Sherry’s Shelves #92 – Who’s Crashing The Pool Party Today?

Posted on August 28, 2016 by fundinmental

Sherry’s Shelves #90 is my weekly update from August 21 – August 27, 2016.

Sunday Post #201 Countdown to Spring..

Stacking The Shelves {200}

Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews
Bought, Borrowed & Bagged is hosted by TalkSupe
**all images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**

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Hello fellow bloggers. Hope your week was full of good books and summer fun.

For your viewing pleasure, just another day at the pool.

How would you like to come face to face with this little kitty. 😆

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THIS WEEK ON fundinmental

I will have more posts, I’m just not sure what, so be sure and keep checking back.

Sherry’s Shelves
Giveaway – Beautiful Belly Dancers Coloring Book
Teaser Tuesday
Giveaway – Prodigal Son by Lisa Beth Darling
Giveaway & Review – Bullet in the Bllue Sky by Bill Larkin
Giveaway – Ronald Chapman Books
Friday 56
One Sentence Review

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Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

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You may see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Cozy Giveaway & Review- The Black Thumb by Frankie Bow @Frankie_Bow

Posted on August 27, 2016 by fundinmental

The Black Thumb by Frankie Bow has a pretty nifty cover and I love anything to do with the tropics. Sooooo…let’s take a trip to Hawaii.

Grab your bathing suit, sun tan lotion and flip flops and let’s begin our adventure.

The Black Thumb (Professor Molly Mysteries) (Volume 3)
Paperback: 342 pages
Publisher: Hawaiian Heritage Press (April 18, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1943476183
MY REVIEW

The cover for The Black Thumb by Frankie Bow has all the elements necessary to make me grab this cozy mystery for a read. I love the tropics and Hawaii. I am not the best gardener, though I do give it my all, so I was curious about the title. Great job with both, Frankie.

If you like character driven stories, The Black Thumb by Frankie Bow fits the bill. No matter how Molly feels about it, she cannot pass on solving the mystery. Her friends…and enemies…will be by her side.

There is a lot going on and a whole lot of people. I feel a bit scattered, but I want to know about the house, so I will read on. I demand a high level of of suspense in my mysteries, and cozies don’t really fit the bill, but there is just something about them that I can’t pass up. Over and over again, I am grabbing them for some light reading.

The Black Thumb by Frankie Bow is not my first cozy mystery by her and I doubt it will be my last.

I received a copy of The Black Thumb from Frankie Bow in return for an honest review.

3 Stars

Synopsis

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When a violent death disrupts the monthly meeting of the Pua Kala Garden society, Professor Molly Barda has no intention of playing amateur detective. But Molly’s not just a witness-the victim is Molly’s house guest and grad-school frenemy. And Molly quickly finds to her dismay that her interest in the murder of the stylish and self-centered Melanie Polewski is more than just…academic.

About The Author

Like Molly Barda, Frankie Bow teaches at a public university. Unlike her protagonist, she is blessed with delightful students, sane colleagues, a loving family, and a perfectly nice office chair. She believes if life isn’t fair, at least it can be entertaining.

In addition to writing murder mysteries, she publishes in scholarly journals under her real name. Her experience with academic publishing has taught her to take nothing personally.

Author Links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / Goodreads

Purchase Links

Amazon – B&N

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Participants

August 18 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST

August 19 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW

August 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

August 21 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 22 – FictionZeal.com – SPOTLIGHT with Excerpt

August 22 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – CHARACTER INTERVIEW/SPOTLIGHT

August 23 – CelticLadyReviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 24 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

August 25 – Lori’s Reading Corner – GUEST POST

August 26 – Jane Reads – REVIEW, GUEST POST

August 27 – fundinmental – REVIEW

August 27 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW

August 27 – Reading Authors – SPOTLIGHT

August 28 – Author Annette Drake’s blog – INTERVIEW

August 29 – The Ninja Librarian – REVIEW

August 30 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW

August 30 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT

August 31 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW

August 31 – Ashleyz Wonderland` – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

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Cover Reveal – Dandelion Dead: A Natural Remedies Cozy Mystery by Chrystle Fielder

Posted on August 26, 2016 by fundinmental

Dandelion Dead: A Natural Remedies is a cozy mystery due to be released on September 27, 2016

by Chrystle Fiedler

4th in series

In a spicy cozy mystery filled with herbal remedies readers will love, a sustainable winery becomes the backdrop for murder! Fortunately, solving crimes comes naturally to charmingly unconventional homeopath and amateur sleuth Willow McQuade, as she looks for clues that will reveal a killer’s true essence.

Pre-Order today – Amazon – B&N – IndieBound

Cover Reveal Participants – August 26

The Cozy Mystery Journal

Booklady’s Booknotes

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Read Your Writes Book Reviews

Booth Talks Books

Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews

Island Confidential

fundinmental

Socrates’ Book Reviews

A Holland Reads

Ashleyz Wonderland

Community Bookstop

Mallory Heart’s Cozies

Bibliophile Reviews

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To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
To see all my reviews, go HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Kindle Giveaway & Review – Candidate for Murder by Lauren Carr #Vote4Gnarly

Posted on August 25, 2016 by fundinmental

I am super excited to share Lauren Carr’s latest awesome Gnarly novel, Candidate for Murder. This is one you won’t want to miss.

MY REVIEW

I am a huge fan of Lauren Carr’s, so when I saw a chance to get a copy of her latest Mac Faraday Mystery, Candidate for Murder, how could I resist?

A familiar cast of characters and Lauren Carr’s humorous hints had me guessing in this murder mystery.

OMG…Gnarly is under investigation. He’s running for mayor of Spencer and the mudslinging has begun. His competition will stop at nothing to undermine him.

After seeing the promo for the movie PETS, it is easy to visualize the mischief of Gnarly and his cohort Storm, a canine Bonnie & Clyde. Here’s just one example: feasting on a romantic dinner for two that was not intended for them.

“If you were smart, you would have put them outside before levaing our dinner unguarded.”

“I did…But I forgot to lock it!”

The writing and dialogue keeps me in stitches as the political campaign heats up. An old murder is being investigated and the city of Spencer will be rocked. Outrageously funny. Unputdownable. Spoofing politics makes this a MUST READ during our political times.

Greed, ambition, God complex, entitlement, ego, sex, money, power…

Every time I think of the kittens Gnarly saved, a laugh bursts forth.

So much is going on, I am having trouble figuring out who the bad guys are. I love that.

OMG!!! The best Mac Faraday…yet. Lauren Carr is a master storyteller who combines the humor of Janet Evanovich and the investigative skills of Patricia Cornwell. She is always at the top of my reading list.

I received a copy of Candidate for Murder from Lauren Carr in return for an honest review.

5 Stars

ABOUT CANDIDATE FOR MURDER BY LAUREN CARR

It’s election time in Spencer, Maryland, and the race for mayor is not a pretty one. In recent years, the small resort town has become divided between the local year-round residents who have enjoyed their rural way of life and the city dwellers moving into their mansions, taking over the town council, and proceeding to turn Deep Creek Lake into a closed gate community—complete with a host of regulations for everything from speed limits to clothes lines.

When the political parties force-feed two unsavory mayoral nominees on the town residents, Police Chief David O’Callaghan decides to make a statement—by nominating Gnarly, Mac Faraday’s German shepherd, to run as mayor of Spencer!

What starts out as a joke turns into a disaster when overnight Gnarly becomes the front runner—at which point his political enemies take a page straight out of Politics 101. What do you do when you’re behind in a race? Dig up dirt on the front runner, of course.

Seemingly, someone is not content to rest with simply embarrassing the front runner by publicizing his dishonorable discharge from the United States Army, but to throw in a murder for good measure. With murder on the ballot, Mac Faraday and the gang—including old friends from past cases—dive in to clear Gnarly’s name, catch a killer, and save Spencer!

Buy the book: Amazon

Author’s Bio:

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries. The twelfth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series, Candidate for Murder will be released June 2016.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Visit Lauren at: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

GIVEAWAY

Win a Fire Tablet, 7″ Display, Wi-Fi, 16 GB (Open internationally) Winner will be person to use #Vote4Gnarly most often. Giveaway ends Sept 24.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You may see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
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Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
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This awesome story of #Vote4Gnarly is only .99, so grab your copy today.

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Giveaway – Wicka by Christy Deveaux @christydeveaux

Posted on August 24, 2016 by fundinmental

Wicka
Christy Deveaux
Publication date: May 28th 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

While mourning the loss of a mother figure, Elizabeth Blake, a smart but socially introverted seventeen year old girl from Ann Arbor Michigan, thinks she’s enrolling in an international school in the south of France to finish her final year of high school. Instead, she falls in love; finds out that she is a witch from an ancient family –– who weren’t thought to exist anymore; and discovers that her life is in danger, as the Elders believe that she is the heir to a legend they fear above all else.

Wicka, the debut novel by Christy Deveaux, has been compared to other fantasy paranormal tales such as Twilight, written by Stephanie Meyer and Harry Potter, written by J.K. Rowling. Young adults and grown ups alike are sure to love this adventure filled magical romance.

Goodreads / Amazon

Grab your copy for 99¢ for a limited time only!

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Book Trailer:

Author Bio:

Christy Deveaux is the author of The Chronicles of Elizabeth Blake series. Her highly anticipated first book in the series, Wicka, was just released this spring (2014). Inspired by traveling across Europe solo at a very young age, and many travel adventures since, the character and story line behind Elizabeth Blake was born. Christy majored in political science and earned a cross-disciplinary degree from the University of Western Ontario. She lives in Toronto, Ontario with her husband, three children and a fish named Cow.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
To see all my reviews, go HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
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Tag Team Event Giveaway – Deadly Catch by E Michael Helms @EMichaelHelms

Posted on August 23, 2016 by fundinmental

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Welcome to the Tag Team Tag Team Event & Giveaway!

This is where myself (Sherry at fundinmental) and Laura at fuonlyknew tag team authors and their books. We share our reviews and giveaways, giving you two perspsectives of the book and two chances to win!

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Today, we will be sharing E Michael Helm’s Deadly Catch, a mystery novel set on the Gulf Coast of the United States.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Everything about Deadly Catch by E Michael Helms talks to me, from the cover to the title to the setting on the US Gulf Coast to the murder mystery inside.

Mac McClellan had retired from the military and as he sat in the boat, fishing, and thinking, is this what my life will be like now…

“Thought I’d finally hooked my ‘gator’ trout…”

Kate, his love interest, works at the marina and knows her fishing.

Sheriff Bo, what other name would he have in the south, is a bully with a bad attitude. I can see him now, smirking, drawing his own conclusions before the evidence is even collected.

In a small town, everyone knows everyone and all their business, but Mac’s peeps love him and stand by him.

Small fishing villages, oysters, romance, lighthouses, gators, fried green tomatoes, drugs, corruption, murder and mystery are only a few of the things this story will share. I love that E Michael Helms mentions the stingray shuffle. I also have done the dance and anyone who has visited the Gulf Coast will know what he means. It’s those small details that make me want more of Mac.

I loved riding the waves with him, feeling the warm sun on my face, the wind caressing my body, having cocktails at the Green Parrot. Actually, I believe I live this life, so it’s very easy to walk in his shoes, except when it comes to murder. I haven’t hooked a dead body…yet. 😆

I thought I knew where this story was going, but planned on enjoying it anyway. Just because it’s predictable, doesn’t mean it can’t be a great read. I figured this was a cozy mystery, fun and easy reading. BUT…E Michael Helms caught me offguard when I was only a quarter of the way in. The direction of the story changed and it isn’t so cozy any more.

Summer is the perfect time to read this fantastic mystery series…so come one…let’s take a ride on Highway 98. Just follow the dead bodies…

I received a copy of Deadly Catch from E Michael Helms in return for an honest review.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: “The first cast of the day turned my dream vacation into a nightmare. . . .”

After twenty-four years in the U.S. Marines, recently retired Mac McClellan is happy to be a civilian again. He is enjoying a leisurely fishing vacation in the Florida panhandle when he hooks a badly decomposed body.

Then, when a bag of rare marijuana is discovered stashed aboard his rental boat, he realizes someone is setting him up to take the fall for murder and drug smuggling. Mac’s plans for a more laid-back life must be put on hold while he works to clear his name as the number one suspect.

Mac launches an investigation with the help of Kate Bell, a feisty saleslady at the local marina with whom he has struck up a promising relationship. Along the way he must butt heads and match wits with local law enforcement officials, shady politicians, and strong-armed thugs from the Eastern Seaboard to sniff out and bring the real smuggler and killer to justice.

ABOUT E MICHAEL HELMS

I was born in Georgia way back in the last century but grew up and lived most of my life on the Gulf Coast of Florida in Panama City (beautiful beaches, girls galore–ah, the memories!). In 2004 my wife and I moved to the Upstate region of South Carolina in the shadows of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, a land of stunning vistas and numerous waterfalls.

I’ve been traditionally published since 1990 when my Vietnam War memoir, The Proud Bastards, launched. TPB chronicles my time as a combat U.S. Marine in 1967-68. It’s still in print after all these years, currently with Simon & Schuster/Pocket. I’ve since written a few novels in different genres. I’m also working on a collection of “Dinger, PI” short stories that are being published on Motive Means Opportunity, a crime/mystery blog I share with two other writers of the same ilk. Currently I’m writing the Mac McClellan Mystery series which is set along the coast of the Florida Panhandle where I grew up.

Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter / Amazon / Google+ / Mystery Blog

GIVEAWAY

Michael is offering a fabulous giveaway and we will have 7 winners:

1st Prize – $20 Amazon GC (International, where legal)
2nd & 3rd Prize – Print copies of DEADLY CATCH (U.S. only)
4th – 7th – .pdf ebooks of DEADLY CATCH (International, where legal)

To enter, simply answer the question and leave your email, letting us know if you are US or International:

If you could be on any beach in the world, which one would you choose?

For another entry and review perspective, hop over to fuonlyknew and say hi to Laura.

Giveaway runs from 8/23/16 – 8/31/16.

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

The Deadly Catch stand alone series by E Michael Helms:

My Reviews for E Michael Helms:

Deadly Dunes

E Michael Helm’s Military Novels:

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Giveaway for Cynthia Robert’s Unchained Melody Series @CynthiasRomance @PromoBookTours

Posted on August 22, 2016 by fundinmental

unchainedmelodybanner

For those of you who have followed me know, I don’t do a lot of straight up romance novels, but these pretty covers for Cynthia Roberts’s Unchained Melody series called to me and sometimes I need to step outside my comfort zone.

How about you? Do you challenge yourself to step outside your preferred reading genre?

Pamela Landers had it all, a senior partnership with a top law firm, expensive car, and a luxurious condo. What she desired most was a loving husband, children and a life filled with precious memories that would comfort her through her golden years.

Funny how fate has a way of steering you down that path where dreams really can come true. When Pamela encounters Gavin Templeton along her journey, she has some life-altering decisions to make that eventually lead her to happily ever after she always dreamed of.

Buy on Amazon / iBooks / Barnes and Noble

Get it on Smashwords for only $.99!!!!

If the ebook isn’t already .99 use Coupon Code: AN23P

About the Cynthia Roberts

My love of reading romance fiction goes back to those early years when I was raising a young family. It wasn’t until Cynthiaphoto much later in life I actually took up the pen to write my first historical romance, Wind Warrior. I really don’t fit into one specific niche. Once a story starts to flow, it’s only then I know what genre/subgenre it will fit under.

I have only one regret, and that is not getting to this point in my career much sooner, rather than later. Life has a way of setting up road blocks, which for me, was supposed to work out that way. Because of those detours, I have become a more passionate and expressive writer, allowing me to create the kind of raw human emotion I want my readership to feel. It is my hope you walk away with not just an entertaining read, but the importance in knowing,

“Without imagination & dreams, we lose the excitement of wonderful possibilities.”

Follow the author: Website / Facebook / Google+ / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest

Cynthia Roberts is giving away an ebook set of her Love Song Standards series. To enter you must be 18+ Open INT. Ends 8/25 @ 11:59pm EST fill out the form below to enter.

Entry -Form

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
To see all my reviews, go HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Sherry’s Shelves #91 – Who’s Crashing The Pool Party Today?

Posted on August 21, 2016 by fundinmental

Sherry’s Shelves #90 is my weekly update from August 14 – August 20, 2016.

Sunday Post #201 Countdown to Spring..

Stacking The Shelves {200}

Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews
Bought, Borrowed & Bagged is hosted by TalkSupe
**all images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**

~~~

Hello fellow bloggers. Hope your week was full of good books and summer fun.

For your viewing pleasure, just another day at the pool.

~~~

THIS WEEK ON fundinmental

I will have more posts, I’m just not sure what, so be sure and keep checking back.

Sherry’s Shelves
Giveaway – Unchained Melody by Cynthia Roberts
Tag Team Giveaway and Review – Deadly Catch by E Michael Helms
Teaser Tuesday
Giveaway – Wicka by Christy Deveaux
Kindle Giveaway and Review – Candidate for Murder by Lauren Carr
Friday 56
Cozy Giveaway and Review – The Black Thumb by Frankie Bow

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Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You may see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Save

One Sentence Review – Scene of the Climb by Kate Dyer Seeley @katedyerseeley

Posted on August 20, 2016 by fundinmental

Kate Dyer Seeley is known for her Pacific Northwest cozy mysteries, which Scene of the Climb is the first. They are fun and easy reads that will stand alone.

So, put on your climbing gear and let’s get started.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

Meg is afraid of heights and many outdoorsy things, but she is like a dog with a bone and sifts through the list of suspects that kept me guessing and kept the mystery alive in this fun cozy.

3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: Portland, Oregon, is the perfect fit for someone like Meg Reed. It’s a city with a small town feel, where she can crash on the couch of her best friend Jill, now that she’s graduated from journalism school. . .

But a girl needs a job, so Meg bluffs her way into writing for Northwest Extreme magazine, passing herself off to editor-in-chief Greg Dixon as an outdoor adventure enthusiast. Never mind that Meg’s idea of sport is climbing onto the couch without spilling her latte. So when she finds herself clawing to the top of Angel’s Rest–a two-thousand-foot peak–to cover the latest challenge in a reality TV adventure show, she can’t imagine feeling more terrified. Until she witnesses a body plummet off the side of the cliff. Now Meg has a murder to investigate. And if the climbing doesn’t kill her, a murderer just might. . .

Includes Adventure Guides!

You may see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

I have also read and reviewed Silenced in the Surf by Kate Dyer Seeley. You can see it HERE.

Friday 56 #96 & BB – Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard @elmoreleonard

Posted on August 19, 2016 by fundinmental

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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This is the perfect time of year for RUM PUNCH by Elmore Leonard.

This is the cover I have, a 1st edition hardback published in 1992. It is embossed with raised lettering and design. I love the heron with the ammo.

Check out the others below. I am curious which you would like best.

My 56

They had booked Jackie at the admitting desk, removed the handcuffs, and brought her to a counter at the end of a narrow hallway where she was searched, photographed, and fingerprinted on six separate cards. She studied a list of bail bondsmen…

(Page 65, 56 was blank, in hardcover)

Oops…forgot Book Beginnings

Sunday morning, Ordell took Louis to watch the white-power demonstration in downtown Palm Beach.

“Young skinhead Nazis…”

My question to you: Do you think Jackie and her bail bondsman will become an item?

Add to Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB: The inimitable Elmore Leonard follows up his bestseller Maximum Bob with a punch–Rum Punch–where a gun dealer, a flight attendant, and a bail bondsman make interesting bedfellows. When Jackie gets caught smuggling her boss’s gun money on the airline she works for, she hatches a plan with her bail bondsman to walk off with the money.