Hammers and Homicide (A Hometown Hardware Mystery)
by Paula Charles
About Hammers and Homicides
Hammers and Homicide (A Hometown Hardware Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Oregon
Crooked Lane Books (January 16, 2024)
Hardcover : 280 pages
ISBN-10 : 1639105999
ISBN-13 : 978-1639105991
Digital ASIN : B0C9PJXCFG
Perfect for fans of Kate Carlisle and Victoria Gilbert, when a body is found in a hardware store, will Dawna Carpenter’s sleuthing measure up to find the killer?
Recent sexagenarian widow Dawna Carpenter thought running her own hardware store after the death of her husband was hard enough. With her adult daughter, April, moving back into town, and Darlene, the annoying boutique owner next door to her shop poking around, Dawna has her hands full. But when she finds a dead man in the bathroom of her store, with a framing hammer by his side, she’s in way over her head.
The victim, Warren Highcastle, was a land developer who was looking to purchase the old theater in town to build a new hotel. Dawna and April, worried about the implications of the crime scene at the hardware store, put themselves on the case. They soon learn that Warren had made quite a few enemies in his short amount of time in town. As the suspect list starts growing, so too do the threats against Dawna and April. Can Dawna and April nail the killer before they strike again?
Excerpt:
I ended the call then reached into the cupboard for a glass and filled it with infused cucumber water from a pitcher in the refrigerator.
“See her where?” April filled another glass with cucumber water. “What’s going on?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know? Join the Women’s Service Club, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
I’d been trying to get April to join the organization ever since she’d taken over the decorating and furniture restoration side of my business, but so far, she’d refused.
“Whatever, Mom. I’m not ready to wear polyester pants and go to a meddling women’s meeting.” My daughter rolled her eyes and tapped her wrist like she was checking a watch. “At least not for another…oh, let’s see…twenty years.”
I threw my hands in the air and looked down at the pink-and-white striped T-shirt, cotton shorts, and denim shoes I wore. “Do you see polyester pants here? Don’t think so, missy.”
“No, but your meddling is showing. Better get it tucked back in.”
The two of us cracked up like a pair of cackling hens.
“Anyway, Evonne called an emergency meeting tonight. Without a feasible buyer for The Emery, we need to regroup and double our efforts to save the theater for Pine Bluff.”
“See? I knew I wouldn’t have to join your stuffy old ladies club to get the scoop. You can’t keep from talking about it.” April grinned. “But, seriously, it’s a good idea. What time’s your meeting?”
“Seven. Why? Are you coming with me?”
“Nope, not going with you. Will you stop, please?”
I laughed. “Never.”
“I think I’m going to head to the workshop and finish the dresser I’ve been working on. Maybe I’ll work until your meeting is over. It should give me a few hours to paint.”
Workshop was an overreaching word for the storage unit where April refinished and stored the pieces of furniture that were the heart of her business, Carriage House Designs.
“Do you think it’s wise to be there alone right now? You could stay here and bake those cupcakes you promised J.T.”
“It’s too hot to bake. I’ll do it tomorrow morning while it’s still cool. I’ll be as safe at my workshop as I’d be here by myself. Don’t worry. I’ll text J.T. to let him know where I’m at, okay? You need to do the same thing when you leave the house, and then text me when you’re heading back home from your meeting. Plus drive your Jeep. No walking tonight.”
“Deal, bossy cow.”
April and I pinky swore. There was no going back on our deal now. With a pinky swear, it was completely unbreakable.
“The meeting isn’t for several more hours, though. I have all afternoon to kill. Think I’ll turn on the air-conditioning unit in the sunroom and read for a bit after I start a load of laundry. It’s too hot to work in the garden right now.”
“Sounds perfect. And don’t say kill.” April glowered at me in jest before she turned to head outside.
I grabbed the dishtowel hanging on the stove door handle and snapped my daughter on the rear end before she made it outside.
“Oh, lady, you’re going to be mighty sorry you did that.” April let the screen door bang behind her for good measure. “Lock the door,” she called over her shoulder.
About Paula Charles
When Paula Charles isn’t writing under the towering trees of the Pacific Northwest, she can be found in the garden with her hands in the dirt or sitting on her front porch with a good book and a glass of iced tea. She has a love for small towns, ghost stories, and pie. Paula lives on a small farm in Southwestern Washington with her patient husband and a handful of furry and feathered critters. Paula also writes cozy mysteries under the pen name of Janna Rollins.
Author Links
Website: Cozy Mystery Writer | Paula Charles Cozy Mystery Author
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jannarollinsauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulacharles_jannarollins/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show41170333.Paula_Charles
Purchase Links – PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org
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Paula Charles
Thank you so much for featuring Hammers and Homicide on your blog today!
Rita Wray
I liked the excerpt.
Roxanne C.
I like the fun interaction between the mother and daughter.
Bonnie
What an intriguing book! Great excerpt. I’d love to read more.