Chergui’s Child
by Jane Riddell
Genre: Women’s Psychological Fiction
Olivia has much to cope with. An embittered mother who puts her
ambitions for her children before their own needs. A predatory professor who ends their affair when she
becomes pregnant. Giving birth to twins in a Tangier hospital and believing neither has survived. Grief
and loss overwhelm her and she abandons her studies. Then from her beloved aunt Dorothy, artistic,
eccentric and mysteriously wealthy, she learns that one of the babies did survive and has been adopted.
When her aunt dies she leaves Olivia a handsome legacy with the condition that it must be used to find
and bring up the lost child. Olivia’s journey takes her from London to the south of France, with startling
and painful revelations along the way.
Goodreads * Amazon
Jane Riddell grew up in Glasgow but defected to Edinburgh in her thirties,
after living in New Zealand. For years she worked for the NHS as a dietitian and health promoter. In
2006 she impulsively moved to France, and during her three years there writing became a passion. Jane
writes realistic contemporary novels and has also written an editing guide. Shortly she will be publishing
a novella about a Russian cat who aspires to become a writer but struggles with literary theory.
Jane has an editing business: Choice Words Editing, details of which can
be found on her author’s website: www.quietfiction.com. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing.
Jane summarises herself as: enthusiastic, well-intentioned, hopeless with
technology and having a dysfunctional relationship with time and chocolate. She loves photography,
travelling and pet sitting
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads
I stared at the University L’Archet hospital in Nice, wondering if this visit would
propel me forward in my search for Richie. Surrounding me was the hum of
lunchtime traffic, employees returning home for their protracted midday break. Palm
trees in the hospital gardens were motionless beneath the pale blue sky
characteristic of a heatwave, and already my head ached from petrol fumes, not
helped by eyes strained from googling for radiologists in universities and cabinets.
As I walked along the ground floor corridor, the reflection from polished vinyl made
me dizzy, and the floor cleaner smelled particularly strong. It was half past twelve –
perhaps food would help. I located the dining room, joined a long queue and
eventually took my tray to the one free table.
Moments later, two women in lab coats appeared.
‘Est-ce qu’elles sont libres, are these places free?’ one of them asked, pointing to
the empty chairs.
When I finished my meal, I produced the photos. ‘I’m trying to find this man. He’s a
doctor. He may not have a moustache, he might have a beard.’
After viewing Richie’s picture, the women shook their heads.
‘We have been at the hospital only since two months,’ the taller one explained. ‘If
you wish, we will ask our friends.’
In the coffee lounge, people huddled round the photo, shaking their heads –
except for one woman, who studied it closely. ‘I think I am seeing this man before.’
My heart thumped. ‘In the hospital?’
‘It was long time. When I am beginning my studies. Wait, please.’
She made her way to the window and showed the photo to a man. He came over
to me.
‘Salut. I have seen this man before. He give us a conference.’
‘A lecture,’ the woman said.
Crossed
Keeper Witches 0.5
by
Kristy Centeno
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Bryn
McCaskey lived by simple rules: kill demons, never use magic against
school bullies, and avoid running her mouth in front of her Grams.
It all
seemed easy enough to follow.
Until
Rhyzel Connor rolled into her life.
Suddenly everything she thought she knew about demons is put to the test as
she finds herself teaming up with the most unusual of teammates to
save a fellow witch from a hit.
Only
problem is she doesn’t know how trustworthy Rhyzel is.
When magic is involved a good outcome isn’t always guaranteed and Bryn
will have to put her neck on the line to get to the bottom of the
well, even if it means unmasking Rhyzel and everything he stands for
in an attempt to solve the biggest mystery she’s ever come across.
Add to GoodreadsAmazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo
Kristy Centeno loves to spin tales of creatures that go bump in the night,
with a sprinkle of romance to top them off. Her passion for writing
stems from a lifelong enjoyment of reading and the pleasure derived
from the magical worlds created by authors like her. She prefers her
female leads strong, independent, and stubborn who will stop at
nothing to save their loved ones and protect those they care for.
Kristy currently resides in Pennsylvania with her five kids, a quartet of
noisy parakeets, and a spoiled puppy. When she’s not working or
writing, she juggles her free time between raising a handful of
minions and pursuing other career goals.
Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads$10 Amazona Rafflecopter
giveaway
A Compendium of Characters
by Mason Bushell
Genre: Short Stories, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Adventure
The world of imagination is a magical place filled with fantastical stories.
Inside A Compendium of Characters you’ll be drawn into myth, legend, and mystery on every page, and
across various genres. You’ll meet aliens, vampires, angels, and maybe a ghost or two; discover
stranded people, farmers with shotguns and people to save. There’ll be romantic liaisons, fairytale frolics,
and mysteries to solve!
**Only .99 cents!!** Goodreads * Amazon
Mason is a naturalist in every way and spends much of his time in the
nature reserves by his home. His faithful dog Lucy is never too far away, especially when he is
experimenting with the culinary arts. Mason loves a good mystery and dreams of opening a restaurant
like the Workhouse soon.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Paranormal!
‘Kerry’s world had faded to sunlight-dappled shades of green. She felt as if the woodland was hugging
her tight. It was always her most favourite place to go for a walk to relax.’
‘A white sailing skiff flashed through his mind, severed by a bolt of lightning behind his eyes. He
remembered the storm and the rogue wave that capsized his vessel. There was nothing else until now.’
“Hmm, that’s so good!” He drank for another two minutes. “I’ll make a camp at the forest fringe to watch
for boats. I can drink all I need and hunt the rabbits…” Harry planned aloud, as if he were giving himself
orders. “Yes – I can survive here. Erm, I’ll need fires for signalling as well. I—”
‘Marie-Clair was still there… lurking… following in the shadows. From the bushes she leapt, howling like a
banshee.’
Tender Misdemeanors
by Alana Lorens
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Caryn Orlane has law enforcement in her blood; her father was a cop,
and his father, too. She’s a federal agent in northwest Montana, protecting the old forests and keeping
the peace.
Levi Bradshaw also believes in protecting the forests, but has a very
different MO. He’s the leader of a group of eco-warriors, determined to save the trees of the Bitterroot by
legal—and illegal—means.
When they meet in the woods at gunpoint, their encounter ignites a spark
of interest, despite operating on opposite sides of the law. When their worlds turn on them, they only
grow closer. If they don’t work together, can either survive?
Add to GoodreadsAmazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo
Alana Lorens (aka Barbara Mountjoy) has been a published writer for over 35 years, including seven years as a reporter and editor at the South Dade News Leader in Homestead, Florida. Her list of publications includes the non-fiction book 101 Little Instructions for Surviving Your Divorce, published by Impact Publishers in 1999, stories in A Cup of Comfort for Divorced Women, in December 2008, and A Cup of Comfort for Adoptive Parents, in June 2009. Website * Facebook * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
She ran a hand through the front of her hair, pulling the thick strands back away from her face. She
had no need to keep it in the bun or the tieback she often wore on duty, so she let it fly loose in the wind. She
had hardly a care in the world, as long as she looked through the window of her life with a narrow screen, only
allowing a certain amount of light in.
Caryn broke into a run, calling them to follow her. “Come on Rose, Guildy…Pete?” She didn’t see
Ophelia anywhere, but she could always come out the dog door if she wanted to join them. “Everyone, let’s
roll!”
She let loose, feeling each point of contact her foot had with the ground, swinging her arms to increase
her speed, taking in deep breaths that invigorated her. The downhill slope added momentum as well. By the
time she reached the stretch of grass at the bottom of the hill, she was traveling so fast that when Rosie cut in
front of her, she had no way to avoid her. She tripped over the dog, taking a jarring landing face down on the
ground, her breath knocked out of her, and her arm and side burned.
The dogs came over to her, sniffing at her and licking her face, encouraging her to get up. Ribs aching,
she caught the glimpse of blood pooling on her forearm. She must have scraped herself…no.
Studying the wound, she realized that it was not a scrape of any sort, and there was no object lying
near her that might have caused a vicious cut. What the hell?
A flash of light near the top of the hill in the trees caught her eye. At second glance, she recognized it
as the sun reflecting off the long barrel of a rifle. The shooter aimed, fired, and some turf four feet in front of
her tore off as the shot echoed in the mountain air. Her stomach went askew. They’re shooting at me? Shot
me?
Anger bubbled up inside her and it was all she could do not to launch herself from the ground and take off up
the hill after him. Or her. But the shooter had the advantage here. She was in an open field at this point, and a
clear target. What could she do?
The Lover’s Portrait
Zelda Richardson Mystery Series Book 1
by Jennifer S. Alderson
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
A portrait holds the key to recovering a cache of looted artwork,
secreted away during World War II, in this captivating historical art thriller set in the 1940s and present-
day Amsterdam.
When a Dutch art dealer hides the stock from his gallery – rather than
turn it over to his Nazi blackmailer – he pays with his life, leaving a treasure trove of modern
masterpieces buried somewhere in Amsterdam, presumably lost forever. That is, until American art
history student Zelda Richardson sticks her nose in.
After studying for a year in the Netherlands, Zelda scores an internship at
the prestigious Amsterdam Museum, where she works on an exhibition of paintings and sculptures once
stolen by the Nazis, lying unclaimed in Dutch museum depots almost seventy years later.
When two women claim the same portrait of a young girl entitled Irises,
Zelda is tasked with investigating the painting’s history and soon finds evidence that one of the two
women must be lying about her past. Before she can figure out which one and why, Zelda learns about
the Dutch art dealer’s concealed collection. And that Irises is the key to finding it.
Her discoveries make her a target of someone willing to steal – and even
kill – to find the missing paintings. As the list of suspects grows, Zelda realizes she has to track down the
lost collection and unmask a killer if she wants to survive.
Awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion by indieBRAG’s readers in March
2019 Chosen as Chill with a Book’s January 2018 Book of the Month and
winner of a Chill with a Book Readers’ Award One of TripFiction’s 10 Favorite Books set in Amsterdam Silver Cup winner in Rosie’s Book Review Team 2017 Awards,
Mystery category Readers’ Favorite 5 star medal One of The Displaced Nation magazine’s Top 36 Expat Fiction Picks
of 2016 One of Women Writers, Women’s Books magazine’s Recommended
Reads for April 2017.
Set in present day and wartime Amsterdam, this captivating thriller is not
just about stolen paintings, but also the lives that were stolen. This art history mystery also describes the
plight of homosexuals and Jewish artists in Europe during World War II, as well as the complexities
inherent to the restitution of artwork stolen by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s.
The Lover’s Portrait is Book One in the Zelda Richardson Mystery
Series. The amateur sleuth mysteries in this series can be read in any order. Goodreads * AmazonBook Trailerhttps://youtu.be/nqe0f5wh7aE
Rituals of the Dead
Zelda Richardson Mystery Series Book 2
A museum researcher must solve a decades-old murder before she
becomes the killer’s next victim in this riveting dual timeline thriller set in Papua and the Netherlands.
Agats, Dutch New Guinea (Papua), 1961: While collecting Asmat artifacts
for a New York museum, American anthropologist Nick Mayfield stumbles upon a smuggling ring
organized by high-ranking members of the Dutch colonial government and the Catholic Church. Before
he can alert the authorities, he vanishes in a mangrove swamp, never to be seen again.
Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 2018: While preparing for an exhibition of
Asmat artifacts in a Dutch ethnographic museum, researcher Zelda Richardson finds Nick Mayfield’s
journal in a long-forgotten crate. Before Zelda can finish reading the journal, her housemate is brutally
murdered and ‘Give back what is not yours’ is scrawled on their living room wall.
Someone wants ancient history to stay that way—and believes murder is
the surest way to keep the past buried.
Can she solve a sixty-year-old mystery before decades of deceit, greed,
and retribution cost Zelda her life?
Awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion by indieBRAG’s readers in December
2018 One of Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews’ Top 20 Books of 2018 Winner of a Chill with a Book Readers’ Award, June 2018 A Women Writers, Women’s Books magazine’s Recommended
Reads for March 2018 New Apple’s 2018 Summer Book Awards, Official Selection
Mystery/Thriller category BookLife Prize for Fiction 2018, Mystery/Thriller category, rating
8.50 Art, religion and history collide in this edge-of-your-seat museum
thriller, Book Two of the Zelda Richardson Mystery Series. The novels in this series can be read in any
order. Goodreads * Amazon
Marked For Revenge
Zelda Richardson Mystery Series Book 3
An exhilarating adventure set in the Netherlands, Croatia, Italy,
Luxembourg, and Turkey about stolen art, the mafia, and a father’s vengeance.
When researcher Zelda Richardson begins working at a local museum,
she doesn’t expect to get entangled with an art theft, knocked unconscious by a forger, threatened by the
mob, or stalked by drug dealers.
To make matters worse, a Croatian gangster is convinced Zelda knows
where a cache of recently pilfered paintings is. She must track down an international gang of art thieves
and recover the stolen artwork in order to save those she loves most.
The trouble is, Zelda doesn’t know where to look. Teaming up with art
detective Vincent de Graaf may be her only hope at salvation.
The trail of clues leads Zelda and Vincent on a pulse-pounding race
across Europe to a dramatic showdown in Turkey that may cost them their lives.
Awarded a Chill with a Book Readers’ Award in June 2019A Women Writers, Women’s Books magazine Recommended Reads
in June 2019One of Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews Top 20 Reads of 2019Placed at #30 in ReadFreely’s Top 50 Indie Reads of 2019Chosen as Chill with a Book’s June 2019 Cover of the MonthMarked for Revenge is the third book in the Zelda Richardson
Mystery Series. The novels in this series can be read in any order. Goodreads * Amazon
The Vermeer Deception
Zelda Richardson Mystery Series Book 4
An art historian finds – then loses – a portrait by Johannes Vermeer in
this thrilling art mystery set in Munich, Heidelberg, and Amsterdam.
When Zelda Richardson investigates a new lead about a missing portrait
by Johannes Vermeer, no one expects her to actually find the painting in a retired art dealer’s home in
Munich, Germany. Not her parents visiting from America; her boss, private detective Vincent de Graaf; or
the rightful owner of the Nazi-looted artwork.
However, Zelda’s jubilation turns to horror when she arrives to pick up the
portrait and finds the art dealer dead and several frames smoldering in his fireplace.
Was the Vermeer a fake and its ‘discovery’ a cruel joke played on a Nazi
victim? The Munich police, Zelda’s family, and Vincent certainly think so.
Yet the art dealer’s best friend believes he was murdered and the real
Vermeer stolen by an underground network of art looters, one established during World War II and still
active today. The problem is, no one believes him – except Zelda.
Zelda soon finds herself in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with
immoral art collectors, corrupt dealers, and an all-to-real killer who wants her to stop searching.
Can Zelda uncover the truth about the Vermeer before she is painted out
of the picture permanently?
The Vermeer Deception is Book 4 in the Zelda Richardson Mystery
Series. The novels in this series can be read in any order. **On Sale for only $2.99!**Goodreads * Amazon
Hi! I am an American expat currently living in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, I moved to Darwin, Australia, before finally settling in the Netherlands. When not writing, you can find me in a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning my next research trip. My love of travel, art, and culture inspires my award-winning Zelda Richardson Mystery series, Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries, and standalone stories. The Lover’s Portrait (Book One) is a suspenseful whodunit about Nazi- looted artwork that transports readers to WWII and present-day Amsterdam. Art, religion, and anthropology collide in Rituals of the Dead (Book Two), a thrilling artifact mystery set in Papua New Guinea and the Netherlands. My pulse-pounding adventure set in the Netherlands, Croatia, Italy, and Turkey— Marked for Revenge (Book Three)—is a story about stolen art, the mafia, and a father’s vengeance. The Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries are a funny new series featuring tour guide and amateur sleuth, Lana Hansen. Join Lana as she leads tourists and readers to fascinating cities around the globe on intriguing adventures that, unfortunately for Lana, often turn deadly. Book One— Death on the Danube —takes Lana to Budapest for a New Year’s trip. Can Lana figure out who murdered her fellow tour guide before she too ends up floating in the Danube? Death by Baguette: A Valentine’s Day Murder in Paris (Books Two) will be released in February 2020, and Book 3 in May 2020. I am also the author of Down and Out in Kathmandu , Holiday Gone Wrong , and Notes of a Naive Traveler . Connect with me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or my website. I have also started a group for readers and writers of travel fiction and non-fiction – Travel By Book. We are a promotion and discussion group active on Facebook with a growing presence here on Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/216133-travel-by-book Thanks for stopping by! Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
The Lover’s Portrait
Just two more crates, then our work is finally done, Arjan reminded himself as he bent down
to grasp the thick twine handles, his back muscles already yelping in protest. Drops of sweat
were burning his eyes, blurring his vision. “You can do this,” he said softly, heaving the
heavy oak box upwards with an audible grunt.
Philip nodded once, then did the same. Together they lugged their loads across the moonlit
room, down the metal stairs, and into the cool subterranean space below. After hoisting the
last two crates onto a stack close to the ladder, Arjan smiled in satisfaction, slapping Philip on
the back as he regarded their work. One hundred and fifty-two crates holding his most
treasured objects, and those of so many of his friends, were finally safe. Relief briefly
overcame the panic and dread he’d been feeling for longer than he could remember. Preparing
the space and artwork had taken more time than he’d hoped it would, but they’d done it. Now
he could leave Amsterdam knowing he’d stayed true to his word. Arjan glanced over at
Philip, glad he’d trusted him. He stretched out a hand towards the older man. “They fit
perfectly.”
Philip answered with a hasty handshake and a tight smile before nodding towards the
ladder. “Shall we?”
He is right, Arjan thought, there is still so much to do. They climbed back up into the small
shed and closed the heavy metal lid, careful to cushion its fall. They didn’t want to give the
neighbors an excuse to call the Gestapo. Not when they were so close to being finished.
Philip picked up a shovel and scooped sand onto the floor, letting Arjan rake it out evenly
before adding more. When the sand was an inch deep, they shifted the first layer of heavy
cement tiles into place, careful to fit them snug up against each other.
As they heaved and pushed, Arjan allowed himself to think about the future for the first
time in weeks. Hiding the artwork was only the first step; he still had a long way to go before
he could stop looking over his shoulder. First, back to his place to collect their suitcases.
Then, a short walk to Central Station where second-class train tickets to Venlo were waiting.
Finally, a taxi ride to the Belgian border where his contact would provide him with falsified
travel documents and a chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz. The five Rembrandt etchings in his
suitcase would guarantee safe passage to Switzerland. From Geneva he should be able to
make his way through the demilitarized zone to Lyon, then down to Marseilles. All he had to
do was keep a few steps ahead of Oswald Drechsler.
Just thinking about the hawk-nosed Nazi made him work faster. So far he’d been able to
clear out his house and storage spaces without Drechsler noticing. Their last load, the
canvases stowed in his gallery, was the riskiest, but he’d had no choice. His friends trusted
him—no, counted on him—to keep their treasures safe. He couldn’t let them down now. Not
after all he’d done wrong.
“Art-related, Dutch goodies” prize package, includes: – Playmobil toy of Vermeer’s The Milkmaid (from the Rijksmuseum) – A notebook featuring Vermeer’s The Milkmaid on the cover – A tulip pen – A fabric bag from a local Amsterdam cafe
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