All Signs Point to Murder
by Connie Di Marco
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Mystery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Rob Ramer was the perfect husband until he committed the ultimate family faux
pas—he shot his sister-in-law to death. Believing himself under attack by an
intruder in his home, he fired back. But when evidence is discovered that
Rob’s wife, Brooke, was plotting his murder, Brooke is charged with conspiracy
in her sister’s death. Geneva, a third sister, is desperate for answers and
seeks the help of her friend, San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti. Geneva’s
lost one sister and now it seems she’ll lose the other. Was this a murder plot
or just a terrible accident? Julia vows to find the answer in the stars.
The building on Guerrero was a once proud Victorian with bow front windows. It
had since been broken up into six small units and fallen into disrepair. There
was something about this chore that made my stomach go into knots. Rummaging
through a dead woman’s possessions was bad enough, but what if I found something
that implicated Moira in a crime? Should I remove it and risk the police finding
out?
I approached the long stairway leading to the front door. The wind had died down
and now fog danced around the streetlights. It was eerily quiet. No lights shone
from any of the windows. I climbed the cracked granite stairs to the entrance
where the weathered door stood ajar, listing slightly on its hinges. Inside, a
bare overhead light bulb cast a meager glow down the long corridor, cannibalized
from a once grand entryway. The hallway smelled of dirty cat litter, moldy
vegetables and cigarette smoke. I followed the corridor to the end, and stopped
at the last door on the right.
I slipped the key into the lock and reached around the door jamb where I felt
the light switch. A rusting chandelier with two bulbs missing illuminated the
one large room that was both Moira’s living room and bedroom. The main room
housed a collection of hand-me-downs and broken furniture, ripped curtains and
piles of clothing in various spots around the floor.
I heaved up the mattress, first on one side and then the other, making sure
nothing was hidden between it and the box spring. I pulled open each of the
bureau drawers, checked their contents and pulled them all the way out to make
sure nothing was behind them. I opened a small drawer in the bedside stand. Amid
a loose pile of clutter was a dark blue velvet box embossed with the letter “R”
in cursive gold script. Could this be from Rochecault? I was fairly certain it
was. Rochecault is an infamously expensive jeweler on Maiden Lane downtown. How
could Moira have shopped there?
I opened the box and gasped. An amazing bracelet heavy with blue stones in
varying colors rested inside. The setting had the slightly matte industrial
sheen of platinum. Moira couldn’t possibly have afforded this. Shoving the box
into a side pocket of my purse, I decided I was definitely not leaving this for
the police to find, and slid the drawer shut.
I scanned the room. Moira hadn’t been much of a housekeeper and it didn’t appear
as if there were many hiding spots. My eye caught a small black notebook under a
jumble of papers and unopened bills on a rickety desk. I dropped my purse on the
floor and reached for the book. A searing pain shot through my skull. Blinded, I
fell to the floor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Connie di Marco is the author of the Zodiac Mysteries featuring Julia Bonatti, a
San Francisco astrologer who never thought murder would be part of her practice:
The Madness of Mercury, All Signs Point to Murder, Tail of the Dragon, Serpent’s
Doom and Enter a Wizard, Stage Left (a prequel e-book novella). Writing as
Connie Archer, she is also the author of the national bestselling Soup Lover’s
Mysteries from Penguin Random House. You can find her excerpts and recipes in
The Cozy Cookbook and The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. Connie is a
member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Crime
Writers Association (UK) and Sisters in Crime.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Connie di Marco will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteThank you, Jasmine, for hosting All Signs Point to Murder today!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! :)
DeleteThe blurb sounds really interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi Sherry, thanks for stopping by! I hope you get to enjoy the Zodiac Mysteries soon!
ReplyDelete