Book Review
of Shades of Murder and interview with Lauren Carr
sponsored by Virtual Book Tours
Lauren Carr has graciously allowed two
giveaways for this site. One, she is
giving away a copy of her book. Please leave a post responding to Lauren’s
interview or the review to enter into the giveaway. Secondly, she is offering one lucky reader a
chance to Name the Dead Porn Star in Dead on Ice. The details are below, but one lucky reader
will get a chance to name a character in her next book. Be sure to enter both giveaways.
Book
Synopsis:
Shades of Murder
Question: What do you get the man with everything?
Answer: When that man is the heir of the late mystery writer
Robin Spencer, retired homicide detective Mac Faraday, you get him cold case to
solve.
In Shades of Murder,
Mac Faraday is once again the heir to an unbelievable fortune. This time the
benefactor is a stolen art collector. But this isn’t just any stolen
work-of-art—it’s a masterpiece with a murder attached to it.
Ilysa Ramsay was in the midst of taking the art world by
storm with her artistic genius. Hours after unveiling her latest
masterpiece—she is found dead in her Deep Creek Lake studio—and her painting is nowhere to be
found.
Almost a decade later, the long lost Ilysa Ramsay
masterpiece has found its way into Mac Faraday’s hands and he can’t resist the
urge to delve into the case.
A world away, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; former JAG lawyer
Joshua Thornton agrees to do a favor for the last person he would ever expect
to do a favor—a convicted serial killer.
The Favor: Solve the one murder wrongly attributed to him.
Joshua finds an
unexpected ally in Cameron Gates, a spunky detective who has reason to believe
the young woman known to the media only as Jane Doe, Victim Number Four, was
the victim of a copycat. Together, Joshua and Cameron set out to light a flame
under the cold case only to find that someone behind the scenes wants the case
to remain cold, and is willing to kill to keep it that way.
Little do these detectives know that the paths of their
respective cases are on a collision course when they follow the clues to bring
them together in a showdown with a killer who’s got a talent for murder!
Link to Tour on Main Site -
http://www.virtualbooktourcafe.com/3/post/2012/04/shades-of-murder-by-lauren-carr.html
Author
Information:
Lauren Carr:
Lauren Carr fell in love with
mysteries when her mother read Perry Mason to her at bedtime. The first
installment in the Joshua Thornton mysteries, A Small Case of Murder was a finalist for the Independent Publisher
Book Award. A Reunion to Die For was
released in hardback in June 2007. Both of these books are in re-release.
Lauren is also the author of the Mac
Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. The first
two books in her series, It’s Murder, My
Son and Old Loves Die Hard have
been getting rave reviews from readers and reviewers. The next book in this
series, Shades of Murder, will be
released May 2012. This will be Lauren’s fifth mystery.
Lauren’s sixth book, Dead on Ice, will be released in Fall
2012. Dead on Ice will introduce a
new series entitled Lovers in Crime, in which Joshua Thornton will join forces
with homicide detective Cameron Gates.
The owner of Acorn Book Services,
Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout
designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. This spring, two books
written by independent authors will be released through the management of Acorn
Book Services.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has
made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions.
She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing
by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes.
She lives with her husband, son, and
two dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Visit Lauren’s websites and blog at:
E-Mail:
writerlaurencarr@comcast.net
Website:
http://acornbookservices.com/
Author
Interview:
Mindy Wall Interview with Lauren Carr:
I appreciate your taking the
time to visit with us today.
1. What inspired this particular novel/book?
I was at a
different stage of my life when I wrote my first two books, A Small
Case of Murder and A Reunion to Die
For. Those books are more serious and heavier. They actually have a
completely different tone. Former JAG lawyer, Joshua Thornton is a widower with
five children. He feels clueless as a father.
The Mac Faraday
mysteries are lighter and there is more humor. Mac is a homicide detective
whose wife leaves him and takes everything. On the day his divorce becomes
final, he inherits $270 million dollars and an estate on Deep Creek Lake.
Different strokes
for different folks. I had some readers wanting me to return to Joshua
Thornton. So, after some thought, I decided to include Joshua in my next Deep
Creek Lake mystery.
Since Joshua and
Mac don’t know each other, I had to come up with two murder mysteries that, on
the surface, don’t appear to be connected, and then have there be a connection
to bring them together. Coming up with this puzzle was a lot of fun.
Shades of Murder
actually introduces two characters that I will use in my next book, Dead on Ice, which will come out this
fall: Joshua Thornton and Cameron Gates.
2. What character was your favorite to write
for in this story? Why?
For all of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, readers
have loved Gnarly, Mac’s German Shepherd. Gnarly was dishonorably discharged
from the United States Army. Let’s just say, he has issues. He is incredibly
intelligent and has a mind of his own. He’s also a hopeless kleptomaniac.
However, for Shades of Murder, my favorite character is Cameron Gates. She’s a
Pennsylvania State homicide detective and my first female detective. I put a
lot of thought into her character and she went through several transformations
before she came to life for me.
There are so many women detectives in books
and on television now. Years ago, when female detectives first emerged in
mysteries, writers set out to break the stereotype by making their female
detective tough. Almost every female detective you see on television is able to
single-handedly take down male opponents. Now, the tough woman detective has
become the stereotype.
I wanted to get away from that. Cameron is
unique and quirky. She’s only as tough as she needs to be to make it believable
for her to hold a position of a homicide detective. She’s not super woman. She
was turned down for a promotion because her superiors think she’s crazy.
Co-workers betray her for purely political reasons; but, instead of whining and
crying about it, she shrugs it off and even expects it. She refuses to forget
the victims who she works for. But she also has a vulnerable side that Joshua
sees in her that makes them a good team.
3. Which was your favorite scene to write?
It
is not romantic scenes, I’ll tell you that. Nothing against romance books, but
writing a love scene is hard.
My
favorite scenes are comedy. I crack myself up when I’m writing a humorous
scene, especially dialogue. It is fun to play with words or meanings. There is
more to writing a humorous dialogue than just writing an exchange that is
batted back and forth. I love to find just the right word to create the right
timing and image.
4. What was the hardest thing about writing
this story?
Since I was going
back to Joshua Thornton, my first protagonist in the Joshua Thornton Mysteries,
I had to really think about him and where he would be in his life now. It’s
been five years since I had written A
Reunion to Die For. Not only am I in a different place, so is Joshua. His
children are leaving the nest. He’s got more independence and is ready for some
romance in his life. He’s not the same protagonist that he was when I wrote A
Small Case of Murder. He’s ready to lighten up now, which I’ve done myself.
5. What Are Your Writing Quirks &
Must-Haves To Write?
My dogs, Ziggy
(Australian Shepherd) and Beagle Bailey follow me and my laptop everywhere. My
muses are always at my feet while I’m writing. They are my muses.
6. What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?
I
migrate. Depending on what is happening, you can find me anywhere in the house
writing. In the morning, when I’m drinking my coffee, I’ll be in the bedroom
with my laptop. Later on, I’ll move into my writing studio. If it’s a cold day,
I’ll be in front of the fireplace. And my muses will follow me everywhere
during the migration.
7. Do you write full-time? If so, what's
your work day like? If not, what do you
do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Now that I have become a publishing manager
and publisher with my company Acorn Book Services, I spend my day helping other authors and
love it.
My day will start out about seven o’clock with
answering e-mails and social media. After a couple of hours and two pots of
coffee, I have to turn off the e-mail, which is very distracting, and work on
my authors’ books. This can be anything from editing to layout design to
proofing. Some days it is marketing with writing press releases or sending out
queries to reviewers. At about four o’clock, it is time to get dinner started
for my family. By eight o’clock, it is time to start working on my books. I
will write until about eleven o’clock. I also reserve the weekend for my books.
Between all of that, we squeeze in taking dogs
out, bringing them in, doing laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, taking out the
garbage, and nagging my son to do his chores.
8. As a child, what did you want to be when
you grew up?
A
mystery writer! Dreams do come true.
9. When did you first realize you wanted to be
a writer?
I
believe writers are born. They are always writing. My earliest memories are
rewriting the Bobbsey Twins after reading it. Instead of looking for a lost
bracelet, they were hunting down a kidnapper.
10. Where do you find your Inspirations?
Everywhere.
Someone can be late for an appointment and I’ll be thinking, “Supposed she was
kidnapped and murdered by the garbage man, who ended up being a long lost uncle
and she’s the only living heir …” Or maybe I’ll overhear someone talking in the
booth behind me while waiting for my husband to meet for lunch. They may be
gossiping about a co-worker, but in my writer’s mind, I’ll twist and turn it
around until I come up with a dead body found in the lunchroom at Petco.
11. What do you like to read? Who is your
favorite author?
Murder
mysteries are at the top of the list. My favorite author right now is Tess
Gerritsen.
12. Please let readers know where they can
connect with you and purchase your books...
My website: http://mysterylady.net/
My blog: http://literarywealth.wordpress.com/
Other:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lauren.carr.984991
Twitter:
@TheMysteryLadie
Is your book in Print, ebook or both?
All of the
above! Print: $14.99/ebook: $2.99
13. Anything additional you want to share with
the readers?
Giveaway: A copy of Shades
of Murder (print (US only) or e-book, winner’s choice.
Contest: For this book
tour, I am holding a contest for readers to name the female porn star found in
the freezer.
Contest:
(This is going to be such fun!)
Name the Dead Porn Star in Dead on Ice:
(This is going to be such fun!)
Name the Dead Porn Star in Dead on Ice:
Dead on Ice is the first installment of my new series:
Lovers In Crime. Taking place in the Chester, WV/Pittsburgh area, Lovers in
Crime revolves around the budding romance of Small Town WV Prosecutor Joshua
Thornton and Pennsylvania State Police Homicide Detective Cameron Gates.
In
Dead on Ice, Cameron Gates is tasked
with solving the murder of a missing porn star. The case has a personal
connection to Joshua because the star’s mummified body is found in an abandoned
freezer in his cousin’s basement. It doesn’t take long for their investigation
to reveal that the risqué Hollywood legend’s roots were buried in their small
rural town, something that she had kept off her show business bio. She should
have kept it off her road map, too. Because when this starlet came running home
from the mob in 1985, it proved to be a fatal homecoming.
The
Winner must come up with both the Stage Name and the porn starlet’s Real Name.
Send an e-mail to me (writerlaurencarr@comcast.net). Put: Dead on Ice Porn Star in the Subject Line of the e-mail. You must
supply your contact information in the e-mail. The contest will run from June
1-July 30. I will select the winning names and winner. The Winner will receive
a gift basket with print copies of all the Deep Creek Lake Mysteries (autographed),
Lovers in Crime Coffee Mug, and an
autographed copy of Dead on Ice when
it is released in the Fall.
Thank you so much for chatting with us
today.
Excerpts :
“What does the letter say?” Archie came back in from the kitchen. With
the scissors, she broke through the plastic cord wrapped around the box.
Mac was still reading the first letter. “It’s a bunch of legal
mumbo jumbo. This guy, Archibald Poole, died. He had left this to Robin Spencer.
In the event of her death preceding his, it was to be passed on to her next of
kin. Since that’s me, I get it.”
Archie stopped snipping. “Archibald Poole?”
Gnarly stopped sniffing.
“Did you know him?” He was breaking through the seal of the white
envelope addressed to Robin.
“Creepy old man. One of those eccentric rich guys. He didn’t make
it all on the up and up. I think Robin remained friends with him because he was
good material for her books. He lived in a big mansion up on top of a mountain
in southern West Virginia.”
Mac was only half paying attention. “He left Robin a painting.”
With one end unsealed, Archie peered inside the box to see that
the contents were wrapped in brown paper and padding.
Sitting on the top step leading down into the dining room, Mac
read the letter out loud:
Dearest Robin,
If you are reading this, then I’m dead and you are now observing
my gift to you. So, what do you leave to the girl who has everything? When that
girl is Robin Spencer, it’s a mystery.
You will find that I have left you an Ilysa Ramsay painting. That
alone makes it worth a fortune. But, ah, my dear Robin, this is not just any
Ilysa Ramsay painting. It is her lost painting.
You will recall that Ilysa Ramsay was brutally murdered on your
own Deep Creek Lake in the early hours of Labor Day in 2004. At the same time,
her last painting was stolen from her studio where her dead body was
discovered. She had unveiled what she had declared to be her masterpiece to her
family and friends the same evening that she was murdered.
Grasping the frame wrapped in packaging, Archie tugged at the
painting to pull it out of the box while Mac continued reading:
Everyone in the art world has been searching for Ilysa Ramsay’s
last work of art. With only a handful of people having seen it; and no
photographs taken of it before its theft; its value is priceless.
As my good luck would
have it, a month after her murder, my guy called me. He had been contacted by a
fence representing someone claiming to have the painting and wanting to unload
it. Being familiar with Ilysa Ramsay’s work, I was able to authenticate it.
Also, I had seen reports from witnesses who had described it as a self-portrait
of Ilysa.
As I write this letter, Ilysa’s murder has yet to be solved. Nor
do I know who had stolen the painting. It was sold to me by a third party.
And so, my dear lovely Robin, I leave this task to you. Here is
the painting that the art world has been searching for, for years, and a
mystery of who stole it, along with who killed its lovely artist. Enjoy, as I
know you will!
My Love, Archibald Poole
Her yellow suit droopy, Archie slapped her hat down on the dining
room table, and ripped through the padding to reveal the painting of a
red-haired woman lying across a lounge with a red and green clover pattern. She
was dressed in an emerald gown with a ruby red choker stretched across her
throat. Ruby red jewels spilled down her throat toward the bodice.
Gnarly sat on the floor at Mac’s feet to gaze at the painting.
They studied the image together.
“Just what I always
wanted,” Mac said. “A stolen priceless painting with a dead body attached to
it.”
Book Review:
Have you ever had one of those
moments where you had put down a book to do something and when you came back to
it you were completely lost? That
happened to me while I was reading this book.
You see there are two murders, but one story. Two investigations, leading … well I’m not
telling you that, you’ll have to read for yourself. Anyway I had to run an errand right when the
story shifted from the first murder to the second murder and I got a wee bit
confused since the murder I came back to was not the one I left, and neither
was the investigator. Anyway, I sorted
that out quickly and got back on track.
There are a LOT of people in this
story, but the main people are easy to keep track of once you get into the flow
of the story. The story is fast paced,
angst ridden, has touches of romance and whimsy, hard-boiled detective work,
with just the right amount of humor to off-set the drama. I quickly got very involved with the
investigations and the investigators. I
worried that they would mess it up, but thankfully they eventually figured it
out… and I was totally wrong anyway. It’s
a good thing I’m not a detective. I love
CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, etc. but I always get the ending wrong. Occasionally I get the right bad guy, but
then again even a broken clock is right twice a day.
This book is totally worth
reading. I really came to care for the
people in the story, and the animals
were a hoot. There is Gnarly,
the kleptomaniac, toll-bridge operating, dishonorably discharged dog who rules
his house, and then there is Irving, the milk drinking, skunk look-a-like, Main
Coon cat. And that’s just the pets, wait until you meet the people.
I give this book
4.5 out of 5 clouds. A good read!
This
product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my
opinions or reviews.
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