First Edition Murder by @TessaKelly123 is a BHW pick #cozymystery #mystery #bookboost
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  • N. N. Light
    • Sep 15, 2021
    • 4 min read

First Edition Murder by @TessaKelly123 is a BHW pick #cozymystery #mystery #bookboost



Title: FIRST EDITION MURDER: A Sandie James Cozy Mystery, Book 1

Author: Tessa Kelly

Genre: Cozy Mystery


Book Blurb:


Something borrowed. Something blue. Someone’s dead.


For Sandie James, working at her sister’s bakery is a way to pay off college debt while her literature degree collects dust, but a last-minute wedding booking wasn’t on the menu. Now she and her sister have no time to spare to pull off their biggest job yet.


It seems to be going well until their dad crashes the reception and picks a fight with a guest. When that guest is later found dead and their dad is standing over the victim, the bang-up job they believed they could do takes an ugly turn.


Her dad may be a lot of things, but a murderer isn’t one of them, and Sandie aims to prove it. Especially if she can get a little help from Marlowe, the family’s springer spaniel, who is all too eager to leap into the thick of things.


As rumors breed fear and fear turns to finger-pointing, it’s a race against time to clear her dad’s name and find the killer before the killer finds her.


Start the adventure. Get this smart, fast-paced cozy mystery now!


Excerpt:

Chapter 1


Whoever said weddings are a joyous occasion never catered one in high heels and an evening gown.


I winced behind the extravagant buffet table in my silver stilettos and threw a cheerless glance across Luce della Vita’s main dining room. The newlywed Mrs. David Sorrento, and the reason for my current suffering, wore a strapless white sequin and lace ball gown with a daring neckline and a lengthy train.


Marrying for the second time at forty-one, Angela’s first wedding took place at City Hall when she was three months pregnant with her daughter, Kimberly. In Angela’s own words, this time was her first “real” wedding. Her opportunity to sparkle.


The only thing that stopped her from taking the reception out of Cobble Hill, our cozy little corner of Brooklyn, and ritzing it up at the Manhattan Four Seasons, was her fiancé’s insistence on setting a budget. David saw no excuse for wasting a fortune at someone else’s establishment when his restaurant could provide the perfect venue. It took some arm twisting for Angela to settle for a humbler location, but she was adamant that everything should be as “fancy-schmancy” as she could make it, and that included the wait staff.


Over the course of a week, the entire first floor and rooftop of Luce della Vita had been scrubbed clean of its laid-back neighborhood vibe and transformed into something barely recognizable. Hanging installations of white flower garlands with twinkling lights covered every inch of wall space and hundreds of pillar candles in tall glass cylinders accentuated the lavish centerpieces on every table.


At any other time, I wouldn’t begrudge Angela her dream wedding or grumble about having to wear heels and the flowy dark-blue halter dress another caterer lent me on short notice, but after three hours of dashing up and down the restaurant stairs with wine bottles, I wanted to say addio forever to all evening wear. Still, the reception wasn’t likely to wind up anytime soon. I had to resign myself to another two to three hours of glamorous misery.


At least I could give my tired feet a small break.


The guests, drinks in hand, milled around by the champagne fountain; the bruschetta and crab cakes I was serving had less allure now than an hour ago. Which meant, no one would notice if I took off my shoes for a few minutes.


I slipped out of my stilettos and wiggled my aching toes on the cool floor. What a relief. The polished wood felt like heaven under my feet.


“Sandie, it’s almost time to cut the cake!” My older sister nudged me as she hurried past in her slim gown, carrying a tray of prosciutto and goat cheese stuffed figs. “See that everyone has a dessert plate. And please, put your shoes back on! The last thing I need is a fight with Angela.”


I stifled a groan. At thirty-eight, Katherine was as tireless as she’d been at twenty—and with feet made of steel, apparently.


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Author Biography:


As a former teacher with a degree in French, I spent several years living in an uptown Brooklyn neighborhood, frequenting its many cafes and coffee houses and getting to know it from the inside out. During my undergraduate years, I also worked at a small bakery, much like the one depicted in my novels, where I developed a lifelong fondness for cheesecake brownies.


When not writing, I love to be outdoors exploring hiking trails and often wandering off the beaten path. Some of my other passions include baking, learning foreign languages, and experimenting with natural plant dyes.


If you'd like to know more about me, you can sign up for my newsletter. You'll get monthly updates about me and my upcoming books, as well as sneak previews and exclusive content.


You'll also get a FREE Christmas story, MISSING IN SEATTLE, in the Sandie James Mystery series!




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