New Release - A Rant of Ravens by Christine Goff

 

 

A Bird’s-Eye View of Murder and Mayhem

 

 

"Very entertaining. Birders and nature lovers alike will enjoy this new twist on the cozy mystery." —The Mystery Reader

 

“A Rant of Ravens stars a gutsy heroine in fast-paced action with a chill-a-minute finale...enchant nature....A fine-feathered debut.” – Carolyn Hart, author of the Death on Demand and Henrie O mysteries

 

 

Rachel Stanhope, escaping from a failing marriage, seeks solace at her aunt’s ranch. There she is thrust into the colorful world of birdwatching. With a murder, lies, and secrets haunting her every move, she sets off to solve the mystery and clear her aunt’s good name.

 

Astor + Blue Editions is proud to release A Rant of Ravens (ISBN: 978-1-941286-29-6; Fiction/Cozy Mystery & Suspense/Nature), the debut mystery novel by award-winning author Christine Goff.

 

In an attempt to escape hellish matrimony, Rachel Stanhope sojourns to her Aunt Miriam’s ranch in Colorado in search of some peace and quiet. As a favor to her aunt, a bird enthusiast, Rachel agrees to host meetings of the local bird watching society. On her first expedition, however, instead of finding a LeConte’s sparrow, she makes a much more disturbing discovery—a dead body. Identified as a reporter for Birds of a Feather magazine, this man was trying to dig up troubling information on Miriam’s deceased husband and a bird trafficking scheme. Now sweet Aunt Miriam is the prime suspect in this fowl play.

 

Goff’s debut novel, A Rant of Ravens, delivers action-packed, captivating storytelling with the expertise of an experienced bird enthusiast. With the Rocky Mountain backdrop and fascinating birding society, this mystery is sure to keep you hooked until the very last page.

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christine Goff is the award-winning author of the bestselling "Birdwatcher's Mystery" series. A former Colorado journalist, Goff is a Willa Literary and Colorado Authors’ League Fiction Award finalist. Named Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2002 Writer of the Year, her most recent work is a thriller set in Israel.

Review - Louisiana Fever by D.J. Donaldson

 

“Louisiana Fever” is the second offering by author D.J. Donaldson.  Returning are chief medical examiner Andy Broussard and Dr. Kit Franklyn, criminal psychologist.  Both are top-notch detectives as well as experts in their respective fields.  Set in New Orleans, anyone who has visited the city on more than one occasion will recognize several of the settings of the story.  I thought that was interesting and added realisms to the story. 
 
There are two mysteries in one.  First, there is a rash of deaths taking place in New Orleans.  At first glance, it seems the people are dying of heart attacks but soon it’s discovered that an Ebola type virus has been unleashed  One of the victims is a stranger who sent roses to Kit.  When she arrived to unknowingly meet him, he dies before she can find out who he is and what his connection is to her.  While searching for him, Kit is kidnapped and this provides the second mystery within the story.

D.J. Donaldson has constructed an excellent storyline and the attention to detail is great.  One can really tell that he understands the world he describes in the novel.  It is intense and definitely a page-turner. 

 

Buy Links

 

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/15wIN4l

B&N:  http://bit.ly/1abExIw

Astor+Blue:   http://bit.ly/11CS4c0

 

Press Release

Portly & Proud CSI Catches Louisiana Fever

Threat of Outbreak Drives Latest in Southern Suspense Series

 

“D.J. Donaldson is superb at spinning medical fact into gripping suspense.  With his in-depth knowledge of science and medicine, he is one of very few authors who can write with convincing authority.”

 

--Tess Gerritsen, NY Times best-selling author of the Rizzoli & Isles novels

 

Andy Broussard, the “Plump and Proud” New Orleans medical examiner, obviously loves food.  Less apparent to the casual observer is his hatred of murderers. Together with his gorgeous sidekick, psychologist Kit Franklyn, Broussard forms a powerful, although improbable, mystery solving duo.

 

Astor + Blue Editions is proud to release Louisiana Fever (ISBN: 978-1-938231-33-9; Fiction / Mystery & Suspense; $5.99 E-Book) the latest Broussard mystery by DJ Donaldson.

When Kit goes to meet an anonymous stranger—who’s been sending her roses—the man drops dead at her feet before she could even get his name. Game on.

Andy Broussard soon learns that the man carried a lethal pathogen similar to the deadly “Ebola”—a highly contagious virus, feared worldwide for killing its victims (grotesquely) in a matter of days. When another body turns up with the same bug, widespread panic becomes imminent. The danger is even more acute, because the carrier is mobile. The man knows he’s a walking weapon and… he’s targeting Broussard.

And when Kit Franklyn investigates her mystery suitor further, she runs afoul of a cold- blooded killer, every bit as deadly as the man searching for her partner.

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Louisiana Fever is written in Donaldson’s unique style:  A hard-hitting, punchy, action-packed prose that’s dripping with a folksy, decidedly southern sense of irony.  Mix in Donaldson’s brilliant first-hand knowledge of forensics, along with the sultry flavor of New Orleans, and readers will be fully satisfied with this irresistibly delectable mystery.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

D.J. Donaldson is a retired professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology.  His entire academic career was spent at the University of Tennessee, Health Science Center, where he published dozens of papers on wound-healing and where he taught microscopic anatomy to thousands of medical and dental students.

He is also the author of seven published forensic mysteries and five medical thrillers. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee with his wife and two West Highland terriers. In the spring of most years he simply cannot stop buying new flowers and other plants for the couple’s prized backyard garden.