Monday, December 23, 2013

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway for Heartache Motel by Terri L. Austin, Larissa Reinhart and LynDee Walker


Join authors Terri L. Austin, Larissa Reinhart and LynDee Walker on their Virtual Book Tour for Heartache Motel,  presented by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, from December 10 – December 23, 2013.  Please leave a comment or question below to let the authors know you stopped by.  You can enter their tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can also check out the rest of their tour here
Heartache Motel: Three Interconnected Mystery Novellas
By Terri L. Austin, Larissa Reinhart, and LynDee Walker

Publisher: Henery Press
Release Date: December 10, 2013
Genre: Cozy Mystery Anthology
ISBN:  978-1938383915
ASIN: B00H7H2LTM

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About the book: 

Elvis has left the building, but he’s forever memorialized at the Heartache Motel. Filled with drag queens, Rock-a-Hula cocktails, and a vibrating velveteen bed, these three novellas tell the tales of three amateur sleuths who spend their holidays at the King’s beloved home.

DINERS KEEPERS, LOSERS WEEPERS by Terri L. Austin
A Rose Strickland Mystery Novella (follows DINER IMPOSSIBLE)

When Rose and the gang head to Graceland right before Christmas, they get all shook up: the motel is a seedy dump and an Elvis impersonator turns up dead. Rose discovers missing jewels tie into the death and her suspicious mind flips into overdrive, questioning her fellow guests, the staff, and even a cute impersonator who keeps popping up. Will Rose be able to find the murderer and get home by Christmas day? It’s now or never.

QUICK SKETCH by Larissa Reinhart
A Cherry Tucker Mystery Novella (prequel to PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY)

Sassy Southern artist Cherry Tucker and her poker-loving boyfriend, Todd, pop into Memphis to help Todd’s cousin who’s been hustled out of his savings, right before Christmas. Staying at the shady Heartache Motel, Cherry can’t tell a shill from a mark and fears everyone is playing them for chumps. Cherry and Todd quickly find themselves in a dangerous sting that could send them to the slammer or mark them as pigeons from cons looking for an even bigger score.

DATELINE MEMPHIS by LynDee Walker
A Headlines in High Heels Mystery Novella (follows BURIED LEADS)

Crime reporter Nichelle Clarke thinks she’s going home for Christmas. But a quick stop at Graceland proves news breaks in the strangest places. When the King’s home gets locked down with Nichelle inside, she chases this headline into the national spotlight—and the thief’s crosshairs. Christmas dreams of blue suede Manolos fade, and all Nichelle wants from Santa is to land the story before the thief cuts off her news feed for good.

Buy Links:   Amazon      Barnes & Noble 



About the Authors


 TERRI L. AUSTIN

As a girl, Terri L. Austin thought she’d outgrow dreaming up stories and creating imaginary friends. Instead, she’s made a career of it. She met her own Prince Charming and together they live in Missouri. She loves to hear from readers!

LIKE: www.facebook.com/terrilaustin



LARISSA REINHART

After seeing Paper Moon as a child, Larissa Reinhart fell in love with stories about confidence capers. QUICK SKETCH is the Cherry Tucker prequel to PORTRAIT in the mystery anthology THE HEARTACHE MOTEL. HIJACK IN ABSTRACT is the third in the Cherry Tucker Mystery Series from Henery Press, following STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW (#2) and PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY (#1), a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist. She lives near Atlanta with her minions and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit.




LYNDEE WALKER

LynDee Walker grew up in the land of stifling heat and amazing food most people call Texas, and wanted to be Lois Lane from the time she could say the words “press conference.” An award-winning journalist, she traded cops and deadlines for burp cloths and onesies when her oldest child was born. Writing the Headlines in Heels mysteries gives her the best of both worlds. LynDee adores her family, her readers, and enchiladas. She often works out tricky plot points while walking off the enchiladas. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is working on her next novel. Find her atwww.lyndeewalker.com.



Three interconnected cozy mysteries written by different authors take center stage in the Henery Press anthology Heartache Motel.  Taking place in Memphis over the Christmas Holidays, and set at the Heartache Motel, a kitschy and tawdry Elvis themed motel filled with drag queens, Elvis impersonators and too many tourists, these stories kept me turning the pages to discover what could possibly happen next.  If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries, this is a book you’ll want to check out.  I’ll be doing mini reviews for each story below.

DINERS KEEPERS, LOSERS WEEPERS by Terri L. Austin
A Rose Strickland Mystery Novella (follows DINER IMPOSSIBLE)

A fan of the Rose Strickland series, I couldn’t wait to read what new adventure Rose and her group of friends would get into next.  Approaching her eightieth birthday, Ma decides to close the diner for a few days and asks Rose, Roxy and Ax to accompany her on a road trip to Graceland.  Their adventures begin when they are forced to take “Stoner Joe”, Ax’s roommate along, and what should have been an eight hour road trip turns into 15 hours, missed hotel reservations and a stay at the “Heartache Motel”.  A place about which Rose colorfully says - “Calling the Heartache Motel a dump would be an upgrade.”   When one of the Elvis impersonators ends up dead, Rose and her group of friends end up investigating the case, even when the local police tell them not to.  Filled with plenty of humorous situations, zippy one liners and a clever mystery, this addition to Ms. Austin’s series is simply a hoot and a pleasure to read.


QUICK SKETCH by Larissa Reinhart
A Cherry Tucker Mystery Novella (prequel to PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY)

Since I’ve never read anything by Larissa Reinhart, this was the perfect way for me to get an introduction to her series, as the events in this book take place before any of the events in the already published books.  I enjoyed meeting Cherry and Todd and finding out what happens to them as they stop in Memphis and try to help Todd’s cousin recover his life savings.   It was interesting to see the romance between Cherry and Todd in its early stages and to watch Cherry solve the mystery.  I also enjoyed meeting the secondary characters, mostly Todd’s family and the people staying at the Heartache Motel, who contributed color and quite a few laughs to the story.  I look forward to checking out more of Ms. Reinhart’s series in the future.

DATELINE MEMPHIS by LynDee Walker
A Headlines in High Heels Mystery Novella (follows BURIED LEADS)

While this is another series I haven’t had a chance to read, I was able to read and enjoy this story on its own.  Ms. Walker does a good job introducing the characters and I enjoyed watching the mystery getting resolved.  I especially enjoyed getting to know Nichelle and getting to watch her conduct an investigation all on her own.  Ms. Walker does a good job with the mystery; there are plenty of twists and turns, and I found myself changing my mind several times about who the villain really was.  I look forward to reading more of Ms. Walker’s books and look forward to getting to know the rest of the Nichelle’s “crew”.   

Overall Heartache Motel is a well written and very enjoyable anthology.   I’m thankful I got the chance to read it and look forward to reading more of these three author’s work.  I’m also looking forward to checking out more of the cozy mystery books published by Henery Press.

My Rating:  4.5 out of 5 Crowns

FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.




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5 comments:

  1. I love cozy mysteries. Unfortunately, I come across titles, blurbs, and reviews of so many great sounding cozies, and I just do not have enough time in the day to read all of them!!! An anthology like this will let me 'sample' a series or two and get my feet wet. Thanks for the review. And thank you, Terri, Larissa, and Lyndee, for writing good stories, good mysteries, good characters.

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  2. Thank you, Donna. And thanks O Queen, for taking the time to read and review our book. Happy Holidays, everyone!

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  3. Great review! I love cozies!
    Im also on this tour and really enjoyed this book.

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  4. Thanks so much for the lovely review! I'm so glad you enjoyed your stay at the Heartache! :)

    Donna, thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy our stories, too.

    Melissa, thank you for following (and hosting) our tour! I'm so glad you enjoyed the book!

    Good luck to everyone in the drawing!

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  5. Thanks so much for the lovely review! Good luck to everyone in the contest. We're so glad you enjoyed your stay at the Heartache! ;) Happy Holidays!

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