Murderous Means by Lida Sideris (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

 

Murderous Means

by 

Lida Sideris

 

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GENRE:   Cozy Mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

Corrie Locke may not be the best rookie lawyer in Southern California, but when it comes to catching a killer, she’s got the skills to bring a band of shifty-eyed suspects to their knees.
When the wealthy matriarch of the dysfunctional Means family dies in her sleep, the family is convinced her death was anything but peaceful. They hire Corrie to prove it, but the only evidence they have to go on is a psychic’s half-baked vision that it was murder. To put the matter to rest, Corrie sets her sights on proving the psychic is a fraud. After all, everyone knows psychics are crack-pots, don’t they?

But what should be a simple investigation morphs into something deadly. The deeper Corrie digs, the more bizarre clues are revealed, and a possible witness is found dead. As tempers rise, it is up to Corrie to catch a killer…who’s about to strike again.

 

 

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EXCERPT

Tiny beads of pain crashed together in my head like bumper cars made of steel. It felt like I’d emerged from a deep slumber. I lifted my leaden head. I lay sprawled in the middle of a field. Did I lose consciousness?

 

My fingers crept to my belt buckle, and I slipped the Japanese throwing star into my palm, relishing the shuriken’s cold metal and sharp points. I caught my breath. A flashlight illuminated the night. A dozen goats huddled together a good thirty feet away, their backs to me. A deep voice stirred the air. I couldn’t make out the words. Who was talking?

 

A large man stood near the goats, light beam in one hand, while the other dangled a pistol. As he shooed away the livestock, I lowered my head and stiffened. What was it Dad used to say?

 

A problem presents an opportunity to turn things around.

 

The guy trekked closer, stopping a few feet short of me. He smelled faintly of tobacco and beer. Shoving aside the pain, I jumped to my feet, only it was more like I heaved myself to a crouching position, shuriken ready. I sucked in a breath and sprang forward, straightening up enough to press my throwing star against his thick neck. Meanwhile, he stuck the muzzle of his gun to my side.

 

“Steady now, young lady.” His voice was a baritone growl that rustled the weeds. His crinkly blue gaze lit up like sparklers. “I’m going to lower my gun the same time you lower that sharp pointy thing. I know you broke inside the house tonight, but I’m willing to give you a chance to explain before I call the police.”

 

“Before you what?” I pressed the star deeper, a whisker away from drawing blood. “Who are you?”

 

 

Amazon

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lida Sideris is the author of the Southern California Mysteries. Slightly edgier than the usual cozy mystery, the series is loosely based on the author’s former life, working as an entertainment attorney for a movie studio…kind of like her heroine, Corrie Locke... except without the homicides. Lida is a recipient of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America Scholarship Award and a 2x Killer Nashville, Silver Falchion Award finalist. She lives in the northern tip of Southern California with her family, rescue dogs, and a flock of uppity chickens. To learn more, please visit www.LidaSideris.com

Links:

www.lidasideris.com

https://www.facebook.com/lidasideris

Twitter: @lidasideris

Instagram: @lida_sideris

BookBub

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GIVEAWAY

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The tour dates can be found here

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My review:

3.75 stars

 

“Murderous Means” by Lida Sideris is part of the ‘A Southern California Mystery’ series, and features intrepid almost-official private investigator Corrie Locke and her team as they try to determine whether a sudden death is due to homicide. Using a variety of conventional and not-so-conventional methods, the cast of characters look for clues in unusual places while they try to figure out if an actual crime has been committed, and if so, why.

 

This cozy mystery features a somewhat wacky crew of investigators who definitely should not be underestimated. Although this book can be read as a stand-alone story, I suspect that it would be less confusing to read the prior book(s) in the series and get a feel for the dynamics of the group and their outside-of-the-box techniques.

I enjoyed working my way through the twists and turns of the investigation even as I shook my head at some of the shenanigans and the way these folks play fast and loose with the legalities. A few things strained my credulity a bit, but it was fun reading the colorful descriptions of the characters and locations. This author has a way with words that makes even serious crimes entertaining, and I suspect the crew will soon be embroiled in even more adventures in beautiful Southern California.

A copy of this title was provided for review

Murder: Double or Nothing by Lida Sideris (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

Murder: Double or Nothing

 A Southern California Mystery

by

Lida Sideris

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GENRE: Mystery

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BLURB:

Corrie Locke, newbie lawyer and daughter of a late, great PI, is learning the ropes at the Hollywood movie studio where she works--and where things are never what they seem. Life imitates art when a fictional murder attempt turns real--right before her eyes.

With more than a little help from friends and a crazy movie legend, Corrie trips down a trail littered with wisecracks, mysterious messages, and marginally legal maneuvers to track down the killer. Meanwhile, clues keep disappearing and Corrie makes an enemy whose deadly tactics keep escalating. Will her impromptu sleuthing skills be enough to catch the mysterious assailant before he takes her down?

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EXCERPT

  

He pedaled the bicycle hard and fast down the narrow, deserted alley, stealing glances behind him. It was a late, warm Friday afternoon somewhere on the eastside of Los Angeles where police protection was scarce and hoodlums plentiful. Two and three story buildings huddled together on both sides of the rider. Graffiti stained the walls.

Hunched over the handlebars, the cyclist whizzed past a dented metal dumpster, unsettling newspapers and milk cartons pressed against a doorway. The collar of a gingham dress shirt stuck up beneath his red pullover and a backpack flopped behind him. Chuck Taylors clinched his nerdiness, as did the argyle socks. He looked fresh out of a computer lab, on his way to the library. There was nothing unusual about him, if you didn’t count the bulging eyes, gritted teeth and heavy panting. His expression belonged on a trapped animal.

A black sedan barreled around the corner, tires grinding and coughing up pieces of asphalt. Leaning his torso out of the passenger window, a muscular guy in a white T-shirt clutched a revolver. He aimed at the cyclist, fired three times and missed.

The rider angled around a corner and skidded to a stop. Dropping the bicycle on its side, he stumbled over the upturned wheel moments before the car crushed the bike beneath its fat tires, spitting out a tangle of metal and chrome. The car parked, and two thugs spilled out. They raced after the cyclist, guns drawn. The nerd careened toward the side of a brick building and jumped up, arms outstretched above his head. The silver cuff around his wrist glinted as he grabbed the bottom rung of a fire escape ladder, legs flailing wildly. The ladder creaked and swayed. He’d barely started the climb when the hoodlums fired. And missed again.

“Oh, brother,” I whispered.

The nerd scrambled onto a landing and dove through an open window.

Amazon link

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lida Sideris' first stint after law school was a newbie lawyer's dream: working as an entertainment attorney for a movie studio...kind of like her heroine, Corrie Locke. Lida lives in the northern tip of Southern California with her family, rescue dogs and a flock of uppity chickens. She was one of two national winners of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America Scholarship Award for her first book.

Website            

Facebook    

Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The tour dates can be found here


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My review:

4 out of 5 stars

Murder: Double or Nothing by Lida Sideris is part of the ‘Southern California Mystery’ series that features attorney and sleuth Corrie Locke, whose job at a movie studio shifts from the legal work she was hired for to investigating a murder using everything she was taught by her late father. Aided and abetted by her friends and allies and complicated by the powerful actress she’s ostensibly working for, Corrie follows a serpentine path in search of a killer who may also have her in his or her sights.

This mystery story is a romp that is more of a cozy mystery despite being set in the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles and some of its surrounding cities. The breezy but determined techniques utilized by Corrie to achieve her goals are entertaining and impressive, and her sidekicks definitely liven up the action with their expertise and unconventional techniques. There are plenty of red herrings and a fun sprinkling of movie studio glitz and misdirection with a bit of international flavor thrown in.

I haven’t read the other stories in the series, so some of the backstory had to be inferred, but I had no trouble reading this as a stand-alone story. I would have liked a bit more depth to some of the secondary characters and I thought some things were a little too easily ignored or swept over but this is still a fun light read. There are a few dangling threads that are apparently part of the series arc but I enjoyed getting to know this heroine and her stalwart assistants and I was particularly gratified to learn that she is feisty as well as tenacious, even if she is a little wishy-washy in the romance department, lol. I look forward to seeing what other sticky situations she gets herself into and out of.

A copy of this title was provided for review