Friday, December 18, 2015

Ladle to the Grave by Connie Archer (VBB, excerpt and GIVEAWAY) GFT


 


by Connie Archer

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GENRE: Mystery

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BLURB:

A poisoning at a pagan ritual . . . a dead man floating in the creek . . . Are both murders connected and will more victims fall prey to a killer?

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EXCERPT



One woman stepped forward and doused her candle on the stone altar.  She grasped the bowl in both hands.  Cordelia paused, about to speak, but before she could utter a word, the woman drank the brew in its entirety.  Cordelia stared at her, then filled the bowl again as a second woman stepped forward.   

A strangled sound came from the lips of the first woman to drink.  She gasped, clutching her throat.  Her eyes grew large in panic as she tried to speak.  Her chest heaved with the effort to breathe.  She dropped to the ground as her legs crumpled beneath her.  The others watched helplessly as the woman lay before them, retching and gasping for air. 

“Agnes,” Emily cried out. 

“What’s wrong?”  Cecily asked. 

Someone replied in alarm.  “She can’t breathe.  Help her!”

“Let me through.  I know CPR,” Emily Rathbone pushed the women aside.  They stepped back and stared as Agnes continued to gasp.  Emily struggled to lift Agnes’s head and open her jaw while Agnes writhed violently. 

“Help me hold her.”  Emily shouted.  Two of the women knelt.  One held Agnes’s arms and the other, her legs.  Emily tilted Agnes’s head and checked her throat.  “There’s nothing there.  Nothing’s interfering with her breathing.  Maybe it’s an allergic reaction.”  She deftly rolled Agnes to her side.  Agnes’s head fell forward, her movements still violent.  She retched again and whispered, “help me.”  Then her body went limp. 

Complete stillness filled the clearing.  No one spoke.  Someone finally whispered, “Is she breathing?” 

Emily felt for a pulse while the women watched in silence.  She looked up at their concerned faces.  “Agnes is gone.” 





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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Connie Archer is the national bestselling author of the Soup Lover’s Mystery series from Penguin Random House (Berkley Prime Crime).  A Spoonful of Murder, A Broth of Betrayal, A Roux of Revenge and Ladle to the Grave are set in the imaginary village of Snowflake, Vermont.  A Clue in the Stew will be released in April 2016.  Connie was born and raised in New England and now lives on the other coast.  

 You can visit her at her website

Facebook
Twitter @ SnowflakeVT.






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GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway


The tour dates can be found here


30 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Yes, I second that! Thanks to the Reading Addict for hosting me today!

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    2. As always, I am happy to host (just running a little too far behind as I try to meet some deadlines!)

      Connie, it was a delight to meet you a few months ago, I was impressed that you had come by to support your fellow cozy authors in Redondo Beach! Your book sounds like a lot of fun, thanks for sharing it with us!

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  2. What would you change about yourself if you could?

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    1. Hmmm . . . That's a good question. I'd like to be more understanding of others' viewpoints, even if I didn't agree, more compassionate, I guess. I do work at it. Oh, and maybe I wish I had been born with curly hair. But everyone I know with curly hair wishes they had straight hair, so I guess the grass only looks greener.

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    2. Hi Mai, thanks for visiting! I always love your questions (and yes, Connie, growing up, I wished for curly hair instead of my straight hair, lol).

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  3. Replies
    1. Hi Rita ~ Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you get to visit Snowflake, VT soon!

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    2. Glad you liked it, Rita, thanks for dropping by!

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  4. Really great excerpt, thanks for sharing!

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    1. Oh thank you, Victoria! Good luck in the giveaway!

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    2. Great to see you, Victoria, glad you liked the excerpt!

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  5. Absolutely adore the Soup Lovers books.

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    1. Oh, how nice of you to say, Patricia! Thank you and thanks for stopping by today!

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    2. Great to hear the endorsement, Patricia. Thanks for taking the time to drop by and comment!

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  6. Enjoyed the excerpt, sounds like a terrific read, thanks for sharing! Have a Wonderful Holiday Season!

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    1. Hi Eva ~ you too! Happy holidays!

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    2. Hope that you have a fantastic holiday season as well, Eva, thanks for the visit!

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  7. Awesome excerpt and cover, thank you for sharing! BTW, I have curly hair and you're right, I want straight. Well, at least I used to-now I understand my hair will do what it wants and I accept it.LOL

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    1. LOL! That's so funny, Betty! We can swap. Okay? I've struggled with straight hair my whole life and I know a mistake was made. I should have been born with curly hair!

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    2. Wonderful that you like the excerpt and cover, Betty, hope you get a chance to read the story. I have discovered that if I braid my very straight hair while it is wet, it is pretty curly when it dries, lol, so I have managed to find a way to make it look like it has some body occasionally. See, you would probably be sorry if your hair did become straight, lol.

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  8. Replies
    1. Hi Mary - my publisher absolutely loves plays on words. My original title was A Corpse in the Cauldron, but they didn't care for that one, so they came up with this one, which, I have to agree, is much better. Good luck, Mary!

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  9. Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you get to meet everyone in the village soon! Good luck!

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  10. Ladle to the Grave by Connie Archer sounds like it would be a fun book to read. I love mysteries. And I love the cover.

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    Replies
    1. Isn't the cover elegant? And I love that it incorporated Sophie's wedding too. Best of luck and thanks for visiting!

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  11. Congratulations and nice cover! Happy Holidays!

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  12. I love the cover! And I can't wait to read more.

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