Today I'm participating in the Murder's No Votive Confidence Blog Tour. In this post you'll find book and author information along with my review. And don't forget to enter the giveaway via the link in this post.
About the book . . .
Murder's No Votive Confidence
A Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Kensington (June 25, 2019)
ISBN-10: 149672139X
ISBN-13: 978-1496721396
Digital ASIN: B07HVYJNRD
1st in Series
Kensington (June 25, 2019)
ISBN-10: 149672139X
ISBN-13: 978-1496721396
Digital ASIN: B07HVYJNRD
Synopsis . . .
Nantucket candle store owner Stella Wright specializes in creating unique candles for every occasion. But someone sets the stage for murder when a Memorial Day celebration becomes a wedding to die for . . .
Jessica Sterling’s candlelight-themed nuptials promises to be the perfect kick-off to the summer’s first official holiday weekend. Stella’s thrilled to have been chosen to provide the decorative centerpiece for the wedding ceremony: a two-foot-tall scented unity candle—a symbol of the happy couple’s love. But it looks like the bride-to-be’s uncle won’t be walking his niece down the aisle after he’s found dead. The murder weapon is Stella’s seemingly indestructible candle, now split in two.
When a beloved local bartender is arrested, Stella’s sure a visiting police captain running the case made a rush to justice. With superstitious brides-to-be canceling orders and sales waxing and waning at her store, the Wick & Flame owner decides to do some sleuthing of her own. Abetted by a charming reporter and challenged by the town’s sexiest cop, Stella’s determined to shine a light on the truth and uncover a killer who’s snuffing out her own flame.
My review . . . Jessica Sterling and Joe Handler have chosen Nantucket Island, with its natural beauty and quaint charm, as the ideal setting for their Memorial Day weekend nuptials. As the guests begin to arrive at the Melville Inn for the big day, event planner Emily Gardner and her oldest friend, candle shop owner Stella Wright are working around the clock to deliver the perfect wedding. And given their eye for detail, everything is under control--that is, until they encounter one detail they never anticipated--the death of Jessica's Uncle Simon, whose lifeless body is found in the inn's game room just days before he was to walk her down the aisle. Simon has met a violent death, and the murder weapon is the unity candle that Stella hand-crafted for the wedding.
The police are quick to arrest Bill Duffy, an islander and bartender at the Melville Inn, who admitted to assaulting Simon during an argument earlier during the evening in question. Jessica, whose family has been on the island for generations, has known Bill since she was a child and doesn't believe he is capable of murder. Setting out to clear his name, Stella questions the people who interacted with Simon before his death and uncovers baffling clues and suspicious behavior. She collaborates with handsome police officer and childhood friend Andy Southerland to identify a motive and vet the list of suspects. And as if finding the real killer isn't enough to keep her busy, because the betrothed couple is determined to proceed with the wedding, Stella must quickly create a new ceremonial candle that will not only wow Jessica and Joe, but also restore interest and faith among the other prospective brides who have begun to associate Stella's wedding candles with bad luck.
Murder's No Votive Confidence is a rollicking good read with an engaging cast of characters revolving around protagonist Stella, who has a keen sense for sleuthing. Her clan of Wright cousins is involved in all aspects of island business, and the other long-time islanders have their own strong history with Stella. Author Christin Brecher enriches the plot by introducing several "outsider" characters: a mysterious movie star, a comical cat, and an ambitious journalist. Between the wedding events, murder mystery, and a holiday sailing regatta there is never a dull reading moment.
Murder's No Votive Confidence is a welcome addition to summer reading lists. This delightful start to a new series opens up possibilities for more adventures involving Stella, her family and friends, her budding love interests, and her candle shop. I've marked my calendar for a return trip to Nantucket (and warm weather beach thoughts) with the release of Book #2 in the series: Murder Makes Scents, which will be published in February 2020.
Giveaway . . . Enter the Murder's No Votive Confidence book giveaway by clicking on this link.
About the author . . .
Christin Brecher was born and raised in NYC, where her family and
many childhood friends still reside. As such, she feels she is as much
of a small-town girl as any. The idea to write the Nantucket Candle
Maker series sprang from her life-long connection to the small island
off the coast of Massachusetts. Spending summers there as a child,
Christin read from her family’s library of mystery novels, after which
she began to imagine stories inspired by the island’s whaling heyday,
its notoriously foggy nights, and during long bike rides to the
beach. After many years in marketing for the publishing industry,
followed by years raising her children, Murder’s No Votive Confidence is Christin’s debut novel.
Author links . . .
Website: http://christinbrecher.com/
Tour participants . . .
July 8 – The Power of Words – REVIEWJuly 8 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 8 – Books Direct – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
July 8 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
July 9 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW
July 9 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
July 9 – A Blue Million Books – GUEST POST
July 9 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW
July 10 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
July 10 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 10 – The Avid Reader REVIEW
July 11 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
July 11 – Babs Book Bistro – Candle Making 101 Notes Post
July 12 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW
July 12 – A Holland Reads – REVIEW
July 12 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
July 13 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
July 13 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 14 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
July 14 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 15 – eBook Addicts – REVIEW
July 15 – The Book Diva’s Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 15 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
July 16 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 16 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
July 16 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
July 17 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
July 17 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW, GUEST POST
Note . . . I received a complimentary copy of Murder's No Votive Confidence from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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