Hello, everyone, and happy Monday! I hope you had a blessed and happy Easter.
Today, I’m happy to share a new release from friend and author N.A. Granger. If you haven’t read one of Noelle’s books before, you’re missing something special. From her polished and clever Rhe Brewster series, to her meticulously researched The Last Pilgrim, Noelle delivers stories that keep you glued to the pages. Today, I’m happy to spotlight her latest release, Death at the Asylum. Look for my 5-Star review at the bottom!
BLURB::
Attending the opening of a new commercial center, Rhe Brewster, an ER nurse and police investigator, and her husband Sam, chief of the Pequod police department, save the governor of Maine from a sniper attack. They are assigned to a task force to find the sniper, at the same time trying to identify the person who has stolen Rhe’s personal data and is using it to run up thousands of dollars in debt and even steal their home. Rhe treats a student from Pequod University raped following a night at a local bar and soon discovers there is a serial rapist on the loose. The threats to Rhe and Sam escalate as a sociopath from Rhe’s past reemerges in a strange twist. Are any of these perpetrators linked?
Maine’s most tenacious sleuth is back, surrounded by the colorful characters who populate the coastal town of Pequod. In this fifth installment of the Rhe Brewster Mysteries, Rhe’s strength and determination are tested to their limits while she tries to protect her unborn child.
EXCERPT:
The sniper had been in the attic of the empty house across the river for nearly a day, lying on a table pushed up to a window, with his gun resting on the window sill. The view was perfect. Habit kept him there, virtually unmoving, diapered to take care of his needs, and stoked on coffee until earlier this morning.
Now he needed steady hands. Gravity, wind speed and direction, altitude, barometric pressure and humidity could all affect the bullet trajectory, and he’d taken each one of those factors into account.
Just one shot. He’d done it before with deadly accuracy in Iraq—twenty-three times. Just one more. He could do this. Maybe then the gnawing pain of his loss would lessen.
He slowed his breathing, slowed his heart rate, stilled every muscle except for those in his trigger finger, and focused on the grinning head now in the crosshairs of the telescopic lens. He heard his former spotter’s voice whispering quietly, ‘Now.” He gently, slowly, squeezed the trigger, felt the solid push back against his shoulder. And waited. It takes time for a bullet to get to its target from that far away.
AUTHOR BIO:
N.A. GRANGER is a Professor Emerita at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. After forty years of research and teaching undergraduates and medical students, plus earning her EMT licence, she decided to use her knowledge of human anatomy and emergency medicine in mystery writing. In addition to the Rhe Brewster mystery series (Death in a Red Canvas Chair, Death in a Dacron Sail, Death by Pumpkin, Death in a Mudflat), she has written for Coastal Living and Sea Level magazines and several times for the Bella Online Literary Review. She recently published her first historical fiction novel, The Last Pilgrim, which received critical acclaim. The mystery series has its own website: http:www.na-granger.com. You can find more of her writing at saylingaway.wordpress.com. She lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her husband and a Maine coon cat who blogs.
MY REVIEW:
This intriguing mystery juggles multiple plot lines but the author handles them all with finesses. Although this is the fifth entry in the Rhe Brewster mystery series, you needn’t be familiar with any of the previous titles (though I do recommend them). Character relationships are clearly defined both before the story in a Forward by the author, and throughout the engrossing chapters that follow.
Things begin with a bang—literally—when ER nurse, Rhe, and her Chief of Police husband, Sam, attend a speech given by the governor, and a sniper targets him. As a part-time investigator with the police, Rhe gets caught up in the resulting investigation led by Sam. Multiple suspects complicate matters, but that’s only the beginning. A stalker reemerges from Rhe’s past, drug thefts occur at the hospital, and a serial rapist is on the loose.
If that sounds like a handful, trust me—it will keep you flipping pages. The plot is like an octopus with arms, each branching in a different direction, each given the proper amount of attention to keep the reader puzzling out possibilities. This is a clever mystery with strong characters. Rhe and Sam are wonderful together, and even supporting characters, like Rhe’s BFF, and co-workers at both the hospital and police department get to shine. I loved the Maine setting and the back-and-forth between investigative work, hospital cases, and home life.
If you enjoy intelligent plots, polished writing, and layered mysteries with characters who settle into your heart, you’re sure to like this latest entry in the Rhe Brewster Mystery Series. Highly recommended for fans of female sleuths!
BOOKS IN THE RHE BREWSTER SERIES:
Death in a Red Canvas Chair
Death in a Dacron Sail
Death by Pumpkin
Death in a Mudflat
Thanks for joining me today as I spotlight this wonderful new release from a gifted writer. Please use the sharing buttons to help spread the word on Noelle’s latest. Drop a comment with your thoughts to join in the release celebration, and don’t forget to grab your own copy of Death at the Asylum from Amazon!
I wish you happy reading and happy sleuthing!
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thanks so much. Chris! Much appreciated!
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You’re welcome, Noelle 🤗
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Thank for sharing and helping to spread the word about Noelle’s latest, Chris!
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My pleasure, Mae 🤗
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Sounds intriguing. Great review.
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Thanks, Sharon. I hope you’ll give it a peruse!
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I’m glad you’re intrigued, Sharon. Noelle kept me glued to the pages!
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Sounds good Mae, fab review!
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It IS a wonderful review, Fraggle. MC is a great writer herself and I always look forward to her books!
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Aww, thanks, Noelle. An I’m so glad you liked the review. Thanks for keeping me entertained and guessing througout!
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Thanks, Fraggle. I always enjoy reviewing books that resonate with me!
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This book sounds like a fantastic mystery. I enjoyed your review, Mae. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks, Jill., for your kind comments. This was my most complicated book yet – even I had to remind myself to keep the threads going!
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My pleasure, Jill. Noelle wove so many threads into this story, and did such an amazing job tying them all together in a tidy bow at the end!
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I do love clever mysteries and that setting is particularly intriguing. Excellent review, Mae!
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Thanks, Tessa. I sort of let the story go where my little gray cells take it. Then I have to work to tie everything together!
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This is a very clever mystery, Tessa. And no need to be familiar with the previous titles in the story to enjoy it. It really kept me clued to the pages.
And, hey–I love your new avatar!
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The only actual recent pic that I actually found okay 🤣
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It’s a great photo! It’s nice to finally “see” you! 🙂
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The excerpt is tense, loved it. Great review, Mae! Sharing.:-)
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Thanks, Priscilla. MC is a great reviewer and it means a lot to have her give me a thumbs up!
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Thanks, Priscilla. Noelle told an excellent tale, cleverly presented. I’m delighted to share it today!
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That’s a lot of plot threads. I love it when an author undertakes something so monumental and succeeds with it. All the best to Noelle. Thanks, Mae.
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Thanks, Staci. I have to admit that my brain went in unexpected places (I’m a pantser) and I had to work hard to tie everything together!
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I’m a die-hard plotter. Now you’ve impressed me even more!
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Yep, plot threads sprouted plot threads, LOL. And Noelle handled it all like the pro she is.
Thanks for sharing in her release celebration, Staci!
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I’ve been hearing good things about this book. Congrats to Noelle, and thanks for hosting today, Mae!
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Thank you, Joan. It’s always a great day to get such a wonderful review from MC!
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It’s a wonderful book Joan, worthy of all the attention it’s getting.
Thanks for cheering on Noelle today!
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That sure is a tense excerpt, Noelle. And congrats on the wonderful review from Mae!
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Thanks, Teri. I like to start with some tension to grab the reader, but since I’m a pantser, I never know where the book will go from there! A thumbs up from MC is a gift indeed!
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Yep, that excerpt comes early in the book, Teri, so right away I was madly swiping pages on my Kindle, LOL.
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This needs to go on my TBR list. Thank you, Mae.
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Thanks so much, Karen. I enjoy writing this series because the protagonist (and her husband) have lived in my head (since 2012!) I would love to visit Pequod although it is fictional, so I compromise by spending time in Boothbay, Maine, each year and thinking about the plot for the next book!
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Yay for the TBR list. I’m sure you’re going to love this one, Karen!
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Wow, there are a lot of plots woven together, and it sounds like they all work. I always enjoy your reviews! Thanks for sharing.
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I do hope they work, Judi. Thanks for giving MC’s excellent review a good read!
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Good luck with your book!
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Glad you enjoyed the review, Judi. As far as complex mysteries, Noelle really had a lot going on in this one but handled it with amazing skill. To know that she’s a panster (like me) made it even more astounding when everything tied together.
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👍 (for some reason, WordPress won’t let me hit “like” a second time, so I’ve been using an emoji, but it’s a nuisance).
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Gotta love WordPress….erm, maybe not 🤣
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Great review, Mae 🙂 I have this waiting for me on my Kindle!
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Lovely to hear, coming from such a good writer! Thanks so much!
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Wonderful to hear, Denise. I’m sure you’re going to love it!
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As usual, your review shines its light on the most compelling points of the book. “octopus with arms” added smile to my face! I am glad this is a stand alone novel, if so, it’s definitely on my wish list. Thanks for sharing this Mae. Wishing Noelle all the best.
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I liked the octopus with arms comment, too, Balroop. I think I’ll have fewer arms in the next one!
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LOL. I’m glad you enjoyed my descriptive look at the plot, Balroop.
And yes, although the book is part of a series, it’s a standalone as far as the plot goes. You’ll have no problem stepping right into the pages and enjoying the read!
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Noelle’s new book is getting a lot of attention in the blogging world and it’s great to see it here today. I love your review, Mae, and I’m intrigued. This sounds like a compelling read. It’s on my radar! Congratulations to Noelle!
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Thanks for visiting, Jan. I’m glad the post has you intrigued and the book is on your radar. It’s a wonderful story told by a skilled author!
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Congrats on your new book baby, Noelle!
Wonderful review, Mae.
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Sue, thanks for visiting and cheering on Noelle!
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This sounds like an interesting mystery, Mae. Thanks for introducing me to Noelle.
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My pleasure, Dan. Thanks so much for visiting to check out the post!
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An excellent review, Mae.Congratulations to Noelle on her latest.
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Glad you enjoyed the review, John. Thanks for visiting and cheering on Noelle!
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😊
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I picked up my copy last week. Congratulations to Noelle!
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Thanks fantastic, Pete. Thanks for supporting Noelle. You’re going to love the book!
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LOL. Can’t respond, Mae. WordPress won’t let me:)
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🤣🤣🤣
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Wonderful review, Mae. I liked it when you described the plot as an octopus with arms, each branching in a different direction, each given the proper amount of attention. I like a clever mystery with strong characters. I watched the trailer three times. Diana did a wonderful job with the trailer.
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Diana did a fantastic job with the trailer, and the music is perfect. So glad you enjoyed the review, Miriam. Thanks for visiting and cheering on Noelle!
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I know how good Diana is with doing trailers, Mae! I was a lucky winner getting a trailer done by Diana for my poetry book. She enjoys doing it. The music she picked has the perfect effect for Noelle’s book!
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That’s wonderful, Miriam!
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Wonderful review, Mae. Congratulations to Noelle. I’m very interested and will check out the book. 😊
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That’s fantastic, Gwen. It’s a wonderfully-written story, very polished and compelling!
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Hi Mae, a smashing review for Noelle’s latest book, I am sure she is thrilled. I hope you are keeping well and not working to hard.
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Glad you enjoyed the review, Robbie. It’s a wonderful book.
Work still insanely busy, but I’m managing it a bit better these days. Thanks so much for asking! 🤗💕
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I am very glad to know that, Mae.
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Ooh, nice one, Noelle! Gave me the shivers. Thanks, Mae!
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Glad you enjoyed it, Flossie. Thanks for visiting and sharing in Noelle’s release fun!
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It’s great to see Noelle here, Mae, and I couldn’t agree more with your review. There’s a lot going on with this book and it keeps the pace snappy. And thanks for sharing the trailer. It was a blast to make it for her. Congrats to Noelle on a fabulous read.
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Your trailer was fanastic, Diana. A wonderful job.
And Noelle kept me glued to the pages. She had SO MUCH going on in this novel, I can imagine it must have been difficult to track everythign so skillfully!
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She did! I liked how some of the plot threads were almost like red herrings while others led to the criminal mastermind. It was clever. 😀
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