Free from the author('s republishing consortium) @
Kobo and thence price-matched to selected regional
Amazon stores (not free for Canadians).
Trick Question by Tony Dunbar (
SYKM), 3rd in his Edgar & Anthony-nominated Tubby Dubonnet series of humorous hard-boiled mysteries starring a New Orleans foodie lawyer, for which we've previously received other installments, this one originally out from Berkley in 1996.
DUNBAR'S INVENTED A NEW GENRE: CALL IT CREOLE-FOODIE-NOIR.
For the discerning reader who enjoys a knowing chuckle, a sazerac, a bit of pompano en papillote, and a running travelogue of New Orleans along with his murders…
Medical lab janitor Cletus Busters is caught red-handed in a restricted area with the frozen head of Dr. Whitney Valentine, one of the lab's most prestigious researchers. Busters won't say much, except that he's innocent. But given his conspicuous record and past as a voodoo guru, all signs point to life in prison.
Calling Tubby Dubonnet!
With the trial less than a week away, Busters' lawyer has made exactly two motions - heading to the bar for several rounds of Wild Turkey and begging Tubby for help. Meanwhile, Tubby's taken on a new client - a female boxer with an abusive boyfriend - and also has to referee the romantic entanglements of his ex-wife and three teenage daughters.
But as Buster's trial proceeds, and the jury savors the startling evidence (alongside Dunbar's succulent descriptions of Crescent City cuisine), the danger mounts. Revealing the murderer could prove to be Tubby's biggest triumph – or his last case ever.
Warning: Do not attempt to read this book without a handy snack – preferably a Hubig's pie or a pack of Zapp's potato chips. Both would be better.
There's also a freebie tie-in short story available:
Envision This @
Kobo & price-matched to selected
Amazon regional stores (not free for Canadians).
Free from the author('s republishing consortium) via KDP Select @
Amazon:
Full House by Shelley Singer (
SYKM), 3rd in her Samson & Vicente series of California-set mysteries (filed as cozy in the categories and sometimes described as such in the blurbs, YMMV) starring a Jewish ex-cop and a lesbian carpenter for which we've previously received others in the series free, this installment originally out from St. Martin's Press in 1986.
A CULT LEADER, A CACHE OF CASH, AN UNHOLY MESS!
An ark in the middle of suburban Oakland was interesting but not strange by California standards. Even one built by peaceful cultists preparing for the coming flood. Until sometime private eye Jake Samson is hired to find Noah, their leader, who has disappeared with a lovely devotee and a quarter million in cash. The cult suspects foul play. The police aren’t convinced.
As Jake and his carpenter sidekick, Rosie, trail the wealthy visionary from a health-food factory in Sonoma to a casino in Tahoe, thugs, drugs and the murdered body of Noah’s attractive assistant add up to a lot less than a biblical tale. And Jake's got a gut feeling the floodgates are just the beginning to open.