Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran: Guest Author, Review & Giveaway

You know that woman who sits in the back corner of the library with a nice fat stack of books piled next to her chair? That’s right. The one who reads a chapter of this book and a few pages of that book and takes all afternoon to decide exactly which ones will go home in that humungous green tote bag and which ones will get re-shelved for another day. Well, hi (waving wildly) that woman is me. And during my browsing and perusing, there are times I really could use a cup of tea, and maybe a blueberry muffin.

Of course I can’t eat in the library. But what if there was a comfy bookstore sharing space with a breakfast and lunch café? Well if there was, I would call it the Read ’Em and Eat. And if there was such a bookstore and café, where exactly would it be? Well, I would put it on a warm and sunny island with miles and miles of beach where the sand is as fine and soft as confectioners’ sugar. I would set that island in the Gulf of Mexico right on the southwest coast of Florida and I wouldn’t even have to invent a name because the town already exists. It’s called Fort Myers Beach.

Well Read, Then Dead is the first book in the Read ’Em and Eat cozy mystery series. And I am so excited that the book is out in the world for folks to read and talk about. Transplanted Brooklynites Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield opened the Read ’Em and Eat because they wanted to provide a fun hospitable place for book lovers to have a snack or a meal, talk about books and generally enjoy the sunny and breezy atmosphere of Fort Myers Beach. Things are bright and shiny until café Chef Miguel Guerra falls in the kitchen and breaks his leg. Struggling to deal with that crisis, Sassy and Bridgy are horrified to find out that a regular breakfast patron and book club member, quiet and sweet Miss Delia Batson has been murdered.

Sassy promises Delia’s cousin, Miss Augusta Maddox that she will do anything to help sort out the doings and fixings over the next few days. Sassy is expecting Miss Augusta to ask for help with funeral preparations and such, so she is shaken when Miss Augusta identifies some murder suspects and demands that Sassy find them.

Sassy is determined to do what she can to assist Miss Augusta, or at least to make sure that she feels comforted and supported but another crisis emerges when Sassy realizes that Miss Delia’s beloved Maine Coon, Bow, seems to be missing. The gorgeous Bow, with a lustrous black coat, and a different pretty ribbon tied around her neck each day, may have resided with Miss Delia, but she’d long ago won the love of many islanders and was welcome wherever she wandered. But since Miss Delia’s death, no one has seen Bow.

All these goings-on are not normal for the tranquil community of Fort Myers Beach. Grab a glass of sweet tea, a couple of cookies and a copy of Well Read, Then Dead to see how it all turns out.

About the Author
Twice short-listed for Best American Mystery Stories, Terrie Farley Moran’s cozy mystery novel, Well Read, Then Dead is the first book in the Read ’Em and Eat Café and Bookstore series. You can find Terrie blogging amid the grand banter of New York writers known as the Women of Mystery. www.womenofmystery.net Terrie tells anyone willing to listen that hanging out with any or all of her seven grandchildren provides life’s grand and joyful moments.

Author Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrie.moran.9
Blog:  www.womenofmystery.net
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23186092-terrie-moran

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Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Monday, August 18th for your chance to win a print copy of Well Read, Then Dead. (US entries only, please.)

About the book: Nestled in the barrier islands of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Fort Myers Beach is home to Mary “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget Mayfield—owners of the bookstore café, Read ’Em and Eat. But when they’re not dishing about books or serving up scones, Sassy and Bridgy are keeping tabs on hard-boiled murder.

Read ’Em and Eat is known for its delicious breakfast and lunch treats, along with quite a colorful clientele. If it’s not Rowena Gustavson loudly debating the merits of the current book club selection, it’s Miss Augusta Maddox lecturing tourists on rumors of sunken treasure among the islands. It’s no wonder Sassy’s favorite is Delia Batson, a regular at the Emily Dickinson table. Augusta’s cousin and best friend Delia is painfully shy—which makes the news of her murder all the more shocking.

No one is more distraught than Augusta, and Sassy wants to help any way she can. But Augusta doesn’t have time for sympathy. She wants Delia’s killer found—and she’s not taking no for an answer. Now Sassy is on the case, and she’d better act fast before there’s any more trouble in paradise.

Tortie Shorties

Book reviews that are short and sweet...just like Truffles!

Two of my favorite places to spend time are book shops and cute little cafes that specialize in coffee, muffins, soups and sandwiches. The best of both worlds would be a place that offers both, which is exactly the premise behind the Read ’Em and Eat mystery series.

BFFs Sassy and Bridgy have relocated from Brooklyn to Fort Myers Beach to open a shop combining their passions: books for Sassy and food for Bridgy. Their book club meetings are filled with a cast of colorful ladies, and tragedy strikes when one of them, sweet and shy Delia is found dead in her home. Who would do such a thing??? Her cousin Augusta enlists Sassy's help in tracking down a killer and it soon becomes apparent that mousey Delia had a very big secret!

I really enjoyed the Fort Myers setting of this book, and especially the Gulf Coast history of buried treasure and the "wreckers" that come to town hoping to strike it rich. Protagonists Sassy and Bridgy reminded me of Thelma and Louise, and Bridgy's Aunt Ophie will have you howling with laughter while leaving you thankful that she's not your relative! And Bow, the victim's beloved cat famous for wearing pretty ribbons around her neck, is a 4-legged star.

If you enjoy cozies set in warm, summery locales and filled with sassy Southern women, grab a glass of iced coffee and a scone and settle in with a delightful debut.

Purchase Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Well-Read-Then-Dead-Mystery/dp/0425270289/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_mas?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399219718&sr=1-1&keywords=well+read+then+dead
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/well-read-then-dead-terrie-farley-moran/1118329723?ean=9780425270288