Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Shadow of Murder by Lauren Carr


 


Join us for this tour from Mar 28 to June 24, 2022!

Book Details:

Book Title: Shadow of Murder by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 14)

Category:  Adult fiction, 496 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery / Police Procedural / Crime Fiction
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  Mar 30, 2022
Content Rating: PG-13. Lauren Carr's mysteries are murder mysteries. Sometimes, the murder does happen on-stage. There is no graphic violence or explicit sex.There is some very mild language (hell or damn, very few and far between) No F-Bombs!

"Five Stars for Lauren Carr's 14th book of the Mac Faraday Murder Mysteries, Shadow of Murder! In this new release, she has recaptured the fun of cute "creatures" with the fast-moving, suspenseful, and captivating mystery, along with her usual touch of romance." - review by Lu Ann Worley, Rockin' Book Reviews
 
"This newest title in the author's Mac Faraday cozy murder mystery series offers Lauren Carr's most intricate plot to date - full of twists and turns guaranteed to keep readers up until the wee hours. While still full of the humor, fun critters and touch of romance that are her trademark, the author has also woven in a dark supernatural element that whispers through to the startling ending." - review by Marilyn R. Wilson, bestselling author, freelance writer, editor, and speaker at Olio by Marilyn.

Book Description:

You can't move to the next chapter of your life, without tying up loose ends in the previous.
 
True crime blogger, Erica Hart starts a new chapter in her life with a bang when a dark shadow darts into the mountain road to send her SUV off a cliff and to the bottom of Deep Creek Lake. Spencer’s newest addition to the police force, Dusty O’Meara assumes it was a bear. Erica is not so sure.
 
Soon afterwards, contractors discover Konnor Langston’s body at the bottom of an abandoned swimming pool at the new summer home of Mac Faraday’s son.
 
With Police Chief David O’Callaghan away on paternity leave, Deputy Chief Dusty O’Meara must lead the investigation in his first murder case since moving to Spencer. Not only does Dusty have to work under the shadow of the legendary Mac Faraday, but he also has to match wits with Erica, who is determined to find justice for Konnor, her childhood friend.
 
Mac isn’t so difficult. Even Gnarly, the town’s canine mayor, is manageable if his authority is well-respected and he is kept entertained.
 
Erica Hart, Dusty finds, is more of a challenge. It wouldn’t be so difficult if she wasn’t so irresistible.

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Also Available for Your Mystery Loving Pleasure:

"Lauren's dialogue is brisk, her setting beautiful and the addition of Gnarly is very clever...It's Murder, My Son is a delightful read and I look forward to more of Carr's Mac Faraday mysteries." - review by Connie Gregory, Connie's Reviews
 
 
Book Details:

Book Title: It's Murder, My Son by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 1)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 288 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  June 23, 2010

Book Description:

What started out as the worst day of Mac Faraday’s life would end up being a new beginning. After a messy divorce hearing, the last person that Mac wanted to see was another lawyer. Yet, this lawyer wore the expression of a child bursting to tell his secret. This confidence would reveal Mac as heir to undreamed of fortunes, and lead him to the birthplace of America’s Queen of Mystery and an investigation that will unfold like one of her famous mystery novels.

Soon after she moves to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, Katrina Singleton learns that life in an exclusive community is not all good. For some unknown reason, a strange man calling himself “Pay Back” begins stalking her. When Katrina is found strangled all evidence points to her terrorist, who is nowhere to be found.

Three months later, the file on her murder is still open when Mac Faraday, sole heir to his unknown birth mother’s home and fortune, moves into the estate next door. Little does he know as he drives up to Spencer Manor that he is driving into a closed gate community that is hiding more suspicious deaths than his DC workload as a homicide detective. With the help of his late mother’s journal, this retired cop puts all his detective skills to work to pick up where the local investigators have left off to follow the clues to Katrina’s killer. 

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"As in any good who-done-it, there are red herrings and plot complications in Old Loves Die Hard and fans of mysteries and police procedurals will get a kick out of Lauren Carr's books." - review by David M. Kinchen, Huntington News
 
Book Details:

Book Title: Old Loves Die Hard by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 2)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 318 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  April 23, 2011
 
 Book Description:
 
In Old Loves Die Hard, Carr picks up where she left off in It’s Murder, My Son. Mac Faraday is settling nicely into his new life at Spencer Manor when his ex-wife Christine shows up—and she wants him back! Before Mac can send her packing, Christine and her estranged lover are murdered in Mac’s private penthouse suite at the Spencer Inn, the five-star resort built by his ancestors.

The investigation leads to the discovery of cases files for some of Mac’s murder cases in the room of the man responsible for destroying his marriage. Why would his ex-wife’s lover come to Spencer to dig into Mac’s old cases?

With the help of his new friends on Deep Creek Lake, Mac must use all of his detective skills to clear his name and the Spencer Inn’s reputation, before its five-stars—and more bodies—start dropping.

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"Shades of Murder is a fascinating, intricately woven mystery that has a number of engaging characters looking into two cases that would seem to have nothing in common. ...This is a most entertaining entry in this series, made all the more so by the wonderful inclusion of Gnarly and Irving, Mac's dog and Gates's black and white cat, who meet during the course of the story." - review by Mysterious Reviews
 
Book Details:

Book Title: Shades of Murder by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 3)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 232 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  May 7, 2012
 
Book Description:
 
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!
 
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"I must say, I truly enjoyed reading this book! I found myself waking up slightly early for work just to finish a couple chapters! Not only was this book captivating, I found myself laughing at Gnarly, the ever so lovable and rambunctious German Shepherd! I look forward to reading the next book by Lauren Carr!" - Review by Debbie Hill, Miss Book Lovers
 
Book Details:

Book Title: Blast from the Past by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 4)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 301 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  January 2, 2013
 
Book Description:

A woman is killed when she falls down the stairs. Men die writhing, in a little coffee shop.  Death may not be that unusual these days in Deep Creek Lake, but then someone tries to kill Archie, the woman Mac Faraday loves.

When she tells Mac the reason behind it and her secret is exposed, Mac and the entire police department will go to extremes to keep Archie safe.

That raises rather a lot of questions:

Who exactly are they protecting her from?
Could it be warring crime lords? Hit men?
Why does one particular couple keep showing up around town?
Just how many killers are there, anyway?
Is anyone who they say they are?

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​ 



"So much fun to read!  The castle seemed foreboding. The rumors of the ghost dog, werewolves, and more made more plausible in light of the murders. Is it enough to make even detectives reconsider?  Is it all about the missing book or is the real motive money?" - review by Mystery Suspense Reviews
 
Book Details:

Book Title: The Murders at Astaire Castle by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 5)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 281 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  July 18, 2013
Content Rating: PG-13 - Lauren Carr's mysteries are murder mysteries. Sometimes, the murder does happen on-stage. There is no graphic violence or explicit sex.There is some very mild language (hell or damn, very few and far between) No F-Bombs!
 
 Book Description:
 

Never tell Mac Faraday not to go someplace.

Spencer’s police chief, David O’Callaghan, learns this lesson the hard way when he orders Mac to not go to the south end of Spencer’s mountaintop —even though he owns the property. It doesn’t take long for Mac to find out what lies on the other side of a stone wall and locked gate with a warning for visitors to keep out.

Topping the list of the ten top haunted places in America, Astaire Castle is associated with two suicides, three mysterious disappearances, and four murders since it was built almost a century ago—and Mac Faraday owns it!

In spite of David’s warning to keep out, Mac can’t resist unlocking the gate to see the castle that supposedly hasn’t seen a living soul since his late mother had ordered it closed up after the double homicide and disappearance of Damian Wagner, a world-famous master of horror novels.

What was supposed to be a quick tour of a dusty old castle turns into another Mac Faraday adventure when Astaire Castle becomes the scene of even more murders. Mac is going to need to put all of his investigative talents to work to sort out this case that involves the strangest characters he has run into yet—including a wolfman. No, we’re not talking about Gnarly.

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"I recommend this book to all mystery lovers! The Lady Who Cried Murder was another heart-stopping thriller! While the mystery and the road to it's solution was amazing, I truly enjoyed the cast and characters (they feel like family)! Another great hit and I look forward to reading the next installment of Mac Faraday and his gang and what kind of drama they end up in!"review by Debbie Hill, Miss Book Lovers
 

Book Details:

Book Title: The Lady Who Cried Murder by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 6)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 286 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  January 2, 2014
 
 Book Description:
 
Determined to get her pretty face in front of the cameras, Khloe Everest fakes an abduction only to make a grand entrance in the midst of a press conference held by Spencer’s Police Chief David O’Callaghan.

Three years later, after failing to catapult her notoriety into a long-lasting celebrity, Khloe Everest returns to Spencer upon her mother’s sudden death and seemingly finds another weapon to propel her into the spotlight. Unfortunately, someone kills her before she can make this entrance.

In Lauren Carr’s sixth mystery, Mac Faraday and his friends come up against reality stars, politicians, has-beens, and wannabes. Mac also finds himself face-to-face with an old foe from his past who had managed to escape arrest during their last encounter. Now, Mac sees that his adversary has only become more powerful, and dangerous, with the passage of time.

Intent to not let this killer escape again, Mac and his friends need to put all of their talents together to put a stop to a cold-blooded lady killer. 

 
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"Twelve To Murder is a clever blend of comedy, mystery, and sappy love story. Lauren Carr does a good job of moving the quirky storyline along nicely with an abundance of witty dialogue.  And you have no idea who the good guys are and who the bad guys are until the end." - Review by Every Free Chance Book Reviews.
 

Book Details:

Book Title: Twelve to Murder by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 7)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 266 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  February 9, 2014
 
Book Description:

Mac Faraday’s plan to spend a quiet weekend home alone with his lady love, Archie Monday, is shattered by murder.

A middle-aged couple are brutally murdered in their summer place on Deep Creek Lake. To any other detective, the case would be considered open and shut when it appears as if one of the victims has written her killer’s name in her blood—not so for Mac Faraday, who believes there is more to this case than meets the eye.

In Lauren Carr’s latest Mac Faraday Mystery former child-star and teen-idol Lenny Frost steps into a pub in Deep Creek Lake to see his face on the television over the bar with the announcement that he’s wanted for the murder of his agent and her husband!

How does Lenny Frost react to this sudden comeback into the headlines? He takes everyone hostage and gives Mac Faraday twelve hours to find the real killer or he’s going to kill everyone in the bar.

Will it be a fatal last call at midnight?

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"There is actually a mystery within a mystery in Carr's new book. It's a tangled, twisting adventure that adds more dead bodies along the way. Carr's characters are lively, her plots complex, there is always just enough humor to set a lighter tone." - Review by Allene Reynolds, Mystery and Me
 

Book Details:

Book Title: A Wedding and a Killing by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 8)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 275 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  September 13, 2014
 
 
Book Description:
 
Not wanting to wait until their big day to start their life of wedded bliss, Mac Faraday and his lady love, Archie Monday, decide to elope to the little church where his ancestors had all married—along the tranquil shore of Deep Creek Lake. However, before they can say, “I do,” the sanctuary erupts into chaos when Gnarly finds a body in the church office.

In A Wedding and a Killing, Mac and his team discover more questions than answers. What kind of person walks into a church and shoots a man for no apparent reason? How do you solve the murder of a man who has no enemies in the world? Which of the seemingly kind-hearted church members is really a cold-blooded killer?

Then, there is the all-important question, how long do Mac Faraday and his lady love have to wait to get married?

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"I am, bottom line, amazed at the giant step that places Carr comparable to significant authors whose name slips off our tongues like, for instance, Nora Roberts. Watch this author--she's moving quickly to where her goals are headed... Three Days to Forever has to be, in my opinion, the best of her best! Get it!" - review by Glenda Bixler, Book Readers Heaven

Book Details:

Book Title: Three Days to Forever by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 9)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 366 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  January 19, 2015
 
Book Description:
 

In one of the most critically-acclaimed Mac Faraday Mysteries from best-selling mystery author Lauren Carr, readers embark on a roller-coaster adventure with old friends (including the Lovers in Crime team of Prosecutor Joshua Thornton and Homicide Detective Cameron Gates), but also meet new ones as Mac Faraday’s daughter Jessica Faraday and Joshua Thornton’s son Murphy Thornton join the team in the race to get the lovebirds to the altar!*

With three days left to the year, Deep Creek Lake is hopping with holiday vacationers and wedding guests pouring into the Spencer Inn for Mac Faraday and Archie Monday’s huge wedding ceremony which is being touted as the social event of the year.

But droopy flowers and guests who failed to RSVP are the least of Mac’s and Archie’s problems when a professional hit squad hits Spencer Manor to send the groom, Joshua Thornton, Archie’s mother, and Gnarly running for their lives.

With time running out to the big day, Mac Faraday and Spencer’s small police force have to sort through the clues to figure out not only who has been targeted for assassination, but also who is determined to stop everything … FOREVER!
 
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"There's lots of drama, crimes, murder, and laughter that surrounds the Diablo Ball. As usual, Gnarly is in the middle of everything. Hated to have to keep putting this down. I loved reading Open Season for Murder." - review by Rhonda Laney, readalot

 

Book Details:

Book Title: Open Season for Murder by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 10)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 318 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  June 1, 2015
 
Book Description:

“Robin, it’s me, Ashton.”

Spring is in the air. In Deep Creek Lake, the burst of blossoms on the trees has the effect of a starting pistol in the race to get the resort area ready in time for the seasonal residents return to Spencer, Maryland.

​This year, the Spencer Inn, Mac Faraday’s five-star resort, has the added duty of preparing for the Diablo Ball, an annual benefit event that used to kick off Deep Creek Lake’s summer season. The exclusive gala has drawn in A-listers from across the country—including suspects and witnesses connected to Ashton Piedmont, a young woman who had disappeared while skinny dipping in Deep Creek Lake five years earlier—days after the last Diablo Ball.

Intrigued by a mysterious phone call from a young woman claiming to be Ashton, retired homicide detective Mac Faraday can’t resist diving head first into the cold case. But he’s not the only one. Someone behind the scenes has gone to a lot of trouble to bring Ashton Piedmont’s friends and enemies to the Diablo Ball—which promises to be a gala event to die for!

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"The story moves at a rapid pace and has a bit of everything - romance, humor, and suspense with several other murders after the body is discovered. A few surprises along with the tension both at home and in New York. Carr does an excellent job of developing her characters and providing backstory while maintaining a quick pace. Well worth the sleep I gave up to get to the end." - review by Christa Nardi, Christa Reads and Writes.


Book Details:

Book Title: Cancelled Vows by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 11)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 320 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  January 28, 2016
 
 
 Book Description:

Police Chief David O’Callaghan and Chelsea Adams’ wedding day is fast approaching. Unfortunately, at the last minute, David discovers that there is one small problem to be taken care of before he can walk down the aisle—divorce his first wife!

Lauren Carr takes fans of the Mac Faraday mysteries to the Big Apple in this nail-biting adventure. In Cancelled Vows, David, Mac, and Gnarly, too, rush to New York City to dissolve David’s marriage to an old girlfriend—and he’s got five days to get it done. When murder throws up a roadblock, it is up to David’s best man, Mac Faraday, and Gnarly, K9-in-waiting, to sort through the clues to get David to the church in time! 

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"OMG! Carr is over the top and giving us an easy "10"  with her latest, Candidate for Murder!...Don't just sit there thinking that this might be the book to try for Lauren Carr! I'm telling you right now it's a must-read for daring, adventure, crime-busting, high-level government criminal elimination." - reviewer by Glenda Bixler, Book Readers Heaven
 
Book Details:

Book Title: Candidate for Murder by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 12)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 410 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  June 16, 2016
 
Book Description: 
 
It’s election time in Spencer, Maryland, and the race for mayor is not a pretty one. In recent years, the small resort town has become divided between the local year-round residents who have enjoyed their rural way of life and the city dwellers moving into their mansions, taking over the town council, and proceeding to turn Deep Creek Lake into a closed gate community—complete with a host of regulations for everything from speed limits to clotheslines.

When the political parties force-feed two unsavory mayoral nominees on the town residents, Police Chief David O’Callaghan decides to make a statement—by nominating Gnarly, Mac Faraday’s German shepherd, to run as mayor of Spencer! 

What starts out as a joke turns into a disaster when overnight Gnarly becomes the front-runner—at which point his political enemies take a page straight out of Politics 101. What do you do when you’re behind in a race? Dig up dirt on the front-runner, of course.

Seemingly, someone is not content to rest with simply embarrassing the front-runner by publicizing his dishonorable discharge from the United States Army but to throw in a murder for good measure. 

With murder on the ballot, Mac Faraday and the gang—including old friends from past cases—dive in to clear Gnarly’s name, catch a killer, and save Spencer!

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"With her usual panache, Lauren Carr blends the grittiness of murder(s) with a good deal of humor, the latter revolving largely around Gnarly and David's Belgian shepherd, Storm, who would much rather be couch potato-ing than anything involving exertion." - review by Lelia Taylor, Buried Under Books
 


Book Details:

Book Title: Crimes Past by Lauren Carr
Series:  A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 13)

Category:  Adult fiction (18+), 245 pages
Genre:  Murder Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:  October 16, 2018
 
Book Description:

It’s a bittersweet reunion for Mac Faraday when members of his former homicide squad arrive at the Spencer Inn. While it is sweet to attend the wedding of a late colleague’s daughter, it is a bitter reminder that the mother of the bride had been the victim of a double homicide.

The brutal slaying weighing heavy on his mind, Mac is anxious to explore every avenue for a break in the cold case—even a suggestion from disgraced former detective Louis Gannon that one of their former friends is the killer.

When the investigator is brutally slain, Mac Faraday rips open the cold case with a ruthless determination to reveal which of his friends is a cold-blooded murderer.

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Meet the Author:

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, Thorny Rose, Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries, and Nikki Bryant Cozy Mysteries—over twenty-five titles across five fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor. 

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, and virtual book tour coordinator for independent authors.  

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. 

She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV. 

connect with the author: website  ~  facebook  ~  instagram ~ pinterest ~ bookbub ~ goodreads


Interview: 

Lauren Carr Tells All in the Dirty Dozen Author Interview Questions


  1. What’s one thing that drives you crazy?

Letting my life get so hectic and out of control that I end up having no time to write. If I don’t have time to write, then I start to get a little nutty … and bad tempered. Usually, when I let that happen, it’s my fault because I can’t say no.

  1. What is your guiltiest guilty pleasure?

Eating a whole bag of Hershey Kisses or Nuggets in one sitting while watching a really good mystery movie.

  1. What is your most embarrassing moment?

Many many years ago, when I worked for the federal government, I had an asthma attack at work. I went to the clinic, which was on site, and they gave me medication and told me to rest. Then, they left me alone in the examination room. After a long time of lying there on the gurney, I got bored, which is never a good thing for me. So, I’m looking around and I see a blood pressure monitor with the tube cut. The pump has been cut off, but it has the dial on it. So—remember I’m bored—I ask myself if I could make the dial work if I blew into the tube. No way to know that unless you try, right? So, there I am, with the tube in my mouth, blowing as hard as I can on the tube when the doctor comes in to check on his patient who had come in complaining that she couldn’t breathe because she was having an asthma attack.

Needless to say, I got sent right back to work. 

  1. What is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?

I’m a do-it-yourselfer. Most of the appliance and computer repairs in our home, I do myself. If I don’t know how to do it, I’ll find out.

Several years ago, my fancy oven needed a new heating element. It was ten years old and I had replaced three elements already. After replacing so many, I had the process down. You turn off the circuit breakers to the oven, unplug it, pull it out from the wall, take off the back, and disconnect the wiring to the element. Then, in the front, you pull out the element, slip in the new element, reconnect the wiring, replace the back, plug it in, and then turn on the circuit breaker.

Well, the only area where I need help is pulling out the oven from the wall. That, I need my husband for. That morning, I decided ten minutes after he had left the house that I wanted to replace the element. So, I decided to take a short cut. I turned off the power, and climbed into the oven and tried to pull out the element from the front, pull out the wires, and disconnect them from inside the oven. 

I believed that with the power off that I would be safe. I was wrong. There I was with my head in the oven when it blew up, blowing a hole out the back of the oven. I found out from a friend that even though the circuit breaker was off, electricity was still going through the wiring.

But hey, on the bright side—I ended up with a new big fancy oven!

  1. What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?

Sticking my head in an oven and blowing it up. 

  1. On what life choices would you like to have a re-do?

I wish I had ordered that hot fudge brownie delight that I turned down six years ago because I was on a lousy diet. Since I never reached my diet goal, I could have had that mass of calories after all.

  1. What makes you nervous?

Releasing a new book. It’s like sending your baby out into the big bad world and praying that everyone will love him as much as you do, which you know is not possible at all because no one can love your baby the way you do. But I have learned that every reader reads a book differently. We are each individuals with our own individual preferences. Some readers will love Shadow of Murder. There will be some who may not and I need to accept that.

  1. What makes you scared?

Hearing about real murder cases of young people. Being a mother, I can’t help but put myself in the parents’ shoes.

  1. What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?

Well, it’s not the biggest lie, but it is one about which we laugh when we get together.

Several years ago, a neighbor who was moving gave us a propane tank from his outdoor grill. Unfortunately, the plug was not the same as we used for our grill and it was useless. My husband tried to leave it with the garbage collectors, but they would not take it. He checked everywhere, but couldn’t get rid of it. Even the dump refused it. 

After years of this thing sitting on our deck, he suggested that I take it to the local store and leave it next to the tank bin when I was exchanging our empty tank. Not to say anything—just to discretely place it next to the bin and walk away.

At that time, our son Tristan was six years old. (He has just graduated with his masters degree, so that tells you how old long ago this was.) When we arrived at the store, I took out the two tanks, ours and the useless tank, and set them next to the tank bin. When the clerk with the key came out to unlock the bin and take out a filled tank, he pointed at the useless tank and asked, “Is that your tank?”

“No,” I said.

“Yes, it is,” Tristan said loud enough for the man to hear.

“No, it’s not,” I said.

“Mom, don’t you remember taking it out of the car and putting it on the curb?” Tristan looked at me like I had lost my mind.

The man shook his head and gave us a tank. I drove home with a very red face.  

  1. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made? 

Did I mention that hot fudge brownie delight that I missed out on?

  1. When was the last time you did something for the first time?

A few years ago, I took up kayaking and kayaked by myself across Deep Creek Lake. It was exhilarating. Would love to do that again.

  1. One of your main characters in Shadow of Murder has to die. Which one would you kill off?

Oh, dear. That’s a toughie. Every character in Shadow of Murder plays an important role in the mystery. Readers will notice in this book that Police Chief David O’Callaghan is out of town with his family on paternity leave. No, I did not kill him, and he will be coming back in the next Mac Faraday Mystery.

Shadow of Murder is my most intricate murder mystery yet. This mystery has several layers and involves many moving parts. When I had finished the first draft of the book and saw that it was 160,000 words, I went looking to see what characters or parts in the storyline I could eliminate. 

That was when I sent David O’Callaghan away on a vacation—or rather paternity leave. In the original draft, David did play a role and he was a new father, too. Spencer’s new deputy chief of police, Dusty O’Meara was forced to play a bigger role in the investigation to help David out. However, I found in the first draft that David’s role in the mystery could easily be handed off to Dusty. I didn’t kill him off. I just sent him out of town to visit his in-laws.


Tour Schedule:

March 28 - Mystery Review Crew - book series spotlight / guest post / giveaway
March 28 – Cover Lover Book Review – book series spotlight / giveaway
March 29 - Rockin' Book Reviews - book review of SHADOW OF MURDER / guest post / giveaway
March 29 – Olio by Marilyn – book review of IT’S MURDER, MY SON / giveaway
March 30 – Literary Flits – book review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
Mar 30 - Olio by Marilyn – book review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
Mar 30 - Olio by Marilyn – book spotlight of SHADOW OF MURDER / author interview / giveaway
March 31 – My Reading Journeys – book review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
April 1 –  Kam's Place – book spotlight of SHADOW OF MURDER 
April 4 –  Kam's Place – book spotlight of IT’S MURDER, MY SON 
April 4 – Rockin' Book Reviews - audiobook review of IT'S MURDER, MY SON / giveaway
April 5 – Literary Flits – book review of SHADES OF MURDER / giveaway
April 6 – Leels Loves Books – book review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
April 7 –  Kam's Place – book spotlight of OLD LOVES DIE HARD, SHADES OF MURDER, BLAST FROM THE PAST 
April 7 – Rockin' Book Reviews - audiobook review of OLD LOVES DIE HARD / giveaway
April 8 – Nighttime Reading Center – audiobook review of SHADES OF MURDER / giveaway
April 11 – Kam's Place – book spotlight of THE MURDERS AT ASTAIRE CASTLE, THE LADY WHO CRIED MURDER, TWELVE TO MURDER 
April 12 – Book Corner News and Reviews - book series spotlight / giveaway
April 13 –Rockin' Book Reviews - audiobook review of SHADES OF MURDER / giveaway
April 14 – My Reading Journeys – book review of TWELVE TO MURDER / giveaway
April 15 – Library of Clean Reads – book review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
April 15 – Kam's Place – book spotlight of A WEDDING AND A KILLING, OPEN SEASON FOR MURDER 
April 19 – Rockin' Book Reviews - audiobook review of BLAST FROM THE PASST / giveaway
April 20 – Bound 4 Escape – book review of OLD LOVES DIE HARD / giveaway
April 21 – My Reading Journeys – book review of A WEDDING AND A KILLING / giveaway
April 21 Rockin' Book Reviews - book review of THE MURDERS AT ASTAIRE CASTLE / giveaway
April 22 –Book Corner News and Reviews - book review of SHADOW OF MURDER / guest post / giveaway
April 26 –Literary Flits – book review of THE MURDERS AT ASTAIRE CASTLE / giveaway
April 27 - Rockin' Book Reviews - audiobook review of THE LADY WHO CRIED MURDER / giveaway
April 29 – Nighttime Reading Center – audiobook review of THE LADY WHO CRIED MURDER / giveaway
May 3 – Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews – audiobook review of A WEDDING AND A KILLING / giveaway
May 4 - Kam's Place – book spotlight of THREE DAYS TO FOREVER 
May 4 - Literary Flits – book review of TWELVE TO MURDER / giveaway
May 5 –Kam's Place – book spotlight of CANCELLED VOWS 
May 6 – Kam's Place – book spotlight of CANDIDATE FOR MURDER and CRIMES PAST 
May 9 – Splashes of Joy – audiobook review of OLD LOVES DIE HARD / giveaway
May 10 – Celticlady's Reviews – book series spotlight / giveaway
May 11 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of THE MURDERS AT ASTAIRE CASTLE / giveaway
May 12 - Rockin' Book Reviews - audiobook review of TWELVE TO MURDER / giveaway
May 16 – Hall Ways Blog - audiobook review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
May 17 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of A WEDDING AND A KILLING / giveaway
May 18 – Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews – audiobook review of OPEN SEASON FOR MURDER / giveaway
May 19 – Deborah-Zenha Adams – book series spotlight / author interview / giveaway
May 19 - Library of Clean Reads – book review of OLD LOVES DIE HARD / giveaway
May 20 – Nighttime Reading Center – audiobook review of A WEDDING AND A KILLING / giveaway
May 20 – Bound 4 Escape – book review of BLAST FROM THE PAST / giveaway
May 23 – Rockin' Book Reviews - book review of A WEDDING AND A KILLING / giveaway
May 24 – Mostly Mystery Reviews – book review of IT’S MURDER, MY SON / giveaway
May 25 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
May 26 – Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews – audiobook review of CANCELLED VOWS / giveaway
May 27 –Bound 4 Escape – book review of THE LADY WHO CRIED MURDER / giveaway
May 31 –Jazzy Book Reviews - book series spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 1 – fundinmental – book review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
June 2 – Mostly Mystery Reviews – book review of SHADOW OF MURDER / guest posts / giveaway
June 3 – Rockin' Book Reviews - audiobook review of OPEN SEASON FOR MURDER / giveaway
June 6 –Bound 4 Escape – book review of  TWELVE TO MURDER / giveaway
June 7 – Splashes of Joy – audiobook review of SHADES OF MURDER / giveaway
June 8 – The Page Ladies – audiobook review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
June 9 – Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews – audiobook review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
June 9 - Bound 4 Escape – book review of  A WEDDING AND A KILLING / giveaway
June 10 – Nighttime Reading Center – audiobook review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
June 13 - Rockin' Book Reviews - book review of CANDIDATE FOR MURDER / giveaway
June 14 – Bound 4 Escape – book review of  OPEN SEASON FOR MURDER / giveaway
June 15 – Bound 4 Escape – book review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
June 16 –Literary Flits – book review of THREE DAYS TO FOREVER / giveaway
June 20 – Splashes of Joy – audiobook review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
June 24 – Adventurous Jessy – book review of SHADOW OF MURDER / giveaway
June 24 - Rockin' Book Reviews - book review of CRIMES PAST / giveaway
 
Enter the Giveaway:

SHADOW OF MURDER (Mac Faraday Mysteries) Tour Giveaway


 

My Review: 

Shadow of Murder is yet another fabulous read by Lauren Carr. I read and enjoyed previous books from her Mac Faraday Mystery series and was excited to have the opportunity to read the newest release and fourteenth installment from the series. I was far from being disappointed. I have to admit, I am a lover of covers and I adored the cover and was intrigued to see what it would be all about. Oh my goodness, I thought it was great. It was fun meeting up with Erica and Dusty. They made a fun and entertaining team together. Of course, I was excited to see Mac and Gnarly, too. I wanted to find out how the mystery would be solved and see who the one responsible is. You can not read a Carr novel without the twists, turns and surprises. I loved everything about it – the setting, the humor, the characters and plot. I had to keep on reading on to the end. Such a wonderful tale to read.  

I would give Shadow of Murder one hundred stars if I could. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy reading cozy mysteries. I will be looking forward to reading more books in the Mac Faraday Mysteries series. This one is one that should not be missed. I know others will not regret it. 

I received a digital copy of Shadow of Murder from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing your awesome review of Shadow of Murder, the author's interview, bio and books' details, this sounds like an excellent book and series and I am looking forward to reading these stories

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  2. This would be a good read for the local mystery book club.

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  3. This would be a good choice for the local mystery book club.

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