IN THE STARS
In The Stars: A Humorous Romantic Mystery (Amber Reed Mystery)
In The Stars: A Humorous Romantic Mystery (Amber Reed Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Self Published
Publication Date: December 11, 2014
Print Length: 364 pages
ASIN: B00QXFNP62
One desperate phone call is all it takes to turn Amber’s previously dull day into one speeding scarily out of control!
Amber Reed’s at work making up the horoscopes for the local newspaper and wishing for some excitement in her life, when she gets a phone call offering her just that.
Plunged into the middle of a celebrity murder investigation she’s desperately trying to convince the scarily handsome special agent assigned to solve the case that she can help him catch the killer.
Amber’s soon battling something far more dangerous than she could ever have imagined – and it has nothing to do with the equally scary chemistry fizzing between her and special agent Charlie.
Is it Amber’s wish for more excitement in her life which has landed her in big trouble – or is her fate written in the stars?
In The Stars is part of the fun, romantic Amber Reed Mystery series:
* In The Stars
(book 1)
* On Trial
( book 1.5)
* Precious (book 2)
* Forever Mine
(book 3)
* Past Perfect (book 4)
* Stop The Beat (book 5)
* Paradise Lost (book 6)
(book 1)* On Trial
( book 1.5)* Precious (book 2)
* Forever Mine
(book 3)* Past Perfect (book 4)
* Stop The Beat (book 5)
* Paradise Lost (book 6)
A Day In The Life Of Amber...
My name is Amber Reed. I spend my days
doing admin work at the local newspaper The Palstone Courier and also make up the horoscopes for the weekly column in the paper
under the fake name of Madam Zamber. I have zero astrology experience – how
terrible is that? I hope people don’t go making any life changing decisions
based on the horoscopes I created! Anyway, one particularly boring day I was
wishing for some excitement in my life and then something really weird and kind
of scary happened. Here’s my story...
“What
kind of excitement are Gemini’s going to have this week?” I ponder, tapping my
fingers against the keyboard.
I’m a
third of the way through making up the horoscopes for this week’s local paper.
Aries are going to get news of a fantastic job opportunity. Capricorns will
receive some kind of windfall. But what about Gemini? I always like to give my
Madam Zamber horoscope column an upbeat feel – after all, nobody reads their
star signs to get depressed right?
My
fingers hover over the computer keys as I debate on Gemini’s fate. I’m a Gemini
so this one better be especially good; it’s been a rough week.
My phone,
nestled somewhere in the depths of my bag, starts playing a chart tune at full
volume. When I eventually find it I check the caller display and see Ennis’
name.
Ennis
and I haven’t spoken for a while but I know he came home last week after he’d
finished working on his latest movie, he sent me a text. He probably wants to
meet for a coffee and a catch up. It’s strange; to me Ennis is, well, just
Ennis. I don’t think of him as a heartthrob actor, just my ex, my university
boyfriend, who I meet up with for a chat whenever he’s in Palstone.
Time for
a little break from the horoscopes. I hit the answer button.
“Hi,
how’s things?” I ask, leaning back in my chair.
There’s
nothing but silence on the other end of the line.
“Ennis?”
I sit up, instantly concerned. “Are you there? Is something wrong?”
His
voice is so quiet I can barely hear him. “Joel’s dead,” he says.
“What?”
I shout, leaping to my feet and earning myself a look of curiosity from the
other two members of staff at The Palstone Courier. I lower my voice. “How? What happened?”
“We
don’t know yet,” he replies, his voice heavy with emotion. “But the police are
saying he died in suspicious circumstances.”
I gulp.
“You mean murder?”
“Look,
Amber can you please come over?” Ennis says. “Now? Please? I need to ask you a
huge favour.”
I grab
my jacket and bag. “On my way.”
The
drive to Ennis’ place feels like it’s taking forever when, in reality, I pull
up outside the security gates in less than ten minutes. I push the Attention
button on the keypad and Siobhan’s voice crackles through the intercom.
“It’s
Amber,” I say nervously.
“Come
through,” she replies in a cold voice. I imagine she isn’t pleased Ennis has
called me to ask for a favour, whatever the circumstances might be.
Siobhan
is Ennis’ girlfriend. I’m not her favourite person. I suppose it’s because
Ennis and I were once an item and we still keep in touch. He’s still got a special place in my heart,
even after all these years.
I climb
into my car and the huge metal gates start to slide open as I edge forward.
Ennis’ house is set back from the road for privacy. He loves being an actor but
struggles with the being famous side of things. He faces a constant battle,
forever trying to fiercely guard his private life from the frenzy of paparazzi
that follow him around.
My
thoughts turn to the phone call and a thousand questions pop into my head.
Joel’s
dead? When? Where? How did it happen? Why?
Joel is
– sorry, was – Ennis’ younger brother. They didn’t get on and in the past year
or so Joel had pretty much done everything possible to make Ennis’ life
difficult. Which is why I was stunned when I’d had a text from Ennis last week
saying we must catch up soon, and he’d also mentioned that Joel would be coming
to stay for a few days.
If Joel
was visiting and he’d been found dead then that means he’d died either here at
Ennis’ house or pretty close by. The thought sends chills quivering through me.
This is
a sleepy part of Derbyshire. We have fun runs, school fetes and jumble sales.
Not
murders.
Danger and romance heat up the pages of this intriguing mystery. Could there be more than one case to solve or are they connected? Who will be more persuasive - the debonair detective agent or the charming astrologer? It was a fun read, a dangerously exciting mystery, and a clean romance with heat!
Amber has made a life for herself in her small hometown. She has to work two part time jobs to make ends meet but she is comfortable, with friends and family near. One friend, actually an ex-boyfriend, is now a famous film actor. When a personal tragedy strikes his life, he asks Amber to keep an eye on the investigation so he can stay out of the spotlight and gossip magazines.
This results in pairing Amber with the sexy special CCIA agent, Charlie.
How far will Amber have to go to help a friend?
This results in pairing Amber with the sexy special CCIA agent, Charlie.
How far will Amber have to go to help a friend?
About the Author
I live in the UK (Derbyshire/ Leicestershire border) with my husband, 5 dogs, a vegetable patch that’s home to far too many weeds and an ever expanding library of books waiting to be read
Being a freelance writer and editor of business publications is my ‘day job’ but, at every opportunity, I can be found scribbling down notes on scenes for whatever novel I’m working on. I love it when the characters in my novels take on minds of their own and start deviating from the original plot.
I enjoy walking the dogs, gardening and reading.
Links to webpage: www.zannamackenzie.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZannaMacKenzie
Purchase Links
Amazon
Amazon
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Thank you so much for featuring my book - and for the great review too! Glad you enjoyed the book. x
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