Ladle to the Grave
by Connie Archer
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GENRE: Mystery
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BLURB:
By
the Spoonful is Snowflake, Vermont’s most popular soup shop, but owner Lucky
Jamieson doesn’t have any time to enjoy her success—she’s too busy trying to
keep a lid on false accusations against her loved ones…
It’s almost May, and
some of the local ladies have organized a pagan celebration in the woods to
welcome spring. But the evening goes terribly wrong when one of the attendees
winds up dead, apparently poisoned by an herbal concoction prepared by Lucky’s
grandfather, Jack.
Lucky’s sure her
grandfather could not have made such a tragic mistake. But before she can clear
him of suspicion, her best friend, Sophie, is diverted from planning her
wedding to By the Spoonful chef Sage DuBois when she finds a dead man floating
in the creek on her property. Now it’s up to Lucky to get both Sophie and Jack
out of hot water before a killer stirs up more trouble…
Recipes included!
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Excerpt:
When Lucky reached Jack’s front porch, she was dismayed to
see the windows dark. She heard thumps
and banging and Jack’s voice crying out. He was inside, somewhere in the dark.
Jack knew it was happening again. He couldn’t block out the
screams. The boat was rising and falling in the sea. The water was purple with
blood. A hand reached up from the dark
waters. Jack grasped it and held on with all his strength. Then a quick glimpse
of a shark’s fin, and the man was gone. He was holding a disembodied arm. All
around him were the cries of men being torn to pieces. Jack sobbed. He couldn’t
help them, no matter how quick he was, no matter how strong. He wasn’t fast
enough to save them.
Lucky pushed the door open and called Jack’s name. His moans were louder now. He had barricaded himself in the bathroom in
an effort to control the memories. The sound of shattering glass came from
within. She hurried to the kitchen and
grabbed a small knife from the wooden block next to the stove. Just as she slid the edge of the blade into
the doorframe, a heavy thud hit the door and Lucky fell back in shock, the
knife falling from her hands. Her heart was racing. She pushed the knife into
the doorjamb again and finally the lock released.
Jack was slumped on the floor in a small pool of blood. Broken glass was everywhere. He was lost in his nightmare.
“It’s okay now, Jack.
You’re home. You’re safe.”
He looked into her eyes, confused. “Lucky?”
“You had a spell, but you’re okay now.”
Tears spilled down Jack’s face. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. Everything’s going to be all
right now.” She prayed her words would make it true.
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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 www.ConnieArcherMysteries.com,
Facebook.com/ConnieArcherMysteries and Twitter @ SnowflakeVT.
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Connie will be awarding a $20 Amazon or
B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $20
Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.
