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5 Fact Friday- It’s a Birthday Weekend with the Gift of Murder.

Writer: Kryssie Fortune
Kryssie Fortune
Apr 7, 2023
2 min read


5 Facts from the mouth of Nicole Earp, the younger of the Chocolate Martini Sisters


I’m Nicole Earp, call me Nic, and no I’m not related to the infamous Earp brothers, but my second husband Rodney claims to be a distant cousin of Wyatt. Wyatt is the town where I live, and the Dulce Inn is where murder and mayhem find us.


My sister Emma Banefield, Em, and I love all things mystery. We approach solving capers differently which works amazingly well for us. She approaches all the murder and mayhem with analytical thought processes and ‘just give me the facts.’


Em and I do love sharing a good murder mystery. Solving the crime will put us in the faces of two detectives who might deserve some credit for helping us crack the caper. The Chief Homicide Detective Bennett Guthrie is particularly fun…for me anyway. He really gets under my sister’s skin.


I operate on gut instincts while solving crime, coming to conclusions a bit too fast at times. Gah! I have fun anyway. Detective Guthrie takes himself far too seriously, so I enjoy a good jab at him now and then.


A typical day at the inn finds Em on an early morning run while I sleep in after having stayed up late reading a mystery. I rise, practice a short yoga session, and shower. Em pops in, showers, and we’re off for breakfast in the Azul Restaurant. We might shop in the unique stores downtown or possibly enjoy a massage upstairs at the inn. And then there’s the dead body we are prone to discover.



Blurb:

Recently widowed, Emma Banefield looks forward to a getaway birthday weekend with her free-wheeling sister, Nicole Earp, sipping chocolate martinis at the peaceful, historic Dulce Inn. When a rude stranger, a nasty food critic, and a madhouse of temperamental artists greet them, all hope for a tranquil weekend evaporates faster than dew on a hot desert morning.


Overlooking the riotous atmosphere is doubly hard after Em discovers the body of a hotel guest, and a second murder affects Nic personally. Now, entrenched in a caper that pits them against a surly detective, they cozy up to a hotel staff hiding dangerous secrets to uncover clues to the killer.


Using their smarts and love of all-things mystery, will the Chocolate Martini Sisters solve the crime ahead of the obstinate Chief Detective or find themselves trapped in the middle of a third murder?


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Joyce Proell is the award-winning author of Amaryllis, Eliza and the Cady Delafield mysteries: A Deadly Truth, A Burning Truth and A Wicked Truth. Along with her husband and little dog, Nellie, she lives in Minnesota in her very own little house on the prairie. She loves to hear from readers.


Visit her website at www.joyceproell.com or

https://www.facebook.com/JoyceProellAuthor.





Visit Brenda at https://www.brendawhiteside.com or https://www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor




 
 
 

Comments

Review of Vicious Creatures

“Killing people silences the screaming in my head.”

 

Chloe West’s father trained her to kill on command, and she was the best in the business. 

​

Ten years ago, she was supposed to infiltrate a paranormal academy, kill a few faculty members and students, and make it look like an accident. Then her daddy could step in and buy the property for less than it's worth.

Instead, the head teacher enchanted her into being  gentle-natured and passive. All she wants is to be a hairdresser. And she has no memory of her murderous past.

​

When a friendly witch breaks the spell, her memory rushes back. No longer a sweet-natured young woman her friends know and love, she doesn't want to see judgment in their eyes. Rather than face them, she flees.

 

Now her ambition is to rid he world of her billionaire father and make amends for all the pain and mayhem her killer persona created.

 

Then there’s Dwayne. Never forget Dwayne. He’s a killer goose with psychotic tendencies and Chloe’s best friend.

****

 

I loved the storytelling and breadth of imagination in this book.

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 It’s hard not to identify with Chloe as she takes out various bad guys and befriends other paranormal creatures.

 

As mentioned, I have a soft spot for Dwayne. Let’s face it, who doesn’t want a killer goose for a best friend? Then there are vampires and a strategist who helped train her. He tells life's a chessboard, and while she might be a knight, she could be the queen. 

 

The medical research behind the murders is fascinating. If the police ever check Ms Hignett’s computer history, she could be in trouble.

 

This book, and the rest of the series, took over my life. Unable to put i down, I until the small hours then stated the next in series. It wasn’t until I finished the complete Waif in the Wilds series that I realised that although complete in itself, it's is part of a huge story arc.

 

Now I’m on a mission to read the connected series. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves a slow building paranormal romance set in one of the best imaginary worlds I’ve ever visited. Best of all, a gentle humour runs through every word.

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