Milkshakes Mermaids MurderI knew those purses would get Ellie into trouble someday. Of course, I was thinking more along the lines of Ellie running out of storage space or accidentally going over her credit card limit, not murder and mayhem. But then Ellie does seem to get into some very interesting scrapes.

Summer Avery, here. I’m Ellie’s sister-in-law.

Ellie’s generally not much of fashionista, but she does have a passion for designer purses and hunts for them at thrift shops and online discount sites. Her love of purses is one of the few places she really lets herself go—she’s usually so organized and methodical, which is a good thing since she’s a professional organizer. Her organizing talents don’t end with closets. She has also sorted truth from lies.

I’ve seen first-hand how Ellie gets into these interesting situations, and while some of our relatives frown on her extracurricular sleuthing, all I can say is thank goodness she got involved a few years ago when I was mixed up in a rather unsavory situation.

Anyway, that’s all in the past, and there wasn’t supposed to be anything mysterious about her vacation to see me on the Florida Gulf coast. The week was supposed to be about white sand beaches, Southern plantations, and glass-bottom boat tours, but then Ellie’s purse intervened.

She’d ordered it from an online shop and received a cheap imitation instead of the designer bag she paid for. The seller happened to be located near me and offered to bring the correct purse to Ellie herself as soon as Ellie arrived in town, which would have been great, except the seller never showed up, and Ellie’s not one to leave things like that alone.

But even Ellie didn’t expect the wrong purse would lead to murder, kidnapping, and paparazzi stalkers. It certainly turned into a vacation they’ll never forget!


You can read all about Ellie and Summer’s adventures in Milkshakes, Mermaids, and Murder, the 8th book in the “Ellie Avery” mystery series published by Kensington. The first book in the series is “Moving Is Murder”


Sara is giving away one (1) copy of MILKSHAKES, MERMAIDS, AND MURDER. Leave a comment to be included in the giveaway. Contest ends October 11; US entries only.


Meet the author
A native Texan, Sara is the author of the Ellie Avery mystery series and the On The Run suspense series. As a military spouse, Sara has moved around the country (frequently!) and traveled internationally, which inspired her latest suspense novels. Publishers Weekly called Sara’s books, “satisfying,” “well-executed,” and “sparkling.”

Sara loves all things bookish, considers dark chocolate a daily requirement, and is on a quest for the best bruschetta. Connect with Sara at www.SaraRosett.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.