Virtual Book Tour & #Giveaway for The Deep End by Julie Mulhern

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Book Tour, presented by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, for The Deep End by Julie Mulhern.  Please leave a comment or question for Julie to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can also follow the rest of the tour by clicking on the tour banner above.  The more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.

The Deep End

By Julie Mulhern

The Country Club Murders, Book 1

Publisher: Henery Press

Release Date:  February 17, 2015

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Female Sleuth
ISBN-13: 978-1941962237
E-Book File Size: 507 KB
ASIN: B00PWE819Q

FIRST IN A NEW SERIES

Swimming into the lifeless body of her husband’s mistress tends to ruin a woman’s day, but becoming a murder suspect can ruin her whole life.

It’s 1974 and Ellison Russell’s life revolves around her daughter and her art. She’s long since stopped caring about her cheating husband, Henry, and the women with whom he entertains himself. That is, until she becomes a suspect in Madeline Harper’s death. The murder forces Ellison to confront her husband’s proclivities and his crimes—kinky sex, petty cruelties and blackmail.

As the body count approaches par on the seventh hole, Ellison knows she has to catch a killer. But with an interfering mother, an adoring father, a teenage daughter, and a cadre of well-meaning friends demanding her attention, can Ellison find the killer before he finds her.

About This Author

Julie Mulhern is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean—and she’s got an active imagination. Truth is—she’s an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions. She is a 2014 Golden Heart® Finalist. The Deep End is her first mystery and is the winner of The Sheila Award.

Author Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliekmulhern

Twitter: @juliekmulhern

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/juliemulhern/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8573907.Julie_Mulhern

It’s not every day a woman finds her husband’s mistress dead and floating in a country club pool but that’s exactly what happens to Ellison Russell in the first act of Julie Mulhern’s debut cozy mystery, The Dead End.  Full of colorful characters, good dialogue, and taking place in the 70’s at the height of the Watergate scandal, The Dead End kept my attention from start to finish.  The first book in “The Country Club Murders” series, is off to a good start.

Successful artist and a country club member with the correct pedigree, Ellison Russell arrives at the club for her customary early morning swim only to discover the body of Madeline Harper, dead and floating in the pool.  While Ellison could care less about Madeline, or her death, the fact she’s her husband’s mistress puts Ellison front and center in a murder investigation, a position she’d rather avoid.  Forced into conducting her own investigation, Ellison soon discovers there’s a lot more to her soon to be ex than his penchant for visiting “Club Kinky”.  When two more mistresses show up, and Henry disappears, Ellison learns her husband was involved in blackmail.  As dead bodies start piling up, it’s clear Ellison needs to solve the mystery before she or someone she loves becomes the next victim.

   

Ms. Mulhern does a good job developing Ellison’s character and I really enjoyed getting to know her as the story developed.  While she’s a bit “frosty” and detached at first, it soon becomes apparent that Ellison has been surrounded by dominating or domineering people a good portion of her life.  As the story progresses we do see Ellison begin to develop emotionally and also watch her begin to develop a backbone.  I also enjoyed the secondary characters, especially Ellison’s parents, her art broker Powers, her daughter Grace, and the handsome, polite detective assigned to the case. 

Ms. Mulhern does a good job developing the mystery, which takes several twists and turns.  I also enjoyed the “historical” aspects of the story since it takes place during the “Watergate” years and I remember being glued to the newspapers (Yes, Virginia…..this was before the internet) and the television during the investigation and political scandal that ensued.  I thought Ms. Mulhern captured the “feel” of the 70’s and also emphasized the difference between the “country club” crowd and the regular people.

Will Ellison discover who killed Madeline?  Will Henry, Ellison’s unfaithful husband get what he deserves?  And is there a possible new romance in Ellison’s future?  You’ll have to read The Deep End to find out.  I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next book in this series.

My Rating:  4.5 out of 5 Crowns

*FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour for a fair and honest review.  I did not receive any additional compensation for my opinion of the book.

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