Monday, March 31, 2014

A Second Helping of Murder by Christine Wenger: Guest Author/Review/Giveaway


From the office of
TRIXIE MATKOWSKI
Owner
SILVER BULLET DINER &
SANDY HARBOR HOUSEKEEPING COTTAGES
“On the beautiful shore of Lake Ontario in Sandy Harbor, New York”

Greetings from Sandy Harbor, New York!
It’s summer as I write this note to you and the tourist season is in full swing!  I thought that things would calm down after my first several months here, but I’m busier than ever and so is my staff. 

Moving to New York and buying the Silver Bullet Diner (circa 1950, Open 24 hours, Air-conditioned, Breakfast Served All Day) from my Aunt Stella Matkowski , who retired to Boca Raton, was a big change for me.  Things proved even more difficult when the restaurant inspector turned up dead in my kitchen!  My beautiful diner became a ghost town overnight!
With the help of my neighbor, Deputy Sheriff Ty Brisco, a cowboy transplant from Houston, Texas, I  got to the bottom of what had happened to the inspector.  My friend, Christine Wenger, who loves to write and fancies herself the historian of Sandy Harbor, documented that horrible part of my life in DO OR DINER (Obsidian Books, August 2013).  She said that fiction was stranger than the truth, so the story just had to be told.

And Chris just finished recording the details of two more murders which occurred in town about twenty years apart in A SECOND HELPING OF MURDER (Obsidian Books, April 2014).  The scene I discovered in Cottage Number Eight will be forever etched in my mind.  The lovely citizens of Sandy Harbor are starting to wonder about me!
In spite of the bad stuff, I’ve kept busy cooking and playing with recipes at the Silver Bullet, have almost stopped reeling from my divorce (almost!), made life-long friends, never laughed so much, and still find time to polka!  

Life is good at the lake.  Come visit!

                                                                                Trixie

A Second Helping of Murder: A Comfort Food Mystery

Blurb: Trixie Matkowski is warming up to running her family’s diner in the small town of Sandy Harbor in upstate New York. But the only thing more demanding than serving up piping-hot comfort food twenty-four hours a day is getting to the bottom of a double homicide....

Trixie fondly remembers summers as a child spent visiting the shores of Lake Ontario. Not much has changed—there are still vinyl booths at the Silver Bullet Diner, families eating home-cooked comfort food, and days of swimming in the lake.

But before Trixie can say “Order’s up,” someone’s summer is abruptly cut short. One of the cottage residents is found dead, and Trixie suspects the crime might be linked to an unsolved disappearance in the picturesque town’s past.

As Trixie works with Deputy Ty Brisco to solve both mysteries, their shocking discoveries will shake up the small town. And when word gets out that she’s on the case, Trixie’s in trouble—after all, the murderer won’t spare her life just because she makes a killer corned beef sandwich....

Mochas, Mysteries and Meows Review: Calling this series the Comfort Food Mysteries could not be more appropriate, as this book is as comforting as mac and cheese or pulled pork sammies. Trixie is gearing up for a busy tourist season when the body of a young woman who went missing many years ago is found in a nearby cave. Then her very first guest, a writer who specifically requested the same cabin she disappeared from back then is murdered as well! How are the crimes connected? Who in Sandy Harbor has something to hide worth killing for?

I loved this book because it's not overly taxing with tons of extra characters that are hard to keep track of. One new character, Trixie's new hire, teenager Ray, is a real standout who I look forward to seeing more of. Both the cold case and the new one make for a real page-turner. Add to this mouth-watering descriptions of comfort food and you have one deliciously cozy read! Another helping, please!

GIVEAWAY: What is your favorite comfort food? Tell us by April 4th at noon eastern to be entered for a chance to win A Second Helping of Murder. US entries only.

27 comments:

Karen B said...

I have many - but I love French Toast dusted with a bit of powdered sugar.

Fur Everywhere said...

My favorite comfort foods are lasagna and ice cream :)

Acemommy said...

My favorite is mac n cheese!
sarah2323 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

anything chocolate will do :)
jslbrown2009(at)aol(dot)com

lorraines resources and rewards said...

my favourite comfort food is meatloaf and mashed potatoes

Unknown said...

I suppose my favorite comfort food is my mom's fried chicken. michelle_willms at yahoo dot com.

Unknown said...

I love fried chicken! And Grandma B's apple pie. And Grandma M's babka bread that she made for Easter. And Mom's chicken soup. YUM!!

Chris Wenger, author of A SECOND HELPING OF MURDER

noodlecat said...

Chicken is always good but fried is the best!

Noodle

traveler said...

Grilled cheese with crusty italian bread and tomato basil soup. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

petite said...

What I enjoy most of all is homemade chicken soup. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

Homemade soup.
Laura-I used to ask for my mom to make fried chicken for dinner. Then I finally realized what I really wanted was the gravy she made in the pan after the chicken was cooked, poured over biscuits!
libbydodd@comcast.net

Unknown said...

My favorite comfort food is my Mom's chicken and rice with lemon ice box pie for dessert.
Barbara Thompson
barbmaci61(at)yahoo(dot)com

Sue said...

My favorite comfort food is a really good macaroni and cheese.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Cathy Keisha said...

My favorite food is FF tuna but you don’t have to enter me.

holdenj said...

One of my favorite comfort foods is chicken pot pie. Great way to use leftovers, too! Thanks!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

Oh! CHICKEN POT PIE! I've never had a homemade chicken pot pie. I tried to make it once, but it was a disaster!

Chris Wenger, author of A SECOND HEPING OF MURDER

Kaye Killgore said...

Ice cream.

kaye.killgore@comcast.net

Anita Yancey said...

It is hard to pick just one food as a comfort food. Mine differs depending on my mood. But it is usually ice cream or chocolate.

ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com

Rita Wray said...

Fried chicken.

Mary said...

A mustard, mayo and ketchup Whataburger Hamburger with tomatoes, diet coke followed by a scoop of Rocky Road and Pralines and Cream Ice Cream Cone from Baskin Robbins.

Mary

stampsnscraps(at)aol(dot)com

Carol M said...

My favorite comfort food is a veggie pizza.

mittens0831 at aol dot com

cyn209 said...

wow!! too many to name: chips, French fries, pizza, Entenmann's Apple Pie, brownies............

cyn209 at juno dot com

Sharon Braswell said...

My favorite comfort food is fresh baked bread of any kind (cinnamon rolls) or cookies, especially sugar cookies!

BW said...

Mashed potatoes, anything with chicken or turkey, and chili.

BW said...

email adress is lmyost@roadrunner.com

kiki w said...

I love cotton candy and candy apple.

Nancy said...

I love chicken and dumplings.

Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com