New Release | A Pawsome Summer for Murder by S.A. Kazlo #cozymystery #newrelease #mustread #bookboost
- N. N. Light
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
Title A Pawsome Summer for Murder
Author S.A. Kazlo
Genre Cozy mystery
Publisher ADK Foothills Publishing
Book Blurb
It’s summer in Wings Falls, New York and Samantha Davies is geared up for the annual trout tournament sponsored by Al Gorman, owner of the Sport’s Shop. Sam, along with her Southern Belle cousin, Candie Parker-Hogan, are determined to beat the pants off their significant others, Sam’s new fiancé, Hank Johnson, a detective on Wings Falls police force and Mark Hogan, Candie’s husband. The ladies feel they have a secret weapon—they learned from the best fisherman in Hainted Hollar Tennessee, Grandpop Parker. Sam once won a trophy for the largest fish in the Fins and Tails Fishing Derby.
To Sam’s surprise instead of reeling in the day’s biggest catch, she “hooked” into the body of the town’s most vocal activist, Luna Wheeler.
Raylene Carrigan, owner of a traveling doggie daycare Sam uses for her lovable dachshund, Porkchop, becomes a prime suspect, when it becomes known Luna tried to shut down the town’s doggie park she depends on for the pets in her care. Since Sam has successfully helped solve murders in the past, Raylene begs her for help to prove her innocent.
Sam reluctantly agrees but knows her fiancé won’t be happy with her involvement in yet another murder case.
Determined to help Porkchop’s buddy, Sam starts digging for clues only to discover that Luna, with her over-zealous demands to many of the town’s businesses to recycle, upset more than a few of her friends. Can Sam land Luna’s murderer before she gets ‘hooked’ by the killer?
Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE
"Porkchop, where is your Aunt Candie? I want to stake out my spot on the stream before more people arrive." My reddish-brown dachshund and I stood in the parking lot that accessed Ridley Run, the trout stream where Al Gorman’s annual fishing tournament was to take place. The fishing spots were quickly filling up with anglers hoping to win the new fishing pole Al was awarding as a prize for the biggest trout caught today. I was looking forward to a day of fun and fishing. Unfortunately, it turned into one of fear and forensics. At the end of the day, I wanted to use another F-word. No, not that one. My Memaw Parker would have washed my mouth out with soap if it ever passed my lips. “Oh, fudge” was what I wanted to say to express my feelings on how the day turned out.
I glanced at my trusty Timex and noticed there were only twenty minutes until the start of the fishing tournament. Al owned Al's Sports Shop on Pine Street in Wings Falls, my hometown in upstate New York. While I preferred a designer purse sale to buying fishing tackle, the Sports Shop was the favorite hangout of my fiancé, Hank Johnson.
The strap of my green waders slipped down my shoulder. I pushed it up, then bent and patted my pup on his head. I was dressed and ready to prove to Hank I could catch the winning trout.
The diamond ring on my left hand sparkled in the warm July sunlight. I still wanted to pinch myself when I thought of the handsome man I was engaged to. My Southern Belle cousin, Candie Parker-Hogan, referred to him as Hunky Hank. I called him the love of my life, next to Porkchop, that is.
Until Hank entered my life, almost two years ago, Porkchop was my constant companion. My pup helped me through a nasty divorce after I discovered my ex, George, who I'd been married to for twenty-five years, doing the bump fuzzies with the secretary of the funeral home we co-own, the Do Drop Inn Funeral Parlor.
Porkie and I walked over to the rippling stream. He dipped his small paws in and lapped at the water. It was barely nine o’clock and the sun already beat down on us. I bent and scooped up a handful of water and smoothed it along his back to cool him down. The shade from the pine, oak and maple trees bordering the stream helped lower the temperature, but this was July in upstate New York and the weather person on the local television channel promised today was going to be a “hot one”.
"Yoo hoo. Sugar, I'm here. Let the competition begin."
I glanced up from watching Porkchop snap at a dragonfly skimming the stream's surface to see my cousin walking towards me. I blinked, then blinked again. "Where did you get those?" I asked, pointing to her violet-hued waders.
Candie's equally violet eyes widened at my question. "You mean you've never seen a pair of fishing waders this color before?"
I flicked my fingers towards her sparkling waders and shook my head in disbelief. "I can't say I have. And the rhinestones. Did the waders come trimmed out with all that bling?"
Candie peered down at her waders. Three rows of twinkling faux diamonds trimmed the top edge. "I have to admit the rhinestones were my creative contribution to my fishing gear.
What do you think?" She thrust out a hip and placed a hand behind her head in a model's pose.
I laughed. "Bling is certainly your middle name. If our flies don't catch the fish, you can mesmerize the trout into your fishing net with the sparkle from your rhinestones."
My cousin, for all of her flair, was an excellent fisherwoman. She was raised by our grandparents on their farm in Hainted Hollar, Tennessee, after her parents were killed in an automobile accident when she was five years old. Since I was an only child, my parents sent me every summer to join her on the farm. We’d spend lazy afternoons fishing in the farm's small pond. Our grandpop was an avid fisherman and passed along his love of the sport to his two granddaughters.
"It's hotter than blue blazes today," Candie said, swiping a slim hand across her forehead.
The bright sunlight sparkled off the rings decorating almost every finger on her hand.
"I have to agree with you. Even though it is July, this is unusually hot for the Adirondacks. Oh look, there's Raylene pulling in," I said, pointing to a royal blue painted school bus pulling into the parking lot. In large letters, the words Pawfari Bus were painted on the side of the bus.
A grin spread across my face. Raylene Carrigan owned the Adirondack Pawfari, a unique doggie daycare business. She'd drive the bus to her clients' homes and pick up their fur babies. The pups, if needed, would spend part of the day being schooled in obedience. Raylene then took them to the local dog park for a romp, but mostly she saw that they were well cared for and loved. She also helped her sister, Shirley Carrigan, with running For Pet's Sake, the town’s animal shelter. In fact, Al was donating the proceeds from the tournament to the shelter.
"Come on let's go say hi to Raylene," I said to my cousin.
"Sure, Sugar. I need to double-check to see if she has Annie on her list of pick-ups for next week. Annie loves it when Raylene takes her to the dog park to play." Annie was Candie's rescue pup of indeterminate breed and one of my pup’s best buddies. While Porkchop often accompanied me wherever I went, Annie was more of a homebody and hadn’t joined us today.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub)
Smashwords- A Pawsome Summer For Murder
Author Biography
Syrl, a retired teacher, lives in upstate New York with her husband a lively dachshund and a wannabe dachshund (That’s a long story.). She writes the Samantha Davies Mystery series, featuring Samantha Davies and her loveable dachshund, Porkchop. When not writing she is busy hooking, rug hooking that is, and enjoying her family. Her newest book, number seven in the series, A Pawsome Summer For Murder, will be released May 1, 2025
Social Media Links
Website- www.sakazlo.com
Facebook- sakazlo
Instagram- @sakazlo
Linkedin- @sakazlo
Bsky- @sakazlo.bsky.social
Twitter-@sakazlo
