Out Of Options
Out of Options: A Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries
by Dianne Ascroft
About the Book
Cozy Mystery
Prequel Novella
Independently Published (April 28, 2019)
Paperback: 126 pages
ISBN-10: 1096163373
ISBN-13: 978-1096163374
Digital ASIN: B07R4GQWQN
Out of Options is a prequel novella to the Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries series, and introduces Lois Stone and her companions, Raggs and Ribbons, a pair of perceptive calico cats.A dry district, a shocking secret, a missing person. When Lois Stone’s friend, Beth Darrow, arranges to meet her to reveal an astonishing discovery, Lois’s curiosity is piqued. Then Beth doesn’t keep their lunch date and Lois becomes worried. What has happened to her friend?Middle-aged widow Lois is settling into life on her own in her neighbourhood and in the library where she works, and she is just about coping with her fear of strangers after her husband was mugged and died in the park at the end of their street. But her quiet existence is rocked when her friend and fellow local historical society researcher, Beth, arranges to meet her to reveal an exciting and shocking discovery she has made about the history of prohibition in West Toronto Junction, the last dry area in Toronto, and then goes missing before she can share her secret with Lois. There isn’t any proof that Beth is missing so the police won’t actively search for her. Only Lois and Beth’s niece Amy are convinced that Beth’s disappearance is very out of character, and they are worried about her. Where has Beth gone? Is she in danger? And, if she is, who might want to harm her and why? Lois knows she must find the answers to these questions fast if she wants to help and protect her friend.And so begins a weekend of skulking in the park, apple and cinnamon pancakes, familiar faces staring out of old newspapers, calico cats, shadows on the windowpane, and more than one person who might want Beth to disappear from the quiet, leafy streets of the historic and staunchly dry West Toronto Junction neighbourhood.
My
Life Now: Lois Stone
In
the spring and early summer I used to enjoy walking in the park and watching
the sunset with my husband, James Stone. We held hands and didn’t need to
speak. But since his death three years ago, I don’t go to the park in the evenings.
To be honest, I’m nervous to go there on my own. So, instead, I sit on my front
porch and watch the sunset from here. I have the company of neighbours who stop
and chat as they pass by on their evening strolls and my two calico cats are
only a few feet away, behind the screen door, watching from the living room.
One of my cats, Ribbons, is very protective toward
me since James died and sometimes I’d swear she’s keeping watch over me from
her perch inside the door. Her steady purring as she sits there is comforting. At
times though it’s almost drowned out by the high-pitched trill of grasshoppers
on the lawn, a sound that has accompanied my summers from childhood until now.
More than 50 summers.
Life is different since James died.
I still miss him so but I’m adjusting to being on my own. The house is quieter
but the creaking of the wooden floorboards as the building settles each night
makes me feel as if it is keeping me and the cats company.
I’m fortunate with the neighbours I have. The Rizzos
took me under their wing after James died, bringing me meals from their
restaurant and checking that I was okay. And there’s my best friend Marge. She
moved back to her childhood hometown to be near her elderly mother a few months
ago but we keep in touch. We used to spend lots of time together when we both
worked at Annette Library. But we’re only a phone call away from each other now.
It’s not quite the same as seeing each other every day but we’re still as close
as ever. Marge wants me to move to Fenwater now that I’m on my own. I don’t
know about that though. I’ve always lived in Toronto and I’ve never thought of
living anywhere else. I love going to visit Marge but I don’t know whether I
could live in a small town.
As I mentioned, Marge and I worked
together at Annette Library. I still work there and I love my job as a
librarian. Helping patrons find the right book or information they need is so
satisfying, and the library is a beautiful old building. Just sitting behind
the worn wooden reception desk gives me a feeling of kinship with all the
librarians who sat there before me during the past century.
You may have
guessed that I love old things. That’s one of the reasons I joined our local
historical society. We’re collecting original documents and interviewing the
older residents of the community to preserve information and memories of West
Toronto Junction. Several of us are working on a really interesting project:
sorting through the personal papers and possessions of Reverend Payne who
campaigned to introduce prohibition to our municipality in 1904. At the
beginning of the last century there was such a struggle between those who
wanted prohibition and those who wanted to be able to drink in local bars. At
times tempers really flared.
Speaking of which, tempers still get
riled about the subject of prohibition in this area. Some people think that in
this day and age – 1983 – it should be done away with. The rest of Toronto
rescinded their prohibition laws decades ago. But being a dry area is one of
the things that makes this neighbourhood unique. It has a different character
than other parts of the city: dignified and tranquil. Well, it seems tranquil
on the surface but the controversy surrounding the prohibition law is always
bubbling underneath.
When I started reading through Reverend
Payne’s personal papers I found them interesting historical documents. I never
imagined they might impact on my quiet life and change it forever. But they
did. Well, I have to stop here but if you’d like to know more, I’ll tell you
about it in Out of Options.
This was actually two short reads in one. The main book, Out Of Options, is a mystery but it is built upon the shorter story at the end of the book, called "City Sunset." You can read the two stories in either order.
City Sunset tells you how the main character lost the love of her life and why she doesn't walk in the park any more. It is an unsolved case.
Out Of Options, this series starter, builds upon that unsolved case which led to Lois's melancholy life as a librarian and historical society member. This is a bittersweet story of friendship and misplaced enthusiasm. This promises to be a gentler, clean cozy mystery series.
It is not a difficult case to solve, nor is it as light hearted as some cozy series. Still, it is an enjoyable read and a nice introduction to this series.
About the Author
Dianne Ascroft is a Torontonian who has settled in rural Northern Ireland. She and her husband live on a small farm with an assortment of strong-willed animals.
She is currently writing the Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries series. Out of Options is a prequel to the series.
Her previous fiction works include The Yankee Years series of novels and short reads, set in Northern Ireland during the Second World War; An Unbidden Visitor (a tale inspired by Fermanagh’s famous Coonian ghost); Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves: A Collection of Short Stories (contemporary tales), and an historical novel, Hitler and Mars Bars, which explores Operation Shamrock, a little known Irish Red Cross humanitarian endeavour.
Dianne writes both fiction and non-fiction. Her articles and short stories have been printed in Canadian and Irish magazines and newspapers. When she’s not writing, she enjoys walks in the countryside, evenings in front of her open fireplace and folk and traditional music.
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DianneAscroftwriter
Twitter: @DianneAscroft
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1357575.Dianne_Ascroft
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Purchase Links: Amazon Barnes and Noble Kobo
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Thanks for your review, Laura, and for hosting a stop on Out of Options blog tour. I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your review on "Out of Options" by Dianne Ascroft and for being part of the book tour.
ReplyDeleteSounds like it's going to be a great new series for me to enjoy. I'd love the opportunity to read this book and start in on the ground floor.
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