DUMPSTER DYING - GRILLED CHILLED AND KILLED BOOK TOUR
Dumpster dying & Grilled, Chilled and Killed!
by Leslie A Diehl
Dumpster Dying: Book 1 in the Big Lake Murder Mysteries
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Creekside Publishing (December 31, 2016)
Paperback: 248 Pages E-Book 232 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0997234923
E-Book ASIN: B01MRWGBC8
Cozy Mystery1st in Series
Creekside Publishing (December 31, 2016)
Paperback: 248 Pages E-Book 232 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0997234923
E-Book ASIN: B01MRWGBC8
Emily Rhodes came to rural Florida for the cowboys, the cattle, and to do a little country two-step, not to fall head first onto a dead body in a dumpster. Ah, the golden years of retirement in the sunshine state. They’re more like pot metal to Emily, who discovers the body of the county’s wealthiest rancher in the Big Lake Country Club dumpster. With her close friend accused of the murder, Emily sets aside her grief at her life partner’s death to find the real killer. She underestimates the obstacles rural Florida can set up for a winter visitor and runs afoul of a local judge with his own version of justice, hires a lawyer who works out of a retirement home, and flees wild fires hand-in-hand with the man she believes to be the killer.
Donald Green,
Curmudgeon from Dumpster Dying and Grilled, Chilled and Killed
Lesley A. Diehl,
Author
Introduction: There are two men who are both an aggravation
and an interest to Emily Rhodes, protagonist in Dumpster Dying and Grilled,
Chilled and Killed . Today we are fortunate to have caught one of them at
work. Donald Green is a bass fisherman and the part-time bartender Emily hired
to help out in the Big Lake Country Club. According to Emily, “Donald is
difficult to get along with, but he was the only choice I had for a hire on
short notice. There isn’t a day that goes by I don’t want to fire him, yet he
had surprised me on occasion with his generosity.”
My name is Donald Green, and I’ve lived around and fished
the Big Lake most of my life. For those of you Yankees, the Big Lake is Lake
Okeechobee, the freshwater lake in the bottom third of Florida. Before the dam
was built to contain the lake, it fed the Everglades to the south, but now the
water from it is controlled by a series of locks. It’s a shallow lake and
recent hurricanes have stirred up the bottom of it, and run-off from farming,
ranching and other commercial concerns to the north have created nutrient rich
waters which, when allowed to flow into the canals leading to the coast, have
created algae blooms on the east coast of Florida. Fishing her water is not
what it used to be. There are still big bass to be taken, and bass tournaments
to be won, but the lake is not as wild as it used to be, and winter visitors
are fishing her to depletion. If it sounds like I’m not fond of tourists coming
in here every winter and competing for the fish, you’re right. But I’m really
not fond of any newcomers trying to fish waters I used to have to myself, but
especially if they’re a snowbird.
The worst winter visitor I’ve met is Emily Rhodes. She’s a
short, Yankee gal with attitude. I can’t think why I ever said yes to her offer
of a job. Maybe I was feeling kindly that day. (Note from Emily here: I can’t
remember any time when Donald felt kindly to anyone.) I guess the perks that
come with the job tempted me: I make my own hours and my greens fees are waived
when I want to play a round of golf. Free is always a plus in my book.
Nope, I’ve never been married. Never could understand why
any man would want a woman around. My view is that they interfere with your
life. My life is near perfect. I do what I want when I want. I must admit,
however, that despite her pushy ways, Emily is a cute little thing who can
tempt any man, and that includes me. The gal also has gumption. She backed up
my duelie truck and pulled my bass boat up the ramp the day we met. I was
almost impressed. Then I had to save her from that alligator she almost ran
into. You’d think she’d be more grateful to me, but she’s still the same
scrappy gal.
There is a dilemma for me concerning Emily. I know Stanton
Lewis, a friend of mine and a detective
with the local police, is sweet on Emily. I don’t know if he knows how
he feels yet, but when he does, he’ll be sure to make his moves on her. Stanton
is smooth. And where does that leave me? I don’t like the idea of competing with
the guy. And then there’s the matter of which of us Emily favors. She and I did
have some difficult moments one night when both of us were close to dying. I
almost gave myself away and kissed Emily, but was stopped just in time. I think
she knew I was going to kiss her. She keeps giving me those funny looks. I feel
like a durn fool, and she acts as if she’s got a one up on me because she knows
I fancy her.
Women! I know my way around fish, and I can even deal with
alligators, but women are an enigma. Like I said, my life is near perfect with
the exception of working next to a woman I also made a fool of myself over. But
then, I ask myself: How would I feel if Detective Lewis made a move and Emily
decided she liked him? Maybe I should try to kiss her again. Maybe ask her out
on a date. Maybe a real date and not just fishing on my bass boat.
Oh, oh. Here she comes, and I’ve been yammering away and not
icing the beer for this afternoon’s golfing
crowd. Maybe I should ask her for that date now before anybody comes into the
bar. Oh, gator barf! Too late. Here’s comes Detective Lewis.
“Hi, Emily,” said Detective Lewis, “ How would you like a
cup of coffee with me when you get off work?”
Emily smiles at Lewis. Donald Green just growls and
continues to ice the beer.
If you never thought of Florida as the Wild West, you will after reading this!
Fires and Gators and murder - oh my!
These are trying times for Emily Rhodes, who is still reeling from the loss of her long time love. Sadly, he was not her legal husband. Ex-es are making trouble for everyone no matter which way one turns throughout these pages.
There are plenty of men around this retirement community. Is any the sort one wants to see more than once - - if he can stay alive that long!
This is a strong novel about the power of friendship and family, no matter how you define it
Fires and Gators and murder - oh my!
These are trying times for Emily Rhodes, who is still reeling from the loss of her long time love. Sadly, he was not her legal husband. Ex-es are making trouble for everyone no matter which way one turns throughout these pages.
There are plenty of men around this retirement community. Is any the sort one wants to see more than once - - if he can stay alive that long!
This is a strong novel about the power of friendship and family, no matter how you define it
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Creekside Publishing (December 31, 2016)
Paperback: 330 pages E-Book 224 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0997234930
E-Book ASIN: B01N9GUUKU
It seems as if Emily is destined to discover dead bodies. This time she finds one of the contestants at the local barbecue cook-off dead and covered in barbecue sauce in a beer cooler. She should be used to stumbling onto corpses by now and the question of who killed the guy should pique her curiosity, but Emily decides to let Detective Lewis handle this one, at least until she figures his theory of who did the deed is wrong, wrong, wrong. Lewis’ denigration of Emily’s speculations is condescending enough to stimulate her dormant snooping skills. As the two of them go on their separate paths to find the killer, Lewis’ old partner, Toby the dirty, tobacco-spitting cop interferes in the investigation leaving Lewis with the wrong man in jail. Killers, bootleggers, barbecue and feral pigs—it’s a lethal game of hide and seek in the Florida swamp.
You may enjoy this best if you had read the previous book in the series, Dumpster Dying (Big Lake Murder Mysteries, #1) , but it reads well enough as a stand alone.
Emily is a petite spitfire trying to establish a new normal after the loss of her longtime love.
Now there are two men who may be trying to make a love connection with her and they are total opposites. The only thing they seem to have in common is a competitive nature and a desire to keep Emily from causing herself harm. That is a full time job.
Emily sees herself as a detective of the private investigator version. She doesn't look for murders to solve but somehow the bodies throw themselves in her path. The daughter she gave up for adoption decades ago had found her and together they manage to get deeper into trouble.
The book visits the wilds of Florida and some less civilized activities.
It centers around a very competitive world of barbeque cook-off and sauce creation but the danger and action move beyond the fairground setting. Can Emily and Naomi survive this time?
Many decisions need to be made.
Spiders and gators and feral hogs all play a role. Some of the topics are quite dark but the author keeps the action moving and adds her brand of humor to keep this an enjoyable read
Emily is a petite spitfire trying to establish a new normal after the loss of her longtime love.
Now there are two men who may be trying to make a love connection with her and they are total opposites. The only thing they seem to have in common is a competitive nature and a desire to keep Emily from causing herself harm. That is a full time job.
Emily sees herself as a detective of the private investigator version. She doesn't look for murders to solve but somehow the bodies throw themselves in her path. The daughter she gave up for adoption decades ago had found her and together they manage to get deeper into trouble.
The book visits the wilds of Florida and some less civilized activities.
It centers around a very competitive world of barbeque cook-off and sauce creation but the danger and action move beyond the fairground setting. Can Emily and Naomi survive this time?
Many decisions need to be made.
Spiders and gators and feral hogs all play a role. Some of the topics are quite dark but the author keeps the action moving and adds her brand of humor to keep this an enjoyable read
Lesley retired from her life as a professor of psychology and reclaimed her country roots by moving to a small cottage in the Butternut River Valley in Upstate New York. In the winter she migrates to old Florida—cowboys, scrub palmetto and open fields of grazing cattle, a place where spurs still jingle in the post office, and gators make golf a contact sport. Back north, the shy ghost inhabiting the cottage serves as her literary muse. When not writing, she gardens, cooks, frequents yard sales and renovates the 1874 cottage with the help of her husband, two cats and, of course, Fred the ghost, who gives artistic direction to their work. She is the author of a number of mystery series and mysteries as well as short stories. The third book in the Eve Appel murders (from Camel Press) A Sporting Murder was awarded a Readers’ Favorite Five Star Award and her short story Gator Aid a Sleuthfest (2009) short story first place. She has fired the alligator that served as her literary muse when she is in Florida and is interviewing applicants for the position.
Author Links
Purchase Links
Dumpster Dying – Amazon
Grilled, Chilled and Killed – Amazon
I know Donald is too shy or grumpy to say this, but he was just thrilled he got to be a guest on your blog!
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