What a day! This is my first trip to Las Vegas, and I am loving it! I know they say that what happens here, stays here, but I’m going to be taking home a lot of photographs, and I’ve even bought one of those cheesy snow-globes, with the world-famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign in it, for Bud. I’ll give it to him tomorrow, as a part of his birthday present.
We’re staying at the Tsar! Hotel and Casino. It’s a fabulous place, with architecture and design elements inspired by, and closely modelled after, Tsarist Russian themes. And tonight, guess what? We’ve been invited to the most exclusive restaurant in the place: the casino owner’s private dining room. If you know Vegas you’ll know where it is. The Tsar! has that giant glass edifice shaped like a Faberge egg at one end of the building, overlooking The Strip. The private restaurant is right at the top, in the bit of the egg you’d cut off if it were soft-boiled. It should be wonderful.
Bud’s friend and old colleague, Jack White, has a son working here at the Tsar! as a chef, and he managed to wangle us an invitation. I am so happy for Bud—he deserves a real treat for his birthday, so, although he’ll be a year older after midnight, we can at least celebrate in style.
We arrived a few days ago, and we haven’t stopped. I suppose that the most overwhelming impression the place has made on me is its sheer size. It seems to take forever to walk from one casino to the next, even though they look as though they’re very close together. And when people tell you “It’s a dry heat” here, they aren’t lying, but that doesn’t make it feel any cooler. Today, September 24th, it reached almost 100 degrees fahrenheit, and that meant that Bud and I gave ourselves a “day off” and lounged beside the pool for a few hours. Very relaxing. Lots of slim, young bodies lying about the place. Well, except for the man with the body covered in tattoos, that is. He was neither slim, nor very young.
Tattoos fascinate me, and often repel me at the same time. As a psychologist they fascinate me—why a person chooses to use their skin as a canvas is quite a complex question. They also, in many cases, are truly wonderful works of art. But the repulsion sets in quickly, as does my inability to stop myself from profiling the person who has them. I’ll set aside for one moment the knowledge that certain criminal elements use tattoos as a way to mark themselves as a lifelong member of their chosen brotherhood, and, in some cases, to tell stories about their exploits that can only be understood by insiders. Beyond that there’s the question of where on the body they appear. His were everywhere, and I mean that as literally as I am able, given that he was wearing a pair of swimming trunks. Bud and I talked about what he might do for a living, given the fact there was no way he could hide his tattoos—certainly not those on his face. Bud’s decided he was an actor, who was happy to accept a narrow range of parts, I had him pegged as a tattoo artist. As he left the pool area, I sat up and called to him. He looked quite shocked when I asked him what he did for a living. His reply told Bud and me that I was right.
That means Bud owes me a cocktail. Ha! So this evening, I’m going to have one of the hotel’s signature Tsar!Tini’s and drink it happily. Then we can make our way to the private restaurant and indulge in what’s bound to be a fabulous meal. Here’s hoping Bud has a very happy start to his birthday.
You can read more about Cait in The Corpse With The Platinum Hair, the fourth book in the “Cait Morgan” mystery series, published by TouchWood Editions, coming in October 2014. The first book in the series is The Corpse with the Silver Tongue.
GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment by 6 p.m. eastern on September 15 for the chance to win a copy of THE CORPSE WITH THE EMERALD THUMB, the third book in the series. The giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.
About the author
Welsh Canadian mystery author Cathy Ace is the creator of The Cait Morgan Mysteries. Born, raised and educated in 
Wales, Cathy enjoyed a successful career in marketing and training across Europe for twenty years before migrating to Vancouver, Canada. There she taught on MBA and Undergraduate marketing programmes at various Universities for a decade. Her eclectic tastes in art, music, food and drink have been developed during her decades of extensive travels, which she continues, whenever possible. Now a full-time author, Cathy and her husband are keen gardeners who enjoy being helped out around their rural acreage by their Labradors.
Cathy’s website can be found at www.cathyace.com. Follow her on Twitter, or on Facebook.
Also, look for The Corpse With The Sapphire Eyes in Spring 2015 and The Corpse With The Diamond Hand in Fall 2015.
I love her titles, and the book sounds like fun too. 🙂
I’m glad you like the titles, Gram – I enjoy them too! 😉
This book sounds like so much fun, Would love to win it
I’m glad you like the sound of it, Debbie – and I enjoyed the research 😉
Nice cover, different; thank you for the chance to win 🙂
So pleased you like the cover, Lisa. I think that the designer’s done a great job with the whole series. 🙂
This is a new series. Sounds interesting. thanks for the chance to win it and start a new series
Hi Marylou – if it;s a new series to you, I really hope you enjoy meeting Cait Morgan!
Oh dear – I missed a letter off your name – sorry, marylouh!!
I haven’t read this author. I would love to start with this book! Thank you!
Hello Carol M – fingers crossed you can hunt down some, any, of my books and you can meet Cait Morgan. me? Not so interesting. Cait? Dead bodies all over the place! 😉
Great to meet Cait and learn about the Russian themed casino. Thanks for the chance to win.
Hi holdenj – hope you’re a big fan of over-the-top decor and Faberge eggs – lots more like this in the book! Oh, and a silver shaska plays a central role too…check it out 😉
Love the sound of this series. Thanks for the chance to win!
I hope you enjoy the series when you get to it, Barbara Daley – so many books, so little time, eh? 🙂
I must get caught up on this series.
Hi Becky – yes, yes you must 😉 Thanks!
I love the premise of this book. Sounds interesting.
Hi Laura F – I’m sure the reality of being locked in a room with a corpse and a killer would not be pleasant, but I hope I at least made it tense and thrilling!
This sounds like such a great series!
Hi Dawn Frazier – I hope you’re able to find at least one of the books in the series, and that you enjoy meeting Cait Morgan, when you get the chance! 🙂
I want to get into this series. Thanks for the offer.
Hi Nancy – your desire sounds perfectly reasonable to me 😉 Good luck, and enjoy meeting Cait, when you get to her.
Thanks for the chance to add to my TBR list. Your interviews and reviews with the authors about their books are great to base on what is worth reading.
Hi Robin – I know I’m not the only author grateful to Dru for what she does. It’s a fantastic way for authors to reach out to readers, and for readers to be exposed to news about authors they might otherwise miss. Thanks to Dru, and to readers who “tune in” here! 🙂
This is a definite add to my TBR list – thanks for the review and giveaway opportunity.
Hi Linda – what a great place to be, on a TBR list. Thanks for putting me there – I look forward to wriggling my way to the top 😉
How appropriate this is since I just arrived in Vegas myself. Of course I want to win it.
Hi Amy – I hope you enjoyed Vegas, I know I always do! If you win, it might bring back memories 🙂
Sounds like fun
Hi Daniele – Cait knows how to have a good time, whatever the circumstances (well, so long as there’s food around, anyway!) 😉
Sounds like a fun series.
Thanks, Rita – I’m assuming corpses are your thing, like they are mine…or we’d be very strange, wouldn’t we!? Good for you – great taste! 😉
Count me in
Yay, Libby – come for the party, stay for the corpses (and because you cannot leave due to a security lockdown). Life with Cait – never boring! 😉
Hello Cathy! Congrats on a new book — I love the cover!
Hi Lisa – thanks! We try to make each cover something like an old travel poster, so the locale of the book always features….for this cover, well, the iconic sign was an easy choice, but finding just the right shot, and giving it that aged look, that’s where the real designers come into it! 🙂
You had me by “wangle” but the Russian theme caught my attention. I love Vegas too, so I’m in on this book.
Hello jagjhd – I’m glad the word “wangle” appeals! You’ll probably like Cait, in that case. It’s the Welsh-Canadian thing. Maybe you’ll also enjoy meeting the Russian soprano, Svetlana Kharlamova – the star of the Russian Revue at the Tsar! Casino. Have fun 😉
I enjoyed the first one. Congrats on the new one.
Hello bookwoman – great name! So pleased you enjoyed the first one…fingers crossed the whole series appeals 🙂
Enjoyed the first book in the series and I didn’t even realize books three and four were out! So happy this book was featured to remind me of the series. Thanks for the chance to win.
Hi MaryB – I’m glad we managed to get the word out to you, and am delighted you enjoyed the first book…time to catch up? 😉
how did I miss this series!!
added to my Wish List!!!
Hello cyn209 – I’m glad you found out about it now – and with book 4 just coming out, it’s a good time to get into it. Cheers 🙂
hope to win thanks for running the giveaway
Hello jdown55 – these giveaways are such a great idea – especially this one, which gives folks a chance to catch up! 🙂
Off to locate the first of this series. Thanks for the intro.
I hope you can track it down – it’s on all the online store sites for paper and e-book versions. I’m like you, I tend to start with the first in a series, then gobble up all the rest of the titles until I’m up to date! Happy reading…:-)
Another series I’m happy to be introduced to in this wonderful blog! Thank you again for the chance to win.
You’re right, Dru’s blog is not to be missed, and I have to say, as an author, it’s nice to have the chance to write these short, original pieces, knowing they’ll be read by people who really enjoy them. 🙂
Sounds interesting. I heard about this one on another blog.
Hey Michelle – I think that’s the beauty, and challenge, of a blog tour, word gets out…but it’s nice to do something different at each stop on the tour. Thanks for commenting here! 🙂
Books set in Vegas bring back happy memories of my trip out there years ago. Thanks for the contest.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Hello suekey12 – I hope you enjoyed Vegas, and, yes, I hope this book gives you the chance to visit it again – almost! 😉
It sounds like a fun read. I love the name of the book. Thanks for having the giveaway.
I’m glad you like the title, Anita. On this occasion the corpse really does have platinum blond hair… 🙂
Thanks Cathy for interacting with my readers.
Contest is closed.
Thanks for having me, and Cait, along….it was great fun! 🙂