Friday, April 8, 2016

Book Review and Giveaway - Death by Trombone by Rebecca M. Douglass

Book Synopsis


JJ MacGregor’s very bad day has just gotten a lot worse.

JJ thought starting the day without coffee was a disaster, but now there’s a dead musician behind the Pismawallops High School gym. His trombone is missing, and something about the scene is off key. JJ and Police Chief Ron Karlson are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, but will they be able to work harmoniously or will discord ruin the investigation? With the music teacher as the prime suspect, JJ could be left to conduct the band, and then Graduation might truly end in a death by trombone, or at least the murder of Pomp and Circumstance!

My Review

I have several friends who enjoy cozy mysteries, as I do.  We've talked about what makes a cozy particularly enjoyable for us.  Three cozy traits that I always particularly enjoy are a picturesque small town, a school setting, and a mystery with a bit of romance as well.

Death By Trombone has all these cozy ingredients.  The book is set in the small town of Pismawallops, in the Puget Sound area.  It is a charming small town, and an enjoyable place to visit via this mystery.

J.J., the book's protagonist and amateur sleuth, is involved in the school's PTA.  I enjoyed the school setting, and the work that J.J. and her friend Kitty put into the PTA (and the mystery!).

I also liked J.J.'s budding romance with police chief Ron Karlson.  It was well written, with a realistic pace given J.J.'s acrimonimous divorce.

The mystery in Death By Trombone is well told, and it kept me guessing!  The pacing was quick, with sharp dialogue that moved the story along.  

Death by Trombone is an enjoyable weekend read, sure to please fans of small town cozy mysteries.  I recommend it! 
 

Author Bio

Rebecca Douglass was raised on an Island in Puget Sound only a little bigger than Pismawallops.  She now lives and writes in the San Francisco Bay Area, and can be found on-line at www.ninjalibrarian.com and on Facebook as The Ninja Librarian.  Her books include the tall tales for all ages, The Ninja Librarian and Return to Skunk Corners, middle-grade fantasy Halitor the Hero, and the first Pismawallops PTA mystery, Death By Ice Cream.  Rebecca likes to spend her time outdoors, when not writing or working to make the schools the best they can be.  She spends her free time bicycling and running, and her vacations hiking, camping and backpacking.

Blog: http://ninjalibrarian.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-M-Douglass/e/B0078SLT2A/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1337267938&sr=8-2
Smashwords Author Page: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/NinjaLibrarian
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ninja-Librarian/305808032816136
Purchase Links
Amazon            Smashwords
Barnes & Noble            Createspace Store

Giveaway

(2) Signed Print Copy of Death by Trombone by Rebecca M. Douglas.  Giveaway ends 4/18.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received a copy of this book from Great Escapes Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

4 comments:

scaro said...

Sounds like a good read.
Carol Smith
penelope223@yahoo.com

Rebecca M. Douglass said...

Thanks for a lovely review! It's nice to hear I hit what I was aiming at :)

For those who like to start at the beginning, Death By Ice Cream, book 1 in the series, is now on sale for just 99 cents.
--Rebecca

holdenj said...

Looks like a good, new to me cozy! Thanks for the feature to learn about it.

Sandy T. said...

Thank you for the intro to this new-to-me-author & a chance to win this book!
sxygrndma48{at}yahoo{dot}com