Blog Tour and Giveaway: Reason for Concern by Anita Kulina

Reason for Concern: Mrs. B Mystery by Anita Kulina 

 Publisher:  Brandt Street Press (August, 2019) 

Category: Cozy Mystery, Women Sleuths 

Tour dates: October & November, 2019 ISBN:978-1-950836-01-7 

Available in Print and ebook, 240 pages

Description Reason for Concern: Mrs. B Mystery by Anita Kulina

Mrs. B is back on the case with a new mystery to solve! People don’t vanish into thin air.  Yet no one has seen Alice since St. Mary’s Senior Center had their Supper Club outing on Sunday.  As Mrs. B learns more about her friend, the disappearance seems to involve a burglary, an emerald necklace and maybe even a motorcycle gang. Where in heaven’s name is Alice?

Praise Question of Devotion: Mrs. B Mystery by Anita Kulina

“I found it captivating and funny how one elderly lady's typical life changes from doing games at a senior center to investigating a crime. The characters including Mrs. B are believable. For fans of The Murder She Wrote, Piriot, and Columbo, readers will love this book. I was engaged, entertained, and can't wait for the next installment. Mrs. B is my new favorite lady detective. Smart, brave, and funny. Overall, I recommend A Question of Devotion to all.”-Danielle Urban of Urban Book Reviews “This is a wonderful cozy mystery. Mrs. B is a sweet little old lady that knows everyone and everyone knows her. Most people might not think of her as a detective but that is not going to stop her search for the truth. I loved reading about her bumbling around on the internet. But I loved the interaction between her and Kelly. If you like cozy mysteries look no further. This one has a great story and some hair raising events. I will be looking forward to other books in this series.”-Jessica Bronder of J Bronder Book Reviews “I adored A Question of Devotion and Mrs. B. It’s my goal to be Mrs. B when I “grow up. The mystery in A Question of Devotion is shockingly not a murder! However, it was a nice change to have a mystery that involved a robbery rather than your typical cozy mystery book murder. Mrs. B gets involved because the man accused of the crime is her good friend’s son. With some quick deduction, Mrs. B is able to help her friend. Along the way, you’ll meet some interesting characters at the senior center, and you’ll feel like you’re part of the story through the way the author describes this neighborhood. I definitely recommend A Question of Devotion to all of you cozy mystery fans! This one’s a keeper. I can’t wait for more Mrs. B.”-Christy of Christy’s Cozy Corners “You know the warm glow you get from drinking a cup of hot tea or coffee? This book will warm your insides in the same way. For those of you who love frogs as much as I do, how about the pleasure you get from listening to the spring peepers at the beginning of each spring? Reading this book gives one the same feeling. Hmm. Is there such a thing as a warm, comforting mystery? If so, this one definitely falls into that category.”-Lisa of Lisa's Writopia Achievement in Literature award from the Community of Hazelwood (in Pittsburgh PA)

Excerpt

Mrs. B and Mike were two of the first people at the Senior Center today. They were already at the church when Father Sean opened the basement door. The nuns who made the morning coffee must have left before Father got there, because the large room was oddly quiet. Father left the door propped open.  It was still cool from last night’s rain and, without the hum of the air conditioners, the faint sound of street noises came through the doorway. A bouncing basketball was followed by laughter as a group of boys headed toward the public school playground. A truck growled down the avenue, rumbling as it passed.

“Did Alice ride home with you? After Supper Club?” Mrs. B took the rubber band off a battered pinochle deck in the center of the card table. Old Mike stood across from her, a white mug in his hand. The white paper tag from a tea bag dangled lazily over the rim.

Mike surveyed the table for a few seconds, then walked around to her right and lowered his lean frame into the chair beside her. “I thought she rode with you and Anne.”

Mrs. B reached for a little tablet and pencil in the middle of the table and put them next to her coffee. “She rode out with us, but she was gone by the time we left,” she said.

“Alice sat by me at supper, and we talked a little bit. Nice lady,” Mike said as he stirred his tea. The spoon tinkled against the cup. “She got up around dessert, you know how people do. I don’t think I saw her after that.” He thought for a minute, then shook his head. “No, I don’t remember seeing her after she got up. I don’t know who she rode home with. Why do you ask?”

It wasn’t taking long for the room to fill. A few ladies headed in, chatting as they walked toward the crafts table at the back of the room. Men trickled in here and there. A group of mahjong ladies walked in, laughing and talking in Chinese. Anne and Rose were right behind them. They waved to Mrs. B, then headed toward the crafts table. Anne carried two purses, her own and Alice’s big straw bag.

“I just wondered. Anne has Alice’s purse,” Mrs. B said to Mike, lifting her blue coffee mug and taking a sip. “We didn’t notice until we got home.”

Old Mike looked toward the back of the room where the ladies were gathering. Shelves along the wall were filled with brightly colored bits and pieces for their crafting sessions. He took another sip of his tea. “Well, she should be here soon.”

“Who?” Vic asked, leaning over to set a green coffee mug across the table from Mrs. B. A circle on the mug held the letters C-Y-O.

Mike put his tea down in front of him, next to the spoon. He moved the string with the little paper tag to the other side of his mug. “Alice,” he said.

Vic’s chair scraped against the green tile floor as he pulled it out. “Alice who?”

“Alice the-only-Alice-who-comes-here,” Don said, setting a yellow coffee mug in front of the last folding chair, across from Old Mike. They all looked up. Don was sporting a black and gold Pirates cap. For the last few months he’d worn the same hat every day, a beat-up blue cap that said AFL-CIO. The change almost made Don look dressed-up.

Vic said, “That Alice from up top of Eleanor Street? I know who she is. Walks that mutt, Maizie, down the ball field. Scraggly looking thing.  Must be fifteen years old.”

Mrs. B finished shuffling the cards. She set the deck in front of Don. He cut them and turned to Vic. “Dog died,” he said.

“Maizie died?” Vic’s face had a look Mrs. B had never seen before.

Don was taking a sip of his coffee. He nodded without looking up. “Couple weeks ago. The wife told me.”

Vic looked down at his mug and gave it a stir. What was left of his hair fell into his eyes but he didn’t brush it back, and he didn’t look up until Mrs. B finished dealing. In all the years she’d known him, this was the first time Mrs. B had seen Vic express emotion. Other than disdain, of course. It rattled Mrs. B a little. Maybe there was more to Vic than met the eye.

Mike arranged his hand, then set the cards on the table, face down. He scratched his head through his white hair and picked up his tea with both hands. “Nice hat, Don.”

“Pirates game. Son got it for me,” Don said, still looking at his cards. He moved this one here, that one there, then tapped them on the table and fanned them out. “25.”

Don looked at Vic, who didn’t look up. He turned back to Old Mike. “Son got the wife one of them Pirate parrots. Don’t know why a grown woman wants a stuffed animal. Damn thing’s on our bedroom dresser. Stared at me all night.”

They all waited while Vic looked back and forth at his cards. No one spoke. Old Mike took a big mouthful of tea just as Vic finally said, “26.”

Mike swallowed and bid without looking at his hand. “27.”

Mrs. B checked one more time. Good cards this morning. “30.”

After the bidding, the rest of the game, as always, was silent.

About Anita Kulina

Anita Kulina has been writing since she was nine years old and kneeling, pencil in hand, at the coffee table in a house very much like Mrs. B’s.  Nowadays, she writes mystery books.  When she’s not writing, she helps people tell their family stories.  Anita’s other books are Millhunks and Renegades and A Question of Devotion: A Mrs. B Mystery. Website: http://www.brandtstreetpress.com/booksmain.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anita.k.smith 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-kulina-smith-4094812?trk=hp-identity-name

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Giveaway Reason for Concern: Mrs. B Mystery by Anita Kulina

This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. There will be 3 winners. This giveaway ends November 1, 2019, midnight pacific time. a Rafflecopter giveaway

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My Review: 

Reason for Concern is part of Anita Kulina’s Mrs. B Mystery series. I have not read any other of the books in the series and believe that this can be read as a standalone. I found this little cozy mystery to be a charming and a delight. Mrs. B is such a fun character and I enjoyed getting to know her. It was great finding out how she would get solve the mystery. 

Reason for Concern gets four out of five stars from me. I think many readers would love this book. I would love to read the other books from the Mrs. B Mystery series. 

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