Mailbox Monday

Tuesday:
A FIRE SPARKLING by Julianne MacLean ~ eBook from Prime
WHAT YOU DID by Claire McGowan ~ eBook from Prime
THE WIVES by Tarryn Fisher ~ eBook from Harlequin via NetGalley
A MOTHER’S LOSS by Jo Crow ~ eBook purchase
Saturday:
A MONSTER OF ALL TIME by JT Hunter ~ eBook from Author

The True Story of Danny Rolling, The Gainesville Ripper

Ambitious, attractive, and full of potential, five young college students prepared for the new semester. They dreamed of beginning careers and starting families. They had a lifetime of experiences in front of them. But death came without warning in the dark of the night.

Brutally ending five promising lives, leaving behind three gruesome crime scenes, the Gainesville Ripper terrorized the University of Florida, casting an ominous shadow across a frightened college town.

What evil lurked inside him?

What demons drove him to kill?

What made him A Monster of All Time?

Book Details:

Genre: True Crime
Published by: RJ Parker Publishing
Publication Date: September 4th 2018
Number of Pages: 304
ISBN: 1987902521 (ISBN13: 9781987902525)
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Author Bio:

J.T. Hunter is an attorney with over fourteen years of experience practicing law, including criminal law and appeals, and he has significant training in criminal investigation techniques. He is also a college professor in Florida where his teaching interests focus on the intersection of criminal psychology, law, and literature.

JT’s bestselling true crime books include:

Welcome and thank you for stopping by CMash Reads

What inspired you to write this book?

I remember hearing about the Gainesville student murders committed by Danny Rolling back when they happened, and I was struck by their similar impact on the college-town community as occurred with Ted Bundy’s crimes at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Then the more I researched Rolling the more interesting the story became.

What was the biggest challenge in writing this book?

The most difficult parts to write about were the murders. The crime scenes were very bloody because of the way Rolling killed his victims, and in some cases, because of what he did to their bodies afterward.

Give us a glimpse of the research that went into this book.

While researching the case, I gained access to the Alachua County State Attorney’s voluminous case files in Gainesville just before they were to be disposed of (and by voluminous I mean rows and rows of six foot high metal storage shelves). These materials included banker’s boxes of letters written by Rolling and interviews in which he detailed how he went about his crimes.

How did you come up with the title?

During an interview, one of Danny Rolling’s fellow inmates called him “a monster of all time”.

Your routine in writing? Any idiosyncrasies?

Once I decide on a subject to write about, I spend a lot of time researching newspaper archives. Then I get court documents, depositions, interview transcripts, and the like, before reaching out to witnesses. The process is substantially the same every time. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Tell us why we should read your book?

The book gives you a glimpse into the mind of serial killer Danny Rolling and sheds some light on why he committed such terrible acts. It also illuminates the power of the media through the story of the falsely accused Edward Humphrey.

Are you working on your next novel? If so, can you tell us a little bit about it?

Yes, I’m currently working on a story about a 12-year-old girl who was abducted while walking home from her bus stop. Her body was found a week later. She had been sexually assaulted. The case went unsolved for decades until an amazing break came thanks to familial DNA.

Fun Questions:
Your novel will be a movie. You would you cast?

Robert Downey Jr. or Joaquin Phoenix as Danny Rolling.

Favorite leisure activities/hobbies?

Movies, baseball, and reading.

Favorite foods?

Thai, sushi, Indian.

Catch Up With J.T. Hunter On:
jthunter.org, Goodreads, BookBub, & Facebook!

Read an excerpt:

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!

Enter Giveaway!:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for JT Hunter. There will be 2 winners of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card each. The giveaway begins on July 1, 2019 and runs through August 2, 2019. Void where prohibited.

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Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

1. I like my ________________ with _________________.
2. When I was _______________, I had to have ___________________.
3. I spend the most time thinking about _________.
4. _________ is a risk worth taking.

1. I like my coffee with with milk only.

2. When I was young and as long as I can remember, I had to have books..

3. I spend the most time thinking about my sons and granddaughters.

4. To love unconditionally is a risk worth taking.

Mailbox Monday

Wednesday:
THE MURDER LIST by Hank Phillippi Ryan ~ eBook from MacMillan/Tor Forge via NetGalley
TOO CLOSE by Natalie Daniels ~ TPB from Harper Paperbacks
Thursday:
TELL ME WHO WE WERE by Kate McQuade ~ ARC TPB from Harper Collins
Friday:
SHE WAS THE QUIET ONE by Michele Campbell ~ TPB from St. Martin’s Press

1. Summer is a good time to ___________________.
2. The most recent _____________ that I _______________________ was ___________________.
3. I thought I would grow out of _________, but I haven’t.
4. I feel annoyed when people ask me _________.

1. Summer is a good time to spend as much time outside relaxing and reading, sitting on the deck or by the pool. Especially since the older I get, the more I despise the cold, snow and the days getting dark at 4 pm.
2. The most recent online purchase that I ordered was a mug to add to my collection. Of course, book related.
3. I thought I would grow out of acquiring new books when I have so many that I haven’t read yet. I would need a few extra lifetimes to read the ones I have in my TBR bookcases and on my Kindle., but I haven’t.
   **This was a difficult question for me. How would you answer?**
4. I feel annoyed when people ask me very personal questions especially from acquaintenaces.

Synopsis:

A man is shot dead in front of City Hall in Philadelphia where his family is tangled in a bitter lawsuit. One brave woman, drawn there by a work of art, finds herself following a twisted trail to the hills of Le Marche in Italy to learn why. All the while, the cloud of fraud grows thicker and darker around her. But, as C. S. Forester said, perhaps the scandal of fraud enhances the flavor.

This thrilling story grabs and holds the reader from the first chapter through unexpected twists all the way to the richly satisfying ending. Art expert Claire Bliss and police Comandante Baldo are joined and antagonized by unforgettable characters in both Philadelphia and Italy. The authenticity of Ferreri’s players and their territories give special vibrance to the novel.

Lovers of the Renaissance will be drawn in immediately by the book’s cover, a painting of Mary Magdalene by Carlo Crivelli (ca. 1480) in the Rijksmuseum. Inside the book, a great art crime story unfolds together with a gem of a murder mystery.

A Cloud of Fraud is colorful, fast-moving entertainment.

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Published by: Linda Ferreri Trustee
Publication Date: May 7, 2017
Number of Pages: 315
ISBN: 978-0-578-47624-7
Purchase Links: Amazon | Kindle | Apple Books | Goodreads

Author Bio:

Linda Ferreri is the author of several art crime novels as well as witty illustrated iBooks. She is a highly respected international art law expert who divides her time between the United States and Le Marche in Italy.

Sometimes she says her most amusing book was her first, The King of UNINI, a sophisticated little romance set in Paris.

Welcome and thank you for stopping by CMash Reads

Thanks very much for having me here!

Reading and Writing:
What inspired you to write this book?

A lawsuit is a nasty thing, I believe, and it changes people. I have been a lawyer for many years and seen some of the problems caused by litigation, which I abhor. Nothing is worse than a family lawsuit. So, it began there. But the painting on the cover of the book…oh I really love it. Mary Magdalene by Carlo Crivelli, the version in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. That, too, because he painted in my territory in Italy…Le Marche.

What was the biggest challenge in writing this book?

Not getting stuck in a plot hole. The story is full of twists and turns and red herrings. The author has to follow those closely in a mystery.

Give us a glimpse of the research that went into this book.

Years of being an art historian and studying artworks in museums takes the mind to all sorts of “sources” of information. I had to do some serious work on Carlo Crivelli, the painter. I read an excellent catalogue prepared for a recent exhibition of his works at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. He was long forgotten but has had his own little renaissance, thank goodness.

How did you come up with the title?

A judge once spoke those words. Truer words were never spoken about the affairs in too many courtrooms.

Your routine in writing? Any idiosyncrasies?

I like sunny locations and quiet around me. For these mysteries, I cannot focus with music or too much other noise around me.

Tell us why we should read your book?

The characters are, I think, delicious and the settings, also. Anyone who knows Philadelphia politics will have a chuckle and anyone who dreams of the Italian countryside and those beautiful medieval hill towns will have some lovely images. The story is very satisfying. I think bright people like to read mysteries like this that take them on a ride and satisfy in the end because they fully occupy the mind. It’s quite visual and I really do hope someone makes this tale into a film. The scenery alone is worth that.

Are you working on your next novel? If so, can you tell us a little bit about it?

Yes. There is a strong character in Miami Beach, Florida involved. I’d like to tell you all of what happens to her but I can’t without spoiling the story. She’s young, single, poor and has a major adventure. Along the way, she solves a few life problems. But don’t all heroines do that?

Fun Questions:
Your novel will be a movie. You would you cast?

Oh please, God! And the choice role in this book is Rose. That is the role that all mature actresses should line up to play. Nobody tall or blond. I think that Helen Mirren can play any role, so we’ll put a wig on her and give her the job. Besides, she owns a pomegranate ranch in southern Italy and she knows plenty of Italian.

Favorite leisure activities/hobbies?

I grow roses and make rose water. And I knit all the time. Cant live without roses or knitting. Nope.

Favorite foods?

Italian food, of course, and Vietnamese. I took cooking lessons for a few days in Saigon and learned to make wonderful foods, only to get home to the US to discover that many of the ingredients are impossible to buy. Darn it.

Catch Up With Linda Ferreri On:
acloudoffraud.com, Goodreads, BookBub, Twitter, & Facebook!

Read an excerpt:

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!

Enter To Win!:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Linda Ferreri. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. The giveaway begins on June 1, 2019 and runs through July 2, 2019. Void where prohibited.

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Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

From the bestselling author of The Marriage Lie and Three Days Missing comes a riveting new novel of suspense about a woman who, in a fight for survival, must decide just how far she’ll go to escape the person she once loved

Beth Murphy is on the run…

For nearly a year, Beth has been planning for this day. A day some people might call any other Wednesday, but Beth prefers to see it as her new beginning–one with a new look, new name and new city. Beth has given her plan significant thought, because one small slip and her violent husband will find her.

Sabine Hardison is missing…

A couple hundred miles away, Jeffrey returns home from a work trip to find his wife, Sabine, is missing. Wherever she is, she’s taken almost nothing with her. Her abandoned car is the only evidence the police have, and all signs point to foul play.

As the police search for leads, the case becomes more and more convoluted. Sabine’s carefully laid plans for her future indicate trouble at home, and a husband who would be better off with her gone. The detective on the case will stop at nothing to find out what happened and bring this missing woman home. Where is Sabine? And who is Beth? The only thing that’s certain is that someone is lying and the truth won’t stay buried for long.

I became a fan of Kimberly Belle after reading THE MARRIAGE LIE  and then her subsequent books THREE DAYS MISSING  and THE LAST BREATH. I wasn’t taking any chances of not receiving an ARC of her upcoming book, DEAR WIFE, so I was delighted when I received a copy via NetGalley and then surprise book mail in a print format.

As the synopsis states, Beth Murphy, her new identity, is on the run from her abusive husband. She has planned for this day for 10 months.

On the same day another woman, Sabine Hardison, goes missing. Her husband becomes the sole suspect when details of their marriage are brought to light.

Detective Marcus Durand, a veteran on the force, is determined to find out what happened to Sabine but is “gut feeling” is that she is deceased.

Following Beth’s journey of her planned escape is tense and page turning. The suspense is thrilling throughout the book.

Without giving any spoilers, could these 2 women be one in the same?

The story is captivating and immensely engrossing! How it all comes together is mind-blowing! The ending is jaw-dropping and the reader will not see it coming!

If you haven’t read a Kimberly Belle book and you enjoy thrillers, this is the author for you. Highly recommend this book and all of her previous books.

Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗

• This blog was founded on the premise to write honest reviews, to the best of my ability, no matter who from, where from and/or how the book was obtained, and will continue to do so, even if it is through PICT or PBP.
• I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
• I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.