Today, we welcome Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours as we set our summer dreaming eyes on a new Cozy Mystery that's ready to whisk us away to an island escape...and MURDER! *gasp* No worries though, as Andi Anna Jones is on the case! Get ready to set sail with today's title in the spotlight...
by
Mary Cunningham
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Florida/Cancun/Las Vegas
Wild Rose Press
(April 27, 2022)
Paperback : 224 pages
ISBN-10 : 1509241086
ISBN-13 : 978-1509241088
Digital ASIN : B09QXR7WKX
About the book...
Andi Anna Jones, so-so travel agent and amateur sleuth, puts aside her resentment of her father's widow and books a sixtieth birthday cruise to Cancun for Ruby and three friends. Never does Andi imagine the cruise will include the murder of a has-been lounge singer—or that Ruby might be the main suspect.
Flirting with more than danger after arriving in Mexico, Andi connects with charming local sheriff, Manual Gonzales. An embarrassing night involving the sheriff, too many margaritas, and a Mariachi band, can't quell her determination to clear the name of her ex-stepmother.
While gathering clues and interviewing witnesses, however, she suspects dear old step-mom isn't the only one in jeopardy.
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~~~ EXCERPT #3 ~~~
“Señorita Jones?”
It wasn’t Ellie. I checked the number on the screen. Yep, I’d called the agency. Listening to the still ringing phone, I grumbled, “C’mon and answer, El.”
A tall man in a uniform stepped forward, sliding a pair of aviator sunglasses to the top of a full head of dark brown hair. “Pardon the interruption. Are you Miss Jones?”
My gaze locked onto smoky hazel eyes. And I do mean locked. “Ye-yesss. I’m Miss Jones. But how did you know?”
“Oh, we have our ways.” The corners of his mouth turned up, and he pointed to his badge. “I’m Sheriff Gonzales. We spoke on the phone.”
I got nothing. Total loss for words. Even my wildest dreams couldn’t have conjured this square-jawed, golden-skinned Mayan god straight out of a GQ Magazine. For the first time since this nightmare began, I wanted to fall to my knees and say, thank you, thank you, thank you, Ruby.
“I was already in the area on official business and finished in time to meet your flight. I’m parked at the curb. May I take your bag?”
I blinked a couple of times to be sure he wasn’t a mirage. “What? No, thank you, Sheriff. I can handle it myself. I appreciate the ride, but I could’ve taken a taxi, you know.”
“I apologize if you thought I doubted your competence, Miss Jones, but considering the stressful nature of the situation, I thought it best if someone picked you up. Finding transportation into the city can be confusing.”
My subconscious longed to blurt out “you might be the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” With every ounce of strength I could muster, I coolly stated, “Cancun’s transportation system might be confusing for the average tourist, but I’m a travel agent, perfectly capable of finding my way into and around the city.”
Adjusting the strap of my carryon bag, I tossed my head and walked into the side of a trashcan.
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About the author...
Author, Mary Cunningham, grew up on the northern side of the Ohio River in Corydon, Indiana. Her first memories are of her dad's original bedtime stories that no doubt inspired her imagination and love of a well-spun "yarn."
Through the author's horrifying stint as a travel agent, Andi Anna Jones sprang to life. The adult/mystery series gives extra meaning to the phrase, "Write what you know." Cunningham has several books published, including Cynthia's Attic, a five-book middle-grade fantasy, women’s lifestyle/humor book, WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty, Ebooks, Christmas With Daisy and Ghost Light. A biography of an army brat, turned UConn and WNBA basketball player, will be published in the spring of 2022.
She is a member of Sisters In Crime, Sisters In Crime-Atlanta Chapter, International Thriller Writers, Inc., and the Carrollton Writers Guild.
When she gives her fingers a break from the keyboard, Mary enjoys golf, swimming, and exploring the mountains of West Georgia where she makes her home with her husband and adopted, four-legged, furry daughter, Lucy.
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