Great Escapes Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway: A Tourist's Guide to Murder by V.M. Burns

 

Today I’m participating in the A Tourist's Guide to Murder Great Escapes Blog Tour. In this post you’ll find information about the book and author along with my review. And be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card, details below.  

About the book . . .

A Tourist's Guide to Murder (A Mystery Bookshop Mystery)

Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Setting – Michigan, USA – London, England
Publisher: Kensington (January 26, 2021)
Paperback: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 1496728955
ISBN-13: 978-1496728951]
Digital ASIN: B087YRY1S4

Synopsis . . . While visiting the land of Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes, bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Samantha Washington finds herself on a tragical mystery tour . . . 

 

Sam joins Nana Jo and her Shady Acres Retirement Village friends Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae on a weeklong trip to London, England, to experience the Peabody Mystery Lovers Tour. The chance to see the sights and walk the streets that inspired Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle is a dream come true for Sam—and a perfect way to celebrate her new publishing contract as a mystery author.

 

But between visits to Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel district and 221B Baker Street, Major Horace Peabody is found dead, supposedly of natural causes. Despite his employer’s unfortunate demise, the tour guide insists on keeping calm and carrying on—until another tourist on their trip also dies under mysterious circumstances. Now it’s up to Sam and the Shady Acres ladies to mix and mingle among their fellow mystery lovers, find a motive, and turn up a murderer . . .

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My review . . . Author and bookshop owner Samantha (Sam) Washington is excited to embark on a week-long tour of mysterious and murderous British settings featured in the works of Dame Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Accompanying Sam on the trip are her grandmother Nana Jo and three of her sassy senior friends. Sam expects the enthusiasm of the high-spirited group to pose a bit of a challenge—but really, it's only for a week—what could possibly go wrong? Apparently, quite a lot.

 

From forgetting her passport, to a highly-invasive TSA search, to a sprint to catch the flight before it departs without her, Sam is worn out by the time she gets on the plane. She imagines her only issue once she arrives in the UK will be jet lag, but it isn't long before the tour goes totally awry.  

 

Far from their Michigan home, Sam, Nana Jo, and the Shady Acres Retirement Villagers find themselves in the midst of two murder investigations when their tour operator and a fellow tourist each meet a mysterious demise. No strangers to solving murder mysteries at home, the group gets involved in investigating the crimes, much to the consternation and amusement of New Scotland Yard authorities. Will they continue their perfect crime-solving record across the pond without causing an international incident?

 

A Tourist's Guide to Murder is V.M. Burns's most entertaining installment to date in the fantastic Mystery Bookshop mystery series. In addition to the series' lovable characters and their laugh-out-loud antics, readers of this latest cozy are treated to amusing, dramatic murder suspects and enjoyable armchair travel. This series continues to delight, and I eagerly await the further escapades of Sam, Nana Jo, and their vibrant, fun-loving friends.

 

 

Giveaway . . . Enter the A Tourist's Guide to Murder Giveaway for a chance to win one of five $25 Amazon gift cards by clicking here.

About the author . . . V.M. (Valerie) Burns was born and raised in the Midwestern United States. She currently resides in the warmer region of the country in East Tennessee with her two poodles.

Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Dog Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime. Valerie is the author of the RJ Franklin Mysteries, the Dog Club Mysteries, and the Agatha Award-nominated Mystery Bookshop Mystery series.

Author links . . . Website  Facebook   Twitter:  @vmburns    Goodreads     BookBub       Instagram

Purchase links . . . Apple –  Amazon – Google – Kobo – Nook –  BAM –  Bookshop.org –  Hudson Booksellers –  IndieBound –  Target

Tour participants . . .

January 21 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
January 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
January 21 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
January 22 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW, GUEST POST
January 22 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
January 22 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
January 23 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 23 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 24 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW
January 24 – The Book Diva’s Reads – SPOTLIGHT
January 25 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, GUEST POST
January 25 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
January 25 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
January 26 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT
January 26 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW
January 27 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 27 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 27 – Island Confidential – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 28 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW
January 28 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
January 29 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW  
January 29 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT 
January 29 – Books to the Ceiling – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 30 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 30 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 31 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 31 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
January 31 – My Journey Back – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

Note . . . I received a complimentary copy of A Tourist's Guide to Murder from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

This Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.  It cannot be republished without attribution.

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings

 

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

 

Today I'm featuring a recent blog tour read, A Tourist's Guide to Murder by V.M. Burns. It's the latest book in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery Series. The excerpts shared are from an eBook provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Beginning:  Chapter 1

"Attention." I clinked my knife against my glass. "Attention." Unfortunately, no one listened, and the chatter got louder rather than softer.

My sister, Jenna Rutherford, leaned close and whispered into my ear, "Does the phrase 'herding cats' mean anything to you?"

********************  

56% of eBook:  The Scotland Yard detectives faced us. Detective Sergeant Templeton's eyes sparkled as though she wanted to laugh, but she refrained.

********************  

My thoughts:  The latest installment in V.M. Burns's delightful series revolves around a trip to England, where the characters participate in a murder mystery lovers tour. While visiting such famous sites as Agatha Christie's home in Torquay and Sherlock Holmes's Baker Street establishment, the tourists find themselves in the midst of a real-life murder mystery.

A Tourist's Guide to Murder combines an entertaining armchair travelogue through London and the British countryside with an intriguing whodunit.

********************   

From GoodReads:  While visiting the land of Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes, bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Samantha Washington finds herself on a tragical mystery tour . . .

Sam joins Nana Jo and her Shady Acres Retirement Village friends Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae on a weeklong trip to London, England, to experience the Peabody Mystery Lovers Tour. The chance to see the sights and walk the streets that inspired Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle is a dream come true for Sam—and a perfect way to celebrate her new publishing contract as a mystery author.

But between visits to Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel district and 221B Baker Street, Major Horace Peabody is found dead, supposedly of natural causes. Despite his employer’s unfortunate demise, the tour guide insists on keeping calm and carrying on—until another tourist on their trip also dies under mysterious circumstances. Now it’s up to Sam and the Shady Acres ladies to mix and mingle among their fellow mystery lovers, find a motive, and turn up a murderer . . .

 

*******************

This Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. 

Great Escapes Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway: Bookmarked for Murder by V.M. Burns

 

Today I'm participating in the Bookmarked for Murder Blog Tour.  In this post you'll find book and author information along with my review.  And be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a Kindle copy of the book.  


About the book . . .

 

Bookmarked for Murder (Mystery Bookshop Mystery)

 Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Kensington (November 26, 2019)
Paperback: 256 pages

ISBN-10: 1496718313
ISBN-13: 978-1496718310
Digital ASIN: B07P9MR138

Synopsis . . . Amateur sleuth Samantha Washington's shopping trip to Chicago takes a deadly detour when a man is murdered on her bus . . .

After some post-Christmas retail therapy in the Windy City, mystery bookshop owner and historical whodunit novelist Sam Washington is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. With Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village along for the ride, it’s a lively trip. But one passenger is not so lively—a gentleman Irma befriended is found dead in his seat after an unscheduled stop. The ladies immediately shift gears to find out who punched his ticket, while Sam slips into the driver’s seat to make sure Nana Jo and her crew steer clear of fatal conclusions . . .


My review . . . Murder seems to find bookstore owner and aspiring author Sam Washington wherever she goes. In the latest installment of the Mystery Bookshop series, Sam, Nana Jo, and their tight-knit group of friends from Shady Acres Retirement Village are returning from a shopping trip to Chicago when one of the bus passengers, an author who has snuggled up to the flirty Irma, is found dead in his seat.  When the death is ruled a homicide, the bus driver and all other passengers are under suspicion.  Who killed Max Franck and why?  And as Sam, Nana Jo, and their band of sleuthing seniors attempt to answer these questions, danger strikes even closer to home as a second murder victim—Shady Acres resident Sarah Jane Howard—is discovered.  Are the murders connected?

The feisty seniors turn up all sorts of helpful information through their small-town network, but it is up to Sam to make sense of it all.  Sam turns to her tried and true method of writing to help her process the clues and her own thoughts about the crimes.  As she develops the story line of her latest British historical cozy, her theory on the current murder investigation crystallizes. Will Sam be able to identify the killer before further harm befalls the residents of Shady Acres?

In the Mystery Bookshop series, Burns has created an inviting bookstore setting and cast of endearing family and neighbors who are devoted to each other through thick and thin.  Their gregarious personalities and laugh-out loud antics add to the overall enjoyment of the reading experience.


Giveaway . . . Enter the Bookmarked for Murder Giveaway of a $20 Amazon Gift Card by using this link. 


About the author . . . 

 

V.M. Burns was born in Northwestern Indiana and spent many years in Southwestern Michigan on the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is a lover of dogs, British historic cozies, and scones with clotted cream. After many years in the Midwest, she went in search of milder winters and currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her poodles. Her debut novel, The Plot is Murder was nominated for a 2017 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and a lifetime member of  Sisters in Crime. Readers can learn more by visiting her website at vmburns.com

Author links . . .

Website:  http://www.vmburns.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vmburnsbooks/
Twitter:  @vmburns

Purchase links . . .

Amazon  Barnes & Noble  IndieBound   

Books-A-Million  Hudson Booksellers  Kobo

 

Tour Participants . . .

December 2 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT 

December 2 – The Ninja Librarian -REVIEW 

December 2 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 

December 3 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW 

December 3 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW 

December 4 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW 

December 4 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT 

December 5 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW 

December 5 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 

December 6 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW 

December 6 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – REVIEW 

December 7 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT 

December 7 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW 

December 8 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW  

December 9 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW 

December 9 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW 

December 10 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT 

December 10 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – REVIEW 

December 11 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW  

December 11 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT 

December 12 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT 

December 12 – The Book Diva’s Reads – SPOTLIGHT 

December 13 – Book Club Librarian– REVIEW   

December 13 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 

Note . . . I received a complimentary copy of Bookmarked for Murder from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

This Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.  It cannot be republished without attribution.  Sharing this original post on Twitter and/or other book-related blogs with appropriate recognition is appreciated. 

 

 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

Today I'm featuring a recent blog tour read, Bookmarked for Murder by V.M. Burns.  It's the fifth book in the Mystery Bookshop mystery series. The excerpts shared are from the eBook I received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

Beginning:  "Samantha Marie Washington!"

 

It was never good when my grandmother included my middle name.  Mid-thirties and I still cringed as much as I did as a kid.  I snapped the book I was perusing closed and looked up.  "What?"

********************

56% of eBook:  I tactfully questioned whether Irma's tumble down the stairs could have been an accident.  After all, she did wear six-inch hooker heels on a daily basis, and it was possible she merely tripped.

********************

My thoughts:  It's a universal uh-oh moment—hearing one's full name said by a parent or grandparent.  The immediate attention grabber is a good way to start a story. 

********************
From Goodreads:  Amateur sleuth Samantha Washington’s shopping trip to Chicago takes a deadly detour when a man is murdered on her bus . . .

After some post-Christmas retail therapy in the Windy City, mystery bookshop owner and historical whodunit novelist Sam Washington is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. With Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village along for the ride, it's a lively trip. But one passenger is not so lively—a gentleman Irma befriended is found dead in his seat after an unscheduled stop. The ladies immediately shift gears to find out who punched his ticket, while Sam slips into the driver's seat to make sure Nana Jo and her crew steer clear of fatal conclusions.

********************

This Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter with appropriate recognition is appreciated.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 

                                                      

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach, where bloggers post the first paragraph(s) of a book they are currently reading or planning to read sometime soon. 


Today I'm featuring a recent blog tour read, Wed, Read & Dead by V.M. Burns. The excerpt shared is from an eBook version I received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  

 

Chapter 1

"If you don't get your fanny out of that dressing room in the next thirty seconds, I'll come in and drag you out."  

I recognized the tone in my grandmother's voice well enough to realize she meant business.  Three hours of trying on every bubble-gum-pink bridesmaid dress in South Harbor's one and only wedding shop had left all of us in a foul mood.  I took one last look at my reflection in the mirror and resigned myself to my fate.  The hoopskirt under my ballroom gown was so large I had to turn sideways and wiggle to get through the dressing room door, but given this was the seventh or eighth dress I'd tried on, I had mastered the technique fairly well. 



What do you think?  Would you continue reading?

This is V.M. Burns's fourth Mystery Bookshop Mystery book.  The series features an inviting bookstore setting, many laugh-out-loud moments (like the one above), and a group of close-knit family members and friends who become more endearing with each new installment. 

You can read my full review of Wed, Read & Dead and enter a contest for an Amazon gift card by clicking this link. My review of the first book, The Plot is Murder is here.

This First Chapter ~ First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter with appropriate recognition is appreciated.