Blog Tour and Giveaway: Moon Games by Shelly Frome

Moon Games by Shelly Frome 

Publisher: Milford House Press (August 4, 2018) Category: Cozy Mystery, Amateur Female Sleuth, Murder Mystery, Supernatural, Small-town Police Procedural Tour dates: Mar-Apr, 2019 ISBN: 978-1620061848 Available in Print and ebook, 264 pages

 

Description Moon Games by Shelly Frome

At the outset, Miranda Davis has nothing much going for her. The tourists are long gone by October in the quaint Carolina town of Black Mountain, her realty business is at a standstill, and her weekend stint managing the local tavern offers little to pull her out of the doldrums. When prominent church lady Cloris Raintree offers a stipend to look into the whereabouts of a missing coed, Miranda, along with her partner Harry (an unemployed features writer) agree. But then it all backfires. A burly figure shambles down a mountain slope with a semi-conscious girl draped over his shoulder. Miranda’s attempts to uncover Cloris Raintree’s true motives become near impossible. The local police keep stonewalling and Harry is of little help. Tarot cards left on Cloris’ doorstep only exacerbate the situation. Growing more desperate over the captive girl’s fate, Miranda comes across a link to a cold case of arson and murder. With the advent of the dark of the moon, she is summoned to “Tower Time” as this twisty tale continues to unravel.

Praise Moon Games by Shelly Frome

“’Moon Games’ is an exceptional novel that will introduce the reader to the protagonist of the book, Miranda Davis who lives in a quaint town in Carolina, and it is here that she has a business. The reader will follow Miranda as she is approached by Cloris Raintree, a church leader who offers Miranda help in exchange for her help in finding a girl who went missing. As Miranda investigate the strange disappearance, more shocking truths are revealed and this book lovers is the premise of the sensational Moon Games. The themes combined and laced throughout Moon Games perfectly compliment the atmosphere of the book and story. As I read Moon Games, I found myself racing through it, turning the pages with haste thanks to the addictive nature. The story is unique and has the perfect combination of crime, suspense, and mystery which are all perfectly weaved together by the exceptional author. Every event, character, and setting is well thought out and planned. Shelly Frome’s writing is detailed in the most immaculate of ways. It is beautifully written so that the reader will be able to immerse themselves in the story from beginning to end without difficulty. Miranda is a character every reader will be able to root for, her grit and determination to not give up on the case is inspiring and will have many readers care about her. Being able to accompany Miranda on her journey was incredible, it was remarkable to witness her growth along the way and extraordinary to observe how she goes about solving the mystery and troubling situations she was faced with Frome is an exceptional writer because he grabs his readers attention from the start very quickly and keeps them engrossed until the end. There are no long build-ups that drag in Moon Games; instead, the reader will be thrown into the thick of the story quickly, and the result of this is exciting (and slightly terrifying!). Overall Moon Games is a superb novel that has everything a reader would want in a story; it has a thrilling narrative, magnificent plot development and excellent characterization that will thrill and excite its readers so of course, I have to award this impressive piece of literature five stars!”- Aimee Ann, Red Headed Book Lover “’Moongames’, the eighth mystery by respected author, Shelly Frome, covers a week around Halloween where a coed from a local college goes missing during a hike along the historic Southern Railway tracks that climb the Blue Ridge Escarpment over the Eastern Continental Divide, and the only one who seems to care is a frustrated real estate saleswoman, who must become her own detective agency if this girl is to be found alive. Frome creates a series of colorful characters who are drawn into this quest, most against their wills, but who, never-the-less, contribute their own special talents to what would ultimately prove to be a race to the finish, with more hairpin turns along the way than the drive along the Amalfi Coast. The famous “Malecon” drive along Havana’s Atlantic shore even plays an important role in the ultimate outcome of this complicated, yet gripping tale of revenge, regret, and greed, with a dash of the Zodiac (thus the Moon) thrown in for good measure.”- R. V. Helms, Amazon Review

Praise Secluded Village Murders by Shelly Frome

“ In this cozy murder, Emily Ryder, a tour guide turned amateur sleuth, attempts to solve the murder of her mentor, Chris Cooper. His death has been ruled accidental. Murder just couldn’t happen in the small town of Lydfield, Connecticut, but Emily believes that Chris was murdered. So why does Emily believe that Chris has been murdered? There are too many things that don’t make sense. And Chris had been standing in the way of a development company that wants to build an apartment and entertainment complex in their quaint little town. The cover of this book shows what looks like a beautiful and peaceful place to live, but looks can be deceiving. Lies, bribery, and deceit are running rampant in this little town. Is there anyone that Emily can trust? Twists and turns are around every corner. If you read carefully enough, you might even be able to figure out who the guilty party is. If you don’t read carefully enough, there is a chance that you will lose track of what is going on. The town of Lydfield has been twinned with Lydfield-in-the-Moor in England. Twin villages or sister towns was something that I wasn’t familiar with. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a twin town is a town or city that shares planned activities and visits with a similar town in another country. The following article might help you gain a better understanding of twinned towns – Odd couples: 16 weird and wonderful twinned towns. When Emily visits Lydfield’s sister town in England, she discovers that she has not left behind the danger. Well written mystery”-Lisa, Lisa’s Writopia “An entertaining story that has enough quirky characters, intrigue, suspense, humor, and drama that easily draws the reader into Emily's amateur sleuth adventure. This cozy mystery is full of devious plot twists and turns that will easily keep you guessing. The Secluded Village Murders is an intriguing whodunit tale that cozy mystery fans will want to add to their reading list.”- Kathleen Higgins-Anderson, Jersey Girl Book Reviews 

Excerpt

  They were alone now at the Tavern at the corner of State and Montreat. She’d been pushing so hard, she was beginning to see she was so lonely and bored she was itching for anything that would set her pulse racing again.

 As for Harry, actually what else did he have going for him? His newspaper gigs back in Asheville had either gone digital or down the tubes.  Even the restaurant quarterly had folded.  And she’d underscored the free rent in the bargain. Plus, if worse came to worse and the college girl was already headed for the shack, he’d be close by, practically right there. As a final nudge, she’d reminded him he’d always been a whiz at connecting the dots.”

Continuing to stall, Harry said, “But that wasn’t the plan. I expected to take my time, wend my way down here tomorrow morning, check out the lay of the land. And now, suddenly—”

“That’s the way it goes, kiddo. It’s called chance, ever hear of it? You simply adjust.  The lost girl gets squared away, you’re snug in your mountain greenery, we’ve got a little extra coin in our pockets and everybody’s happy.”

“Look,” said Miranda, jostling Harry’s arm, “that footloose girl isn’t going to hold still while we sit here jabbering.”

“Except it’s a gonzo shot in the dark.”

“It’s a lock, I tell you, ” said Miranda, though she continued to have  misgivings, let alone how a tarot card she’d shown him in passing of a figure with a knapsack sauntering over a ridge figured in. “So get cracking. There goes the twilight afterglow.”

 “But—”

 “Face it. What else have either of us got going? Zero, zippo, zilch. Maybe this’ll light a goddamn spark.”
    Too tired to argue anymore, Harry got off the bar stool and glanced at the cubed mirror. In the amber-tinged reflection, he seemed to be checking whether or not his lanky frame was worse for wear and if there still was a slight glint in his eyes.     

    In turn, keying on her own reflection as well, she noted that the tomboy look double-dog daring him hadn’t let up a bit.

    All right,” said Harry, “I’ll give it a shot.”

    “There you go. That’s more like it.”  

    Ambling toward the foyer, Harry hesitated yet again, but she would have none of it.   

“Move those feet, buster, before it all passes us by. And be sure to text me the second it pans out.”   

Countering, he yelled back, “It’s the new moon, the chill in the air and the advent of Halloween. That’s what’s really doing it to you, missy.”

Halfway out the door, he finally admitted he was as almost as curious as she was, even though his sensible side kept looking for a way out.

Moments later, after he’d left, she poured herself some more wine and tried for the umpteenth time to convince herself it was all a lark. And, like the church lady herself, they were insuring that a misguided young lady came to no harm.     

About Shelly Frome

Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, and a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He is also the film columnist for Southern Writers Magazine and writes monthly profiles for Gannett Media. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, The Twinning Murders, Tinseltown Riff, and Murder Run. Among his works of nonfiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Website: http://www.shellyfrome.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shellyfrome Twitter: https://twitter.com/shellyFrome 

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Giveaway Moon Games by Shelly Frome

This giveaway is for 3 winners choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. This giveaway ends April 30, 2019, midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter onlly. a Rafflecopter giveaway

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My Review

Moon Games is the first book I have read by Shelly Frome and it definitely will not be the last. I thought it was pretty good. It is full of action, adventure, mystery and suspense. It is not one that I could easily predict. The twists and turns kept on the edge of my seat. I never knew what would happen next. 

I am giving Moon Games four stars. It is most definitely worth a read. I recommend it. 

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.