Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Excerpt & Giveaway: LADLE TO THE GRAVE by Connie Archer


Good day! Grab a hot drink from the kitchen, cuddle with the cat, and enjoy this excerpt from a cozy mystery, "Ladle to the Grave" by Connie Archer.

Connie Archer is the national bestselling author of the Soup Lover’s Mystery series from Penguin Random House (Berkley Prime Crime). A Spoonful of Murder, A Broth of Betrayal, A Roux of Revenge and Ladle to the Grave are set in the imaginary village of Snowflake, Vermont. A Clue in the Stew will be released in April 2016. Connie was born and raised in New England and now lives on the other coast. You can visit her at www.ConnieArcherMysteries.com, Facebook.com/ConnieArcherMysteries and Twitter @SnowflakeVT.




One woman stepped forward and doused her candle on the stone altar. She grasped the bowl in both hands. Cordelia paused, about to speak, but before she could utter a word, the woman drank the brew in its entirety. Cordelia stared at her, then filled the bowl again as a second woman stepped forward.

A strangled sound came from the lips of the first woman to drink. She gasped, clutching her throat. Her eyes grew large in panic as she tried to speak. Her chest heaved with the effort to breathe. She dropped to the ground as her legs crumpled beneath her. The others watched helplessly as the woman lay before them, retching and gasping for air.

“Agnes,” Emily cried out.

“What’s wrong?” Cecily asked.

Someone replied in alarm. “She can’t breathe. Help her!”

“Let me through. I know CPR,” Emily Rathbone pushed the women aside. They stepped back and stared as Agnes continued to gasp. Emily struggled to lift Agnes’s head and open her jaw while Agnes writhed violently.

“Help me hold her.” Emily shouted. Two of the women knelt. One held Agnes’s arms and the other, her legs. Emily tilted Agnes’s head and checked her throat. “There’s nothing there. Nothing’s interfering with her breathing. Maybe it’s an allergic reaction.” She deftly rolled Agnes to her side. Agnes’s head fell forward, her movements still violent. She retched again and whispered, “help me.” Then her body went limp.

Complete stillness filled the clearing. No one spoke. Someone finally whispered, “Is she breathing?”

Emily felt for a pulse while the women watched in silence. She looked up at their concerned faces. “Agnes is gone.”

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



By the Spoonful is Snowflake, Vermont’s most popular soup shop, but owner Lucky Jamieson doesn’t have any time to enjoy her success—she’s too busy trying to keep a lid on false accusations against her loved ones…

It’s almost May, and some of the local ladies have organized a pagan celebration in the woods to welcome spring. But the evening goes terribly wrong when one of the attendees winds up dead, apparently poisoned by an herbal concoction prepared by Lucky’s grandfather, Jack.

Lucky’s sure her grandfather could not have made such a tragic mistake. But before she can clear him of suspicion, her best friend, Sophie, is diverted from planning her wedding to By the Spoonful chef Sage DuBois when she finds a dead man floating in the creek on her property. Now it’s up to Lucky to get both Sophie and Jack out of hot water before a killer stirs up more trouble…

Recipes included!

Series: Soup Lover's Mystery #4
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: March 3, 2015
Formats: paperback, ebook
Buying Links: Amazon* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository* | iBooks*
* associate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.


Connie will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

32 comments:

  1. Thank you for the chance to win :)

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    1. Hi Lisa - I'm late catching up with comments, but glad you could enter. Best of luck!

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  2. What is the best gift you have been given?

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    1. Hi Mai - wow! You always have some great questions! I've received many blessings in life that are emotional or psychic or intangible, but if I had to name an actual physical gift, I think I'd have to say the Nancy Drew books my mother gave me when I was very young. They began my love of mysteries!

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  3. How did you come up with the concept for your book?

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    1. Hi Helen - Ladle to the Grave has a somewhat complicated plot, with some twists and turns, and was a lot of fun to write. The idea for the plot was a strange crime story I read on the web that involved a child. What intrigued me the most was not the actual crime as much as the discovery and the aftermath of the crime. I never found an answer to it and that's what stuck in my head. I can't say more because I don't want to give away any spoilers. I hope you get to meet all the characters in the village soon!

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  4. What books do you enjoy reading?

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    1. Hi Becky- I love all kinds of mysteries and thrillers. That's pretty much all I read. Sometimes I enjoy history books, but always go back to mysteries and thrillers. I'm interested in true crime too, but sometimes those stories creep me out a bit!

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  5. This cozy is delightful and the locale very special. Thanks.

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    1. Thanks for visiting, I know you're familiar with the village! Very best of luck to you!

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  6. I enjoyed the post, thank you for sharing!

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    1. Hi Betty - Great to see you here! Good luck to you!

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  7. Great excerpt, sounds like a terrific read, thanks for sharing!

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    1. Hi Eva - I hope you'll get to meet all the characters in Snowflake, VT soon! Good luck!

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  8. Sounds like a great read!!
    Thanks for the chance to win!

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    1. Hi Natasha - you're welcome! And best of luck. Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. Thanks for sharing the excerpt! I enjoyed reading your post :)

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    1. Hi Victoria - So glad you enjoyed it and thanks for visiting! Best of luck!

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    1. Hi Mary - Glad you could stop by! So glad you enjoyed this excerpt. Best of luck to you!

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  11. I have the first two book in the series and enjoyed them very much. I'd be thrilled if I won this one to add to my home library.

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    1. Thanks so much for letting me know, Nora. It's so great to hear from someone who's enjoyed the adventures in Snowflake. I hope you'll have a chance to catch up with A Roux of Revenge and Ladle too. A Clue in the Stew is the next in the series, and that comes out in April 2016. I'll be doing some giveaways for that one later on. Very best of luck to you!

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  12. A very special thank you to Bea's Books for hosting me!

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  13. Thank you so much for the giveaway!

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  14. Are you a plotter or a pantser when it comes to writing?

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    1. Hi Ree - I always like to start with a plan, a plot, and try to work it out in some detail. It saves a lot of time in the long run especially when there are deadlines to consider. But I'm always open to changing things and keeping the story flexible, just in case a new idea pops into my head. I always hope for inspiration! Lots of inspiration! LOL!

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  15. Sounds like a book I could really enjoy, thanks for sharing!

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    1. Hi Eva, I hope you'll be able to visit Snowflake, VT soon!

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  16. As someone who writes mysteries are they your favourite genre of story to read as well? Can you recommend any authors who have inspired you within your genre?

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  17. Liked the excerpt. Who are some of youe favorite authors

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Thanks for taking the time to comment. I enjoy hearing from my readers. Let's talk!