomania.
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Welcome to Danger Cove, a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Meet Maria Dolores, a descendant of the town’s first lighthouse keeper, the original Maria Dolores. Maria has just started her new job as the manager of the Lighthouse Farmers’ Market after closing her financial planning business and leaving big city life behind.
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“Bride of the Rat God?” I asked Michael Beinecke, eying him across the low bookshelf that separated us.
“Absolutely,” Michael replied, disappearing from view for a few moments then reappearing with a handful of sodden paper that he stuffed in a trash bag. “This is disgusting.”
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Let’s face it. Traditional Fourth of July fare is picnic food because it’s too hot to stay inside and cook. And that means salads. Salads are easy. They’re usually cool. They can even be healthy, which is a plus if you’ve got a family member who really does have to watch out.
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“We’ll kill him July Fourth. Think, Dummy, think. All the firecrackers going off, a gunshot will blend right in. We kill him in plain sight, or I should say, plain sound.”
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Flags started disappearing on Flag Day, June fourteenth. Mostly Stars and Stripes, with a few maple leaves to celebrate Canada Day, and a tricolored French flag, flown in anticipation of Bastille Day. On her usual early morning dog walk, a week before the Fourth of July, Lizzie Christopher saw that her Jericho, Ohio neighborhood was stripped bare, not a flag left flying.
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Sausage, the precursor of the hotdog, has been around for a dog’s age. Finely chopped and highly seasoned meat stored in clean animal intestines became a clever way to preserve and store meat. This food has been around so long that it was even mentioned in Homers Odyssey written in the 9th Century BC. Italy, Portugal, Greece, France, and Germany all have long-standing recipes for sausages.
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Charlie sped toward the murder scene. The chief had told him no lights, no siren. This was a shame because Charlie was driving his brand new white SUV police vehicle. Happy Fourth of July, he thought, not totally unhappy to be working the holiday. Sometimes interesting things happened, especially on Independence Day.
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This week we have a review of Independence Slay by Shelley Freydont, a mystery involving the 4th of July. We also have a fun guest post from Shelley about Pets and Cozy Mysteries. At the end of this post are details on how to win a copy of the book, and a link to purchase it.
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Here is another fun Fourth of July related mystery short story, “While The Parade Passes By”, by Michael Mallory. This story was originally published in the Summer 1999 issue of Murderous Intent Mystery Magazine.
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We thought it would be fun to share a couple of Fourth of July related mystery short stories this week! “4th of July Trip! Canceled!” by Gary R. Hoffman is the first of those and was first published in 2006 under a different title in ezine A Mouthful of Bullets.
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Bunny-soft and burly cat Brad is ready to be a great family’s great boy! He’s a very curious and companionable guy who has a dignified manor and appreciates a little extra time to cozy up. He warms up quickly and enjoys being in your lap or nearby for ear scratches and comfy naps. He has been around other cats and a little bit around kids. Handsome Brad hopes to bring his gentlemanly manner to a great home where he will be just the affectionate fellow to fill welcoming hearts! Brad is available for adoption from Cat House on the Kings.
