I live in a small town nestled just inland from California’s central coastline. It was here that I grew up, married my high school sweetheart, taught middle school home economics, and buried my husband. I’ve watched my town change from one grocery store to several major chains, from the Emporium, which sold everything from ladies wear to calf halters, to a major big box store, from our major industry of barley and cattle to grapes, wineries and tourists.
Some things, however, never change. Folks fall on hard times and need help, children need playgrounds, libraries need new books, and Christmas, Easter, the 4th of July all have community celebrations that need to be organized. Somehow, I end up doing a lot of the organizing.
Most of our functions go off without incident, but once in a while. . .
The day of the Christmas Extravaganza began with no hint of what was to come. The decorations on the houses on Maple Street and the live pageants on many of their lawns went up on schedule, the animals arrived without incident at the large crib scene on St. Theresa’s lawn where the Posada would end and Mary would lay her babe in the manger, the choirs that would follow the Posada and later serenade the new born babe from the church lawn were tuning up and people were pouring into town from all directions. Only, this year, there was a dead man in the manger, a black and white puppy beside him, and two of the local children saw the murderer leaving the crib scene. What was worse, he saw them.
It took some doing to divert the Posada and finish the Extravaganza, but we managed. Finding out who killed the old veterinarian, why the puppy was beside him, if the children were in danger and how to protect them, was considerably more difficult.
That I wanted to keep Millie, the cocker spaniel who turned up at my house, unexpectedly homeless after her owner became the second victim took no thought at all.
The day the children and I discovered the murderer almost ended my life and theirs, and isn’t a day I’d care to repeat, but Millie is still with me, and I have related all of the events of those few harrowing days while I tried to protect the children and exposed a murderer in “Purebred Dead”.
In the meantime, the can tree food drive was a huge success, and my committee and I are getting ready for St. Mark’s annual spring rummage sale. This year we are holding it in conjunction with a pet adoption. Many days have gone into the planning, we are prepared for almost any contingency, and nothing will go wrong.
Or, will it?
You can read more about Mary in Purebred Dead, the first book in the NEW “Mary McGill and Millie” mystery series, published by Severn House Publishers.
About Purebred Dead
This lively cozy, set in smalltown California, is the first in a brand-new dog mystery series
Pillar of the community, Mary McGill has a finger in every pie, a place on every committee. She’s the one the townsfolk can count on when they need help. Everything Mary organizes runs smoothly – apart, that is, from the town’s traditional Christmas pageant. For the festivities are rudely interrupted by the discovery of a blood-stained corpse lying in the manger. Cowering beside the body is a small black-and-white puppy.
Two local children report seeing a shadowy figure fleeing from the scene – but there are no clues as to the murderer’s identity. If Mary could only find out what the puppy was doing there, she would be one step closer to finding the killer. As someone who knows nothing about dogs, purebred or otherwise, Mary had better learn – and fast – before she and the children become the next victims.
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GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment by 12 a.m. eastern on August 14 for the chance to win a signed hardcover copy of Purebred Dead. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Winner will be notified within 48 hours after giveaway closes and you will have three days to respond after being contacted or another winner will be selected.
About the author
Kathleen Delaney is a retired real estate broker. She lived and worked on California’s central coast, where she wrote her first three novels and, during her day job, specialized in horse ranches, estate properties, wineries and vineyards. The mother of five grown children, grandmother of nine, she also bred and showed national winning Arabian and Half Arabian horses. She left California for South Carolina, where she completed the final two books in the Ellen McKenzie real estate mysteries, then moved to Georgia, where she continues to write and visit with two of her grandchildren.
Purebred Dead is the first in her new Mary McGill and Millie canine mystery series and, as you might have guessed, is centered around dogs, both pure bred and mixed breed. It is published by Severn House, has been released in the UK to excellent reviews, has been praised by Publishers Weekly and was released in the US on August 1.
The second book in the series, Curtains for Miss Plym, will be released in the UK in December and in the US in April of 2016.
Visit Kathleen at www.kathleendelaney.net
I think this sounds like it would be fun to read and I love starting a series at the beginning. Thanks for the giveaway!
I would love to start this new series.
I’d love to read this book. It sound delightful.
This sounds like a great mystery. Being set in smalltown California intrigues me, since I live in smalltown California, lol Hope to win the book, I would love to read it.
Thank you for introducing me to a new author. The books sounds like a great read. Thank you for the giveaway.
myrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com
This was a great article and sounds like a wonderful read. Thanks for introducing us to this author and the chance to win.
Love new series, thanks for the chance to win 🙂
I would love to read this book. Thank you for the opportunity to enter.
Dogs and cozies…love it!
This author is new to me. I want this book and must look into reading more from her.
This book sounds great! I’ve never read this author but will be looking for her books now. Thanks for the opportunity!
I love love to read your new book. I will have my tea ready!! Thank you for this chance to be one of the first in the U.S. to read it.
This is a new author for me. The book sounds like a good read! Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy of this book!
This book sounds great, would love to read it!
This sounds like a new series that is quite different from the rest. How exciting! 😮 I think it would be wonderful to win a copy! Thanks for the opportunity, Dru and Kathleen…a definite must read. 🙂
Dogs and a mystery– it doesn’t get any better.📖📚
Sounds like a good one.
A dog themed cozy.
sounds fun 🙂 & I have a new puppy to cuddle with me while I read
Any mystery with dogs is a winner in my house! Glad to have a new series to start reading.
DOGS!!! I love dogs. How cool to have a dog in a cozy mystery – what a great premise.
Love having dogs in the story. Sounds like a good book.
ready to read it. thanks.
I’d love to start a brand new series, especially one set in California. This sounds intriguing. Thanks for the chance.
I like the sound of this book-dogs plus a mystery. I love animal mysteries and thanks for the offer.
A new series is always wonderful to find. Thank you for the opportunity to get familiar with it. robeader53@yahoo.com
Yeah, a story with a cocker spaniel. Your cozy sounds like it will be a fun read with lots of twists and turns. Best of luck with this new series.
Sounds great! Would love to read it!
srstrawn@msn.com
Yes please Dru I want to be in this one. I’m a dog lover from way back, and I love trying to solve the murder before the end of the book.
The story really drew me in and I’m a “cat person”. I guess that’s not entirely true I love all animals. Would love to read entire series!
Looks like a good bok to pick up and read. Thanks
This book sounds great!! Can’t wait to read it!
I’ve read and enjoyed Ms. Delaney’s Ellen McKenzie series. I would love to win a copy of this first book in her new series. Thanks for the chance!
Thanks for the giveaway! This book sounds great!
I look forward to reading this book with Millie, the cocker spaniel.
The book sounds great.
This sounds like a cute series to start.
This new series sounds promising. I’d love to win it & give it a try.
Always looking for new (to me) authors. Sounds like a great series. Thanks for a chance to win a copy.
Sounds like a great series. Thank you for having the contest.
Sounds like a great book! Thank you for having this contest!
Thanks for this intriguing feature and wonderful feature.
I’d love to read this new book & share it with my library. There could be many new fans created in the library where I work thanks, Dru & Kathleen, for he giveaway!
I love libraries, and even if you don’t win, i hope your library buys a copy. Severn House does a lot with libraries. Where is yours?
My library is in Sardis, MS. It’s in the NW corner of the state, at the top of the MS Delta. We’re on a very limited budget as neither the city nor the county has contributed to our budget in four years. We’ve operating on special grants & state contributions. I’ll submit a request though, be assured. Sometimes I get larger branches in our 14-library system to order books that I request for our patrons. If there’s a link to a Severn House program, I’d love to know about it. (Kh38668@yahoo.com). Thanks.
I love books with canines. Thanks for the chance to win.
I love to read mysteries! I love all the different ones that have cats and dogs in them so that it makes it entertaining and fun. Thank you for a chance to win a book because that is the only way I read! This book looks like it would be a really fun read also. Either way I will be getting it to read! Thank you for your time to do all this for your readers, I for one appreciate it 🙂
Sounds so mysterious. Can’t wait to read it.
wow, Mary wears me out just reading this blurb, all that overcommitment! I do volunteer work in our town but if i committed to every event i would be plum wore out. but i do love cocker spaniels and apparently so does Mary. looking forward to finding out who the murderer is and why he killed the old vet.
I shall be putting this on my Holiday Cozy list. Congrats on the new series.
added to my Wish List…..
thank you for the giveaway……..
It is interesting to note that some cozies are offered in the UK before they are here. I’m going to London and am starting to make a list of authors to look for over there. I love rambling through a couple of huge bookstores there. Since I will not be there in December, however, I’d like to join the giveaway.
I love trying out new series.
Thanks for the giveaway! Sounds like a great read!
Although I’m a cat person, I enjoy reading mysteries that have other pets in them, including dogs. I’m always looking for a new series to add to my reading list.
Contest is closed.