Sheila's Books Read

Sheila's bookshelf: read

The Best Intentions
Scotland's Melody
The Secret Society of Salzburg
Secret of the Sonnets
20-40-60-Minute Dinners: Meals to Match the Time You Have
Through the Wilderness: My Journey of Redemption and Healing in the American Wild
Secret Santa Claus Club: A Tool to Help Parents Unwrap the Secret of Santa
Mr. Pudgins
Revenge Never Rests
The Best Mistake
Meriden Park
More Inspirational Stories for Young Women
The Great Tree: A Christmas Fable
To Capture His Heart
The Call of the Sea
Esperance
Livvy and the Enchanted Woodland
Come, Gentle Night
The Bad Boy Theory
Guide To Smart Wedding Planning: What You want to know and everything you haven't thought of yet.


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2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Sheila has read 4 books toward her goal of 100 books.
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Friday, September 27, 2024

Bearly Evident: A Kristy Farrell Mystery by Lois Schmitt-Cozy Mystery Book Review

Bearly Evident by Lois Schmitt Banner

BEARLY EVIDENT

by Lois Schmitt

September 9 - October 4, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

Book Synopsis

Bearly Evident by Lois Schmitt

A Kristy Farrell Mystery

 

When a body is found in the Happy Place Animal Sanctuary, wildlife reporter Kristy Farrell is on the case. She soon discovers this was no accident. It was MURDER!

Five people were present at the sanctuary when the death occurred. As Kristy digs deeply into the victim's past, she uncovers dark secrets affecting each of these five suspects--powerful motives for murder.

Meanwhile, life is anything but calm on the home front. The best friend of Kristy's widowed mother is a victim of a pyramid scam. Kristy, assisted by her veterinarian daughter, is determined to expose the fraud although it may be at great personal risk.

Back at the sanctuary, things are spiraling downhill. Wolves escape and another body is found. With the bad publicity, the sanctuary may be forced to close. And a killer is still on the loose!

Despite being thwarted at every move by her nemesis, the blustery Detective Wolfe, Kristy uncovers a major hole in the alibi of a key suspect. But as she gets nearer to closing in on this killer, it looks a if she might become the third victim.

Book Details

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by: Encircle Publications
Publication Date: September 4, 2024
Number of Pages: 280
ISBN: 9781645995609 (ISBN10: 1645995607)
Series: A Kristy Farrell Cozy Mystery, 4
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Encircle Publications

****I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, NetGalley, book tours, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.**** 


BEARLY EVIDENT

I started back for my appointment with the sanctuary’s business manager when I heard voices coming from behind a desk. I recognized one of the vices. I snuck behind to look and listen.

“I know you want her job, and to tell the truth, I’d much prefer you,” Nick Lamonica said.

“Why can’t you fire her?” asked the other man. I couldn’t see his face, but he wore orange leather boots.

“Be patient,” Nick answered, “She may be gone sooner than you realize.”

A woman’s scream pierced the air.

Nick and the man in orange boots sped off in the direction of the scream. I raced after them.

The screams had come from Gina Garone, the sanctuary director. She pointed to one of the animal habitats. Spread across the grass was a body.

Hovering over the body was a mountain of fur with fangs.

Bella the bear.

***

Excerpt from Bearly Evident by Lois Schmitt. Copyright 2024 by Lois Schmitt. Reproduced with permission from Lois Schmitt. All rights reserved.

 


My Review

As an animal enthusiast and advocate for rescues and conservation efforts, this book appealed to me immediately. Bearly Evident is not just a foul-play mystery; surprisingly, it also has a good dose of humor.

The story features Kristy Farrell, a reporter for Animal Advocate Magazine, who is at the Happy Place Animal Sanctuary to write an article when a body is discovered. Kristy switches into detective mode to uncover who is behind the crime. Her approach to questioning people is quite amusing. At one point, she has five or six suspects on her list. Chaos ensues at the sanctuary with animals escaping and shady characters lurking around. Kristy gathered so much information about each suspect that I was left completely confused about who was causing all the trouble. There's also a subplot involving a pyramid scheme tied to Kristy's mom's friend, and I loved how that storyline wrapped up.

I admired Kristy's bravery and determination as she tackled both mysteries. This is the fourth book in the series, but I’m definitely going to read the first three because I truly enjoyed the author's creative storytelling. Lois Schmitt crafts fantastic characters who have unique voices and relatable flaws.

Bearly Evident works well as a standalone novel. If you’re a fan of intriguing mysteries, interesting characters, and a book that's hard to put down, you’ll really enjoy this one.


****Meet Author Lois Schmitt****


A mystery fan since she read her first Nancy Drew novel, Lois Schmitt combines a love of mysteries with a love of animals in her series featuring wildlife reporter Kristy Farrell which includes Monkey Business, the first in the series, Something Fishy, 2nd runner-up for the Killer Claymore Award, and Playing Possum, Silver Falchion Award Finalist. Bearly Evident is the fourth in the series, but each book can be read as a stand alone.

She is a member of several wildlife and humane organizations as well as Mystery Writers of America and the Long Island Author's Guild. Lois worked for many years as a freelance writer and is the author of Smart Spending, a consumer education book for young adults. She previously served as media spokesperson for a local consumer affairs agency and often incorporates consumer scams into her books. She also taught at Nassau Community College.

Lois lives in Massapequa, New York with her family which includes a 120 pound Bernese Mountain dog. This dog bears a striking resemblance to Archie, a huge dog of many breeds, featured in her mystery series.

For latest news on Lois visit :
LoisSchmitt.com
Goodreads
Instagram - @LoisSchmittMysteries
Facebook - @LoisSchmittAuthor

 

 

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