Friday, July 17, 2015

Caught Read-Handed by Terrie Farley Moran | Blog Tour with Review, Guest Post, Giveaway




From the national bestselling author of Well Read, Then Dead comes the second mystery featuring Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield, who bring Fort Myers Beach, Florida, residents plenty of sinful treats and killer reads at their bookstore café, Read ’Em and Eat.



The Blurb


Happy to help her fellow bibliophiles, Sassy visits the local library with book donations for the annual fundraising sale. Unfortunately, the welcoming readers’ haven is in turmoil as an argument erupts between an ornery patron and new library volunteer, Tanya Lipscome — also known as “Tanya Trouble.”

She may lack people skills, but everyone is shocked when Tanya is later found murdered in her own hot tub. The man last seen arguing with her is soon arrested. But Alan Mersky, a veteran with PTSD, happens to be the brother of Sassy’s former boss — and he’s no murderer. Now it’s up to Sassy and Bridgy to clear Alan’s name and make sure the real killer gets booked.

Includes a recipe for Miss Marple's Orange Iced Scones!


Caught Read-Handed by Terrie Farley Moran
Series: A Read 'Em and Eat Mystery, #2
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Culinary Mystery
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Publication Date: July 7, 2015
Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0425270297
ISBN-13: 978-0425270295
e-Book File Size: 1475 KB
ASIN: B00Q5DLWXA
Amazon | B&N | BAM! | Indie BoundGoodreads
  



The Review



I just read an amazing book, y'all — Caught Read-Handed by Terrie Farley Moran. Let me tell you a little about it.

Caught Read-Handed is a cozy culinary mystery, book two in the Read 'Em and Eat Mystery Series. The main characters in Caught Read-Handed are Mary Sassafras "Sassy" Cabot, who is also the narrator, and Bridget "Bridgy" Mayfield.

The first book in the series is Well Read, Then Dead, the 2015 Agatha Award Winner for Best First Novel. Agatha Awards are given to "traditional mysteries," mysteries similar to those written by Agatha Christie, at the annual Malice Domestic convention in Bethesda, Maryland. 

Caught Read-Handed can be read as a stand-alone if necessary, because Author Terrie Farley Moran has included enough details (without spoilers) from Well Read, Then Dead to keep new readers from getting lost. But Well Read, Then Dead is so good (Five Kitties!), why not read it first??  

Caught Read-Handed is a very fun read that captured my interest from the very first page. Right away, I found myself caring so much about the other characters in addition to Sassy and Bridgy, especially about Alan, the veteran with PTSD, and his family.

Sassy and Bridgy are the co-owners of Read 'Em and Eat, a bookstore café in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. I love the concept of the combination bookstore café. I wish there was one in my town! 

Sassy hosts several different Book Clubs each month at Read 'Em and Eat. I like how Author Terrie Farley Moran uses actual works of fiction or nonfiction as the books being discussed at various club meetings. She also uses actual book titles as café menu items, such as Old Man and the Sea Chowder.   

The tables in the Read 'Em and Eat café are not numbered, as is the case in most restaurants. Instead, the tables are named for famous authors. with humorous consequences at times, such as, "I was bussing Robert Louis Stevenson...." 

Speaking of humor, I really like Author Terrie Farley Moran's sense of humor. Here are some mini-excerpts to illustrate.
I tried explaining that we were donating some used books from home and a few unsold books from the café bookshelves for the library fund-raising book sale, but Ophie was having none of it.
"Isn't that like helping the enemy stock up on weapons? Honey chile, if everyone got their books at the library, who'd buy books from you??
     
Nothing like shouts of "Murder!" to stir up a crowd. One of the ladies at Barbara Cartland let out a scream so bloodcurdling that you would think she was sitting in the first row of a 3-D movie and the ax murderer had jumped out from behind the bureau.

The clubbies were silent for a bite or two and then Augusta Maddox spoke for all of us when, in her deep baritone, even louder then usual, she said, "This is the best danged crab concoction I ever ate. Only thing that could make it better would be a couple of fingers of corn likker."



Oh, just a word of warning. There is a bit of twerking performed, in case you're offended by such activity. But it's very brief, it's not done by Miley, and there are no pictures, GIFs, or whatever, so just read really fast through that section, and you should be okay.

I really liked the ending of Caught Read-Handed! My suspicions about whodunit were correct, but this didn't spoil a thing for me. In cozies, I enjoy the character interactions just as much as solving the mystery, and Author Terrie Farley Moran has written some great characters that I love to read about. 

I cannot wait to read more of Author Terrie Farley Moran's books in the Read 'Em and Eat series. I really enjoyed Caught Read-Handed, and hereby award it Five Kitties! 

Five out of five kitties

 Note:  I received a complimentary copy of Caught Read-Handed in exchange for my honest review. 
All opinions shared are 100% my own.


Follow the tour, to read other reviews and Author Guest Posts, plus Author Interviews! 




The Guest Post


Hi Jane, I am very excited to be on my Dollycas book tour and super happy to be with you today to talk about Caught Read-Handed, the second book in the Read ’Em and Eat cozy mystery series. I was honored (not to mention totally flabbergasted) when the first book of the series, Well Read, Then Dead, won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel at this year’s Malice Domestic Conference.

Hey, Terrie! Welcome to Jane Reads. I'm so glad you're here. Congratulations on your well-deserved Agatha Award for Well Read, Then Dead.

The Read ’Em and Eat is a café and bookstore that exists in my imagination on a sunny spot in the actual town of Fort Myers Beach which is nestled on the Gulf of Mexico in southwest Florida. The owners, two ex-pat Brooklyn BFFs, Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield work hard at providing a cheerful and bookish atmosphere while serving up delicious food such as Harper Lee hush puppies with a side of honey butter, which might be just the snack for a reader waiting for the Mysterious Madams book club to start their midafternoon meeting. 

A bookstore café is such a wonderful idea! And the different book clubs that meet at the Read 'Em and Eat all sound like such fun (unless Jocelyn is attending, LOL). My imaginary bags are packed and ready to go, so I can move to Fort Myers Beach and join in the bookish fun at the Read 'Em and Eat! 

In the opening pages of Caught Read-Handed, Bridgy’s Aunt Ophelia is waiting impatiently for Bridgy to pack up a box of Miss Marple’s Orange Iced Scones. Ophie has become a full time resident of Fort Myers Beach and is the proud owner of a consignment shop called the Treasure Trove which is only a few steps away from the Read ’Em and Eat.

Ophie takes her scones and hurries off to meet a new client leaving Sassy and Bridgy to serve breakfast to a full house. Menu items include Green Eggs and Ham, Agatha Christie soft boiled eggs with Catcher in the Rye toast and other bookish meals. A few hours later Sassy stops by the library and witnesses a confrontation involving a library volunteer who some people refer to as “Tanya Trouble”. The next day Sassy is shocked to find out that the woman has been murdered and the brother of one of Sassy’s old friends is the prime suspect. It falls on Sassy to notify the family that Alan is in serious trouble and, of course, she tries to help.

Of course! Sassy's generous spirit, and willingness to help anyone in need, are two of the reasons why I love this series so much.

Oh, I almost forgot. I am elated to tell you that the recipe for Miss Marple’s Orange Iced Scones is included in Caught Read-Handed. The recipe was developed by all around cozy lover Karen Owen who blogs at A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery. So when you pick up a copy of Caught Read-Handed either at the library or your favorite bookstore, I won’t mind at all if, before you start reading, you turn to the back of the book to check out the recipe. Why not make a batch of scones and a pot of tea and settle in for a cozy read? That’s how I love to spend my days.

What a wonderful suggestion! Thanks so much, Terrie, for stopping by Jane Reads on your Dollycas Tour.


~ ~ ~


For Karen's step-by-step photos of how to make your own scones, y'all, 
go to the Release Day article for Caught Read-Handed 




The Author

About Terrie Farley Moran



Agatha Award recipient Terrie Farley Moran is the author of the beachside Read 'Em and Eat cozy mystery series including Well Read, Then Dead and Caught Read-Handed. Her short mystery fiction has been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and numerous anthologies, including the Mystery Writers of America anthology Crimes by Moonlight. She has been short-listed twice for Best American Mystery Stories. 

The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is playing games and reading stories with any or all of her seven grandchildren.


Find her on the web at




The Giveaway

Terrie will award a Gift Package 
to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.





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