Hi lovelies! It gives me
great pleasure today to host Jessie McAlan and her new book, “The House on
Devil's Bar”! For other stops on her
Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of
the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end
of this post to enter to win a brown agate pendant 2.5”x1.5” size!! Also, come back daily to interact with Jessie
and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
The House on Devil's Bar
by Jessie McAlan
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GENRE: US Amateur Sleuth
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BLURB:
The
police verdict of a woman’s accidental drowning in the Mississippi River does
more than set tongues wagging in the small Missouri town of Klim; it starts a
flood of cancellations that threaten to sink Rona Murray’s bakery and events
business. And blacken her good name. Determined to save both, she starts her
own investigation to prove she and her property are blameless. Barbara Lindborg had stopped by Linn House to
consider renting it for a party. Yet, when Rona returned from accepting a
delivery, the woman had vanished.
Rona’s
preliminary search for Barbara yields nothing more than suggestive footprints
on the Bar. Did the woman accidentally
fall into the river? Was she pushed –
and if so, why? A later hunt reveals
Barbara’s cell phone in the woods. How did it get halfway up the hill if the
woman drowned a hundred feet below? The phone’s camera holds snaps of Klim, its
residents, and the Bar. Do any of these hold a clue to her death? Or did her
and Rona’s earlier conversation about history and treasure have a different
meaning?
Suspects
and motives pop up like bubbles in yeast. Is Matt, an employee, still bitter
about his and Barbara’s divorce? What about Rona’s own ex, Johnny? Is he trying
to drive her out of business, or is his current girlfriend, Crystal, jealous of
their relationship and trying to eliminate the competition? A bit like calling
the kettle black, for Crystal seems very friendly with Frank, the bad boy
neighbor. Frank isn’t lily-white, either. He dislikes Rona; is he behind the
pranks on her property or mixed up in Barbara’s death? It isn’t until Rona’s life is threatened one
stormy night that she learns the killer’s identity and her true feelings about
Johnny.
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EXCERPT ONE:
Rona
paused in the doorway and watched Crystal climb the steps to the gazebo.
Johnny
smiled, amused at Rona’s interest. “She’s a nature lover.”
“Yeah?”
“Forget
about her for the moment, Ronnie.”
“I’d
be glad to. Can you? She seems to be…well endowed.”
“Yes.”
“I’m
speaking of all those gold bracelets, Dear.”
“Right.
I think they’re trinkets from her ex-husband.”
“I
didn’t know the wife got gifts at the divorce proceedings.”
“I
didn’t phrase that right, Ronnie. He gave them to her during their marriage.”
“So
she clings to them instead of his arm. Charming.”
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REVIEW:
Sadly,
I found this book to be a bit slow and somewhat confusing at times.
This
book focuses on Rona, the owner of Rona Murray’s Bakery and Events. After Rona’s business is negatively impacted
by a woman’s disappearance and her possible accidental drowning Rona takes it
upon herself to solve the mystery and get her business back on the fast track.
There
are lots of details and analogies that I thought went a little overboard. Maybe it’s how people in Missouri talk? I found it occasionally distracting and
tiresome.
It’s
clear Rona is no professional sleuth. I
found Rona to be quite bold, stubborn, persistent, and naïve. She definitely doesn’t have a hard time
finding trouble or holding back.
Unfortunately, this combo allows for her to end up in some tricky
situations that she may or may not make it out of alive.
The
pace of the book is mostly slow, but there are a few twists and turns that
unfold throughout the book, that create some suspense.
There
were so many characters that bounced in and out throughout the story. It was somewhat difficult to keep everyone
straight and identify their importance or relevance to the case. Perhaps this was more to introduce the town
for future books in the series rather than their significance to this
particular story.
There
is a lot of detail in this book that allow for the reader to easily picture the
cute, small town of Klim, Missouri. The
countryside and river truly sound beautifully picturesque.
This
book is book one in The Linn House Mystery Book Series.
If
you enjoy small towns and amateur mystery books then you should add, “House on Devil’s Bar,” to your TBR List!
Although,
this was not a favorite for me, I do have high hopes for Jessie McAlan’s
writing and look forward to seeing what the rest of the series brings.
**Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an
honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**
Did you find this review helpful?
If so, please, please, please mark it as
helpful on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R1YX3V8TIZ2ILZ
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AUTHOR BIO:
A
family trip to the Big Spring area in the Missouri Ozarks introduced Jessie to the wonders of nature. Her summer stints as a camp counselor and
canoeing instructor cemented her enthusiasm.
This love of the natural world and the river flows through her Linn
House mysteries.
In
2001 Jessie graduated from Webster University with a BA degree and departmental
honors in English.
She
lives in the St Louis, MO area and spends as much time as she can camping and
watching the barges on the river.
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CONNECT WITH
JESSIE:
Website:
Facebook:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon Kindle:
Amazon Paperback:
Amazon CA Ebook:
Amazon CA Paperback:
Amazon UK Ebook:
Amazon UK Paperback:
Amazon FR Ebook:
Amazon FR Paperback:
Amazon AU Ebook:
Amazon DE Ebook:
Amazon Paperback:
Barnes and Noble:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Jessie will be awarding a
brown agate pendant 2.5”x1.5” size to a randomly drawn winner via
Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
