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Saturday, May 20, 2017

Dumpster Dying & Grilled, Chilled and Killed
by Lesley A. Diehl

The setting is interesting and well-drawn, the characters are a load of fun, and the story moves fast and keeps the reader turning the pages, with just the right amount of peril.
~The Ninja Librarian reviews Dumpster Dying
Lesley A. Diehl is rapidly become a favorite! She has done it again with the Big Lake Murder Mysteries featuring Emily Rhodes…
~The Journey Back
I am loving this series. Book 2 is just as good as Book 1.
~My Reading Journeys 
The characters in the book are well-rounded, complex, and interesting. The more I’ve read, the more I’ve started liking them.
~Valerie’s Musings

(Dumpster Dying)…this is wonderful story of friendship and family, and this is a series I would highly recommend to all cozy fans.
(Grilled, Chilled and Killed)This book was just as much fun to read as the first one, if not more so.
~Book Babble
Dumpster Dying: Book 1 in the Big Lake Murder MysteriesCozy Mystery
1st in Series
Creekside Publishing (December 31, 2016)
Paperback: 248 Pages E-Book 232 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0997234923
E-Book ASIN: B01MRWGBC8
Emily Rhodes came to rural Florida for the cowboys, the cattle, and to do a little country two-step, not to fall head first onto a dead body in a dumpster. Ah, the golden years of retirement in the sunshine state. They’re more like pot metal to Emily, who discovers the body of the county’s wealthiest rancher in the Big Lake Country Club dumpster. With her close friend accused of the murder, Emily sets aside her grief at her life partner’s death to find the real killer. She underestimates the obstacles rural Florida can set up for a winter visitor and runs afoul of a local judge with his own version of justice, hires a lawyer who works out of a retirement home, and flees wild fires hand-in-hand with the man she believes to be the killer.
Grilled, Chilled and Killed: Big Lake Murder Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Creekside Publishing (December 31, 2016)
Paperback: 330 pages E-Book 224 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0997234930
E-Book ASIN: B01N9GUUKU
It seems as if Emily is destined to discover dead bodies. This time she finds one of the contestants at the local barbecue cook-off dead and covered in barbecue sauce in a beer cooler. She should be used to stumbling onto corpses by now and the question of who killed the guy should pique her curiosity, but Emily decides to let Detective Lewis handle this one, at least until she figures his theory of who did the deed is wrong, wrong, wrong. Lewis’ denigration of Emily’s speculations is condescending enough to stimulate her dormant snooping skills. As the two of them go on their separate paths to find the killer, Lewis’ old partner, Toby the dirty, tobacco-spitting cop interferes in the investigation leaving Lewis with the wrong man in jail. Killers, bootleggers, barbecue and feral pigs—it’s a lethal game of hide and seek in the Florida swamp.


About The Author

Lesley retired from her life as a professor of psychology and reclaimed her country roots by moving to a small cottage in the Butternut River Valley in Upstate New York. In the winter she migrates to old Florida—cowboys, scrub palmetto and open fields of grazing cattle, a place where spurs still jingle in the post office, and gators make golf a contact sport. Back north, the shy ghost inhabiting the cottage serves as her literary muse. When not writing, she gardens, cooks, frequents yard sales and renovates the 1874 cottage with the help of her husband, two cats and, of course, Fred the ghost, who gives artistic direction to their work. She is the author of a number of mystery series and mysteries as well as short stories. The third book in the Eve Appel murders (from Camel Press) A Sporting Murder was awarded a Readers’ Favorite Five Star Award and her short story Gator Aid a Sleuthfest (2009) short story first place. She has fired the alligator that served as her literary muse when she is in Florida and is interviewing applicants for the position.
Author Links
Purchase Links
Dumpster Dying – Amazon 
Grilled, Chilled and Killed – Amazon


Review.jpg

With all the fascinating characters this book has to offer, mystery fans are sure to find  this a page turner. Emily has found herself becoming  a bartender at a country club after a sudden death finds her all alone. Poor Emily can't seem to catch a break when she finds a dead body in the dumpster outside the club. She now must deal with not only  her partners ex-wife in a dispute over an estate, but the a dead body dumped at her work. I found Emily to me a bit annoying. It's hard to believe that everywhere she turns, trouble is there waiting for her. My favorite character hands down is the lawyer Emily hires. He is grouchy at times, loves the women and oh yeah lives in a nursing home.

Clara the manager of the country club and Emily's best friend is somehow the main suspect in the death of the person dumped like garbage at the club. I did like Clara and thought she had a great sassy attitude. I guess when you have a best friend it isn't always true that you tell them everything . Clara has a big secret that will play a huge role in the mystery and one that Emily wasn't aware of. But have no fear readers, Emily has her own secret that will hit her square in the face. The author does make Florida sound like a fun place to live with luscious golf courses and lively gators waiting to say hi. The story has many little side stories that all intercede to make a delightful book that I found intriguing. Get ready for some  laughs, good old boys and a story that will have you keeping score of all the bad guys. I loved the banter between the characters and thought it was funny when Emily tried to act tough around a certain person. Overall the book is good with a mystery within a mystery.

I received a copy of this book from The Great Escapes Book Tour. The review is my own opinion.



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Tour Participants
May 15 – The Ninja Librarian – REVIEW – Book 1, CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 15 – My Journey Back – My Reading Journeys –  REVIEW – Both Books, INTERVIEW*
May 16 – Dee-Scoveries – SPOTLIGHT
May 17 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW – Both Books, INTERVIEW
May 17 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
May 18 – A Blue Million Books – GUEST POST
May 18 – Book Babble – REVIEW – Both Books
May 19 – Sleuth Cafe – SPOTLIGHT
May 19 – Bookworm CafĂ© –  GUEST POST
May 20 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW – Book 1
May 20 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – REVIEW – Both Books *
May 21 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT
May 21 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 22 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW – Both Books, CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 22 –StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW – Book 1
May 22 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW – Both Books
May 23 – FUONLYKNEW – REVIEW – Both Books*
May 24 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW – Book 2
May 24 – T’s Stuff – REVIEW – Book 1
May 25 – Bibliophile Reviews –  REVIEW – Both Books
May 25 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 26 – Rainy Day Reviews – REVIEW –  Both Books*
May 26 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 27 – Varietats2010 – REVIEW – Book 2
May 27 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW Book 1, GUEST POST*
May 28 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW Book 2*
May 28 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – CHARACTER GUEST POST

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