Sweet Mystery Stories: My Review of Gayle’s Tales by Trish Hubschman #Fantastic Friday Reads #Fiction #Inspiration

What Amazon Says

 

Gayle’s Tales is a collection of Tracy Gayle mystery short stories.

Everyone’s favorite couple, Tracy and Danny, are still going strong, romantically and professionally, rocking and rolling and solving crime.

Tracy has to locate Missing Persons that vanished decades earlier.

She gets tangled in murder investigations she hadn’t anticipated.

She digs into a coal mining town that’s been uninhabited for forty years and discovers secrets and skeletons.

In the end, she brings long lost family and friends back into each others arms and lives.

And then there’s he FBI.

Through all this, she and Danny are planning their wedding extravaganza at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.

Tracy herself narrates her own adventures in these tales, as she does in the books.

 

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My Thoughts

 

I read many of these stories when Trish posted them on the email list for Behind Our Eyes, a writers’ organization to which we belong. It was fun rereading them. Many of them are connected. Like the other books in this series, these stories are short but packed with comprehensive plot twists.

Not all of these tales involve murder. My favorite is the first story in the collection, in which a mother is reunited with her daughter who ran away from home ten years earlier. The last story in the book will leave you wondering. Will there be a sequel?

 

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

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Two Pentacles Publishing.

 

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to my email list to receive my monthly newsletter and other announcements. This is a one-way announcements list, meaning the only messages you’ll receive will come from me. So, you can rest assured that this list is low-traffic. Send a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

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Two Pentacles Publishing.

 

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

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Holiday Murder: My Review of Uneasy Tides by Trish Hubschman #FantasticFridayReads #Fiction #Inspiration

What Amazon Says

 

Blair wants Danny to get her an interview with his first wife’s present husband, Robert Taylor. He’s the CEO of a major computer software company. Danny reluctantly says he’ll see what he can do. He and Tracy go to the Taylor residence for a Christmas party. He hasn’t seen his first wife, Deb, in over 30 years. She sucks up to him.

At the party, Deb is drunk and disappears with her husband’s business partner. Her son from her second marriage, Darren, isn’t present. Her daughter Lily is flirting with a young man. Becca, her daughter with her third husband, a musician, is sincerely excited about Danny’s presence.

Danny and Tracy feel out of sorts and by midnight are ready to leave, but they have to find Deb to say good night. It’s then that mayhem breaks out. Becca summons them down to the pool area. Her mother is passed out on the cement, bruises on her face and arms. Two men are pulling Robert Taylor’s body out of the pool.

Deb is the most likely suspect, but she insists she didn’t do it. Danny’s older brother, Derek, a prominent attorney, takes her case. If Deb didn’t kill her husband, who did? There were so many possible suspects at the party.

 

Buy from Amazon.

 

My Thoughts

 

Like others in this series, Uneasy Tides is short but packed with interesting characters and many plot twists that kept me turning virtual pages and made it hard to put the book down.

As with Ratings Game, I couldn’t feel sorry for the victims. I admire Trish, whom I met through Behind Our Eyes years ago, for creating such complex characters. This is a great read for anyone liking a good mystery with not too much violence.

 

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description by

Two Pentacles Publishing.

 

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to my email list to receive my monthly newsletter and other announcements. This is a one-way announcements list, meaning the only messages you’ll receive will come from me. So, you can rest assured that this list is low-traffic. Send a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Photo Resize and Description by

Two Pentacles Publishing.

 

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

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Talk Show Queen Nearly Dies: My Review of Ratings Game by Trish Hubschman #FantasticFridayReads #Fiction #Inspiration

What Amazon Says

 

The Danny Tide story continues.

Somebody’s trying to kill the rock star’s second wife, talk show hostess Blair Nelson. Danny and Tracy, now a couple expecting a baby, get pulled into it because Danny finally agrees to do an interview with his ex–wife. She’s been bugging him for a while.

That evening, after a draining day at Blair’s studio, when Danny and Tracy are home in bed, Danny’s phone goes off. It’s his and Blair’s daughter, Liz, announcing that she found her mother unconscious on her bathroom floor. Blair ingested a drug overdose.

Who would want to eliminate the talk show queen, and why? Could the perpetrator be Blair’s housekeeper? Her personal assistant? The owner of the television station? The show’s producer? Even Danny and Liz are on the suspect list.

Everyone had opportunity, but no one has a motive. They’re all devoted to Blair.

They need Blair to wake up and give them some answers.

 

Buy from Amazon.

 

My Thoughts

 

I met Trish Hubschman years ago through Behind Our Eyes, a writers’ organization to which we both belong. I’ve enjoyed reading work she has posted to our email list and following her Tracy Gayle series as it developed. I’m looking forward to assisting her with a book launch at the end of the month.

In most cases, you’d feel sorry for the victim of attempted murder, right? Well, this was definitely not the case here. I had absolutely no sympathy for talk show queen Blair Nelson.

After begging her ex-husband, rock singer Danny Tide, for an interview, when he and his fiancé, private eye Tracy Gayle, arrive at the studio, she’s rude to them both, and it appears that she’s often abusive toward her staff.

In the end, she never really changes. I like how the author crated this character in contrast to others in the book.

As I said in previous reviews of Trish’s other books in this series, these remind me of the Nancy Drew mysteries I read as a kid. They’re not long, but you get a comprehensive plot with a lot of information, and they’re easy to follow. I enthusiastically recommend them to anyone who likes a good mystery with not too much violence.

 

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description by

Two Pentacles Publishing.

 

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to my email list to receive my monthly newsletter and other announcements. This is a one-way announcements list, meaning the only messages you’ll receive will come from me. So, you can rest assured that this list is low-traffic. Send a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Photo Resize and Description by

Two Pentacles Publishing.

 

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

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A Miss America Mystery #FridayFunReads #BookReviews #Inspiration

Stiff Competition; Miss America (Tracy Gayle Mysteries)

by Trish Hubschman

 

What Amazon Says

 

America’s favorite rock band, Tidalwave, is playing the Miss America pageant. Band leader Danny Tide is emceeing the event. All is going according to schedule. The judges have picked the 10 semi–finalists. Suddenly, everything comes to a halt. Miss New Jersey is missing. Nobody knows what happened to her or where she is. Danny calls his longtime PI friend, Tracy Gayle, and asks her to come down to Atlantic City to help figure things out. In need of her best friend for personal support and eager to get to another case, Tracy agrees. There’s an all–out search of the hotels on the boardwalk. They find Miss New Jersey, but it’s not good. Her kidnapping leads to another assault and murder. The big star and the lady PI work together on this one, so that the Miss America pageant can continue as usual.

 

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My Thoughts

 

I recently reviewed the first book in this series, Tidalwave, here. These books are like the Nancy Drew mysteries I read as a kid. They’re fast-paced and suspenseful, with not too much violence, and I couldn’t read just one.

As I said in my review of Tidalwave, stories about musicians have always fascinated me, since I wanted to be a professional singer when I was young. Beauty pageants were once a source of intrigue for me when, as a teenager, I took an interest in being Miss America and watched the pageant religiously for a while. Although scenes where the rock band was rehearsing or Mis America want-to-bes were strutting their stuff were few and far between, I still found this book hard to put down.

Stiff Competition also contains some romance. I was pleased to discover that love-making scenes were not too explicit, with just enough foreplay. At the end, the romance and mystery are brought to a satisfying conclusion. I like the way the post script provides back story from the previous book and ties up those romantic loose ends.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

Books

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Website

 

 

A Tidal Wave of Murder #FridayFunReads #BookReviews #Inspiration

Tidalwave: A Tracy Gayle Mystery

by Trish Hubschman

 

What Smashwords Says

 

Tidalwave’s tour bus bursts into flames while the band is relaxing on the beach. The band’s leader, Danny Tide, hires private detective Tracy Gayle to do some discreet investigation into the matter. She’s joining the band on tour as security chief. The arsonist is discovered, but much deeper, more dangerous things come to light as well: an assault, an attempted murder, and then two murders. Tracy is faced with far more than she bargained for. Her stint with the band goes further than just that summer tour. She is fully determined to protect America’s favorite rock and roll heartthrob, and they become the best of friends along the way.

 

Buy from Smashwords.

 

My Thoughts

 

I met Trish Hubschman several years ago when she joined Behind Our Eyes, an organization of writers to which I belong. Her favorite rock band is Styx, and her passion for this type of music comes out in Tracy Gayle’s determination to protect Danny Tide. Trish’s realistic dialogue and surprising plot twists kept me engaged.

This is a good book to read while preparing for a colonoscopy or anticipating anything else unpleasant. From the first page, Trish transported me into the world of the rock band, Tidalwave. Having wanted to be a famous singer in my younger years, I found this story fascinating. However, I realized that my anal adventures were more preferable to being a famous rock star in danger and wondering who in the world would want me dead.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

Books

My Amazon Author Page

Facebook

Website