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Yes, my faithful followers, friends, and colleagues, Death in a Mudflat comes out tomorrow. Here is a teaser for you: the first chapter! Hope you enjoy it! The beach wedding of our good friends, Marsh and Bella, couldn’t have been on a more perfect morning – bright sunshine sparkling on the water, a soft breeze lifting skirts and curls, and the gentle lapping sound of small waves on the shore. We had gathered at Pequod’s Oceanside Pavilion for the ceremony and were now having a blast at the reception, laughing, drinking good wine and occasionally dancing to the music of a local band. It was a gala affair, following the whirlwind courtship of two people who were dear to me but who most resembled Mutt and Jeff.  Marsh Adams was Mutt, a weight-lifting, doughnut-addicted fireplug of a man who happened to be an assistant medical examiner for the state of Maine and a pathologist at Sturdevant Hospital, where we both worked. Bella Zdundic was Jeff, a Maine Major Crimes agent and a strong-willed woman who towered over Marsh and had the bulk to go with her height. Currently working the crowd of attendees, they both looked deliriously happy, holding hands and with permanent smiles on their faces as they greeted their guests. I didn’t think I’d ever seen them more resplendent – Bella in an A-line, lace and tulle ivory gown and Marsh in a black tuxedo with a peacock blue vest. Sam Brewster, the Chief of the Pequod Police Department accompanied me to the wedding. We were not only friends of the bride and groom, but, improbably, a couple. Always good friends, Sam and I had become even closer after the death of my husband Will, Sam’s brother. That closeness had led to love. Holding hands, we had moved with some of the other guests onto the pavilion’s deck. The broad wooden deck overlooked the beach and a considerable stretch of mudflat revealed by the outgoing tide. We found many of the guests already on the deck watching, mesmerized, as the owner of a Jeep Wrangler tried to get his vehicle out of the mud. “What an idiot,” Sam said, handing me a fresh glass of Chardonnay from a waiter passing by with a tray. “Must be illiterate.” There was a warning sign at the end of the pavilion drive saying ‘Dangerous mudflats. Beach off limits to all four wheeled vehicles.’ “That’s Ethan Pettigrew, Mom. You know him, he’s in our class,” Jack told me. We watched as Mr. Pettigrew, unable to get traction, unhitched the trailer and pulled it up onto the beach. He then made another try at reversing the Jeep, spinning the tires and spraying mud, which doused the boy. More hoots from Jack and Tyler. “I always knew you sucked, Ethan,” shouted Jack. “Mud man!” “Hey, you’re a sucker,” yelled Tyler. “If you boys don’t stop that,” I warned, “you two will be the suckers when Sam takes you home.” They stopped. “At the very least, you’d think he’d have backed in. This is a fubar waiting to happen.” Sam continued his deprecating commentary. After an animated conversation with his son, Mr. Pettigrew unloaded all the unnecessary weight from the Jeep. Then he took out a shovel and dug dry sand from the beach, dumping it behind and in front of each wheel. He got in the Jeep, started it up, and rocked the Jeep a few yards back, spinning the tires and hurling muck everywhere. The boy, standing to one side and now plastered with mud, suddenly screamed, “Stop, Dad! Stop!” As his father turned off the Jeep and got out, everyone watching pressed forward, trying to see what had happened. Sam took my hand and pulled me through the crowd and down the stairs from the deck to the beach. From there we could clearly see what the tires had unearthed – a decaying human arm, purple-green, dripping mud and sloughing tissue. It was still connected to something below the surface. I grabbed Sam’s arm and without thinking, pulled back. A few horrified onlookers cried out, which brought still more wedding guests out to the deck, the noise of their conversation now sounding like a maddened bee hive. Sam looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “You wanna call it in, Rhe, or shall I?” I looked up at him. “You might be a little tough to get a hold of, because you’re away at a wedding.” Don’t forget about reviews – as you know they are the life blood of us all! 0 0

After much angsting and gnashing of teeth (good thing I drink milk!), I am please to announce my fourth book in the Rhe Brewster series is available for download on Kindle June 1. Also available in paperback. Hat in hand, I would love some reviews of this book, if any of my followers are so inclined. And I’m available to talk about the book! Here is the press release from Smith Publicity, who is doing a push for me! NEW COZY MYSTERY FOLLOWS POPULAR DETECTIVE ON ANOTHER PAGE-TURNING ADVENTURE SET IN GORGEOUS SMALL-TOWN MAINE                     For forty years N.A. Granger taught human anatomy to medical students, paramedics, and first responders. She also spent time as an EMT. Her medical knowledge is vast, and she has woven that deeply into her new career as an author, churning out realistic and page-turning cozy mysteries that keep readers on the edge of their seats. She is at it again with the release of her latest novel, Death in a Mudflat: A Rhe Brewster Mystery, the next installment in the popular series that takes readers on a suspenseful ride through the picturesque small town of Pequod, Maine. Death in a Mudflat follows fearless detective, ER Nurse and devoted mother Rhe Brewster as she is thrown into a new case – and this one gets a bit muddy. When an idyllic seaside wedding is suddenly interrupted by the grotesque sight of a decaying human arm poking out of the tidal mud, Rhe finds herself trying to solve a mystery full of duplicity, drugs, and of course, murder. With her best friend Paulette and her main man Sam, the Chief of Police, Rhe seeks to solve the puzzle of the body found in the muck while also working with the FBI to identify the source of shipments of tainted heroin flooding the local campus and community. Maine’s opioid crisis has hit the town hard, with an escalating number of overdoses. More murders are uncovered, testing Rhe’s detective skills and steely resolve. While she follows the clues, Rhe encounters some sinister inhabitants of Pequod’s underbelly, including a practitioner of the Dark Arts, a hydra-headed crime gang, and an embittered, unhinged lobsterman with an axe to grind and nothing to lose. In her relentless drive to solve the crimes, Rhe narrowly escapes a watery grave, trades blows with Russian goons, and unknowingly prompts Paulette to put her life on the line in an attempt to catch a murderer in the act. “I enjoy having readers fall in love with my book’s setting and characters, and then be so invested they feel devastated when something happens to them. Or, they simply look forward to spending more time with the characters again in the next book,” Granger says. “That is what makes a good story, and it continues to be thrilling to give that to my audience.” 0 0

My two legged goes away for a couple of days at time occasionally. She and Hubs (she calls him that) left me alone again this weekend. I do pretty well on my own but I’ve noticed that someone comes to give me wet food on the middle day. This time it was Ellen. I like Ellen. She told me she has five (wow!) cats and that it was my two legged that introduced her to cats. She knows just where to scratch me! In any event, she told me I’m a big boy now because the last time she saw me was just after I was brought home. Here’s some photos of me (I love to pose for photos) then and now! I do love my cat tree but I’ve heard some talk of my needing a bigger one. We Maine coons tend to be rather large and fluffy! I wonder if I’ll get this big? Courtesy of pleatedjeans.com 0 0

Just when I was feeling fine, healthy and getting stronger from the swimming, I did something stupid. And the end result was this: With Hubs down and out for lifting and dragging, I was trying to drag a couple of old, ratty and moth eaten umbrellas down the stone stairs from the pool deck. Didn’t watch where I placed my foot and fell, landed on my right side and unluckily fractured a bone in my foot. For those of you in the know, a ones fracture of the base of the 5th metatarsal. Normally it gets casted and you walk on crutches for six weeks, but with the household situation, no can do So the boot and a which I really don’t use. We had to cancel two trips in the hopes I can be well enough to go on our trip to Iceland. There’s a 25% chance it won’t heal – probably more because I’m walking on the break – but what can an active woman do? Anyway, there has been an epidemic of falls with people I know, so watch your step out there, people! PS I’m still swimming, just using a one leg flutter kick! And no, I’m not swimming in circles. 0 0

As the mother of a serviceman, Memorial Day hits home. I am particularly affected by the upcoming anniversary of D-Day, when so many of our young men died on the beaches of Normandy. In many respects the French do a better job of honoring their sacrifice, with roadside memorials and plaques, but of course World War II was in part on their soil. This weekend, please send up a prayer of thanks for all those who have chosen to serve and defend their country, past and present. 0 0

A quick question for everyone: How in the world can I get around not being able to post my book reviews on Amazon UK? (Courtesy of Robin Higgins at Pixabay) Many of the authors of books I review are in the UK, but of course now I need to have purchased something like 50 Euros of ‘stuff’ from Amazon UK to post my reviews there. I tried purchasing from Amazon UK, but I was immediately redirected to Amazon US, so that’s not a solution. Basically, Amazon has stuck it to every UK author I review, and I am mad, mad, mad…and angry, too. We need to put our heads together to figure this out! I know there’s a ton of creative gray cells amongst my readers, so let’s do it! (Courtesy of Pixabay) 0 0

This is the third mystery in the Porter Girl series set in, as the author describes it, “the ancient and esoteric Old College.” The first-person voice is that of the Assistant Head Porter (a position the author once held) and the story is a fun-filled adventure with wildly colorful characters (almost neon) and lots McGuffins. My kind of mystery. This time out, Porter Girl – I’ll call her PG – faces two terrible events: the discovery of the bodies of two young men, one of them an Old College student, at the bottom of Old College’s garden and a complete lack of biscuits in the Porter’s Hall, with only three tea bags left. Of the two, PG is taking the latter most seriously. A new Bursar, Dexter Sinistrov, has been hired by Old College, and he is a riveting personage. His first priority was to cut the catering budget, although judiciously so that the cuts affect the Porters’ food heavily. The author knows how to create a slimy character. Sporting a bizarre haircut (shorn at the back but sweep of black hair over his forehead), he sneaks around old college in shiny, pointed shoes and he clearly has it in for PG. The Dean, whom we’ve met before and an excitable personage with a gigantic imagination, thinks the Bursar is a Russian Spy. Coming to investigate the deaths in this cloistered academic enclave is the formidable DCI Thompson, who is constantly at odds with the Dean. Things escalate when a young woman student dies under similar circumstance to those in the College, but on the other side of Old College’s garden wall. PG is faced with confronting the Bursar about the lack of biscuits and tea, dealing with the Dean and his proposed investigation, assisting DCI Thompson in his work, and recruiting some students she knows to discover more about the victims. The Head Porter is mysteriously absent for most of the duration, so PG is faced with running the College from the Poster’s Hall as well. What I enjoy so much of this series (I’ve read them all) is PG’s character and voice. She is snarky, smart, observant, and never averse to adventure. Her voice is wonderful and fun, much like the author herself. The plot is tightly imagined, the characters pop, and the dialog crisp and academic. I am smitten with these mysteries and you will be, too! About the author   Adapted from Amazon: Adventurer. Puzzle-solver. Expert tea-maker. Lucy Brazier started writing to entertain herself during childhood as the internet did not yet exist. Later on, she had a punt at writing to entertain other people and pulled it off rather well. From an interview with the author Dan Alatorre: Her books derive from the fact that on a whim, she applied for the role of Deputy Head Porter at one of the most prestigious Colleges of Cambridge University. She didn’t expect to get the job, but when it was offered, she thought it churlish to refuse and became the first female Deputy Head Porter in the College’s 600 year history. She believes she was absolutely the worst Deputy Head Porter the College had ever seen, and she hung up her bowler hat after a year. But her experiences inspired her blog and the Porter Girl series of fictional adventures (Porter Girl: Keeper of the Keys, Porter Girl: The Dark Lord). You can find Lucy Brazier On twitter: @portergirl100 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucy.suzuki.3?fref=ts Blog: https://portergirl.com/ 0 0

This is the second in the Bebe Bollinger series by Christoph Fischer. The is sleuth is once again the charming, talented and a bit snarky Bebe Bollinger, an early 60s chanteuse with a remarkable career behind her but fighting to be back in the spotlight. It is quite a change up from the first book, the author having chosen the setting to be Eurovision, the longest-running annual international TV song competition, held in a different country each year. I have to admit I didn’t even know Eurovision existed until I started to read this book, but I learned a lot. Bebe is colorful, intelligent and one of my favorite characters. When her friend Bonnie Tyler (think Holding Out for a Hero and Angel of the Morning) is chosen to represent the UK at Eurovision, Bebe jealously watches the pre-publicity trail for Eurovision in Malmö and discovers a string of odd accidents happening to several participants in the competition. This triggers her detective antennae and she decides to attend the event. Going there also allows her to assess the suitability of a Eurovision appearance for her own career. The author does an incredible job describing Eurovision, with its countries’ representatives, both new and seasoned, the outrageous costumes, lighting, and most of all the crowds and the carnival atmosphere. I know he’s been to one or two! We again meet Beth, now a former police detective with a drinking problem who does legwork for Bebe when she is otherwise occupied, and Bebe’s grasping and selfish daughter Helen, who shows up at the festival and promises to ruin Bebe’s renewed and growing reputation. Bebe somehow gets herself into the middle of the action, singing a version of one of Bonnie’s songs on stage with another vocalist and being asked to judge the competition, as well as be a presenter on the day of the event. While her status grows, contestants continue to fall until it becomes clear that what Bebe suspected all along: these are no accidents. Bebe deals patiently and with aplomb with nasty TV reporters and career climbing presenters, but ultimately begins to think she may be the next target. I honestly did not know who dunnit or why until the very end. For fans of Bebe Bollinger, mysteries with a colorful and detailed setting, followers of Eurovision, or women of a certain age (like me), this is the book for you! I anxiously await the next book to find out what happens with Bebe’s career. About the author Christoph Fischer was born in Germany, near the Austrian border, but moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. After a few years he moved on to the UK where he now lives in a small town in West Wales. He and his partner have three Labradoodles to complete their family. Christoph worked for the British Film Institute, in Libraries, Museums and for an airline. He is a prolific writer: The Luck of The Weissensteiners was published in 2012; Sebastia‘ in 2013 and The Black Eagle Inn also 2013 completing his Three Nations Trilogy.  He then published two contemporary novels Time to Let Go and Conditions in 2014. The sequel Conditioned was published in 2015, along with a medical thriller The Healer. Two more historical novels, In Search of a Revolution and Ludwika came out in December 2015. You can find Christoph in many places: Website: http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/ Blog: http://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590171.Christoph_Fischer Twitter: @CFFBooks, @WriterCFischer Twitter: https:/twitter.com/CFFBooks Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/christophffisch/ 0 1

As many of you already know, I am working on a historical novel entitled The Oldest Pilgrim. I am toying with the idea of changing the title to The Last Pilgrim. In any event, it is the story of Mary Allerton Cushman, the longest surviving person to come to the New World on the Mayflower – dying in 1699 at the age of 83, certainly a long life for a woman in those days. You might wonder why I would tackle this particular history. The reason is that I grew up in Plymouth, played the roles of several Pilgrim girls in the Pilgrims Progresses, which were held for tourists on weekends, and later became one of the first tour guides at Plimoth Plantation (which was created two doors down from my home!). Along the way, I learned a lot and my interest is still there! Women in the 17th century were in many instances little more than chattel, the society being patriarchal. But I believe the women of the Mayflower were strong and fiercely determined to survive, or at least provide that their children would survive in this new and challenging land.  Although they did not have a voice in the governance and major decisions regarding their settlement, its survival rested on their shoulders as much as on those of the men. I had trouble with the voice at first, since how can one describe the horrors of the voyage in the words of a four-year-old? Finally, I decided to tell the tale first in the voice of her father, Isaac Allerton, who as it turns out, is quite a character, and then, as she reaches maturity, in Mary’s voice. She marries Thomas Cushman, who becomes one of the leaders of the colony, so through his relationship with her, I can follow the colony’s history. I am loving the research for this book – right now I am deep into 1621 – the struggles with finding food and the interactions of the Pilgrims (they called themselves Separatists – the name Pilgrim came much later) with their Indian neighbors. The Pilgrims’ story is as much that of these neighbors as theirs. There were thousands of Indians of various tribes living in the area of what is now the state of  Massachusetts. The Pilgrims’ immediate neighbors were the Wampanoags, who lived in villages spread out over a wide area and which gave them their local names. The Wampanoags had been decimated by disease during the 2-3 years before the arrival of the Pilgrims, and indeed, the decision to settle at the site which became Plymouth was made because the land there had already been cleared and it had a fresh running stream. The Indians who had lived there were Wampanoags called the Patuxet, but they were now all dead, leaving the site advantageous for the Pilgrims to build their colony. The Wampanoags taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn, fish and hunt, and where to find wild foods – these Englishman were not skilled at survival! Further south and east lived the Nausets. These were the first Indians the Pilgrims encountered after they moored in Cape Cod Bay and went exploring for a site for their settlement. They were also the Indians from whom the Pilgrims stole corn. Since several of their young men had been kidnapped by a previous English explorer, the Nausets were not kindly predisposed to the Pilgrims. To the east of the Wampanoags lay the Narragansetts, an Algonquian tribe living in what is now Rhode Island. Their language was Algonquian and was largely unintelligible to the Massachusetts and the Wampanoags. They were the most powerful tribe in the area, having been largely untouched by the epidemic that killed so many others. To the north of the Wampanoags lay the land of the Massachusetts tribe, which had often threatened the Wampanoags. The leader or sachem of the Wampanoags was called Massasoit. He was the first to sign a treaty with the Pilgrims, which guaranteed that his tribe would help defend the Pilgrims in case of attack, and the Pilgrims would do the same for the Wampanoags. In this way did Massasoit ensure the survival of his much-reduced tribe. The Pilgrims, under the leadership of their governor, William Bradford, signed treaties with the leaders of these various tribes to ensure their peaceful co-existence. I promise to share more snippets of Pilgrim history as I go along, and I hope you will find my eventual book as interesting as I am the research! 0 0

This book was reviewed for Rosie’s Book Review Team and was purchased by the reviewer. Elle Boca is the prolific author of seven books about Weeia, and three in the Marshalls series, of which this is the first. Although I have not read the previous books, it was easy to immerse myself in this one. The Weeia look like normal humans but they possess special powers for the sole purpose of protecting humans and Weeia alike. Their lifespan is longer than humans, but they are subject to the same dangers. Marshals are trained to police Weeia hiding among humans. At the opening of this story Danni Metraeux, who, while constantly bullied at the academy, completes her final exam and becomes a level 3 Marshall. The bullying is the result of something that happened to her family, but it’s not explained, so I was left wondering exactly what had marked her. Expecting to be given an assignment in a backwater place, Danni instead receives a plum assignment to Paris. Arriving there, she discovers why the assignment isn’t plum: her housing is less than substandard, her immediate superior isn’t interested in working with her, and her predecessors all died. Nevertheless, Danni, who is strong, persistent and inventive, gradually overcomes all the negatives and finally – one her own – discovers a purpose for her being in Paris: to find a missing Weeia man in the underworld of gypsies and tramps who also populate the city. The author does a good job of creating a three-dimensional protagonist with special powers and a whole host of tangential characters: a sort-of boyfriend named Ernie, who as second to the school’s Weapon Master, supplies her with the weapons she needs for her work; her BFF Marla, with whom she can share her troubles, both at school and in Paris; Odile Marmotte, an overly-made up matriarch who handles the day to day affairs of Weeia Marshals and is largely dismissive of Danni until Danni stands up to her; and the handsome Alain, who takes her on a tour of Paris on a motorbike, introducing her to the city. Of course, there is also Paris, and the author makes the city real and immediate. In Paris, Danni comes into her own, as her growing powers allow her to be successful. I did like the paranormal aspects of the Weeia and enjoyed this world the author created. There were a few issues for me, in addition to wondering about Danni’s parents. The pacing of the book was somewhat uneven. The testing of new marshals at the beginning started the book at a good pace but was followed by a lot of background information slowing the story. The tempo finally picked up around the middle of the book.  The author does a great job with action scenes – I just wish there were more of them! This book will definitely appeal to readers interested in the colorful world of a paranormal race, and there are two more books in this series. About the Author Elle Boca is the author of the Weeia urban fantasy series about superhumans. The Unelmoija series is set in Miami. In the Garden of Weeia, a novella, is set in Portland, Maine, and her newest Marshals Series is set in Paris, France. Growing up the only child of a monkey mother and a rabbit father she learned to keep herself entertained and spend time reading. You can find the author on Twitter: @elleboca Her website: https://elleboca.poyeen.com/ You can find Gypsies, Tramps and Weeia on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gypsies-Tramps-Weeia-Marshals-Book-ebook/dp/B01A01R5SI/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 0 0