LOVE ON THE ROCKS

Love on the Rocks (Cobble Cove Mystery) by Debbie De Louise

About the Book

                                          

Love on the Rocks (Cobble Cove Mystery) 

Cozy Mystery 4th in Series 

Solstice Publishing (October 17, 2018) 

Paperback: 241 pages

ISBN-10: 1625268505

ISBN-13: 978-1625268501 

Digital ASIN: B07JHV9FJC

It’s February in the small town of Cobble Cove. Love is in the air . . . but so is murder!

When Alicia helps plan a Valentine’s Day Party at the Cobble Cove library that also includes a surprise for her newlywed friend, Gilly, things go wrong when a mysterious box of chocolates addressed to the director turns out laced with poison.

Clues Lead to A Dead Suspect

Although Alicia promised John she’ll no longer meddle in crime investigations, she and Gilly set out to find the person threatening Sheila who murdered the courier of the deadly candy. The three people they suspect include the professor from California who’s been romancing Sheila while she assists him with research for his book; the obnoxious patron Rhonda Kleisman who threw coffee at the director after refusing to pay for a damaged book; and a visiting widow staying at Gilly’s inn who’s unnaturally curious about Sheila and earns the nickname of Madame Defarge for her interest in knitting.

New Cat in Town

While Alicia and Gilly are trying to solve this new Cobble Cove mystery, Sneaky is introduced to Gilly’s new kitten, Kittykai, a calico she brought home from her honeymoon in Hawaii. It’s not like at first sight, but the two cats eventually become friends. They also both play a part in foiling the killer’s murder attempts, but will Alicia and Sheila survive unscathed?

Alicia followed Sheila back to the desk, admiring the paper hearts and flowers hanging from the library’s ceilings and the red streamers that lay across the stacks. Sheila rifled through some of the additional decorations that were piled next to the reference PC. She reminded Alicia of a hen tending her chickens. “Gilly and Ramsay are going to be so surprised.”

 “What’s this?” Sheila paused.

Alicia came over to see what had grabbed the director’s attention. A velvet heart shaped box sat by one of the computer stations. As Alicia came closer, she could see a post-it attached to it with the words, “To Sheila from your secret admirer.”

Sheila smiled. “That Ryan. He knows I have a sweet tooth and am particularly fond of chocolates.” She opened the lid. “My favorites. I know I should wait for the party, but these are just too appealing.”

Alicia watched as Sheila took a piece. Only a few seconds after she swallowed, her smile faded. She began to choke and clutched her throat.

“Sheila, are you okay?” Alicia rushed over, trying to recall how to do the Heimlich maneuver, but Sheila had already passed out on the floor. “Help!” Alicia called, racing to the stairs. The romantic music playing above her drowned out her voice. Just as she grabbed her cell phone to dial 911, Ryan Anderson walked through the door, a huge bouquet of roses in his arms. He stopped short seeing Sheila on the ground. “What happened. Oh my God!”

“I’m dialing 911 right now,” Alicia said. “She ate one of your chocolates and then passed out. I’m not sure if she choked on a piece.”

“My chocolates? I didn’t get her any chocolates. I was bringing her these flowers.” He dropped them on the desk and then knelt and started administering CPR to Sheila’s unmoving body.

Book lovers can not resist a mystery set in a library. Add in a holiday and some adorable animals, plus two truly cute kids, and you have a winner.
This story is more than the setting though. The characters are likable. I felt I wanted to get to know each once better. I could easily spend days in this library or hanging out on the porch of the hotel.
The mystery was perplexing. It kept me guessing. There were so many questionable details that could have implicated anyone. I was especially wondering what the Professor was up to.
The author`s writing style reminds me of another favorite author, Denise Swanson.
This is a clean series with romance for all ages and plenty of life left in the older characters.

About the Author

Debbie De Louise is an award-winning author and a reference librarian at a public library on Long Island. She is a member of Sisters-in-Crime, International Thriller Writers, Long Island Authors Group, and the Cat Writer’s Association. She has a BA in English and an MLS in Library Science from Long Island University. Her novels include the three books of the Cobble Cove mystery series: A Stone’s Throw, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, and Written in Stone. Debbie has also written a romantic comedy novella, When Jack Trumps Ace, a standalone mystery thriller, Reason to Die, and a paranormal romance, Cloudy Rainbow. She lives on Long Island with her husband, Anthony; daughter, Holly; and cat Stripey.
  Author Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbie.delouise.author/
  Twitter: https://twitter.com/Deblibrarian
  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2750133.Debbie_De_Louise
  Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2bIHdaQ
  Website/Blog/Newsletter Sign-Up: https://debbiedelouise.com

  Sneaky the Library Cat's blog: https://sneakylibrarycat.wordpress.com
  Debbie's Character's Chat Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/748912598599469/

Purchase Links: eBook & Kindle Unlimited: mybook.to/cc4 Paperback: mybook.to/cc4pap 

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Also from Debbie DeLouise

The characters from Debbie De Louise's Cobble Cove cozy mysteries gather in the Cobble Cove library to celebrate the holidays. Each character receives a gift from the author, and Alicia, the main character, reads some excerpts from the first book, A Stone's Throw, and the new release, Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

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