The Baron's Cufflinks by P.J. Maclayne-He Didn't Count As A Friend And He Wasn't Exactly An Enemy Either #CozyMystery #Contemporary

The Baron's Cufflinks is the third book in the Oak Grove Mysteries, and Harmony Duprie is up to her usual antics.

Description:

What starts as Girl's Night Out ends in murder, and Harmony Duprie is a suspect.

She's innocent, of course, but with no alibi, the sheriff's department won't remove her from the list of suspects. It doesn't help when a waitress from the bar gets beaten up and the only clue is a slip of paper with Harmony's name on it. Throw in a rookie deputy dead set on building his reputation and Harmony must tread carefully.

But caution isn't Harmony's middle name and she plunges head first into danger to defend her honor.

What she finds is a web of half-truths and suspicions implicating several law enforcement agencies, with Jake, her ex-lover, stuck in the middle of it all.

Can Harmony rescue Jake and find the real culprit before she becomes the next victim?

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Excerpt

Not that I particularly liked Agent Felton. But I only knew two FBI agents and couldn't tolerate the other one. Although Felton didn't count as a friend, he wasn't an enemy either. Still, it surprised me when he agreed to meet for lunch, no questions asked.

I spotted him right away when I entered the small Chinese buffet place, his suggestion, near his office. He stuck out like a sore thumb amid the crowd of secretaries having lunch.  It had been a few months since I’d seen him, and gray hairs were now scattered in with the brown. Meeting him on his home turf meant I'd need to be on my best behavior, but I was good with that.

The restaurant’s Shanghai soup dumplings were a treat and I was on my second serving when Felton wearied of our sporadic chit-chat. “You didn’t call me to talk about the weather. Or to tell me you’ve realized that you’re deeply in love with me. What is it you want, Miss Duprie?”

I could play it for kicks or play it straight. The choice seemed obvious if I didn’t want to tick him off. I swallowed and looked him square in the eye. “Information. Do you know anything about a guy by the name of Tadd Foard?”

The agent leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and thought for a moment. “Can't say that I do. Why?”

“He was murdered a few days ago.”

“And you care why?  Are you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong again?” He grinned as he raised a spoonful of the egg drop soup towards his mouth.

“I may be a suspect.”

We spent the next few minutes cleaning up the soup that had sprayed everywhere.

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Buy Links:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-baron-s-cufflinks

Books2read Universal https://www.books2read.com/u/b5OVGp

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072P6CD3D

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1232223538

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-barons-cufflinks-pj-maclayne/1126317718?ean=2940157511692
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Author's Bio

Born and raised among the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania, P.J. MacLayne still finds inspiration for her books in that landscape. She is a computer geek by day and a writer by night who currently lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. When she's not in front of a computer screen, she might be found exploring the back roads of the nearby national forests and parks. In addition to the Oak Grove Mysteries, she is also the author of The Free Wolves series.

P.J. MacLayne can be reached on:  

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Cozy Mystery Author P.J. MacLayne and Her Book The Marquesa's Necklace; An 'Oak Grove Mysteries Novel'

Thanks Clare, for giving me the change to appear on your blog.

When I started writing what turned into The Marquesa's Necklace, I thought I was going to write a romance novel. In fact, the working title was “The Ghost Who Loved Me.”  But as I got to know my main character, Harmony, it quickly turned into something else. Much to my surprise, I found I was writing a cozy mystery, and having fun doing it.

In fact, it takes Harmony a while to figure out that she's in the middle of an unsolved puzzle. But she tackles it with a passion, despite her preference for routine. Which is a good thing, because her life just might depend upon finding the answer to questions she doesn't even know to ask.

And that title I didn't use? I still love it. I may just write the book that deserves to have it.

Excerpt: 

“Harmony,” he said tentatively.

“Detective Thomason,” He might be trying to be friendly, but I still hadn’t forgiven him for arresting me.

He cleared his throat, and set the file back on his desk. “Did you let anyone borrow your car today?” he asked.

“No, my keys are right here.” I started digging through the contents of my purse.

“I’ll take your word for it,” he said, after I pulled out my checkbook, a packet of pink tissues, and a paperback with an almost-naked man on the front cover and piled them on the corner of his desk.  His mouth twitched. “Have you made any new enemies recently, Miss Duprie?” I guess he got my message about the terms of our relationship.

“Besides a certain insufferable cop?” Even in the artificial fluorescent light, I saw the red rising in his cheeks. I could almost hear him counting to ten as I pretended to consider the question. “I think Larry, the florist, is ticked off that I’m not receiving flowers anymore. And Bart at the grocery store yelled at me last week when I went through the ten items or less line with fourteen items. But what does that have to do with someone stealing and wrecking my car?”

He took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and exhaled. “Bear with me a moment. Did you go anywhere today?”

I couldn’t figure out where this line of questioning was going, but I answered anyway. “No, I woke up with a killer headache, realized it was going to rain, and decided to stay home and work.”

“And when was the last time you saw your car?”

“This morning. I planned to go to the library, but it started to storm as I was leaving. Why?”

He swiveled his chair so he was facing away from me. I fidgeted in my suddenly uncomfortable seat and waited. He turned back around and leaned forward with his forearms on his desk. 

“Your headache may have saved your life. We’ve asked for help from the state police to verify our theory, but our preliminary investigation and accounts from a few eyewitnesses indicate your car exploded.” Sitting back and rubbing his forehead, he added. “A tall man in a brown suit was seen in the vicinity.”

I sputtered. “What do you mean my car exploded?”

“In a fireball. Burnt to a crisp. If you had been in the vehicle, you’d be dead.”



The Marquesa's Necklace is available at major retailers

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-marquesas-necklace-pj-maclayne/1119886265

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LF11HB4

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id894246916

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-marquesa-s-necklace



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