Description:
A friend’s murder. An unconnected cast of suspects, including the victim’s missing adult daughter. As if that wasn’t enough, Brynn Bancroft’s winery has been broken into. Can she deal with her co-owner ex and help the police find her friend’s murder so she can finally overcome her own troubled past and enjoy family life with her teenage ward?
My Take:
3 Stars
This is Book 3 in this Brynn Bancroft Mystery series, but this CAN be read as a stand-a-lone book. Brynn had a friend she who she was going to meet with later that day so they could paint together as they had been doing that lately. Their friendship was based on art and painting together. She got to his house as that is where they always met together to paint with, when she found the police were there. The police informed her he was dead and that he had been murdered. She learned the cleaning lady found him dead since he lived alone. The rest of the book is a cozy ‘whodunnit’ as they try to figure out who the killer is.
I had a very difficult time reading this book. I could not connect to the style of writing this author has. The writing style just did not flow as easily as it should have, at least for my liking. The writing felt choppy, which made this a very difficult book to read. Perhaps a really good Editor could have made this book’s outcome better, or at least that is what I would suggest. This is ‘my’ opinion, though. Perhaps this may be different for other people, and that is why you can download a sample of this book at Amazon and try it before you purchase it to see if this book is a fit for you! I highly suggest doing that.
I was provided a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for a review of my own opinion.
“GUEST POST”
Meeting My Muse
By Joyce T. Strand, Author
Landscape for Murder: A Brynn Bancroft Mystery
I remember the day vividly that I met my muse.
I was sitting at my desk working on my first fictional mystery novel. I had been laid off after almost 30 years and for the first time was unsuccessful at finding a new job.
Frustrated, angry, and annoyed, I complained vocally and frequently to my late husband who finally one day said, “Why don’t you write a book? Writing is what you’ve been doing for 25 years, so you should be good at it.”
Assuming he was suggesting that I draft articles on high tech and biotech products and research, which was a large part of my public relations responsibilities, I replied, “What on earth would I write about?”
He said, “Why, mysteries, of course. You read enough of them.”
So that’s why I was sitting at my desk trying valiantly to turn my non-fiction tutorial article skills into suspenseful, fiction with dialogue and everything. My anger had turned to exasperation as I reflected on the differences in writing styles. To prepare contributed articles in the field of biotechnology required careful scrutiny not to over-claim or over-state as required by FDA regulations. When marketing high-tech products a goal was to offer the benefits first and then back it up with proof.
“A mystery, on the other hand,” I pondered, “requires the building of suspense to a climax revealing the solution to a puzzle.”
That’s when I saw him. Outside my window a roadrunner scampered across the driveway. He looked smaller than I recalled from the Warner Brother cartoons where he repeatedly beat up the indefatigable Wylie Coyote who just wouldn’t give up chasing him, no matter what. But I recognized him.
He braked and looked in my window. I swear it. He stared right at me. I didn’t move. I had never seen a real one. I certainly did not want to startle him.
We had our moment. He shook his head in quick short movements. He looked around. Then he peered back in the window. He stood very still. Then he cocked his head and dashed off to leave a driveway that now appeared somehow different.
Between the driveway and me I noticed flowers, green shrubs, and trees. Instead of just concrete, I saw sunshine bouncing off it and shadows creating interesting shapes. The trees were swaying, the birds were bathing in the little fountain, and the sky was throwing its clouds at me.
Whew! What happened?
I looked at my computer with its blank screen and started writing.
And I’ve never looked back after six published books.
I’ve seen my roadrunner frequently since that first time six years ago, and I’ve seen his family. At least, I choose to believe it’s the same one. It’s true that I look to many sources to inspire my mysteries, such as real California crimes. But I will never forget that first time my roadrunner willed me to check out the world from a new perspective.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mystery author Joyce T. Strand, much like her fictional character, Jillian Hillcrest, served as head of corporate communications at several biotech and high-tech companies in Silicon Valley for more than 25 years. Unlike Jillian, however, she did not encounter murder. Rather, she focused on publicizing her companies and their products. She is the author of the Jillian Hillcrest mysteries ON MESSAGE, OPEN MEETINGS, and FAIR DISCLOSURE, the Brynn Bancroft mystery HILLTOP SUNSET and the historical mystery, THE JUDGE’S STORY. Strand received her Ph.D. from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. and her B.A. from Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA. She currently lives in Southern California with her two cats, a collection of cow statuary and art, and her muse, the roadrunner.
You can find the Author at all these places!
Webpage: http://joycestrand.com
PLUS A #GIVEAWAY!
The Giveaways are:
1st Prize: Kindle Fire 7” WiFi 8GB Black plus ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder
2nd Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card and ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder
3rd Prize: ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder
ENTER THE GIVEAWAYS FROM
NOV 4th to NOV 22nd, 2015!
How do you enter this Giveaway? Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below! GOOD LUCK!!
2nd Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card and ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder
3rd Prize: ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder
ENTER THE GIVEAWAYS FROM
NOV 4th to NOV 22nd, 2015!
How do you enter this Giveaway? Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below! GOOD LUCK!!
Hello Laurie,
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of Joyce Strand and Book Marketing Services, I would like to thank you for hosting Joyce today on Laurie Here - Contemporary Fiction and MORE. If anyone has any questions and/or comments they would like to share, please leave them in the comment box. Joyce will be by later in the day to respond.
Joyce is having a giveaway during her tour. 1st prize: Kindle Fire HD 7” WiFi 8GB Black plus ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder; 2nd Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card and ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder; 3rd Prize: ebook or paperback copy of Landscape for Murder. Click here to enter: http://gvwy.io/gx4k112
Please join Joyce today, Wednesday, November 11th on Literary Diva http://www.blogtalkradio.com/diva29 for her online interview as well as on Thursday, November 12th for her guest post on Silver’s Reviews http://silversolara.blogspot.ca. Her topic is Conceiving a Whodunit.
Landscape for Murder is now available at:
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Landscape-Murder-Brynn-Bancroft-Mystery-ebook/dp/B016JL5RSS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1446743176&sr=8-3&keywords=joyce+t+strand and paperback version is available at: http://www.amazon.com/Landscape-Murder-Brynn-Bancroft-Mystery/dp/0996145427/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1446882308&sr=8-3
Barnes and Noble Nook - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/landscape-for-murder-joyce-t-strand/1122902146?ean=2940151221658
Unicorn Books and Gifts (autographed paperback): http://www.unicornbooksandgifts.com/shop.html#!/~/search/keywords=Landscape%20for%20Murder&offset=0&sort=relevance
We invite your readers to follow Joyce’s 10 day virtual book blog tour. Direct links for each day of the tour can be found on Joyce’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JoyceTStrandAuthor.
Best regards, Della
Hi Della!
DeleteThanks for stopping by! I'll have to get with you so I can help you shorten what you have to say up above! For the Giveaways, they can SEE the box, so you can skip talking about that HERE because it only confuses people. They think there is a 2nd Giveaway! I get emailed asking where is the 32nd Giveaway??? LOL!!!
As for linking up and showing off what blogs are in the tours, they have those LINKY'S where blogs hook together and people can see ALL the blogs that are Hosting the Author and her book on each day, which I think is what you need! I'll get in touch with you by email!
As for the links as to where to purchase, they did NOT work, as you can see. This book is unusual in the sense it is only pretty much available in Canada but IS available at Amazon and at Chapters stores HERE in the US which go to Independent Bookstores, or at least that is what I found!
Thanks SO much!
Laurie
As an author, I would like to add my thanks to you for hosting me on your blog. I appreciate your time and commitment to join authors to readers. Thanks so much
ReplyDeleteHi Joyce!
DeleteWow!!! Thank you SO much for stopping by my blog in person!! HOW NICE!! That does mean a LOT when authors do this at the blog's that are hosting them!! I really appreciate it!
ALL the best to you!
Laurie